“Well, if we would have gotten some yardage on third down, it opens up your playbook. There is not a whole lot of great fourth and 15 or fourth and 14 plays. We felt like a field goal and then get an opportunity on the plus side of the two minute with three timeouts, get an opportunity to get the football back and a field goal wins the game. Unfortunately, we did get the football back, we missed the field goal, we got the football back but with only a desperation play left with five seconds.”
—Falcons coach Mike Smith on his decision to go for a field goal, while down four points.
“We got to continue to work with the guys that we have. We ‘ve got some opportunities to maybe bring some other guys up that haven’t been active. There are a number of things. We’ve got to be better schematically. We’ve got to make sure we’re putting them in their best positions as a coaching staff in terms of the things we’re asking them to do. Entirely too many pressures on the quarterback in the football game tonight.”
—Smith on the poor pass protection by the offensive line, which gave up five sacks and 10 quarterback hits.
“Of course as a defense you want to shut every team down by limiting points especially a team like the Saints. On one hand, I think we did a pretty good just surrendering 17 points to an explosive offense. We just didn’t make enough plays as a whole to pull out the victory. We will keep working to get better and find a way to win ball games.”
—Safety William Moore on the overall play of the defense.
“For the most part, I would say we did a pretty good job with our tackling on defense. I mean we gave up only 17 points to a stellar offensive ball club. Having said all that, I still think we can do a better job tackling on defense and limiting yards after the catch is something we can clean up moving forward.”
—Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud on the missed tackles by the defense.
“It’s pretty frustrating. We know they’re good team but we played them well and thought we had the game in our hands. But they’re a strong team and I give it up to them.”
—Falcons wide receiver Darius Johnson on the loss.
“I thought we say improvement in the run game. I thought the offensive line did a good job of coming out fast and giving me some room. I thought we moved the ball and unfortunately, at inopportune times we made mistakes and that’s what ended up hurting us.”
—Falcons running back Steven Jackson on the running game.
“That’s no for me to say. The officials do the best that they can out there and the games moves fast. You just have to keep playing. It’s physical game. Hits are going to be physical, but again, it’s not for me to decide (if it should have been a penalty.”
—Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan on if a penalty should have been called on Akiem Hicks’ hit to his helmet.
“I think that first defensive three-and-out we had, set the tone for what we want to continue in the game; just the energy level and everyone being fired up. I felt like the energy level was there this game. Its’ Thursday Night Football, you have to be fired up; otherwise you’re sick or dead. That was something we wanted to do, stay motivated, stay loud and keep encouraging each other there throughout the entire four quarters.”
—Falcons linebacker Paul Worrilow on the play of the defense.
“That’s what we’ve been kind of doing the past three weeks. We’ve had something bad happened to us and we can’t respond to it. We lose confidence. We lose the momentum. Event though we’ve been moving the ball up and down the field — I’m speaking offensively, and really as a team — that’s how it’s gone for us.”
-Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez on the play of the offense.
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