Salvon Ahmed – October 25, 2021
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Monday, October 25, 2021
RB Salvon Ahmed
(We learned RB Malcolm Brown will have to go on IR. Your reaction to losing a fellow running back for some time? And my other question was just your thoughts on the way you ran the football with 25 carries between the three running backs? That’s something we haven’t seen nearly as much in the games prior.) – “You hate to lose teammates and that sucks, but you just got to keep going. This is a team full of guys ready to play and be professional. That’s that part. We just got to keep getting better as a team, whether that’s running the ball or doing different things. We just got to keep improving and coming to practice and working.”
(What’s your motivation? You guys are probably out of the playoffs here before the season is halfway through, but where do you turn? Where do you draw your motivation from to play your best every week? It’s got to be difficult.) – “The guys in the room. The guys in that locker room. We are a team and that’s where you get your motivation from. You want to play as hard as you can, not only just for the locker room but the coaches. Everyone in this organization works extremely hard. We want to go out there and play our best every single game. That’s where you get that motivation from – the guys that we’re with every single day.”
(Do you remember at any point in your football career losing six games in a row?) – “This game is hard. This game is not easy so there are a lot of ups and downs. We just have to keep working and build. Just keep building. It’s a long season. It’s Week 7 so we have 10 more weeks, so it’s a long season. This game is hard and has ups and downs and that’s part of the game.”
(Mentally, how do you stay even-keel and forget what happened last week and move on? That’s not easy to do.) – “Yeah, absolutely. I think it just goes back to knowing that it’s a long season. You can’t dwell on the past. What happened yesterday was yesterday and now we’re getting ready for this coming week. I think you kind of got to move on. You can’t dwell on it and you have to go to practice and get ready on Wednesday.”
Austin Reiter – October 25, 2021
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Monday, October 25, 2021
C Austin Reiter
(What was it like for you getting in there and getting a start with this new team that you’ve been on for a few weeks now? How do you feel the offense did and your communication with the offensive line was?) – “It felt good to get back out there and definitely knock some rust off for myself technique-wise. I think at the end of the day, we all wanted to win, so we’re never satisfied offensively. I thought the communication went pretty well. I think we were on the same page for most of game. Being at a home game is obviously an advantage coming in there for the first start not playing many snaps with these guys. So that helped.”
(What do you think it’s going to be like going into a pretty hostile environment in Buffalo?) – “I’ve been there before. It’s typical with road games. You’ve got to prepare for it to be loud, making points, making sure everybody is on the same page. I think that’s the most important thing is everybody being on the same page. As far as calls and communication wise, it’s going to be loud. That’s definitely the key there.”
(I know you played against Buffalo in the playoffs. What stands out for you about that team from that game?) – “They play hard. It’s a good defense. They fly around to the ball. In the playoffs, everything happens a little faster. I know they like pressuring and bringing (Jordan) Poyer in there. It was a few games ago. I’ve seen a couple of their games this year too. It’s a high energy defense and you have to match their intensity and speed.”
(As a new guy on a team that’s on a losing streak, how much can you add your voice into the mix as a new guy that’s not established like a lot of the players in that locker room?) – “I find myself – it’s a little bit of a tight-rope act because you don’t want to say too much and you don’t want to say too little either. In 2016 and 2017, I was with Cleveland and those two seasons were 1-15 and 0-16. I’ve been on the other side of the spectrum of that as well. I think one of the things I kind of harped to some guys were the margin of winning and losing is small. You just have to trust what you’re doing. You can’t try to do too much and correct too much at a time. Just take little bits and pieces away every time, trying to get an advantage, because the margin is so small. You’ve got to trust what you’re doing.”
Eric Rowe – October 25, 2021
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Monday, October 25, 2021
S Eric Rowe
(We were just told a short time ago by Head Coach Brian Flores that S Jason McCourty is going on injured reserve. Just the impact that would have on the secondary?) – “He’s obviously a leader to not just the secondary but to the team. When you have guys like that go down, ultimately it hurts the team. But that’s just how the NFL is. Someone else will just have to step up. Someone has to take his role. He’ll still be around but we just have to step up and fill his shoes when it comes to on the field.”
(Now the team is bringing in S Sheldrick Redwine, a guy who has been around Cleveland, Carolina a little bit and the Jets. What do you do when new guys come into the secondary to welcome in a new teammate midseason like this?) – “We just have to fill him in as fast we can. Honestly, I didn’t know we signed anybody until you just told me. We just have to fill him in as fast as we can because we’re on to the next game. We’ve got to get ready for Buffalo. Whoever we bring in, to the active roster, we have to get him going because ultimately the team signed him and we need him. Whatever role that he’s going to play, we need him to do it well. We just got to fill him in quick.”
(You’ve been around a number of years. I’m sure you’ve had your experiences going to Buffalo. What stands out in your trips there either good or bad?) – “Every time I go play in Buffalo – one, it’s a hostile environment. The Buffalo fans, they are literally ride or die for their team. I played there when they were down at their bottom, I’ve played there when they’re at the top. The fans, they bring the same energy, the same spirit. We ride on the bus, they’re flicking you off, smashing the tables. (laughter) If they could, I know they would throw stuff at our bus, cursing at us on the field. I like that, though. It brings that extra energy like this is football right here. Every time we go up there, it is so hostile.”
(I could never understand how they’re tailgating in 20 degrees, could you?) – “It’s below zero and they are out there. I’m pretty sure they’re out hours – five hours, six hours – before the game even starts, drinking beer, cooking on the grill and smashing those tables. Twenty degrees and some people have no shirt on. It doesn’t affect them. (laughter) Crazy fans.”
Brian Flores – October 25, 2021
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Monday, October 25, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(You had three guys leave the game yesterday with injuries. What can you tell us about RB Malcolm Brown, LB Jerome Baker and DB Jason McCourty?) – “So Jason and Malcolm, we expect both guys to go on IR for at least three weeks. ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker), that will be day to day. We’ll see how that one goes.”
(Anything new on the C/G Michael Deiter situation? How ready might he be to come back off IR?) – “He’s actually making a lot of progress. Don’t expect him this week but he’s certainly making a lot of progress.”
(Yesterday was the third time you’ve had to watch a last play field goal beat you. I’m sorry if this kind of sounds like a broken record but just how much more can a team take with everything that’s gone on and to lose six in a row and three of them in that way? How concerned are you for the psyche and all the comes with that from this group?) – “I think it’s a resilient group. We talked about that today. We’ve lost three games with a field goal at the end. We’ve talked about the margin for error the last couple of weeks and really all year. We’re really on the wrong side of that and there’s a myriad of reasons why but when it comes down to a field goal at the end, there’s always one or two plays that could have turned it and could have been the difference. We understand that. We just have to make more plays throughout the game so it doesn’t get to that point. Or if it is in that situation like it was yesterday, we have to do more offensively, defensively and in the kicking game to pull it out, which we haven’t been able to do. It’s been disappointing. But as far as the psyche of the team, I’ve said this all year that this is a resilient group. This isn’t an effort issue. This isn’t a desire issue. This is just a situation right now where we’re just not doing enough to pull these games out. We’ll continue to prepare the way we’ve prepared. We’ll always look at different ways to do things. But we need to find different ways to help these guys finish these games out.”
(I think we all appreciated yesterday that both you and QB Tua Tagovailoa spoke about how you guys have had conversations to sort of deal with the outside noise, the trade rumors, the distractions. I was just curious – you talked about the psyche of the team. For a young quarterback like Tua, do you feel like in just two years he’s been through almost an inordinate amount of distractions with all of the things around him? And how do you keep him locked in to where you want him to be, given everything that’s going on?) – “I think he’s been locked in. I think he’s played well the last two weeks. Not perfect but I think he’s played well and moved the ball and given us a chance to win the last couple of weeks. We haven’t been able to pull it out but I think his psyche is in a good frame of mind. He’s dealt with a lot the last couple of years with the hip and last year obviously being a COVID season and not having a normal training camp or OTAs. Then this season, with another injury. So he’s dealt with some adversity. He’s overcome it. I think he’s doing a lot of good things and putting us in good positions.”
(WR Will Fuller, where does he stand in his recovery as he’s now eligible to be removed off IR? If he’s healthy. It’s been three weeks now.) – “Will is also doing everything he can to get back as soon as he can. I don’t think it will be this week but I think we’re getting closer.”
(I also wanted to ask about S Sheldrick Redwine. There are reports out there that the team picked him up. Now we know that DB Jason McCourty is going on IR. What can he bring to the team?) – “He’s a young player, a young safety. He was in Cleveland for a couple of years. We had some love for him coming out. We think he has some ability. We’ll get him here, try to teach him the system and try to get him going. He plays in the kicking game as well. We’ll see. We’ve got to get him here and get him going.”
(I know you’ve talked to us about the development of players being important to you. I’m curious now after 12 full games for QB Tua Tagovailoa, how would you evaluate the job that you guys have done as a staff, helping him develop?) – “I think he’s getting better. I think he’s getting better every time he steps on the field. I think he’s pushing the ball down the field more. I think he’s making better decisions. I think he’s making quicker decisions. I think he’s doing a lot of things – look it’s a small sample size, but every time he steps out there, I see progress. I saw that yesterday for sure. I think one of the things – I think he showed some grit and some growth dealing with some adversity, dealing with a couple of interceptions and then coming back and giving us an opportunity to win the game at the end. He’s a young player. Everyone develops at a little bit different pace. But I think he’s doing a lot of good things.”
(You mentioned everybody develops at a different pace. When you have that quarterback position, obviously that gets a lot of eyeballs. How do you view maybe the timetable needed to evaluate whether this quarterback is developing how you want them to?) – “I don’t know if I’ve thought about it from that standpoint. We’ve had close to – let’s call it a year and a half – with Tua (Tagovailoa) and it’s been an unusual kind of year and a half for a number of reasons. He’s coming off the hip (injury), he dealt with another injury this season. But I would say the last two games, he’s done a lot of good things. I think he’s headed in the right direction. We’re pleased with the development that he’s shown over these 18 months.”
(I wanted to ask primarily about WR Will Fuller. I know he’s got the hand injury but there are players with injuries who are around the team or on the field or at practice. Why is it that we haven’t seen Fuller not just since the hand injury but during OTAs and training camp? Why has Will Fuller not been present? Why isn’t he there watching?) – “He’s been around. I see him every day in rehab. As far as getting out there and being at practice, mostly he does his work during practice. That’s how we have it set up for him and most of our guys who are on IR. They kind of work in our meetings and practice.”
(Last year, you probably talked about this with Miami reporters, but last year you were No. 1 on third-down defense. Can you pinpoint what have been some of the factors for the drop off on third-down defense?) – “Probably communication, overall execution. I would start with communication. It’s not good enough from a fundamentals and technique standpoint. It’s definitely something that we need to improve on. That down is a big down from a momentum standpoint, getting off the field, getting the offense back on the field, getting return units back on the field. Again, last year was last year and this is a totally different situation, totally different year, new opponents. We’ve got to improve in that area for sure.”
(Just looking at the Bills offense and where they stand right now, the addition of WR Emmanuel Sanders, do you see them being more balanced as a passing unit than last year?) – “Certainly an explosive unit already with (Stefon) Diggs and (Cole) Beasley, (Devin) Singletary and you add (Emmanuel) Sanders. It’s definitely an explosive unit. They do a good job, they are well coached and it is definitely a tough test.”
(You waived QB Reid Sinnett to make room for WR Isaiah Ford. Do you expect Reid to return to the practice squad? And second, with LB Jerome Baker missing most of the game, did S Jevon Holland handle most of the communication duties on defense?) – “No, Sam Eguavoen handled the communication from (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) to the rest of the defense. What was your first question?”
(Do you expect QB Reid Sinnett to come back to the practice squad?) – “We’ll see the waiver wire today and see how that shakes out. But if so, yeah we’d like to get him back.”
(You had mentioned QB Tua Tagovailoa being aggressive pushing the ball down the field. I just wanted to get a philosophical coaching point with regards to being aggressive versus calibrating when to pull that thing back for a young quarterback. On the pass to TE Durham Smythe it looked like there was a couple guys in the area. How do you calibrate being aggressive with also making good decisions for a quarterback so early in his career?) – “I think that’s a very valid point. You want to be aggressive but you also want to make smart decisions and not put the team in a position where you could potentially turn the ball over or create a negative play. That’s a fine balance. I think every quarterback goes through that thought process. I think a lot of it is based on what defense you’re seeing, the players you have on the field and I think a lot of it is based on how you practice it. If you can see those areas of the field where you can create some chunk plays, you hit them in practice and you have an opportunity to hit them in the game if you get the same look. It’s something we practice, it’s something we try to put an emphasis on and then players have to go out there and execute.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa talked about a miscommunication on that particular throw. Is that something where there’s a sight adjustment post-snap where they can both read something and make an adjustment based upon the original call?) – “Which play are you talking about? We may be thinking of two different plays.”
(The first interception where TE Durham Smythe was in the area.) – “There was a miscommunication on that one, unfortunately. I think it’s one that Tua wishes he had back, Durham wishes he had back and something we have to learn from. When you look at it that way, there’s some other places we could have went with it. What I liked most about that was Tua’s response, Durham’s response and being able to turn it around and create some positive plays after that mishap.”
(Based on the history against the Bills in Miami, is it one thing that seems to go wrong? Can you pinpoint what have been your struggles against the Bills over the course of the six-game skid over the past couple of years? Is it one thing, is it a number of things and what is your approach to now facing them this Sunday?) – “Well they’re a good football team. They’re a balanced football team on offense, defense and special teams. They are well coached. They got good players. When you play a good football team, we have to play well on all three phases to have success against a good team or really any team in this league because every team is good in this league. That’s really what it boils down to. They got good players. They got good coaches. They execute well. They play well together. It’s always a tough test, especially going up there.”
Jevon Holland – October 24, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Postgame – Atlanta
S Jevon Holland
Q: Can you take us through the deep touchdown play to Russell Gage. What was the defense there? What broke down?
JEVON HOLLAND: It’s kind of a tough situation. The defense that we’re in, it’s just a play that we miscommunicated on. It happens, but we needed capitalize on that, and so we’re back to the drawing board and be better next week.
Q: It looked like on the one pass to Kyle Pitts at the end there on the sideline, you and Xavien Howard were all over him. You took a good shot at him, he still held on. What can you say about how tough this guy is and how hard it is to separate him from the ball?
JEVON HOLLAND: Kyle (Pitts) is a hell of a player. That’s one of my good friends. He is a ballplayer. You saw that out there. He is a tough guy. Grit. You saw that in college, so the NFL is the best of the best. That’s why he is out there, he is playing.
Q: Second straight week of losing at the end of the game on a field goal. How is that demoralizing to the locker room. Is it that extra added pressure on you guys?
JEVON HOLLAND: It’s tough. You’re right there, and then a field goal separated it. Yeah, it’s tough, but we got to stick together as a team, come back ready next week. We’re grown, so we got to make grown man decisions.
Q: You guys take the lead. You know that Matt Ryan has time, and like you just mentioned about Kyle, and he is going to be looking for Kyle Pitts a lot. Just elaborate more, what is it? Did you foresee this kind of success he would have in this league? I know he came in as very, very highly rated and what actually makes him so difficult as a cover?
JEVON HOLLAND: I would say Kyle (Pitts) is a big athletic tight end so it adds a mismatch to the smaller corners. Not necessarily the smaller corners. He is, like, 6’5, 248. He is a big guy and with athletic ability, and he can go up and get the ball. Pair that with Matt Ryan, who is a really great quarterback. It’s a dangerous combination. You saw that out there, and that’s a great team. That’s a good team. They went out there and they capitalized on the opportunities that they had, and they came out with the W. That’s what it is. Game of inches. That’s what football is.
Q: Can you walk us through that hit you put on Calvin Ridley to draw the ball loose?
JEVON HOLLAND: Our coaches work us on something called one shot to find the angle. Any time there’s a post or anything like that or a nine route, you have one opportunity to make the tackle. If not, you know, they can score a touchdown or whatnot, get a first down. I just went through my keys like we do every day, and executed what our coach taught me in practice. That’s basically what it is.
Isaiah Ford – October 24, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Postgame – Atlanta
WR Isaiah Ford
Q: Obviously a tough one. For you to come in into this game and make an impact and then come up short, I guess can you describe the mood of the locker room?
ISAIAH FORD: I mean it sucks. You know, any time you work as hard as we do and you care about this football team and you care about the guys that are going to war with you and you come up short, it sucks. All we can do is stay together and get back to the drawing board and try and fix it.
Q: What can you say about your quarterback? You have to know all the stuff that is swirling around regarding Tua Tagovailoa but he came out today and had four touchdowns. What can you say about his performance?
ISAIAH FORD: I thought Tua played really well. There were a lot of ebbs and flows in the game, not just him but the entire team, and I thought as a team we did a good job of trying to overcome those and the margin for error is very small in this league and I think we saw that tonight, but I thought Tua fought hard. That’s who Tua is so he’s a great player. He’s a hell of a player.
Q: We saw a lot of positives coming out late when you guys bounced back. It seemed like there was a lot of fight up to the end. Will you build off of that going into Buffalo next week?
ISAIAH FORD: Yeah, we have to. Like I said, we’ll come in and watch the film, build off the things that we did good and correct the things that we didn’t do so well and try to fix them, try not to make the same mistakes and get ready for Buffalo next week.
Q: I know you wanted it to come in a win but you got a touchdown today. Tell us about your feelings about that play and what happened.
ISAIAH FORD: I mean, it was pretty surreal moment. Like I said, unfortunately, we lost, so doesn’t mean as much. Maybe wish I could have made another play or so that maybe would have helped us win the game, but just got to move on to next week.
Q: When you see that late run from Tua Tagovailoa and he knows he is going to get hit there. He is still, I’m sure, dealing with some pain with his ribs. When you see him take a hit like that and you see his determination, what does that tell you about him? I mean, I’m sure you knew all this already, but just does it reinforce how much he wants to win?
ISAIAH FORD: He is the ultimate competitor. I think you saw that in how he plays, how he is running. Not sliding when there were some tough yards and we might need those extra yards and he is trying to fight for every one of them. Hurting, sore, tired, frustrated or whatever the case is, he is going out there and going to war with his family and we got his back.
Brian Flores – October 24, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Postgame – Atlanta
Head Coach Brian Flores
Obviously to get the lead in the final two minutes and then to put it in your defense’s hands, that would be an ideal situation. What happened there on that drive?
BRIAN FLORES: We didn’t do a good enough job. They made some plays. Threw it to Pitts on the over route on the nine ball. Weren’t able to stop them there at the end. Tried to force a field goal earlier and get the ball back. Didn’t do enough. Especially when we got to have it. We have got to have our best. W have to play our best. We didn’t do that.
Q: What makes Pitts such a tough cover for anybody.
BRIAN FLORES: He is big. He is fast. He has good hands. He is a good player.
Q: How do you assess the performance by Tua today?
BRIAN FLORES: You know, I thought bringing us back on the fourth quarter, putting two drives together to give us the lead, that’s what you are looking for in a quarterback. From that standpoint, he put us in position to win the game, which at the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for from the quarterback. Obviously, some plays he wishes he had back, but overall, I thought he did a lot of good things.
Q: You guys made some plays when you were down double digits just to try and create some energy or a spark, and it seemed like that worked. You talk about the resilience of this group, but kind of shined in that moment, in that drive?
BRIAN FLORES: Yeah, resilient. That’s a word I would use for the group. Like I’ve said all week, it’s a slim margin for error. We’re on the wrong side of that for a lot of reasons. Starts with me, obviously, but we’re on the wrong side of that margin, and we continue to talk. We’ll continue to talk about it, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to produce more on the field. I would say we’ve had some opportunities. We had some today. We didn’t take advantage.
Q: What is the message to the team? What can be the message to the team considering the position that the team is in at 1-6.
BRIAN FLORES: The message is the margin for error is slim in this league. We need to eliminate some things that we’re doing first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, run game, pass game, run defense, pass defense, field goal, field goal block that are the difference between three points, seven points, no points. That’s the message. They know it. They understand it, when those situations arise. Our opponents are taking more advantage of those situations than we are, and we know it. We understand it. We’re just not doing enough really in any phase or — I shouldn’t say that. We do some good things in one phase, and then we’re just not putting it together. I think the end of the game is a perfect example of that. Offense goes down, scores, gives us an opportunity. Then, turn around defensively and we can’t play the complementary football we need to close the game out, and that’s the difference. I think there’s some instances where we did stop them, and then we did get the ball back, and then it’s just not enough.
Q: We’ve heard you speak about liking the system that you guys have in place, but at 1-6, where is the line between staying the course and things needing to change?
BRIAN FLORES: I think the line is that the margin for error that we’re talking about. Are the things we’re doing enough to get us on the right side of that margin? Do we understand those situations? Do we understand – without getting into specifics – if we make this play, this play, this play, and this play, the game is different. Whether or not we understand those things – and I think we do. We’re just not making those plays. We have to find a different way to try to teach that awareness, to try to help them execute better in those situations. We’ll just keep applying pressure to those guys to get it right. They want to get it right. That I know. Yeah, I mean, as far as we’re always looking for better ways to help this team execute and have success. We’ll continue to do that.
Q: Brian, on the network telecast during this game, they said that this week Charlie Frye pulled Tua aside and tried to help him focus on just this game and not the outside speculation that we’ve all heard. I know you are reluctant to talk about coach-player conversations. But what can you tell us about Tua’s ability to focus this week, and how much of a challenge he faced as opposed to maybe just a quote, unquote a normal week?
BRIAN FLORES: Look, I don’t — I had a conversation with Tua about all that was going on. The same conversation we’ve been having for a little while, which is he is our quarterback. His focus needs to be on our team, what we’re doing. In this case it was Atlanta. That day, whatever we were doing that day, third down, red zone, two-minute, and understanding that there’s some outside noise, some outside distractions, but just do everything he can to focus. I think he was able to do that, and I thought he did a lot of good things today.
Q: We have seen the team have good performances in the fourth quarter trying to come back. Why is it that the Miami Dolphins are not able to carry that over to the next game, to next week? What is the challenge there?
BRIAN FLORES: Every week is a little different. The opponent is different. The schemes, the concepts, the players are different. Every week is a little bit different, and I would say this team this year, we’ve done things in spurts. We played some good offense in spurts, some good defense in spurts, some good things in the kicking game in spurts. We just haven’t been able to string anything together consistently. It’s something we’ve talked about a lot as a team. We’re just not getting it done right now.
Jaylen Waddle had six first downs – a first down on each catch. He is being what you want. How much conversation was there before the draft about Pitts?
BRIAN FLORES: We talk about a lot of players. He was selected before we picked, so there was conversation about him. There was a conversation about a lot of players. Obviously, he is a very good player, but we’re very happy with Jaylen and the players we selected.
Brian, I know hindsight is 20/20, but is there any regret on not taking the bye week following the London game?
BRIAN FLORES: No. No. I thought our guys had juice, had energy. They were ready to go. I thought we got off to a good start. I don’t think energy — I don’t think that played a role today. Just a lot of missed opportunities. I think there’s a lot of things we could have done better. A lot of things we could have coached better, so I think it’s pretty clear. You watched the game. This play, that play, that play, that play. Then there’s a lot of plays that you probably you guys won’t see that we’ll watch tomorrow and will show up and say, hey, if we would have got to the right route depth on this or played the sticks defensively on this or made this block inside, we would have sprung a run. But, unfortunately, we just didn’t do enough. Thank you, guys.
Xavien Howard – October 24, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Postgame – Atlanta
CB Xavien Howard
Q: Every interception is its own story. Can you just explain on that particular interception that you had today how you were able to get that ball?
XAVIEN HOWARD: Just finishing really. I really don’t want to talk about the interception. (expletive) We lost, so it really doesn’t matter.
Q: Can you describe what happened on that long touchdown to Russell Gage there?
XAVIEN HOWARD: It was a coverage bust. Cover 4 – supposed to be on top, so it was a coverage bust and that’s what happened.
Q: It was a cover four?
XAVIEN HOWARD: Yeah, corner supposed to be on top.
Q: The long pass by the sideline to Kyle Pitts, both of you were in coverage. He was hit. He held onto the ball. Just that play, did you expect him to hold on to it?
XAVIEN HOWARD: Say that again.
Q: Did you expect Kyle Pitts to hold on to that long pass? You both were right there in coverage.
XAVIEN HOWARD: It was a great play. Great throw. In this league guys make great plays on the ball. Trying to make a play on the ball. Obviously, he got the ball, so you know.
Q: How did you feel being back out there physically?
XAVIEN HOWARD: I feel great. Just being out there with the team, it’s really just trying to get a W, really.
Q: From a 1-6 perspective, obviously this is not where you expected to be. What is your opinion on why the team is in this position at 1-6?
XAVIEN HOWARD: I feel like we just got to keep getting better. We can’t be shooting ourselves in the foot. We’ve got to score. We got to get the quarterback off the field. We got to make stops, and we got to create turnovers a lot on defense. Both sides. All three phases. We got to make plays out there. That’s really it.
Q: Mike Gesicki just said the morale is still high. Would you agree with that assessment, and, you know, many teams could be broken at this point in losing six straight. Why is the morale still high if you do agree with that?
XAVIEN HOWARD: We’ve got to stick together, man. It’s football. Each week, it’s hard to win in the NFL, so you got to stay strong and stick together.
Q: Was it particularly deflating after you forced a turnover, then very next play offense gives the ball back and defense has to come right back out on the field.
XAVIEN HOWARD: Like I said we’ve got to make plays out there. We got to execute, and I feel like all three phases, we’ve all got to make plays out there.
Q: So there’s 10 regular season games left. How would you describe what the source of the motivation should be and can be for the team?
XAVIEN HOWARD: Like I said, we just got to stick together. Each week we’re expecting to win, so you know we’re not trying to lose, but, like I said, we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot. Each week we got to prepare and get ready for the next opponent.
