TAMPA -- Here’s what Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota had to say after the 21-15 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday:
On starting to come back in the fourth quarter
“Says a lot about our team. We (have) a great group of young players – a great group of guys, really. It’s kind of been the tale of our season. We’ve found ways to make it close and have a chance to win and that’s what it’s about. Football is four quarters – it’s an imperfect game – it’s not going to always be pretty, but we’ll find ways to pull these wins out.”
On his personal development game by game
“I think as the weeks go on, just feeling more comfortable. For not playing for a couple of years, sometimes you (have) to get some real game experience and, for me, it’s feeling more and more comfortable week in and week out. We’ll find ways to improve. We’ll find ways to get better on third down and score points. For me, I feel very comfortable in it. "
On what changed after the first three quarters
“Our coaching staff did a great job of doing some adjustments. It’s a tough defense, you (have) to give them credit. They’ve been causing havoc through the first four weeks of the season, so we knew we had a challenge in front of us, but our guys didn’t flinch at all. We understand that sometimes you (have) to be patient, especially with what we do on offense, and the dam’s going to break, and our guys did a great job of throwing punches, throwing punches, and we found ways to score points at the end.”
On finding some success without Kyle Pitts or Cordarrelle Patterson
“No doubt, no doubt. It’s a great young core of skill players. For me, as an older guy, it’s fun because you kind of have a little bit of influence on these guys. You can embrace this role and try to help them navigate their journey. I think we’ve just got a great group of guys and, again, like I said, we’ll find ways to improve and get better.
On when he saw the final penalty flag on unneccesary roughness call
“I was getting ready to go, yeah. I didn’t see it until the end.”
On reaction the final penalty flag
“I mean it is what it is. Unfortunately, you can’t leave this game up to the refs. I thought if we would have been better on offense early on in the game, we would have had the opportunity to win and not have that scenario come into play. It is what it is. Those guys call it the way they see it. You can’t frown in it, you can’t do much about it, it’s out of your control.”
On Tampa Bay defense
“You have to give them credit, right? They’ve caused havoc through these first few weeks. You know, they’re a great defense. At times, for us, we were just kind of getting in our own way, really. I think when we were able to come in (at) halftime – make some adjustments – guys kind of flew around and made some plays and, you know, as you get going and you get in a rhythm that’s when this offense plays well. We (have) to be able to start better and get in a rhythm earlier so that we’re not in these deep holes when we get in the fourth quarter.”
On difficult it was to replace Pitts and Patterson
“Well, I thought our guys did a good job of stepping up. At the end of the day, playing this defense, we knew it was a challenge. For our young players to come in and do what they could, I thought our guys did a good job. It’s not any slight on what our guys do, but I think at the end of the day I think we’ll continue to improve and find ways to get better.”
On personal takeaways from this game that he’ll use in future games
“We (have) to be better on first and second down. I think through the course of the game we had 10 third-and-longs – something like that. For any offense that’s tough. Being able to be better on first and second down, create rhythm, move the chains – that’s when this offense starts to get going. If we can do a better job on first and second down I think we will find ways to improve.”
On penalties during the game
“I think it comes down to just trusting your fundamentals. Obviously, guys aren’t out there trying to create fouls or do that on purpose. Within the nature of the game, just understanding what the positions are fundamentally so that we can play a clean game. Those things are out of our control, really. You know, we can do a better job at getting back on track, especially after some of these penalties and put ourselves in positions to keep our rhythm going and move the chains.”
On what was working for the team, specifically on the two touchdown drives
“I think our young receiver group did a great job. Finding some zones, creating some yards left to catch – I really believe it’s a great young group. So just finding ways to distribute the ball – give these guys opportunities to make plays – will be in our best interest.”
The Bow Tie Chronicles
About the Author
