Ted Karras – November 15, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 15, 2020
Postgame – L.A. Chargers
C Ted Karras
(111 rushing yards, no sacks. Obviously one of the better performances from this line. How much was the challenges that you guys faced this week with just kind of the shuffling of the line a catalyst for?) – “I think that everyone’s been working really hard. We’ve placed an emphasis on the run game. We’ve been not where we want to be throughout the start of this year; but heading into the second half of the year, we really want to emphasize it and I think everyone had their best game in the run game. Salvon (Ahmed) had a great game and everyone did their job, and it was a great unit effort and team effort to win this game.”
(I have no idea if you’ve heard this, but a few minutes ago the Cardinals won on a Hail Mary with two seconds left. That means that you are now a half game out of first place. Your reaction?) “I’m glad the NFC West could do us a favor there. I was waiting on one of them. (laughter) But those are good games. Obviously we’re in the hunt and we got to keep executing and winning games and doing what we’re doing.”
(I got to ask you about the snap that went awry. What happened there?) – “I was waiting for that. Two questions before that…“
(I’m the jerk. I apologize.) – “No, no, not at all.”
(What happened there and what did you say to QB Tua Tagovailoa after he saved the touchdown?) – “It’s the privilege of a lifetime to play with guys that play with effort like that. And it slipped out of my hand on the third down a couple plays before. I take a lot of precautions with kind of moisture management. It was a long drive and it slipped out of my hand again. And when something like that happens, it’s devastating and you look at guys in the eye that count on you and it hurts you in the deepest part of your being that you let people down. And I’m really glad we rallied. I thought it was an otherwise good performance by everyone, but it’s a lonely feeling at center and that’s my job and that was 100 percent on me. I took the arm sleeves off. I was just pretty wet and it slipped out of my hand and kind of a nightmare play at center, and I’m really glad the team rallied. I thanked everyone. That was a tough one and that’s your No. 1 priority and job and I take it very seriously and that was a tough one.”
(We all saw the video of you encouraging QB Tua Tagovailoa after the first start and it seemed like he was there to help you out with that tackle there. Just playing for each other and your relationship with Tua, what did you think about him making the tackle and what do you think about his play today overall?) – “Well, that’s a gutsy play and one of the plays of the game and something that is just great team football and not on my part, on that play, and that hurts. You want to always be the guy to be old reliable, but this team is so fun to play with and there’s a brotherhood here and I think that’s why it hurt me so much. But we rallied, and you have to make a decision there whether you’re going to let it bother you and we didn’t, so I didn’t, at least I tried not to. So we won the game and we’re going to keep rolling.”
(You mentioned RB Salvon Ahmed before. Talk about the impact he made and how happy you are for a guy making his, starting his first start and making such a contribution in a game like this helping you win a game?) – “Just taking advantage of his opportunities, that’s something that in this league, they’re rare and usually only come around once. And he’s been doing such a great job and a huge impact player for us today and really hit the hole nice a lot, and we had some big runs and something that we’ve been working towards for weeks now and it feels good to have some of our hard work pay off there with a guy like that coming in and making an impact.”
(Kind of on that same topic, I wanted to ask you, we talk all the time about quarterbacks and receivers and the timing and the comfortability of the passing game. How much does it change your approach with a different running back in there multiple weeks in a row having to block for different guys, how much does that change the way you guys kind of approach things?) – “Well, I think Coach Gailey (Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey) and Coach Marshall (Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall) do an outstanding job scheming up runs that will be successful for the personnel we’re playing against and the personnel we have. And then when it comes down to game time, the onus is on us to execute and I thought we did a decent job today, obviously better than we have and good enough to win. Obviously there’s a lot still to improve on, but getting coached up after a win like that is always nice.”
(I feel like I ask you guys this every week, but complementary football just appears to be the key to getting these wins, and I just am curious when special teams makes a play like that so early on in the game, what’s kind of said amongst the offense to be like, “all right, this is our turn, like, let’s go?”) – “Our defense and our special teams have spotted us points early in games here for a couple weeks in a row now and it’s an outstanding, it’s fantastic, and as an offensive player to go out there and start the game on the 1-yard line is very rare and something that was important to the game. We’re just going to have to keep continue working hard. We’ve got great specialists and great special teams and a great defense and offense. We’re continuing to improve and putting up points on the board and going to roll these last seven games.”
