NASHVILLE -- Here's what Falcons coach Dan Quinn had to say after the 10-7 victory over the Titans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
HEAD COACH DAN QUINN
Opening statement
"We knew it was going to be a fight coming in and we were ready to go the distance today. I love the way we finished at the halves, (Paul) Worrilow and (Robenson) Therezie having one as well. Those are exactly the types of finishes we want for our defense at the end of the half. We want to close out a game and that’s what we want to stand for."
On being about the ball today
"It certainly was about the ball. It ended up being even today. So for us having two opportunities to get interceptions that was huge for us. We know it makes it hard for us when we are not in the plus, but we ended up being at even, but I love the way that the finish came up at the end."
On eliminating the penalties and turnovers
"We are disappointed with the turnovers (penalties) especially the one resulting in a long play coming back from Devonta (Freeman) so those are the ones we would like to have over. We will have to take a look and see how many of them were pre-snap and when there was a run and we could have released on the guy earlier for a big cut back play so you have got to start off with a number of them that seem like they were on first-and-10 where it starts and goes into a first-and-20 which makes it really tough to convert. It shows toughness that Devonta finished within the runs. He still had over 100 yards. He just represents all the style and toughness that we are about running the ball."
On what explanation was given on the Julio Jones’ catch near the end zone
"We thought we would take a shot there. We thought maybe he reached out, maybe, across the pylon. They really didn’t give us an explanation why the ruling on the field (stood).
On the following plays
"The decision at the end, really we felt like we had two downs and we were going to exercise both of them if we had the opportunity to do so. You look back and they didn’t work and you’re disappointed but we didn’t execute them like we are capable of. I don’t regret the decision to go for them and I have the belief and trust in the guys."
On the status of injured Falcons
"Not yet, I know William (Moore) had a strain in his groin and Hank (Leonard Hankerson) had a strain in his hamstring, so when we get back tomorrow we’ll have a better update on those two. Other than those two, I think it’s great to see (Mike) Person back and (Justin) Durant back."
On the too many men on the field call
"I think what happened, we were in a punt return so we had one guy in sub-form, so it was for sure an error on our part. You know, we just had too many men it was a transition from defense to a special teams play and didn’t execute, as we should. No excuse at all for it and one we just want to finish and do right longer. That was a real example of where we did not do that. So we ended up having to go with a defensive play to come back and it was a good answer by the defense for sure."
On the recent struggles of the passing game
"(We'll) have to go back and take a look. Is there something that stood out,one thing over another? But at our best it’s the runs, the keepers and the play actions that go with it so we’ll have to go back and take a look and see if there are things that we can do better for sure. Honestly that’s our aim every week to see how much we can get better this week. We had a good week of practice. We prepared well and as it came in for so many errors to take place, that was disappointing. But we’ll go right back to it again tomorrow."
On Robenson Therezie’s game-clinching interception and character
"I think the main thing is we want to let the players know how much we trust in them and believe in them and it’s our job to take them as far as they can possibly go. And we certainly had that respect and we think he has a terrific future ahead of him so it was a great play exactly when we needed it and we were excited for him."
On the Falcons’ pass rush
"Well I thought there was some improvement for sure. It’s absolutely an area of emphasis for us. We’ll be at our best when our coverage and our pass rush work hand-in-hand. I think we still have a long way to go in that neighborhood to be at our best and it’s something that we’ll continue to work at really hard.
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