Quarterback Matt Ryan
On the overall performance of the team:
“It’s a tough loss. We had a chance with a couple minutes to go to still get into it and win the game, but [we] fell a little bit short so we’re disappointed, but you’ve got to bounce back. We’ve got a bunch of games coming up; we're out in Oakland next week, and as difficult as the loss is, you’ve got to re-shift your focus and get ready to play next week.”
On the controversial muffed punt call that kept the Falcons offense off the field at the end of the game:
“I didn’t really see it too well. I was getting prepared to go out there for offense, so I didn’t really see it.”
On the Eagles’ ability to shut down the Falcons running game:
“I think they did a good job. They brought some pressure packages and did a good job of making some plays. They’ve got a good defense; they’ve got a good scheme. [Defensive coordinator] Jim Johnson does a great job of getting those guys on the same page and they executed it well today, so credit to their defense.”
On whether this was the toughest defense he has faced:
“I thought they did some things well. I think we still had an opportunity to make a lot of plays out there today and fell a little bit short, but they’re a good football team.”
On his homecoming to Philadelphia and whether he was able to watch the Phillies game last night:
“I watched a little bit of the game, but went to bed around 11 to try and get rested up, so I missed most of the end of the game, but I caught a little bit. I saw a bunch of signs coming in, and I’m sure everybody’s excited about the 2-1 lead in the World Series, so it’ll be fun to watch.”
On whether he felt welcomed back in town, despite being under attack on the field:
“They did a good job, and it was nice to see some family and friends last night, but after that it was all business.”
On the different blitz packages he faced:
“I thought we expected that they were going to bring some pressure -- that’s what they do every week, and they did that. I don’t think they did it anymore than they usually do. As a quarterback, you can’t be frustrated, you have to understand that that’s the way it’s going to go -- they’re going to make some plays and you have to battle back and keep playing. One thing I thought we did as a team was we kept fighting, and that’s a sign of a good football team. [Nobody] quit, everybody continued to play hard -- players and coaches -- and when you have that, you have a chance, and I think we have a chance the rest of the year.”
On the fade route from the Eagles’ 1-yard line that was intercepted in the end zone:
“That’s obviously frustrating, especially as a quarterback when you throw an interception on the 1-yard line. That was just a poor throw by myself -- the ball needs to get further outside, and I need to do a better job.”
On the condition of his back after a hard hit by Eagles DE Trent Cole that resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty, and whether or not it was actually a clean play:
“I’m fine. I’m fine. It was a good hit. He did a good job. [The penalty is] for the refs to decide. Obviously, when you take a hit, you don’t get to see where exactly they hit you. I thought the refs did a good job all day.”
Wide Receiver Roddy White
On the loss and play of the offense:
“I think that we really had a lot of opportunities in the game to win. We really had some chances early in the game to score, but did not get it done. I do not think you can blame it on anyone play. We have a young team and I think that we have learned a lot from this game and will be ready for next week.”
On the play of QB Matt Ryan:
“I think that Matt did a nice job and I think there were some times that I could have helped him in the game. I think I may have been able to cause some pass interferences and helped a ball or two not to be knocked down. Being a receiver in this league, it is on me to make sure the defensive players do not catch the ball.”
On whether he was happy with his own play even though they lost:
“I felt that I played well and I just want to continue to go out and grow as a receiver. I think that [QB Matt] Ryan and I will continue to work and I think we can be something special.”
On what happened on the fade pass that was intercepted by CB Asante Samuel:
“We had worked on that fade pass all week in practice and Matt threw it up there and really I should have batted the ball down. I think on that play, I had the responsibility to help him out. We thought we were going to put some points on the board and we let it get away from us. I put that play on myself, because I really should have knocked that down.”
On whether he believed that they were going to win in the end:
“I think had we gotten the punt back after they said we fumbled it, that we were going to make some things happen. I think if it had gone our way we had 2:50 left on the clock, to go down and score. Matt and I were ready to go out there and make plays and roll.”
Wide Receiver Brian Finneran
On the play of [QB Matt] Ryan:
“I think Matt really played well. He took a big hit in the beginning of the game and he was able to stick it out and play threw some pain. We will see how he is this week and I think he showed a lot of poise out there, with a lot of pressure being brought on him.”
On whether the team feels cheated that they did not get the ball after the muffed punt:
“Sometimes these things happen. It happened to us in the San Diego game earlier this year. Human error sometimes happens a lot in this game. There is nothing that we can do about it now.”
On whether the offense made adjustments at halftime to try and score more:
“I think we made some adjustments to some of the things we were doing in the first half. Our coaches made some adjustments, but I think overall we executed better in the second half. I think we ran the ball better after halftime and [QB Matt] Ryan really made some key plays.”
On what happened on the injury to his hand:
“I dislocated a couple of fingers. I did not break anything so I should be alright, and do not think it will hamper anything for playing next week. The injury happened late in the game when we were down in the red zone.”
Tackle Tyson Clabo
On the play of the offense and the offensive line:
“I think later in the game when we were able to hold the Eagles to a field goal, that gave us a ton of momentum. I think if the Eagles had scored a touchdown when we held them in the red zone, it would have been tough for us to come back. We were only down 13 points in the game and we really knew we could come back in the game.”
On whether he could see the play that the referees said that they fumbled the muffed kick:
“I did see the play because I was standing right there ready to go back out on the field. It is just one of those things where they said he touched it. I do not think that the official blew a call on purpose. It just happens sometimes. I really do not know if he really touched it. We just need to move on and come back next week and get some wins under our belt.”
On whether he believed they were going to win:
“To be honest with you it was surreal. I think we have a lot of confidence on this young team and I thought we would score. The offense really believed that we would score and win the game. I really was nervous that we did not want to score to early and give the ball back to the Eagles. We are really a confident bunch. Then the roof caved in on us and that was the end.”
Wide Receiver Adam Jennings
On whether he believed that he touched the ball on the muffed punt:
“I felt that I did not touch it but I just have to keep playing and make plays. I really do not have much more that I can say about that certain play.”
On whether he feels a little cheated:
“I do not think that I did touch the ball. I have to make a split second decision sometimes when a ball is kicked my way. I felt like I played the ball the right way, because I did not touch it because I could not get to it. I backed off the punt and cannot control the calls that are made out there. I just want to keep going out there and playing hard.”
On whether he feels that many calls did not go the Falcons way:
“We cannot control the calls that are made out on the field. What we can control is the effort that we play on the field. We just need to keep playing hard and things will go our way. Unfortunately, today things just did not go our way today. I wanted to make a big play but when I saw it was not there I backed off on the ball.”
On whether he charged up the field because it was a short kick:
“Yes, I ran up because it was a short kick. When I knew that I could not get to the ball, I tried to move back as far as I could when I got there. The official saw something different on the play. I respect the call the official made and I guess for now I will say it was a good call.”
Defensive End John Abraham
On the end of the game:
“I think [the officials] did a good job all game except for that one play. I mean, it was a tough game and it was tough for them too. I think they just made one bad call.”
On QB Donovan McNabb’s performance and how it made Atlanta’s job difficult:
“It made it difficult but we adjusted and we were always in the game. We pride our self on staying in the game; we stayed in the game the whole time. It never felt like we were out of the game, even when we didn’t get that touchdown when we needed it, it still felt like we stopped them to get a chance to put some more points on the board and that’s what we did. Like I said, it’s part of the game and everybody played well, it was a tough fought game. I think everybody got a lot of bumps and bruises from the game, but it definitely was a good game.”
On the success of Atlanta’s defensive unit:
“Exactly, like I said we gave them a lot. We gave them a lot on the ground, we gave them a lot on the pass, but when we really needed it, we stood up. Like I said, [the officials] called a good game, they just had one bad call. I’m not going to harp or say anything too bad about the situation, they just made one bad call.”
Linebacker Keith Brooking
On the muffed punt not being touched in the fourth quarter:
“That’s what it looked like from the sidelines. I’m not going there, you can try to get me to go there, but I’m not going there. There are a lot of plays, about seventy-something plays on defense, probably about the same on offense and there were some plays we had on special teams where we could have had a better outcome than we did. So that’s just one play. The human element is there for refs. You put yourself in a situation to make a mistake in the end, you don’t want it to take place.”
On not being allowed to challenge the play because of no timeouts:
“There are rules, the system is set up for a reason. It’s unfortunate we didn’t have timeouts, we were in a four-minute situation on defense the last drive and we had to burn those timeouts to get the ball back in the offense’s hands. It’s part of it. There were a lot of other plays during the course of the game that could have determined the outcome, it was just that [one call]. Obviously you want the refs to get it right, if they missed it, they make mistakes and we just have to bounce back from it.”
On Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb’s performance:
“[Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb] gashed us, so we have a lot of corrections to make defensively. It was unfortunate because we knew those two guys pretty much made that engine run. [Brian] Westbrook is the key to that offense and [Donovan] McNabb, obviously, is right there as well and those two guys beat us today.”
Safety Lawyer Milloy
On being able to prevent his hit on LJ Smith:
“I was going full blast. It’s really up to [the official’s] discretion and I just have to live by the rules.”
On that play three or four years ago:
“I’m not going to get into all of that. Everybody knows that right now everything is under a scope from hits like that to our socks. I’m just part of it, I’m trying to do the best to live by the rules, but my job is to get the players down when I play and sometimes the play is bang-bang.”
On the call at the end of the game in addition to his hit:
“It’s the NFL, [the officials] are human also. Obviously I felt that we had the momentum going into the game and I hate for the game to end that way. I’m more focused on this team and how we fought through some adversity and gave ourselves a chance to win the ballgame at the end. Again, I’m not going to sit here and say who’s to blame or who’s not to blame. We’re all playing the same game, everybody out there is human.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-EAGLES GAME:
- GAMEDAY LIVE: Complete game coverage from AtlantaFalcons.com
- GAMEDAY RT: AF.com crew gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the road
- GAME RECAP: First-quarter flashes fade in road loss
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Lincoln Financial Field press box
- GAME CENTER: Stats, play-by-play and more from NFL.com
- TRANSCRIPTS: Head Coach Mike Smith | Falcons | Eagles
- GAME BLOG: Live updates from the press box in the FalconsLIFE blog
- J. MIKE'S MISSIVES: Blog and comment from the AF.com Managing Editor
- FORUMS: Talk about the game with other fans on FalconsLIFE
- VIDEO: Head Coach Mike Smith | Matt Ryan
- NFL NETWORK: Highlights | Short | Roddy White | Matt Ryan
- INACTIVES: Inactive players and probable starters from the game
- REVIEW AND RESPOND: Track the game and ask questions
