Head Coach Mike Smith
Opening remarks:
“What a fantastic game! It was a true 60-minute game. There were a lot of ebbs and flows. We talked all week to our players that we were going to need all three phrases to step up and they did that. There was a fourth phase too. We had a very rambunctious crowd. They really helped our football team. It was a fun day. Our players stayed composed. They had resolve. These are all things that we talk about as a football team. It looked bleak there for a minute. But, Matt (Ryan) came out and made a great throw with six seconds to go. We were able to get the ball out of bounds and then Jason (Elam) had a nice snap on the field goal and was able to put the ball through the pipes. This team knows how to play for 60 minutes. Through the six games, this team has come out and played hard. I’m very proud of our football team. I’m proud of our coaching staff. We talk all the time about having camaraderie and being a team. All successful teams have those traits. There are a number of individual players that had big games. Matt (Ryan) had his first 300-yard passing game. He was very efficient. I think he was a 113 on the passer rating. It was nice when Jason Elam made the field goal. He has been very efficient for us all year long. Jamaal Anderson had his best game as an Atlanta Falcon. He was a force on the run and the pass. We started off quick on both sides of the football. That was very important for us. When we start quick, we have a better chance of being successful. Offensively, we moved the football right down the field. Defensively, we had three and out to start the game. In the first half our defense was strong.”
Q: Could you take us through that bleak period?
A: “We had a couple of scenarios that we were going through as a coaching staff depending on where we were going to get the football. Once we got it around the 45-yard line, we felt like with six seconds left instead of throwing a desperation throw we had a chance to get the ball on the sidelines. Mike (Jenkins) had a great catch. Matt (Ryan) went back on his fifth step and got the ball out of his hands. We were able to put ourselves in that situation to kick the field goal.”
Q: How big was it for Jason (Elam) to make the game-winning field goal after missing one?
A: “I can’t speak for Jason. I know that he has to feel a heck of a lot better right now then he would if we didn’t have an opportunity to kick that field goal. That was a pressure kick. He’s hit a lot of game-winners in his career. I guess he wanted to add a game-winner in this one.”
Q: Have you ever been in a game comparable to this?
A: “This is one of the most exciting games I have ever seen. I haven’t been in a game that finished quite like this. There were a lot of ebbs and flows in terms of emotions for everyone out there. Our football team stayed on task for 60 minutes. When you do that, you’re going to like the outcome the majority of the time.”
Q: What does a win like this do for a young team?
A: “When we started the season, we set goals internally. The first one was to get the first win. The second one was to get a win on the road. The third one was to try to put back-to-back wins together. We really didn’t have a time frame, but we talked about it all week. We said we had to come out and try to get back-to-back wins. When you put consecutive wins together, you have an opportunity to get off that roller coaster like we were doing the first five weeks of the season. We would win one then lose one. It confirms what we are doing as a football team. It is confirmation that the way we’ve been going about our business is the right way to go about it. We are still in the process. It is going to be a long process. We are a young football team that’s learning every time we go on the field. We are still learning about our players as well.”
Q: On wide receiver Roddy White.
A: “It was big for Roddy to get out there. Roddy had a collision at practice on Wednesday. It was more of an innocent collision, but for precautionary reasons we kept him out of practice. We wanted to make sure he was going to be cleared. He was cleared and ready to go. We worked him out yesterday after our workout just to see how he would handle the strain of running. His play was huge. He had a number of big catches in the game.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-BEARS GAME:
- GAMEDAY LIVE: Complete game coverage from AF.com
- GAME RECAP: Late field goal lifts Falcons to victory
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more from the NFL.com Game Center
- GAME BLOG: Follow the action in the live game blog
- J. MIKE'S BLOG: News and more from the Managing Editor
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Georgia Dome press box
- TRANSCRIPTS: Head Coach Mike Smith | Falcons | Bears
- CNN VOTE: CNN polls Falcons fans on presidential race in game
- HIGHLIGHTS: Game highlights from NFL Network
- PRESS CONFERENCE: Head Coach Mike Smith | Ryan | Elam
- FROM THE LOCKER ROOM: Milloy | Anderson | Jenkins | White | Abraham | Norwood
- TAILGATES: Falcon Al checks out new features at Touchdown Tailgate | Blog
