To start out with, just some unfortunate news. Calvin (Ridley) broken fibula, so he'll be done for the year. Feel for him. He worked so hard to get back to where he was and obviously that happened. Chim (Dike) had cleared concussion protocol. He did not go back in. He is still being evaluated for a chest contusion. So that is why he did not go in. And then, Elic (Ayomanor) came out of the game with a hamstring at the end there, so that's why he was in there.
So you look at the game, the defense played outstanding, looking at it, situations throughout the entire game, the way they played. There was a turnover in there, they get down there, get a stop, all those things they did. They played lights out.
Unfortunately, offensively, we get a couple field goals and get a touchdown at the end there, but in between there's just too many penalties that put us against a very, very good defense that makes it hard. You just keep going backwards instead of having positive plays, and we hurt ourselves in those situations. So, we definitely have got to clean that up.
On the third-and-16 play there on the shot at the end, what did you say?
I was actually watching the pass rush. I did not see that right until the ball got in the air and I looked over there. So, I'll have to look at the film to really tell you. I was looking at the pass rush.
How disappointing was it to set the other team up in that situation?
No doubt. You want to get a stop there and give your offense another opportunity.
Until the last drive when you had to go down the field to try and get a big play or two to get in position to score, the biggest play from scrimmage had been 16 yards. Was it by design to take the short stuff and just get the ball out of Cam's hands as quickly as you could? Or were they taking away any deep chances?
Well, there were a couple opportunities. We were trying to throw the ball downfield, and whether they take them away with the pass rush. We knew we were going to face with 51 (Will Anderson Jr.) and 55 (Danielle Hunter). We wanted to get the ball out of your hand in time to stay ahead. The problem was we had too many penalties and we kind of hurt ourselves there. And then, we kind of changed some things as the game went along with guys getting injured and not being in the game.
The play in the third quarter where Cam Ward was trying to go to Mason Kinsey there...
Right over by our bench?
Yeah, to the right there. What happened there?
Just a missed opportunity. You're talking about we missed throwing to Mason (Kinsey) there on whatever yard line that was? Just a missed opportunity. We've got to make those plays.
You mentioned the penalties. With JC (Latham) specifically, did he seem antsy? Was there a specific reason you saw to account for the three false starts?
No, we've got to clean that up. We have to clean that up. That's something that's just—against the great pass rushers out there that they have, we've got to hold in there. We can't have that happen.
On the early penalty on Jeffery Simmons that led to the goal line stand by you guys early.
I can't. I've got to keep money in my pocket.
The overriding feeling after this? You showed some fight at the end but too many mistakes over the course of the game put you in a tough spot. How do you leave here managing that?
Well, we've got to clean it all up. That's the first thing I told everybody. There were so many good things in the game. The way the defense played the whole entire time, the offense going down there, getting points to start halves, and there's plays that guys are making. But you just can't beat yourself against a really good football team, and that's what happened. The penalties kill you. It's tough. It's tough enough to play against a great defense like that, and then when you have just the penalties that you hurt yourself, it's even harder.
Fourth-and-two from their 28. What will it take for you in the remainder of the season to be in one of those situations and make the more aggressive decision?
Well, you go, like any situation in a game, you look at certain things, what is the flow of the game, what type of game is it going to be, and what you think at the time, and situations in the game you're going to do.
Every game this season has been the kind of a game where you need more points than the field goals you guys consistently settle for. Is there going to come a time where you decide I'm going to go for touchdowns in this game?
Definitely. There's times we talk about it as the game is going on, as a staff, as you play the game, the flow of the game and everything. You do that all the time.
In this instance, what was it about the flow of the game that made you not go for it on such a—it seemed like a makeable fourth down opportunity.
Because we said at that point in time if it was a certain down-and-distance, what we were going to do, and we kicked the field goal.
What's the reason why you decided to, whenever you decide not to go for it?
Because of where the ball was, the situation in the game, all those things. We said if it's a certain situation, if it's a certain down-and-distance, we're kicking a field goal. And that's what we did.
But what makes you feel like the situation in this game is going to present you with a different outcome later where six points at that stage is going to be enough where the whole season six points at that stage of the game has not been enough?
There's other times during the game, also, regardless of where the ball is where we say if it is a certain down-and-distance, we're going to go for it. That's the decisions you make as the game goes on. And it constantly changes as the flow of the game goes, where is the ball, where is the field position, what direction. There's so many other things that go into it. We had talked about it, and that's what we did.
If Amy (Adams Strunk) Mike (Borgonzi) or Chad (Brinker) came to you and said we overall want you to play more aggressively and not make decisions like that but push, would you?
We talk about all the decisions I make all the time, and we constantly talk about it. We evaluate the game, we talk about the decisions I made, and that's what I did.
Are they satisfied with that conservatism?
I haven't talked to them about today's game yet.
How do you balance Cam (Ward) certainly had sometimes where he struggled, but then has the big drive near the end where he had some big completions and not a lot of wide receivers to throw it to either. How do you balance that overall?
Well, I think everybody—give some of the guys that were in there that stepped up, give them a lot of credit for creating the separation, getting open, whatever it was, Cam (Ward) making the plays. He scrambled a couple times today you saw. Unfortunately, we had a penalty on one of them, things like that. He's done a great job with that today, which was great to see. That's one thing we've always talked about is Cam making some plays with his feet.
