Falcons coach Dan Quinn addressed the media after the 23-19 loss to Tamp Bay.
Here’s what Quinn had to say:
Opening statement
“We lost today that’s as tough as it gets for us. The finish was at hand today, and for us finishing is about doing right longer and we didn’t get that done. So we will give Tampa credit. I thought we had some missed opportunities today. As it went through third down in terms of the drives that got extended, that was something that was hard on us. And down in the red zone and getting a couple of those runs converting into touchdowns certainly would have helped. But story of the game for me in terms of doing right longer in the finish, something we want to take great pride in, and for us not to have that happen today, that’s as hard as it gets for us.”
On the disheartening feeling when Tampa Bay converted on third-and-19
“Yeah, it was one for sure. And, you know, give the guy credit for making a play, but that was a real factor in the game. He was going down and that was another one that got extended and that’s for us doing right longer. And that’s one that we’ve got to get that play done.”
On turning the ball over on the final drive
“Yeah, I thought we played a really clean game up until that point in terms of the running backs, the pass game, the throwing, the catching. So I’ll have to go back and look and see on that particular play. You know, I thought we had a chance, for sure, going in. We had a timeout and some time to do it, and we didn’t get it done.”
On his thoughts of Winston’s long scramble
“At the time I thought was he down. But he must have rolled over on top of the defender as it went to it. I was surprised that it got extended, but not surprised. I didn’t get a chance to see the play, if he was down or not.”
On having missed tackles throughout the game
“Yeah, it really hurts. I thought even early on, they had their running game going better than we would have liked. And as it came into the second quarter it seemed like we were tackling better, it was going. But the tackling, we want to be one of the better fundamental teams in how we are going about it, so to have a tackle like that escape us and not have the fundamentals exactly like we wanted that was hard. I talked about the story of missed ops, I would include that play in it for sure.”
On the team’s progression on the basic fundamentals
“The only thing I can say is that we’re going to get right back. We’re going to rely on our fundamentals as a program, the way we want to do it. It hasn’t been the case of how we practiced. We put the time in and somehow we’re not getting all the details we want into the game. We’re going to go back and look at it again tomorrow to find that. It’s a real picture of how I want to play. Just where we do right longer, and so for us not to have that and missed opportunities – I want that to be uncharacteristic.”
On how much this loss hurt the chances of postseason play
“No doubt it does. And the truth is right now we’re a .500 club and we’re playing like it. So for us to say, ‘How can we play our best football?’, we’re going to find that answer, and we’re going to do that together. So that was the message I had for the club, and that’s what we’re going to go back right to tomorrow to find us to say the fourth quarter begins for us and we’re going to be about finishing. We better recognize that right now. It’s a hard one for us to even find a place to put to not extending where the playoffs are and not playing like we want. That’s still a long way out.”
On whether he still believes Atlanta can make it to postseason play
“Absolutely, absolutely.”
On if there is an easy explanation for why the team is regressing
“No; I wish there was. If there was, certainly an easy explanation of things that we are not doing as well as we can, I can promise you I’d be there. But I thought we did a much better job on some of the things we wanted to improve on, with the exception of the last play going in. I thought from taking care of the ball, and attaching, and ball-hawking, I thought that part of our game improved. You know, we didn’t get the second interception I believe on the tipped ball where they called a PI on Des [Trufant] so I’d like the way we were going after the ball. I can tell you I didn’t like the way we tackled.”
On his astonishment after the start of the season to now
“That’s me finding the answers and the truth and helping the coaches and the players recognize that. You know, it is hard to put your finger on it and say ‘OK, why is that not going like we want to?’ But that’s my job and that’s what I’m going to find out to do, and say ‘How can we do right longer?’”
On the offensive line having a hard time protecting the quarterback
“I’ll go back and look at that before I make a comment on that I thought there were some times where we did move it and the run game did get going on some. We’ll look at that tomorrow, I’ll have a better appreciation for that tomorrow.”
On if he is surprised about Jameis Winston’s progression thus far
“I don’t think I’m surprised, you know I think all of us who scouted him, looked at him, knew the talent and what he was going to be. He just keeps getting better just like you’d expect him to. So, no, I’m not surprised.”
On one touchdown in the red zone
“The two stories as I’m looking at it right now – and I’m going to go back and look at it – [are] our ability to get those [field goals] into touchdowns and then, defensively, the third downs. Those I think are the real storylines for us.”
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