What Falcons coach Dan Quinn said after win over Panthers

Head coach discusses vast improvement from season opener in first victory of season.

Here’s what Falcons coach Dan Quinn had to say after the 31-24 victory over the Panthers on Sunday:

Opening statement: "I thought today the fans created an unbelievable atmosphere for home-field advantage that felt awesome, and the players certainly recognized that. At the end, I don't think there was anybody who wasn't up and screaming and feeling wild. You couldn't hear anything. As a coach, it was exactly what you want. I thought today was a team win. A number of different guys got involved both offensively and defensively. We had to respond to some injuries, had to respond to Damontae Kazee getting ejected from the game or disqualified. Then special teams at the end, just some punts inside, we really had a good return, and Matt Ryan getting in. I was encouraged by what we saw tonight. We've got plenty of work to do but expected a tough division game. That's exactly what we got. Glad to open it up for you guys with questions."

On where he saw the offense going forward in the red zone:  "You know, I didn't check that for sure -- no, I'm just kidding, of course, I did. I was pleased to see we had balance, first off, in our run game and the play action that goes with that. So to get the attempts in the run, I thought that was significant. Down there it was good to see Calvin Ridley get his first touchdown and then the way that coach (Steve) Sarkisian and the guys featured different players in different spots, I give credit to them. And then as always, Ryan created some ones on his own and had an excellent touchdown run. Austin Hooper had a good block on it the whole way through. We were certainly pumped to see that. We've put a lot of work in there, and the same thing I told you last week, I wasn't going to put everything in one game. Same with this one. We've got plenty of work to do and lots of plays. We've got all sorts of things, but excellent division game. Tough as hell, just like we like it." 

On the play of the running backs with Devonta Freeman out: "Yeah, that's always a tough one. So, Tevin Coleman, I thought certainly ran hard, and this is an excellent front seven. I think for you guys that cover the division, you certainly know that, and it's been difficult to get yards against them. You have to stay with it, you have to keep pounding them. We knew there would be some runs that would be for ones and zeros, but if we kept hitting and kept going, we thought we'd have our opportunities. Coleman, I thought, certainly responded with that tonight. Ito Smith, it was good to get him involved. You guys got your first chance to see him some as a runner, his change of direction and the change of pace that he can provide. I thought just from an offensive line standpoint and the running backs, we stayed committed."
On how the Damontae Kazee situation was explained: "On the sideline, they said he began the slide, went down and it was a helmet-to-helmet hit that they thought he could have avoided. So I actually did not see the play and have not seen it on the replay yet. It sounded like everybody supported the call, and we've got work to do in that area. We teach it, and when we don't nail it, we're going to keep working on it. Kazee is one that is working on it, and he was definitely bummed that he wasn't out there for the remainder of the game and felt terrible about it. We've got work to do, but for him, his effort is so on point. I know we can get the technique part right."

On talking about depth during the preseason: "The depth, you don't know where it is until you need it, and today we needed it. For some guys to respond, for sure there was going to be some on-the-job training for some of the guys that were getting their first opportunities such as Jordan Richards and Duke Riley as it went through. There will be plenty of things for them to clean up. One thing I do admire about them is their readiness, their preparation, and we'll get better with them as we go. So we're encouraged by that, and I thought Wes Schweitzer did a nice job of stepping up today when Andy Levitre was injured. He's played a lot of right guard, he played some center, and then he had to go over at left guard. He's somebody that we definitely count on, and his toughness that he brings to the offensive line. I told you the improvement I thought he had made from year one to year two. So we certainly count on him and the other members that stepped in."
On thoughts including any RPOs for Matt Ryan: "Why would you think we don't have some? No, we don't do a lot of zone read with Matt, but perhaps there are some so I would check the film." 

On Matt Ryan resolving red-zone issues:
"Yeah, I thought Matt led the way, as he does oftentimes. Him, Julio Jones, Alex Mack, Ricardo Allen, and Grady Jarrett stand up and lead the way. This week's preparation in practice, we were pissed as a team that we didn't perform like we thought we could. That didn't affect their preparation, it didn't affect their mindset. We knew the work that we're doing is right, and we knew the process we were going through was right, so we were going to stay committed to that. By no means have we solved any of the issues that come up. We're going to continue to dig and fight in all parts of our game." 

On the offense being the way coach Dan Quinn imagined: "With Calvin? Yeah. As we know the guys now, you go through training camp and you feature the guys in the different ways, and there were definitely some shots we took downfield. The fact that we didn't nail them does not mean that we're backing off of those, either. There are a lot of explosive plays that can come off the play action pass. We're going to continue our work in that area. There's a number of different spots each week that you place some emphasis on and get a little bit of extra work in. Ridley had an excellent day today. We knew his involvement would be significant, and it certainly was. So he had some chances last week, but it just didn't go his way with the ball, so we wanted to make sure we were pretty intentional about his involvement."
On Kazee's ejection:  "The official had come over and said it was both fouls as the quarterback was sliding, more like a targeting one where we hit him in the head. They supported the call and I had not seen it, so I'll certainly have a follow-up with you tomorrow. On the field that's what they said, and called it, and most everybody had supported the call. So I didn't particularly see it when it took place from my angle and have not seen a replay of it yet. But we've got work to do there. We've had some in the preseason. We didn't have any last week, but we've certainly got work to do, and we'll continue that work."
On the replacements and performance on defense: "So those are some of the contingency planning that has to take place. Losing last week with Keanu Neal and Deion Jones, we were certainly involved with Kazee as a big part of the plan. And I thought Jordan Richards did a nice job of stepping up into his role, as well. He's really put in the time and the effort over the last ten days to make sure he would be really accountable. As you're getting to know him, he's a really squared away, sharp dude who wants to get it right, and we'll continue working with him. We'll continue to keep featuring some of the guys in different ways. We lean on Ricardo Allen all sorts of ways, covering backs, and playing the middle field. So some of their roles may evolve some, but our style certainly won't change. We're hopeful that we get right back to it and put the plan in place that we didn't get to put in today."