What Falcons coach Dan Quinn had to say after the win over the Panthers Sunday:
Opening statement: "All right, [I] thought today was a day for competitors. Couple of these guys, first off, day to honor Roddy White and his family. (Roddy White) stands for what a competitor is. And Matt Ryan, to hit a milestone for throwing over 50,000 yards, I'm awfully proud of him, as well as Julio Jones for six consecutive years to be over 1,000 yards. That's the kind of day it was. I thought our team competed like those three We knew this was going to be a line of scrimmage day, and to finish on the day having success in the run game and then forcing some turnovers, I thought was the whole key to this thing. But a great day to honor a great competitor in Roddy, and I thought it just carried all the way down through. Matt was a big part of that with 50,000 yards, and (Younghoe Koo) as well. (I'll) open up to your questions, but I thought the whole team, it was our best complementary game in all three phases. Creating turnovers and that all the way came through."
On establishing run game: "Well, I think you heard me talk about it some after the last game where didn't have enough turns to go in there. We wanted to make sure that part of pass protection was going to be some in the run game and the play pass. We wanted to make sure that was going to be something we really dialed into and had a big part of the week and the preparation. So, to see that come through today was good."
On Chris Lindstrom's impact: "Well, number one, we're pumped for him (Lindstrom). This is a guy after the injury just did everything possible to get back and right. So, he's been chomping at the bit to get going. I thought for his first performance, I'm looking forward to watching it tonight, but you felt his physicality. You always do. In practice this week I could tell he was not going to be denied. I saw him on Friday, and I said, 'You had a good week. Maybe next week.' He stood up, (and said) 'No, no, no. I'm ready to go right now.' So, I wanted to make sure he was good, and he had a good week. It was good to see him get reps today and we'll see if we can increase that based on what we saw from the game."
On pass rush and Takk McKinley and Vic Beasley performance: "I thought they (McKinley and Beasley) were a factor, and quite likely factor with (Damontae) Kazee having some interceptions to go. Sometimes the rush can be where you're forcing a sack to get the turnover there, which we did with Vic. I think Tyeler (Davison) came up with it. Some of the interceptions I thought Kazee had a big performance of the ball. He's got a knack for it. When we drafted him that was one of the things (we looked at). We said, 'He is a ball guy to go.' But to answer your question, in the pass rush, that's a good example of the coverage and the rush working in sync. When you get ahead, obviously you're ready to let it rip a little more. Those are the moments you're trying to create. I thought, as we're starting this next four-game block, we targeted some things we wanted to improve upon and go for, and the line of scrimmage work was a big part of that."
On Younghoe Koo's fumble recovery: "The players were definitely excited for him after they found out he was the one that recovered it. So, yeah, good day by him. We didn't call the bank on the 50-yarders, so it was a good day. He's making progress and gaining it as he's going, and we're going to keep pushing him to get into that spot. It was a good day for him."
On Olamide Zaccheaus getting his first catch: "He was pumped, and you probably saw the energy from the team going down the field. He's been somebody that just works his butt off in practice to try and give the right look, the speed. So he's been a factor. He was starting on special teams, but to take a shot down when you're way backed up, he's got the speed to do it and finish. Yeah, everybody was pumped for him. Heard one of the players say they'll know how to pronounce your name now."
On offensive line performance: "We talked about that during the week from all the way when we got back together Monday. We talked about the run game and the play pass that was going to go with that. I thought the guys did a good job working in concert together and making some of the looks feel exactly the same. We talked about all the details, quarterback running back mesh to make those linebackers and safeties have to step up to have some opportunities to do that. We need to have that formula that's when we're at our best."
On whether this was the best all-around game the team has played all year: "From the numbers standpoint and just my feeling coming off the field, I would say it felt the most complementary. The turnover margin ended up being four to zero and having won on teams, you know, delivering on some tackles that were inside the twenty [yard line], creating a takeaway. So, I would say that's our best example of all three phases playing together. So that's what we're always trying to battle for. Yeah, I would say that was it today. Or certainly, for us, one of the ones we thought was probably best. All right. You guys have a great night."
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