What were some of the reasons do you think the last several drives did not have much production for you guys?
I think just across the board, we just need all of us to play at a higher level. I think at all position groups, we can step up and say and admit of things we could have done better on that drive. I could have been a little more accurate in a couple of those throws to Hop (DeAndre Hopkins). He knows he can make those plays. The O line can get a little more push on that Duo call in third-and-short. And those guys who had opportunities, they know they can make those plays. So, it's just, I mean—I've got to look internally at what I can do better. But everyone has to do the same. And we know that we can be better than what we put out there.
The offensive line kept you pretty clean for most of the game. Was it easier for you to operate with that kind of time?
I felt good, yeah. I felt like I had the time to see things through. Another thing to critique myself, I'd say there were a couple of times where I got out, got a few yards, protect myself, get down. But if I were to just trust the protection and get to that backside of the progression, I had a couple of completions there. So, they did a great job giving me time. Did I get sacked?
No.
So, that's awesome. I was able to play on time, see things clearly. They did a good job mixing up the coverages and giving us different looks. But at the end of the day, we just got to make more plays, and we know that's a game we can win.
How frustrating is it that these games are there to be had and guys not being able to make plays when you need to?
I mean, that's the NFL. That's how it's going to be. It's just about giving your team a chance to win in the last 5 percent of the game. And we've had three of those games and we haven't won any of them. So, we've got to start figuring out how to score some points in the fourth quarter. And it starts with all of us. You can't point any fingers, and we've got to just look inside and what we can do better to put ourselves in a better position. But we can't have the performances we've had in the fourth quarter if we expect to be a playoff football team.
Why has it been so hard for you and Calvin Ridley to get on the same page consistently? There's a rough day all around for him today, O for eight.
We just got to keep working. I trust him. We've gotten so far from where we started, and I have great feel for where he's going to be. He knows he can make a couple of those plays. I know I can put the ball in a little better spot and make it easier on him. But yeah, I got to do what I can do to get him better and he just got to stay positive and trust that this relationship's going to continue to develop because I know it will. And I know it's been aggravating and frustrating. And it's been one of those things where, like, 'When's it going to happen? When's it going to happen?' And that's just kind of the feel of the whole team right now. Like we thought this was a moment for us to kind of flip that switch and get it started. And obviously, you're going to have to keep fighting. But that's all we can do is just keep working and trusting, loving each other.
On the pick, did you feel like maybe you just wanted to put too much air under it on that?
I think I could have given myself some more depth away. Peter (Skoronski) came up, told me he got a little push, but I can't let that be the reason for a pick. But that was one of the throws today where I kind of felt the lack of arm strength or whatever, where I feel like on a healthier day, I'm putting a better ball on it, on more of a line. So, it's frustrating. We were able to get the ball back and still make an opportunity after that. We didn't make it work. But yes, that's a throw I'd like to have back for sure.
On the shorter throws, is that just where the offense is taking you, as opposed to intermediate throws?
I'm just throwing the ball to who I think it should be thrown to. There's no quick game emphasis. There's no 'Hey, we're just trying to get the ball out here.' We have plays dialed up and I'm just throwing it to who I feel like is the right one to throw it to. And there were a couple of times today where I did have a couple of those quicker throws that I just took and we went back and looked at it and if I would have progressed backside, we would have had something. But the first time you bypass that first throw and get back to that, then it's a sack and why don't you take the first one, you know? So, it's playing that game. There's times to know when we can really hunt up something in the second, third, fourth part of a progression. But I'm just trusting what I see, trying to make the throws when they're there.
On the touchdown pass, did you check out of a run or another pass to get there?
Yeah, we're just trying to dress it up a little bit. Obviously, Nick (Westbrook-Ikhine) out there does a lot of great stuff for us, and we like to use him in different ways and he gets rewarded with stuff like that. So yeah, that was part of the play call. Just dressing it up a little bit, trying to show that bubble. That was pretty sweet, dial it up just how we thought it would be.
It looked like there may have been PI on the one pass to DeAndre Hopkins, what did you see there?
I thought he got pulled down a little bit. Yeah, but we can't point fingers at the refs. And I think everyone in the stadium had some frustrations about the officiating, but it's never something that we can blame, and we can only look at what we can do better ourselves. Would have loved to have the call, but can't do anything about it.
It seems like the team's highs are very high and the lows very low, what are the ways you as the quarterback can manage and rally the team more?
I think the biggest thing now is just keep coming to work, being the same person. We can't allow the mistakes of the past affect our work ethic and our mental. I had to look at myself the last couple of weeks. Coming off that Monday night game with the injury, I had a slight dip in my behavior, I'd say, or just had to pick myself back up. And just having that just kind of bring yourself back to reality, what it takes. We got at least 13 straight more weeks of this stuff. We can't let up at all if we want to have a chance to win these games. So, we have to have the right mindset. I'm going to come in tomorrow the same person as I would have if we won today and everyone else got to the same thing.
Did you get to the point where you felt good in the week? Felt 100 percent today or is there still work to do to build back up?
I'm still working. I'm not 100 percent physically, but just working to get there eventually. But I know, based on my performance today, that I'm able to go out and win games even though we didn't win today. But I know I can play quarterback in this state.
The play calling is trying to gear you into a game manager, situational manager type of role. How do you feel that transition is going, and do you feel like it's making it tough for you to play the position?
No, I think it's made me better at the position. I think I'm seeing things well. I think the more that I get reps in this offense, the more I'll know when I can see when those bigger plays are there, where I can start bypassing some of those first or second reads. And that just comes with reps and that comes with trusting the coverage that you see and the space that you see. And yeah, I just hope to get there in these next few weeks once we get into the meat of the season and hopefully we can just get this thing rolling here pretty soon.
