Austin Jackson – October 28, 2024
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Monday, October 28, 2024
OL Austin Jackson
(Tell me about the mood of the locker room last night and today. Are you guys still pretty optimistic about things?) – “Yeah, definitely still optimistic. There are 10 games left in the season, but I think that 24-hour rule where we’re not happy with the outcome of the game, for sure, but that’s definitely fuel for us going forward. We still have 10 games left to put everything in our hands in terms of how we play football, control what we can control.”
(Obviously when the goal isn’t met, there’s got to be a level of frustration. What’s that level like for you and the rest of the team as well?) – “The level is high right now. We’re already kind of in a time where we want to win more games than we have so we’re definitely frustrated and turning that frustration into something more productive, turning that frustration to more production. So just understanding that our margin of error is really slim for winning. That will feed into how we practice, how we play, how we look at the game going forward. And like I said earlier, we still have 10 games left, so – I mean that’s exciting to have 10 games left still and get an opportunity to get back some mistakes in previous games that we made.”
(Why do you think the margin for winning is slim? Is it because of injuries on the team? What makes it slim in particular at this point?) – “I feel like around the league in general, if the game’s not a blowout – like there’s usually just a couple more plays or situations that you would want to get back. Blowout win, there’s probably a lot to clean up but being in the NFL, most games are closer and whatever team has the least amount of mistakes usually comes out with the win.”
(Why are you optimistic for the last 10 weeks of the season?) – “Because I believe in this team, I believe in the work ethic and the talent that we have here. Talent means nothing without hard work and through this situation where we haven’t won the games that we wanted to, I’ve seen guys pick up their work ethic, I’ve seen guys not complain, not point the finger, stuff like that. It just kind of tells me we got a bunch of people ready to win and do the right things to win.”
(Offensively, the last three weeks, I mean it’s certainly it hasn’t been perfect, but you seem to be finding a little bit more of a rhythm than you had earlier in the season, would you agree?) – “Definitely. I had a coach once that said, ‘if you’re not getting better in this league, you’re getting worse,’ and that’s kind of a daily thing in terms of you have to get better every single day. So I definitely want to get better every time I step on that field and whatever I do, so probably.”
(To kind of piggyback off of that, obviously you guys threw the ball more than you ran the ball, but it felt more balanced offensively. Did it feel that way over the last three or four weeks and how did it feel to have a more balanced attack?) – “It was good, it was good. Just wish we could have executed more towards our last drive, but we did have a good balanced attack.”
(How have you guys felt run blocking the last three weeks? I mean this is a passing team and the offensive linemen are kind of known for their pass blocking skills. Do you guys like that physicality? Tell me about that.” – “Yeah, we’re definitely an offense that – you said we’re a passing team. We are a passing team, but we’re also a running team, too. We have our own system of blocking that we take very seriously, and we train that very hard with a lot of intent and I think we want to be as balanced as possible, run and pass the ball effectively because that’s what a productive offense does.”
(On RB De’Von Achane’s 47-yard run you were basically escorting him down the field, you got down there pretty fast. How did the group react when you were watching that film?) – “Yeah, it was good. I could have been a little faster, but it was good.”
(There was probably some shellshock – some guys feeling down after the game yesterday. Any player stand up and give any sort of speech that lifted the spirits or did anything yesterday after the game?) – “No. We spoke, said what was needed to be said but not a lot needs to be said to be honest. I think as a team we’re ready to speak more with our actions on the football field and with our work ethic. Yeah, not a lot to be said, it just hurt. Everyone in that locker room was hurting after that loss.”
Jordan Poyer – October 28, 2024
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Monday, October 28, 2024
S Jordan Poyer
(Are you looking forward to your first trip back to Buffalo?) – “Yeah, excited about the opportunity to go back to Buffalo and play these guys. Another opportunity for us to go out there and play football, so for sure excited about it.”
(Why was Trey McBride able to – it looked like he was able to find a lot of soft spots in the zone yesterday. Good scouting or coverage mistake on you guys’ part, what is it?) – “Good player, we made some mistakes, but he’s a good player. It’s a good offense, and when it comes down to it, we’ve got to make some more plays – one more play than they did. But yeah, he’s a good player and we definitely left some plays out there, for sure.”
(How shocked have you been by the turn of the events of how the season has gone for you? Obviously thought you were going to a winning team that has won the last couple of years, sort of fallen apart through seven games, how dispiriting is that for you?) – “It’s football, right? It’s frustrating, for sure. I think everybody here is frustrated, but at the same time, we do have opportunities ahead of us. It’s in times like these where you really got to just put your nose down and work, man. Nobody is coming to save us; nobody is going to feel sorry for us. So just trying to do one percent extra throughout the week and try to motivate the guys around you to do one percent extra and continue to stay the course and have that belief that things will turn, because what a cool opportunity this week to go to Buffalo, extremely well-coached football team and we’re excited, like I said, about the opportunity so why not?”
(What’s sort of the ripple effect for you guys of losing a guy like DT Zach Sieler up front?) – “Zach Sieler, he’s a great player. He’s been somebody who I’ve seen from across the field for a few years. You don’t ever want to have anybody go down and you always have the idea that it is next man up, but losing a guy like Zach does hurt. We’re hoping to get him back when he’s able to come back.”
(What gives you optimism about the last 10 weeks of the season?) – “Opportunity – that’s life, right? You get hit in the mouth, that’s life. What are you going to do next? It’s one of two options – you’re going to fold or you’re going to just keep going and keep moving. Things may not fall the way that you see them, but you keep moving and you keep grinding. That’s a lesson in football and in life. I know I lot of y’all have probably gotten hit in the mouth before in life, what do you do? Do you just fold and just kind of tuck away, or do you keep moving? People say X, Y, Z about X, Y, Z, what are you going to do about it? So that’s my mindset and I know that’s the team’s mindset, let’s just continue to work, continue to grind. Yeah, we’re not in the place where we want to be, but we’ve got opportunities in front of us, and so why not?”
(Regarding CB Kader Kohou, I talked to CB Cam Smith in the locker room last night and he took the blame for something, I think it was the first touchdown, I’m not sure what it was. But I’m not taking anything from Cam, but Kader, did that have an effect, that absence? Did that have an effect? He’s a quality player.) – “Kader (Kohou) is a great player, no doubt it. Regardless of if he was in the game or not, the play that we called, he wouldn’t have been involved in the touchdown. So that was strictly in the backend, I put that on myself, the communication. I’ve got to make sure that the guys around me have an understanding of who we’re covering since we were running a Cover Zero, and I put that on me to get the guys around me right. That had nothing to do with him being on the field or not.”
(What was it like getting reps next to S Marcus Maye when S Jevón Holland comes out?) – “I love playing with (Marcus) Maye, an experienced player who I had a lot of respect for playing against him. Just somebody who sees – we see the game similar, and he’s fun to be on the field with.”
(Your run defense, this was the first opponent you held to fewer than 100 yards rushing. You get Buffalo, they had 108 last time but the James Cook run, the 48-yard run, was pretty much it. How do you view the run defense this season? What’s going to be the key on Sunday against Buffalo and James Cook?) – “It starts with stopping the run, but obviously yesterday we did that but he was still able to throw for 300 yards. Stopping the run is the first priority, any time you come into a game to force a team to have to throw the ball in predictable situation. I believe that’s a huge emphasis going in there each week, stopping the run, and then being able to get takeaways which we haven’t been doing. But like I said, being able to stop the run, force teams to throw the ball and try to make them play left-handed.”
(When you look at it, do you look at it as the defense collapsed late or Arizona just made plays late?) – “I think you can say a little bit of both. There’s definitely some plays that we all want back from yesterdays game, especially late in the game. They did make some plays, I mean they ran a ‘Oh, crap’ play first play of the second half, which is basically a tight end wheel route coming around. I mean a great schemed up play; they made some plays, but we needed to make one more and that’s what it comes down to.”
De’Von Achane – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
Miami Dolphins RB De’Von Achane
(How’s it feeling, got the offense going today with QB Tua Tagovailoa, but the disappointment in the loss?) – “It feels good to be out there with him. To see him back comfortable and him back in the offense, but like you said we always want to win games. Of course, our end goal is to always come out with a win. So, of course you got somebody that’s going to be down but you just have to get back to work.”
(What were some of the issues on that final drive that kept you guys from continuing to keep the clock going?) – “I think it was just little mistakes as far as like just little details that we don’t think about, but we really do. That’s really it, like you said. I feel like we didn’t have a lot of penalties that we’ve been having. I feel like we cleaned up in that area, but as far as little details we just have to make sure that we hone in on those things.”
(How nice was it to have Tua back today?) – “It was great. Like I said, his energy he brought to the team, his confidence, his swagger. That’s something that we were missing and he brought that to this team today.”
Calais Campbell – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
DT Calais Campbell
Q. What happened in the second half with the defense?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: Missed opportunities, you know, Kyler Murray played a great game and it’s heart-breaking because I feel like we played great defense the last few weeks. First half, we were rolling and, it’s the NFL, though. It’s a momentum game and Kyler made some big-time plays in big moments and the ball kind of just bounced their way in moments, too. Like rarely do you get a sack fumble and the quarterback picks it up and throws it away and then goes and scores a touchdown that drive. It’s just like, wow. Like what happens in that moment is just — it’s tough. But you got to take your hat off. Kyler Murray played a heck of a game.
Q. What’s it like trying to corral a quarterback like Kyler Murray with his elusiveness back there?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: It’s tough. He’s up there in the best in the business making guys miss and we had a lot of opportunities on him. A lot of guys, unblocked, getting to him and he just makes a guy miss and throws the ball away. Those are hidden yardage, those are big plays, especially when it comes to momentum and the way the ball game goes. Those plays – you make them, it’s a whole different ball game. Too many times and I think just we got in a situation where they kind of run past and they run the ball well late in that last drive and it’s heartbreaking and then just that last play Kyler did to get that third and four or whatever, you know he’s going to keep the ball, just, like man, inches, game of inches. He just make a heck of a play. You’ve got to take your hat off to him, great ball game.
Q. As you watch Tua play – not just from a football perspective but also keep in mind the bigger picture, everything that’s gone on. What goes through your mind as you watch that today?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: He played a heck of a ball game. Tua played a heck of a ball game. He gave us a chance to win and it was fun to watch, you know? He was scrambling for that first down on 39 in the red zone, you’re like ‘slide, slide, slide, don’t try to get no courage there.’ But he’s smart. He knows don’t take unnecessary risks, but he’s a phenomenal quarterback. It’s different when he’s out there and it’s good to see him out there. He played a great ball game. It hurts that we didn’t win this ball game, especially for him, but for all of us just because of where we’re at as a team, but as long as there’s life left, we’re going to fight. I still believe this team has everything it takes to win and hopefully we’re building character. Obviously it doesn’t really matter until you do something with it, say all the right stuff but none of it really matters. It just comes down to believing and fighting and hopefully executing and getting back in this thing, you know?
Q. How do you think the impact of some key players due to injury – Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Zach Sieler, Jevón Holland, Kader Kohou, others, how do you think that impacts the result?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: I mean, you remove players that’s tough, you know? You lose players, it’s tough. I don’t know exactly what happened to the guys – just kind of like you’re in the full speed thick of things and things just kind of happen and you realize guys are not out there anymore. It’s not like there’s a big announcement or anything like that. I noticed that ‘8’ (Jevón Holland) wasn’t out there and he’s a tone-setter. He’s a big-time player for us and that was a big loss. I don’t even know how many – you just gave me more information just now. I didn’t even realize. It’s kind of like do your job and farm your own land and make sure I’m on point but any time you lose guys, that makes it tough, just changes things, communication and flow and rhythm and rapport. All that stuff matters so Zach not being out there is huge and guys stepped up and played well in his absence, but it’s just a difference when you have the rapport and that connection. I think especially in the pass rush game and stuff like that, he’s such a force but (Da’Shawn) Hand played great. I feel like we had opportunities to win the ball game we just didn’t.
Q. What were your thoughts on Marvin Harrison seeing him for the first time?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: He made some big-time catches. Two really big ones on the sideline, one for the touchdown that they reviewed. Those were huge plays. Tough balls, Kyler gave him an opportunity and he made the catches. Great players in this league all around and he’s another one. Good, young player that’s probably going to be really good in this league for a long time to come as long as he stays healthy. As a football fan, I admire talent and greatness and I like to see guys develop, but it sure hurts when they do it to you. It sure when they make big plays against us, so it is what it is.
Q. What were some of the issues of covering the tight end, Trey McBride?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: I mean, I think he just – we had good coverage on him, he just made plays. They do a good job of finding ways to get him the ball in space and stuff. A lot of times it’s deep to short and take the check down to him and he makes guys miss because he’s a great athlete but another great player. Talented as can be. It’s just football. You go back and forth, but they made enough plays to win and we didn’t. I feel like we’ve got great players and we could win this ball game the majority of the time, especially the way the game went. It was our game probably nine out of ten times, but rolling, got momentum and then I think, you know, safety, touchdown, ball game changes, you know?
Q. You’re obviously a leader on this team and I feel like you touched on it earlier, but what do you tell the guys on this team as you guys are now 2-5?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: I mean, to fight, you know? To stay the course, stay together. At the end of the day, nobody’s going to come and get us out of this hole. It’s just us. Ain’t nobody coming to save the day. It’s us going out there and fighting, playing for 60 minutes, preparing the best we can and leaving it all out there on the football field. I think the belief and knowing that if we put the work in is going to pay off. If we sacrifice, it’s going to pay off. That’s the ball game. That’s the season. That’s what everything is about. We have so many players that are capable of making plays to help us win ball games, but we’ve got to believe, we got to stay focused and keep putting the work in and eventually the tide has to turn.
Jaylen Waddle – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle
(What was it like having Tua back?) – “It was great. He came back ready to play, guns blazing. So, it was good. We needed him.”
(You guys obviously wanted to put it away on that last drive, what were the little details that added up that didn’t go your way to get it done?) – “It’s always the little details in close games like that. We definitely want to end the game with the ball. We’re going to be better. Got to be better.”
(Is it just a different feel out there when the offense is playing with Tua out there?) – “Definitely. He’s our guy. That’s our leader, that’s our captain. He does a great job of commanding the team and the offense (inaudible).”
Terron Armstead – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
Miami Dolphins OT Terron Armstead
(How did it feel offensively working with Tua and moving the ball down the field the way the way you guys were able to do it?) – “It felt better, it felt more rhythmic. We were able to get some first downs, some good drives going, good momentum. We had a couple drives that we would love to have back and finish with some touchdowns instead of field goals. You know what I mean, in hindsight, they always tend to bite you. So we can work toward that, you know? Execute better in the red zone and walk away with touchdowns instead of field goals.”
(What was it like having Tua back in the huddle, did it seem like he hadn’t missed a beat?) – “Yeah, it seemed like he was right back. It felt familiar, it was great, it was great, and it’s going to be great moving forward.”
(What was that moment like before Achane’s touchdown where Tua had the open field, ran, slid, and everybody kind of cheered, what was that moment like?) – “It was great. Great energy from the fans, that embrace. This team, we’ve been through some adversity for sure. So, it was a good moment. For Tua to be fearless, go run, get that first down, slide, the reaction from the fans; it was a great moment.”
Tyreek Hill – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill
(How are things going knowing how much is at stake [inaudible]?) – “It sucks. Every time you lose in this league, it sucks. They are a good football team, but the end of the day, I feel like we obviously are a better football team; we’ve just have to prove it on tape as a team. Not just one player. We’ve got to play – every man on the field, everybody’s has to play better. And at the end of the day it’s got to mean something to you. It’s got to.”
(It seemed like there was a play called there to make a difference and it just didn’t happen on that little screen pass?) – “Yeah, there was. I went back and watched it on tape. Obviously there was a play to be made, but they get paid, too, on the other side of the ball. Those guys have a great defense, they did a good job at shutting us down and knowing what to do when the team needed it. Props to them.”
(Is Buffalo a must-win next week?) – “Each and every week is a must-win. Our mindset was a must-win this week, but next week, 24-hour rule, we’re going to move on and Buffalo is a must-win.”
Mike McDaniel – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
Q. What are you telling your team right now as this team is now 2-5?
MIKE McDANIEL: I know one thing, that — pardon my French, but no opponent that we play the rest of the year will give a (expletive). Yeah, we’re 2-5. Disappointed and it’s frustrating. I thought there were positives and negatives to the game and it’s magnified because of the situation we’ve put ourselves in. Situations like that, as tough as it is, it has to be – you have to immediately take your energy towards the next game while learning lessons from this game. I thought we had absolutely every chance to win it. I think collectively there is some – we always play really hard. I thought there was more execution but there were critical mistakes that I think it was tough to overcome one of the stronger games I’ve seen by a quarterback in Kyler Murray. He made a lot of plays for them and we can’t put ourselves in that situation as a team.
Q. You guys were pretty blitz heavy. It wasn’t all that effective at times. Did you think you guys maybe blitzed QB Kyler Murray too much today? Because he was able to kind of break it down.
MIKE McDANIEL: No, I think that was kind of the game plan going in and you know the stress that you put on coverage and you know you try to be effective in rush lanes. I think hindsight is 20/20. I did agree with our game plan going into it and in those situations, the guys know that it does put a high priority on guys that are free and have a shot at the quarterback, that you have to really rely on your technique and fundamentals, especially with a guy like that. I’m sure when I look at the tape there will be a handful of plays that we’ll talk through, Weave (Anthony Weaver) and I. But for the most part I thought guys were in position to make plays and there were just some critical ones we didn’t make and they did and that’s how you score more points than the opponent.
Q. How would you assess QB Tua Tagovailoa’s first game back?
MIKE McDANIEL: I thought it’s kind of what I expected. He did a real good job on third down but collectively I think the bigger thing was that we had a little bit more of our brand of football that we felt that is probably a silver lining if we weren’t sitting at 2-5. Guys didn’t really care about – when I tell you they’ve been all in on winning and falling short is hard for everyone, but we would have taken 3-2 as the win, but you can’t. There are no silver linings, really, in this loss. It’s testing us for sure. I feel good about the human beings we have. I feel like we’ve begun going all in with each other each and every week and it still hasn’t been enough, but the answer is not to take the foot off the gas. It’s to take a hard look, which will probably be pretty rough tomorrow, but that is what it is. We have to fix it. We have to get the win, and there’s going to be, moving forward, no team’s going to frankly give a (expletive) about our problems.
Q. What occurred on the mishandled snap? QB Tua Tagovailoa is saying he should have caught it.
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, I think if you ask both of them, Brew (Aaron brewer) would say he should have taken a little steam off of it, and Tua said he should have caught it. The bottom line is backed up, we can’t have those type of issues. You can’t just give free points to people, so collectively, I think the way I like to handle it is, all right, we can’t go in shotgun or pistol backed up until you guys tell me you can. As competitors, they’ll take that challenge. They know, and Tua’s hand-eye coordination’s outstanding, so he’ll be up for the challenge, but you just can’t expect to win a close game (with plays like that). That ended up being the difference in terms of points but it wasn’t just that play. There’s a multitude of things that ended up in points, like not connecting and settling for a field goal on the 7-yard line earlier. Those are things that add up, so hard lessons and they have to be lessons learned if you want it to change and so we’ll have an opportunity to do that. It’ll be a long week, but we get what we deserve.
Q. How did you feel about how QB Tua Tagovailoa protected himself out there and did you have any talks before the game about his approach or afterwards?
MIKE McDANIEL: I think Tua had his mind — I think the time (out), this season on this team, it really left an impression on the residuals of his decisions, so we had talks leading up to it. I think the biggest thing was that he knew his teammates were going to give him a chance to play a pretty clean game. He had a good amount of clean pockets and then when he didn’t, he was decisive and kept himself out of harm’s way and I think that’s big for our team as we try to get through this rut.
Q. Did you adjust anything from a game plan or play calling standpoint to try to be more protective of QB Tua Tagovailoa?
MIKE McDANIEL: I think it’s always been part of my job and seeing how there were injuries to the quarterback four games into my tenure here, I think that’s kind of old hat. We just kind of play our ball and as a coach, you make sure that you either have the protection or you have opportunistic situations for the eligibles to get people open in the time of the play, so he can do what he does. But I don’t think you can do right by a football team if the guys playing the game, you have to – you can’t really think about anything but how do we move the ball and score points. So I thought it was good for his teammates. I think the team felt this was, at times, more of a picture of what we had envisioned the entire time for how we played football, but it wasn’t clean enough to win and that’s the big takeaway for me.
Q. S Jevon Holland’s knee is not being feared significant at this time, is that accurate?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, I don’t have all the information on it, but we’ll find more out. It didn’t seem, but I really would be talking ignorantly if I forecasted anything. I’ll find more out tomorrow.
Q. Can you speak to the challenge of going 2-5 and where this team is headed?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, it’s a significant challenge. It kind of reminds me of — at this point, I can’t remember what the streak was, maybe it was two games or three in 2022 and we had that night game. I think the biggest thing is that you have to understand that all the heartbreak has to go into your next opponent. It’s the next opponent and it’s a divisional game and I know we have all the reason in the world to have 110 percent invested in it, so that’s what my expectation will be. I think it’s rough – 2-5 is rough. But in the NFL season, you can’t really take what your record is at this stage and extrapolate. That’s where you get causes for concern. You have to go take your best game and try to win one football game and I think that’s a really cool football place to play, and guys – I think we have the right guys and if they weren’t motivated for this one, they would be the wrong guys, and I’m not nervous about that. Just want to make sure that all of our energy is put towards what we’re able to do, not what has been done.
Q. Going back to QB Tua Tagovailoa protecting himself. What was your reaction during that scramble, I think it was the third quarter, when he actually got down and slid?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, my reaction was I think he’s going to get the first down. I’m pretty sure what he’s going to do, but you never know until it happens and it was what I forecasted he would do. But when he’s mindful and not trying to run defenders over, he generally is able to stay pretty healthy, so I was excited that he didn’t hesitate and that he was very convicted in how he approached space, found space, and got himself down.
Q. Are you relieved that this is behind QB Tua Tagovailoa now that he’s back? He was untouched really today.
MIKE McDANIEL: I wouldn’t say relieved because that would insinuate that I was nervous about it. You know football is football, so you just try to put together a best plan that players can execute and I think that that’s part of the coach’s job, put guys in a position to succeed and for him, he does very well when he’s able to see the field and we protect well. There’s a lot of – I think the player ownership of our team, receivers running routes, beating bump coverage and the offensive linemen executing the protections, I think the players took it very personal in terms of their job and their responsibility to the team and to play effective football. The bottom line is if you’re giving up quarterback hits or sacks, you’re probably going the opposite direction of where points are. So I wouldn’t say relieved. I would say that the game played out in terms of that circumstance kind of the way I envisioned. I just envisioned us in the win column, not in the loss, but no one cares about my visions.
Q. What was the challenge playing without DT Zach Sieler and how long do you foresee you have to do this?
MIKE McDANIEL: It’s very challenging. He’s a big part of our team. I think there’s a lot of guys led by D-Hand (Da’Shawn Hand) but a lot of guys that were up for the challenge and just feeling his energy. Talking about Zach and in the locker room just as we left, he will be out no longer than his body — like as soon as his body allows, he will be out there. I wouldn’t envision it being too long just based upon his vigor and he didn’t like not being able to affect the outcome of the game and we are a better team when he’s on it.
Q. No surgery needed?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, I wouldn’t be prepared totally to handle that question. They’re working through some things, but I leave that to the experts.
