Head Coach Sean Payton
Opening Statement:
“From an injury standpoint, Randall Gay had a concussion. To what extent, we’ll know a little bit more tomorrow. He came out of the game and then felt a little bit better and went back in but the symptoms began to re-occur so we held him out. Courtney Roby should be fine. Other than those two players we didn’t have much. I told the players afterwards that this was one of the more complete team wins that we’ve had around here in a while. What I mean by that is that when we needed a stop at the end of the game we got it; the defense – to a man – is playing well, and we were able to get that stop. When we needed to cover a kick we were able to do that. And then of course offensively we needed a first down and we were able to do that. I was pleased with the effort. That’s a good team we played today, and it’s a team obviously that is greatly improved from years past. I thought all week that we handled the distractions and in the end we ended up making our plays and not hurting ourselves with turnovers and played one of our better games of the season.”
What was your thought process on the fourth-and-one call?
“I was a little frustrated with the third down play; they baited us into a pass. I felt like we were going to need more than just a field goal and it was really an opportunity to put it on the guys up front to get a little less than a yard. Mike Karney did a good job; he got a lot of push inside. We need to continue to work on that down-and-distance and be a little bit more consistent there, but at least we were able to get it.”
Was there something you saw that you thought you might be able to run better against this team?
“They’re a cover-two team and the last time we played them they did a real good job of playing zone and they were able to do that and still get pressure with their four-man rush because of guys like (John) Abraham and (Jonathan) Babineaux who are playing really well. Also I thought the draws were going to be effective and they were. I thought our guys up front did a good job to neutralize some of the pass rush and Pierre (Thomas) and Reggie (Bush) did a real good job, especially on first down. I think we ran about three or four draw plays and got positive yards. Obviously we had good balance. The red area was a little bit of a concern and what concerned me a little at halftime was that we didn’t too well on third down, compared to Atlanta. But we were able to start fast. The two-minute drive at the end of the first half was important to get some points on the board and re-take the lead. Again, I thought it was a good team win.”
Can you elaborate more on Pierre Thomas’ performance?
“He was significant. We just finished giving him a game ball. He did so much in that game – both in the running game and obviously in the return game. The kick return there is a play that ends up really winning the game for you. He has just worked extremely hard. Even when it comes to that third-and-four call at the end of the game that let us take a knee, those are big plays for us and he’s worked real hard to earn that. I was real pleased for him.”
What did you see from the Falcons and specifically Matt Ryan?
“They’re a good team. They have a lot of different weapons. I thought the receiver play for them has really improved. The feeling of confidence in the position of quarterback that they have right now of getting them the ball when they’re open, you can see that. You talk about Michael Jenkins and Roddy White and then in the backfield with (Michael) Turner and (Jerious) Norwood, but I think the quarterback has given that team a stable player that can spread the ball around, can operate in the two-minute offense very well. We tried to give him a lot of looks defensively and he was smart enough to get into the right plays, so that’s a much-improved team. I think Mike (Smith) has done a great job of really turning the face of that organization around. They have done a great job of evaluating talent and bringing the right players in. They’re dangerous offensively. They can run it well and throw it well, and they have a quarterback – most importantly – that gives them stability and something that they’ve missed for quite a while.”
On the fourth down call, do you have a lot of plays for that situation?
“We have a list. We have a short-yardage list of about four runs and maybe two or three throws. We ran to the right on the first drive of the game and we missed a block and they were able to hold us short. We ran another short-yardage call earlier in the game that wound up being an audible to Reggie and they covered it pretty well. We systematically look at that list and that sub-category of plays for that situation and we felt like running right at them with a quick-hitter – and Mike (Karney) has done a really good job of handling that belly play. You’re just looking to get hats on hats and be ready to do that. We ran that play in the first half and they were able to hold us from getting the first down when a linebacker slipped off one of our guys up front and made the play. We came out and ran it on the second sound with a real quick cadence. That was a big play; obviously that was a real big play in the game.”
Was the challenge on the Finneran touchdown more about possession?
“We pushed the guy out and the question was if the ball was secure when the second foot dragged. Looking at it two or three times later, obviously he had possession. The first challenge we had on the interception ended up being a good one, and obviously that one was not.”
How big of a gamble do you think that fourth down was?
“It’s a gamble because if you don’t get it, you’re down three. The only upside to it if you don’t get it is field position, you have them pinned back and can hopefully get the ball back. I thought that with the time left in the game there were still going to be a couple of possessions for both sides.”
What were you able to do on defense, especially on the final stop?
“I felt like the base that we were getting to was a little more zone. They have guys where they’re able to take an inside receiver and wiggle across the formation and they do that with about 20 seconds left on the play clock and Matt (Ryan) gathers some information of what you’re in coverage-wise. I thought we did more of a good job later with our zone coverage and really kind of forcing them to run the ball and not give up the big play in the passing game. One of the things that we were able to do in this game – and they converted a couple of third down passes and a third-and-long – but by and large we didn’t give up the sorts of plays that we did in the first game in Atlanta when you saw Norwood with the big gain and you saw Roddy White with the big touchdown pass. It was a little bit more patient game plan and I thought we did a good job of executing it. It just comes down to a third down play there and we felt like they were going to punt because of the time left, and I credit our guys with coming up with that stop because we needed it. I do think that that’s one of the better offenses that we’ve seen this year, and certainly in our division.”
What does it mean for the defense to come up with that big stop after giving up some other big third downs?
“This was a good team win. Whether it was the kicking game, or the big return, but that was huge at that point of the game. We came up with a big stop. It’s a team effort. When you look at these guys – talking about Atlanta – they’ve won every game this year when they have a first quarter lead and have had losses when they’ve gotten behind and we were able to get ahead. I thought it was as good a team win as we’ve had in a while. Jason David got us the one turnover which turned out to be a significant play. There were a lot of good things and they’re an opponent that we think is pretty good.”
What are your thoughts on having to play in Chicago on Thursday night?
“I’ve gone through this before in Dallas where we played the Thursday game and I think we just have to be mindful of finishing the game. We had a number of different schedules when I was in Dallas and I think it can be a little too much. It becomes a little more mental this week. Tomorrow they’ll come in and lift and run. We kind of have to put two days into Tuesday and two days into Wednesday and fly out Wednesday at 5:00. It’s going to be a little more walkthroughs and a little less practice and we’ll get ready to play the game Thursday night.”
How much does the fact that Garrett Hartley having not missed a kick affect your play-calling and how much of a boost has he been?
“First, it’s a credit to our guys in personnel. Obviously we would’ve liked to have drafted this player because he’s playing with a lot of confidence. I’m just excited that we have him. From the first day that he worked out, you could see a little bit of pop off his foot and he’s a guy that our players have a lot of confidence in. To have a young kicker in the program that has that confidence and the leg-strength – he’s handling the kickoffs equally as well – that’s significant, because you guys know that games come down to the last possession and we’ve been able to lean on him and he’s another one of the players that we gave a game ball to. He’s done a good job.”
How have the injuries in the secondary affected you?
“It hurt us in some of our sub packages. It limited us to nickel and not dime and I thought Gary (Gibbs) and those guys handled it pretty well because this is a team that gets into a lot of personnel groupings. It just removed some of the packages that we had. We played a lot of guys and our staff defensively did a good job making the adjustments. You look at corner one Mike McKenzie, who was out, one or two – Tracy Porter, Randall Gay, Aaron Glenn, we really tried to get the right guys in with the right defensive calls and in the end we did a good job that way.
Running Back Reggie Bush
You were talking about improving the running game on Monday. Can you talk about this probably being the first day this season the offense relied on the rushing attack?
"Yes and we won the game. I’ve always been in favor of running the ball. The run sets up the pass. That’s kind of football 101. We ran the ball well today. Pierre (Thomas) ran the ball well. We were able to force them to respect the running game. That opened things up for Drew (Brees) and it took some time off the clock too. I think that’s (time of possession) a key reason why we won the game."
Can you talk about the rushing performance of you and Pierre?
"We ran the ball well. When you run the ball like we did today, it forces defenses to respect you and the run game. He ran the ball well. He ran hard. He made plays. The kickoff return was huge. He hasn’t returned kicks in a while. To go in there and return a kick like that was huge on that last drive."
Can you discuss if your injury derailed what was shaping up to be a Pro Bowl season, scoring nine touchdowns in nine games?
"I try not to think about that. I was having a really good season up to a point. I honestly thought I could score 20 touchdowns. It didn’t happen. You can’t focus on the past. You focus on what we have. We still have three games left. We’re still not out of the playoffs yet. We have three tough games ahead of us starting in Chicago where we haven’t won yet. It’s going to be cold there with bad weather conditions and Detroit, a team that we obviously can’t sleep on and Carolina, a team that already beat us once. We have to think about what’s ahead of us and not think about the past and the injury. I felt like myself today."
Did you think that the running today proved that it can work with you and Pierre?
"In the first year, my rookie year, when me and Deuce (McAllister) were running the ball, we showed we could run the ball pretty well. Last year we got away from it a little bit. I always felt like we could run the ball. We just had to do it. We just had to make it happen. I never thought we couldn’t run the ball."
Can you talk about the how the running game can support Drew Brees?
"Drew is a great player. I think he’s the best in the NFL, but even then, he needs a supporting cast. We don’t want him to do it all by ourselves. We want to be out there helping him run the ball. As running backs, we want to open up holes, run the ball well and that in turn helps him out a lot. We felt like we had a balanced game today and that was a key reason why we won."
Cornerback Jason David
On the defense playing a complete game today:
“It wasn’t a perfect game. We played well as a team. I think special teams play was the difference between this week and last week. Pierre (Thomas) had a big return late in the game to get the offense in scoring position. It was definitely a team win. It was just like the Monday Night game. Everyone played their hearts out.”
On the defense’s mindset going in to the final Atlanta drive:
“All we thought about was who was going to make a play. Who was going to be the hero? We all just stepped up and did our job. That’s what happens when you execute on defense. We executed as a team and as a defense and got the win.”
Wide Receiver Marques Colston
On what was going through his mind on the fourth and one fourth quarter call:
“That set the tone for the rest of the game. We definitely needed this win and coach knew that too. It was a huge play and we were able to convert.”
Linebacker Scott Shanle
On the play of the defense:
“There were times during the game that we needed to step up. They drove the ball on us, but later in the game we stepped up and got them off the field.”
On the impact of the win:
“It was very important. We have been looking at it as a four game season. We kept telling ourselves that we need to go 4-0 to give us a chance to do something. We have a tough game this week with a short turnaround, but this is as focused the team has been a ll year and I think we are ready to make a run.”
Defensive End Will Smith
On how it felt to play after this past week:
“It was a roller coaster ride, but it felt good to run out of that tunnel. It felt weird not being with the guys the whole week and then just showing up on Saturday. It felt really good to be back with the team. I just wanted to get back out there and play football.”
On the Falcons final drive of the game:
“We knew that it was going to be up to us to stop them. We had been going back and forth all game. We knew we had to come up with a big stop in order for our offense to win the game.”
Linebacker Scott Fujita
On the Falcons 9-minute plus drive in the third quarter and only giving up a field goal:
“That gassed us a little bit. It was a heck of a drive that they put together. That was a big turning point in the game and it helped us solidify that win.”
On the Falcons final drive:
“Third down defense has been one of our strong points this season. We are one of the better third down defensive teams in the league, but we didn’t do real well today. They completed some third and real longs, but when it mattered most guys stepped up.”
Running Back Pierre Thomas
On today’s win:
“This win was very big for us. From here on out every game is like a playoff game for us. We wanted to come out here and take it to these guys. Last time we played them they came out and took it to us. Our main focus was to try to run the ball. We wanted to make that a point. We did a great job. The offensive line did a heck of a job for Reggie and myself.”
On the 88-yard kick return:
“Honestly, I was joking around with Billy Miller before I went out there. I told him that it was tough that (Courtney) Roby went down because he was doing a good job. It would be crazy if I went out there and returned it. He said that I was going to do it. So, I went out there and the guys did a great job of blocking. I saw the hole and then cut back. I took it all the way down. Roby would have taken it back for a touchdown. I’m a little to slow. I have to take what I can get. Coach talked about field position. We needed it and it was big.”
Quarterback Drew Brees
On the importance of the running game:
“That was big. Obviously, we wanted to come into this game and be balanced. Certainly, the run game setting up the play action and our ability to throw the ball effectively sets up the run again. I just felt like we played a very complimentary game of football on offense today. It was pretty even in terms of yardage. That’s when you know you are putting together a complete game.”
On the fourth and one call:
“I wasn’t surprised by it. You just kind of have to have a feeling. There is no manual that tells you whether you are supposed to go for it or not in those situations. You just have to evaluate the situation, evaluate the psyche and the energy. I think there was no doubt in our minds that we all wanted to go for that and we would indeed get the first down. I think that it definitely took some courage on Coach Payton’s part to keep us out there. Obviously, after that, there was no doubt we were going to score a touchdown. We do. Defense holds them. We keep it for two first downs and the game is over. It is crazy how much that changes a game when something like that goes your way.”
On balancing the run with the pass:
“From the get go I think that you can see that we were running the ball very effectively. If that’s what’s working, then we are going to keep doing it. We always go into every game with the thought that we want to mix the run and the pass. We will see what’s working and who has the hot hand. Today that guy seemed to be Pierre Thomas.”
On having a full compliment of healthy players on the field:
“It was great. We have the ability to spread it around and give guys opportunities. The more guys we are able to have out there, the more the defense has to be able to key on certain guys in certain situations. It gives you more opportunities for better matchups. We were able to exploit some of those matchups today.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-SAINTS GAME:
- GAMEDAY LIVE: Complete coverage from the Falcons-Saints game
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more from NFL.com
- GAME RECAP: Offense puts up numbers but late score lifts Saints
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Superdome press box
- GAME BLOG: More news and notes from the press box
- BLOGS: Flipping Out with Falcon Al | Off the Cuff with Mookie Dunkleman
- J. MIKE'S MISSIVES: News and thoughts from the AF.com Managing Editor
- PRESS CONFERENCE: Head Coach Mike Smith | Matt Ryan
- NFL NETWORK: Highlights from the Falcons-Saints game in New Orleans
- TRANSCRIPTS: Head Coach Mike Smith | Falcons | Saints
- REVIEW AND RESPOND: Ask a question about Sunday's game
- FORUMS: Talk about the Falcons with other fans
- INACTIVES: Inactives and starters from Sunday's game at the Superdome
