Here’s what Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had to say after the 23-7 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday:
Q. You seemed pretty frustrated at several times during the game. What was going on out there?
A. Yeah, I mean obviously to me it was a game where we had some opportunities to make some plays and didn't make them. So I think that's where you become frustrated when you have those opportunities, especially playing against a good football team like New England. You know that when you get your [opportunities] you have to take advantage of them. We missed on a few. I missed on a few. That kind of put us behind the eight ball. We were down early and that's something that we've got to do a better job of moving forward. We're 3-3 at this point. I always feel like you get what you earn in this league and that's what we've earned so far. I feel like we can be a better football team but as players we've got to make our plays when we get the chances and that starts with me.
Q. Are you stunned with what has happened to this offense? I know nobody wants to talk about last year but it appears you're not playing to the level of your talent and potential.
A. Yeah, I mean every year is different. I know that. I've played in this league long enough to know that one, it's hard to win games and two, it's a tall task to be productive week in and week out. It takes a lot of hard work. We haven't been as productive as I think we're capable of being. From a players standpoint, I feel like it comes down to missed opportunities. I think that has been the – I sound like a little bit of a broken record for the first couple of weeks of the season but when we got our chances we have to make plays and we haven't done a good job of that.
Q. But to go basically five or six straight quarters without scoring?
A. Well I thought we had some opportunities early. Obviously you get the kick blocked and had some drives going. Obviously we want to score every time we touch the ball. That's kind of the mindset that we have and like you said, the last couple of game we certainly haven't performed at the level that I think we're capable of. We've got to do a better job as players. I thought we had some chances. I really did. I thought we had some chances to make some plays and we just didn't make them.
Q. Julio Jones said in the locker room that you guys are starting to get tired of being asked about last year. Are you searching for an identity this year?
A. Yeah, I mean, I think so. I think through three games it's a tale of inconsistency. We've done some good things at times and at other times we certainly haven't played good football. We're not the team I think we're going to be yet. We've got a long way to go but we've got the right mindset, the right guys that I think are willing to work toward that and that's what we've got to do at this point. When we get back to Atlanta we've got to get back to work and try to be a better football team than we've been up to this point.
Q. At 3-3 you're really not out of anything. This league seems like it has a lot of 4-2 teams so you're not that far away though it doesn't look good. How do you, as the guy, take care of that and start making it look good?
A. Yeah, I mean that's the trick. We've been close and I think that's even the case tonight. I know the score doesn't indicate that. I think there were some opportunities offensively where we were driving, had some chances to hit some plays down the field [and] I didn't connect. So one, start connecting when we've got our opportunities to make those plays giving our guys a chance to make a play on the ball. I think that, to me, is a good start for us. It's a long season and we've got a long way to go. I always think that with experience you learn that you've got to be a football team that continues to get better as the year goes on and that's where our mindset has to be. It has to be about improvement. The focus has to be about being better and not worrying about all of the other things that are said or what we look like or any of those things. I think it comes down to getting back to work and finding ways to be a better football team.
Q. Did you think you guys were tentative tonight?
A. I don't think so. Tentative, I wouldn't say that. We had some opportunities where we went for it in some fourth-down situations. I thought we played aggressive. I just didn't think we made plays and at the end of the day ultimately that's what you've got to do.
Q. What's wrong with the offense?
A. I just don't think we're as consistent as we can be. I think number one, it comes down to making plays when we have our opportunities. I thought we had some opportunities tonight with some shots down the field and I didn't connect. So that's something as a player, and as players, I think we just need to make our plays when we get our chances.
Q. When you look at New England on tape early in the season it seems like there's a lot of yards and big plays there. It has been tightening up a little and getting a little better. What did you see tonight from the Patriots defense?
A. I thought they did a good job. To me, you had seen some of the things that they had given up earlier in the year. I thought they played a lot more coverage tonight. Obviously we got some man in certain situations but I thought they played a lot of two shell coverages, dropped eight defenders in coverage quite a bit. It allowed us to make some plays kind of extending plays getting outside the pocket but I thought they did a good job of keeping things in front of them for the most part tonight.
Q. How about the fog? What was it like out there?
A. You know what, it wasn't bad on the field. I think it was worse when you kind of got off and you tried to look into the stands or anything like that. You realized you couldn't see that far. But I mean on the field it wasn't bad.
Q. You're the defending NFC champions and you come out and win the first three games of this season. Is there a letdown at all?
A. I don't think it's a letdown. I think our energy in practices, our want-to is there. We've just got to find out why we're not executing the way that we're capable of. The only way I know how to do it is get back to work, keep working on those things in practice, making sure that we're as detailed and diligent at practice as we can be. So to me that's what it is. But I don't think there's any letdown from our staff or our guys. I think the intent has been there. I just don't think our production has matched our intent or our want-to.
Q. Which opportunities are going to stay with you tonight that you say you missed?
A. Yeah, I think obviously I had a chance on a third down to Mohamed Sanu in the red zone. I thought he ran a good route and just overthrew him by a hair. That one to me was one – that's a play I can make and when you're playing a good football team like that those are the tight coverage throws that you've got to hit.
Q. Was that in the corner of the end zone?
A. Yeah, from my vantage point it would've been the right corner of the end zone. I thought we had an opportunity to Julio [Jones] on a corner route in the right side of the end zone as well that got away from me. To me it's – we had chances to make plays and we just didn't make them. So those are the things that when you look at it, the game shakes out a lot different had we made those plays.
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