JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Quotes from Falcons players and coaches after the preseason opener.
Head Coach Mike Smith
“It didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to. Of course when you come down and football game, you want to win. I told the guys in there that we are not into moral victories. I thought our guys play hard and with passion. There were some really good plays and I think there was some play that we have to get some corrections on. Until we get a chance to watch the film and really get a chance evaluate it, it’s really going to be hard to pinpoint the areas that we are going to have to work on.”
Q: On if he saw if the guys were playing his new scheme:
A: “I thought defensively that we misfit some runs early on. We have 22-yard run with the quarterback on the scramble which skewed the rushing yards here in the first half. I was impressed with the way our guys competed, that is a very good football team. I don’t have any doubt, not just that I was here, that is a very good football team. I felt like our guys stood in there and went toe-to-toe with them in the first half-that is a positive. We had way too many penalties that we have to address. I’m pleased with the turnovers. We got some on the plus side of the 50 (yard line), but shot ourselves in the foot and couldn’t covert. Once we get turnovers on that side of the 50, we almost always want to get them in.”
Q: On how Matt Ryan looked:
“I thought Matt looked really good. We wanted to get Matt in there early and designed to get him in there against a very, very good and efficient defense. He did good and competed very well. He was 9-for-15 throwing the football for 113 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and had a 105.7 quarterback rating. I think for a rookie, first time out; that is pretty good outing.”
Running back Michael Turner
Q: Can you talk about the first half?
A: “It was pretty good. We’ve still got to work out some kinks here and there. We need to try to eliminate the penalties. If felt great to finally start the 2008 season.”
Q: On getting the first preseason game out of the way:
A: “It turned out good, even though we didn’t come out with the win. We got some good work out there today, picked up some blitzes and did some positive things on offense. Hopefully, we can move forward from there.”
Q: On the youth of the Falcons:
A: “I have to go back and look at the tape, but the young guys did some good things and I thought Matt (Ryan) handled everything pretty well tonight.”
Q: On handling a new system:
A: “Everybody is feeling pressure out there, but we had a lot of energy tonight. We played with a passion and fought hard – even though it’s preseason.”
Safety Lawyer Milloy
Q: Can you talk about tonight and getting to finally play with your teammates?
A: “It was good to get out there and shake the cobwebs off. We’ve been hitting each other for the last two weeks. It was a good testament to see where we are at this point in the season."
Q: Do you feel good about the game so far?
A: “The first two series were good. The last series, we gave up a touchdown and that’s never good. We’ve obviously got some work to do, but we’re a young team and we have to keep going.”
Quarterback Chris Redman
Q: Will you talk about your night?
A: “It felt good. I thought Michael Turner did a great job. We kind of got backed up a little bit and he helped us get out of there. I threw some good balls but they made some good defensive plays. It was a good start and it felt good to be out there playing against someone else.”
Wide receiver Roddy White
Q: Can you talk about tonight’s game and being able to play against another team? Can you also talk about your touchdown?
A: “It was good to go against players other than your teammates. We had a double post and Matt (Ryan) threw me a good ball. It was a good touchdown for us and we got off to a good start.”
Linebacker Keith Brooking
Q: Can you talk about the fist half and being able to get some game experience?
A: “It was great. The real positive thing was that we were swarming to the ball. We were having fun, playing with energy and that’s what great defenses are all about. We’ve just go to do a better job of containing the quarterback. (David) Garrard likes to run a little bit and we need to contain him on the pass rush. We can’t allow him to run downfield. Getting off the field after their first drive was key. All in all, I thought it was a great first step.”
Quarterback Matt Ryan
Q: On his level of comfort running the offens:
A: “I think it was not where it was in college, obviously. I felt pretty good after the second series I was in there. In the first series, I was a bit nervous. I settled down – did some good things and some bad things – but got more comfortable as I went along.”
Q: On the amount of snaps:
A: “We talked about it and this is about what I expected, knowing I would come in at some point in the first half. I thought it worked out well.”
Q: On the quarterback competition in Atlanta:
A: “I think everybody, including myself, Joey (Harrington), Chris (Redman), and D.J. (Shockley) expect to be out on the field. Everybody is a competitor and I’m no different than them. It’s a good competition. Everybody is pulling for each other to become better, and, at the same time, everybody wants to be out on the field.”
Safety Deke Cooper
Q: On playing against former team:
“I saw a lot of my old friends and coaches. It’s always fun to come back and play against your old team and talk a little trash out there. It’s just a preseason game, so you can’t put read too much into it.”
Q: On playing for the Falcons:
“We’re a close-knit group. I like it. It’s a good situation to come into – being a similar system to here in Jacksonville.”
Q: On the Jaguars offense:
“David (Garrard) gives them a lot of different things. You can’t worry about only Fred (Taylor) and Maurice (Jones-Drew). You have to worry about David and his feet and them spreading the field with Northcutt and some of the other weapons they have.”
Jaguars Head Coach Jack Del Rio
“Always good to win, I’ll tell you that every time we get up here following a victory. Obviously a first preseason game, a lot of things that went well, a lot of things we need to work on. Some good energy put forth, though. I thought the guys came out, played hard, played with a lot of energy and we have a lot of little things that we’ll correct and work on and be better at the next time out, but all in all pleased with the effort. I thought Mike’s (Smith) playing for the win there at the end was smart for both football teams. Obviously they made some plays there at quarterback, moved around and made some plays there and gave them a shot to put in there and win at the end. But a good ballgame. Played a lot of people, got a lot of good looks. It’ll be a lot of good tape to evaluate and we go from there so we move on.”
“A couple things that stood out, I think the speed that (Brian) Witherspoon has really showed up. Obviously we wanted to protect the football and I thought that was apparent. He can go, and we’re going to give him a good look this preseason to see if he can add a little dimension to our return game. We do like his speed and he did display that a little bit tonight and that’s a good thing. Obviously we’ve got to protect the football. The one glaring thing as far as something I’m not happy with is the number of times the ball was on the ground. We have to protect the ball better. In most cases I believe it was younger guys, probably a little anxious, but ball security is a must so we’ll work on that, I promise you. Like I said, all in all good energy, good effort. It was good to see Quentin Groves flash a little bit off the edge, we’re going to need that. We were able to sack the quarterback a few times and brought a little pressure which was good to see and we’ll go from here.”
Q: Does the size of the roster dictate who you play and is able to give you a good look at some of the ‘bubble’ guys?
A: “We’re going to do our best to work through those bubble guys regardless. I think that’s one of the most important things we do in this camp is to come out of it as prepared as we can for the regular season, and a big part of that is selecting the right 53 guys. In terms of numbers and how that impacts us, obviously we had a large number of people that were held out of the game tonight, so that means those that are able to go are going to go a little bit longer; that’s part of the deal.”
Q: On Mkristo Bruce:
A: “First of all I call him MK because it’s easier to pronounce. He had 14 sacks one year at Washington State. He’s got some natural rush ability. He did some good things. We really signed him in case (Derrick) Harvey held out, we were going to give him a chance and we told him when we signed him that ‘look, if Harvey reports tomorrow you’re going to be gone after one day, but we’d like to get a look at you.’ And he was eager to get into camp and he’s done a nice job for himself. He’s come in here and worked hard. He’s got some decent size and has a frame that he can grow a little bit and he has done a nice job representing himself taking advantage of the opportunity and given himself a shot to make a favorable impression. So, we’ll see. A couple weeks into it, he’s done a nice job working at it.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-JAGUARS GAME:
- GAMEDAY LIVE: Complete game coverage from AF.com
- GAME RECAP: Ryan solid in debut but Birds fall
- QUOTABLE: Comments from players and coaches following the game
- GAME NOTES: News and injury updates from the press box
- FALCONS LIFE: Discuss the game on the message boards
- VIDEO: Head Coach Mike Smith
- J. MIKE'S BLOG: Quarter updates and behind-the-scenes news from J. Michael Moore
- NFL NETWORK: Ryan's TD Pass | Ryan Highlights | Game Highlights
