MIKE McCOY: Obviously, Cam's [Ward] shoulder. We will do more testing when we get back home. [Kevin] Zeitler went off with a quad then Corey [Levin] had the bicep. Got off to a good start. Obviously we went down there and get a stop defensively and then go down and get a touchdown to start the game, and from there, we were not efficient enough, the rest of the way, obviously, in any phase. It's a tough way to go out. I'll open it up to questions.
What are your indications on Cam?
MIKE McCOY: We'll see. We'll do more testing. Until they do more testing, I can't give you --I'll give you a better answer down the road.
You guys hadn't called many plays of that variety for him this season. Does it sting that he gets hurt on a play like that?
MIKE McCOY: Yeah, it stings that he gets hurt in general. The way he's played the last -- he's played all year long, the way he's learned and grown as a player, getting better, you don't ever want to see anybody get injured. It's unfortunate because the way we went down there and moved the ball against a really good defense in the first series and scoring points, but it's just unfortunate the way he went down.
Was there something in particular that made you dial up a zone read call?
MIKE McCOY: No, you put plays in all year long, and we've had other plays like that during the season.
How did Brandon [Allen] do stepping in in your eyes?
MIKE McCOY: He hasn't got a lot of -- obviously Cam has taken every snap up until then, and Brandon came in, he had the one really nice 3rd down conversion there for us, and then offensively not just him, we just weren't efficient enough moving forward from there.
What do you say to the guys in the locker room after the season it's been and going out that way?
MIKE McCOY: Really just thanked them for everything they've done all season long in a very difficult situation. This team fought their tails off. I've said a number of times to you guys already, the veterans, the way they work, the way they prepare week in and week out, I can't thank them enough. I probably said thank you to them multiple times in there. It's a tough season. It's not easy. But the fight in these guys is out of this world. It's hard because they all deserve to win. That's one of the first things I mentioned to the captains way back when is they work so hard and you want them to win games, and it's hard to win in this league. We knew there were challenges throughout the year, the ups and downs, and when guys get injured, things like that, it's hard. But guys just kept fighting. You guys saw it out at practice, the way these guys worked and the type of character, there was no finger pointing.
Everyone just stayed together, and that was one of the big things, the first message, is the togetherness, and that's the way these guys were. It starts with guys like Jeff [Simmons], and when you see someone like Jeff, the way he practices, the way he is, he's not afraid to speak up when needed and say certain things, and that's a great leader. Then you turn on the film and you go watch him on Sundays and he plays his tail off. You go on Zeitler -- you go on and on, the guys who have played and have the experience and the way they work, you watch Kevin [Zeitler] and just the walk-throughs and the way he takes every step, he's a pro. So these young guys, all these young guys, the rookies and everybody, they're learning from great vets. So they've stuck together, and this team is going to be -- they're going to get the benefits moving forward.
You guys have made some discernible progress in the last couple weeks. Does it that make it particularly hard to end with such a thud?
MIKE McCOY: It's hard. It's a tough way to go out. You never want to play a game like this. I think there's been some really good football, but this was nowhere close to being good enough.
What will tomorrow look like for you and how tough a day is that as you guys head your separate ways?
MIKE McCOY: Well, anytime end of season, regardless of where it is, you sit down with your players, they've got the exit physicals and then they'll talk to the coaches, we'll have a team meeting. They'll talk to you guys, obviously, afterwards, certain players, and you just tell them -- you sit down and give them a few pointers, talk about the year with each player, give them feedback, because these players want to be coached. They want to be told what they need to do to improve moving forward. But it's always hard because in the NFL there's so much change with rosters and everything that there's certain players that are in free agency, so the opportunity to work with some of these guys and the type of people they are and what they've done for you, that's always the hard part when you know that certain
people are going to possibly leave the organization and you wish them well and you want nothing but the best because hey, as coaches, we want all these players to do great things, and you want nothing but the best. You talk about all the time -- this is what I think is so special about this group of people. In such a tough time, they all stuck together. You look at all the community service stuff, the wives, the girlfriends, fiancés, things like that, the stuff they do together, when you walk away from the game, and I was out for three years so I kind of have a good feel for this, and I know players always tell me the same thing, it's not always the Sundays you miss, it's the relationships, the friendships, all the good times in the locker room, the trips you take, the vacations you do, the travel on the road. It's all that stuff, too. Every year the NFL changes, obviously, every year. There's a number of guys. So that's always hard to see those guys walk out, too.
When you look at the totality of these 11 games since you took over, what do you think you're going to remember, and to what degree do you plan on lobbying to stick around next year regardless of regime change?
MIKE McCOY: Well, very similar to a lot of my comments and the question you guys already asked is I can't thank everybody involved enough, and that goes from the top down. This was an amazing opportunity, and I never thought I'd be doing this again probably at this level. So to be able to -- when Chad [Brinker Titans of Football Operations] eand Mike [Borgonzi, Titans General Manager] called me down, I talked to Amy [Adams Strunk, Titans Controlling Owner], this is what I love to do. I love leading. It's just, I can't thank these guys enough -- it's really not just the players and coaches, but the entire organization for the way they rallied around our plan, what we wanted to do. Mike and I talking about everything from day one, Chad, about what we were doing, how we were going to do it. It was seamless. It was easy because it started with communication. The entire organization bought in. I talked to everyone as time went on in different areas, different departments, and everyone on the field, we had great conversations on how we were doing things. It's a special place. There's so many good people here, and that goes back to my comment earlier about these players and these relationships. It's people. It's life. You surround yourself with good people, good things happen. This place has got so many good people, and just the players, how hard they worked and they bought in. We weren't winning games, but nobody flinched. Nobody shut it down. They kept working. We took care of them, and as a coaching staff we did what was best on a weekly basis. If it was a walk-through, they stayed focused. They worked their tails off. Up to the very last practice, the way the guys worked. When I was walking off the field, Coach Mac said something to me about wow, that was a pretty amazing practice for Week 18 for a Friday practice, and that's just a credit to everybody in this entire organization. So I'll just -- I know it's a special place. It's a great place to be.
Do you want the job? Do you deserve the job?
MIKE McCOY: I'd love to be here. I love this place. I love this organization. I've got a great guy here who's helped me through so much in Evert [Geerlings, Titans VP of Football Communications]. It's a special place. I want to help this organization win.
