Head Coach Bobby Petrino
Opening Statement:
“That was a good win for us. It was really a good week of preparation for us. I liked the way our players attacked the week. I liked the way they participated in the meetings. I liked the way we practiced all week long. I think they got themselves ready to play. It was important for them to come out and play well on national television. We certainly didn’t do everything right, but we did get the win. I felt good about the way we played in the first half. I thought the offense moved the ball well and put points on the defense. Defensively, that was a really good offense we played against with Carson Palmer throwing the ball and Chad Johnson catching it. It is a tough offense to defend. I think we got four sacks today and that is one of the things I liked. We played everybody and continued to work on our depth. It was a very positive night for us.”
How important was it for you to come out and play well?
“It was very important for us to come out and play well. That is what we talked about all week. We needed to show we could come out here and show we can focus and concentrate. We all have a job to do. I think we came out here and played like we practiced this week. I thought we practiced well and I wanted that to show up on the field in the game.”
On how the offense played:
“I think one thing we talked about all week was making the big play. Not necessarily throwing the deep ball, but guys getting yards after the catch and the offensive line playing well. We talked about the quarterback getting time to throw, about breaking tackles and it did show up. When you talk about something all week long you have a good chance of it showing up during the game.”
On running back Warrick Dunn’s possible injury:
“The plan for Warrick was to treat it like it was his first preseason game, which it was. We wanted him to play the first quarter and get him six to eight carries and maybe 15 or 16 plays. He was ready to come back in the game. He told me he felt rusty and would like to get the ball a couple of more times, but it was time to shut him down and get him ready for Minnesota. We need Warrick back there. He provides a comfort level for me and everybody else because he knows exactly how to play the position. He is going to make some great plays for us.”
On getting tight end Alge Crumpler back:
“It was actually good to get Alge back in practice because I have not seen a lot of him. We went all through OTA’s, mini-camp and most of training camp without knowing a lot about Alge. What I like most about practice is when he steps in the huddle he leads. He elevates everybody else’s game. I certainly now have an idea of how to get him the ball. He is starting to develop a relationship with Joey (Harrington) and the other quarterbacks. We still have a lot of work to do to get on the same page for the Minnesota game.”
Quarterback Joey Harrington
Opening statement:
“I felt really good on how we started as an offense. We came out and moved the ball very well. There is still a lot of room for improvement, and that is a positive because we were able to put points up early. Mostly I was impressed with how we fought through the situations because there was a lull into the second quarter. I missed a few things but we were able to come in the second half and put a drive together. We made some plays out there that we weren’t able to do in the games past.”
Did you feel it was important to come out with a strong performance for the home fans?
“It was nice to play well for our fans because it does something for your confidence. We had spurt in our first two games on the road. We had things to build on but also to work on. We came out tonight at home and made some good plays out there.”
How did you feel about the running game?
“I think we did just fine. It’s funny because some of the mistakes I made were in the running game. Those things will come the more we work on them in the upcoming games and practice.”
How did it feel to have Dunn and Crumpler out there?
“You feel good when you are surrounded by playmakers. I think if you look across the stat line, it is indicative of the type of team we have.”
Quarterback Chris Redman
On the performance of the Falcons quarterbacks:
“I felt great. I thought both Joey (Harrington) and myself had good games. Obviously, there are some things we need to improve on. We missed some checks in the running game that we normally don’t miss. There’s definitely room for improvement, but for a group, I thought we played pretty well. We just need to keep getting ready and keep getting better.”
On the execution of the Falcons offense:
“We had some running game checks that we missed and we need to make next time. We had a couple of little protection problems. We moved the ball well when I was in there anyway. For the most part, we did well. I thought we moved the ball pretty well. The receivers did a good job and the offensive line did a great job.”
Defensive End Jamaal Anderson
On his play early in the game:
“It came with a great week of practice. I felt I had a great week of practice out there. I studied them very well and I was able to come out here on the field and execute. It was great being here in Atlanta with the home crowd and all the excitement with that. That really helped me out to make plays.”
On the execution of the Falcons defense:
“Overall, we did well. There are a few things we need to work on once we get back out on the practice field, but overall, I feel like we’re getting better every game.”
Wide Receiver Adam Jennings
How did you feel after you scored your first touchdown of the preseason?
“I was just excited to get on the field. I know that wide receiver Laurent Robinson wasn’t going to be able to play so I felt that I needed to take advantage of the opportunity. I felt that quarterback Joey Harrington and our offensive line did their job of leading the offense and it felt great to score a touchdown for our team.”
On playing special teams:
“I think special teams is very important and it is a great opportunity to make the team. I wasn’t that happy with my play tonight, but hopefully in the future I can make some plays out there for my team.”
Wide Receiver Joe Horn
Thoughts on the game:
“It was a collective effort. Guys played hard. We knew the circumstances we had to overcome, and we did that. We played like a group and we won the football game. Ultimately winning the football game is what matters. We took everything else, and we made that happen tonight.”
Things to work on for the next game:
“You always want to work on different things. You always want to take your game to another level. We went out and made some plays on defense, offense and special teams. We’re happy, but we’re not satisfied. So, we’re going to go back to the drawing board and do what we do best which is work hard at practice, get better on the things that we weren’t polished on tonight and we’ll be a better football team.”
Running Back Warrick Dunn
How he feels about his health:
“I feel a little rusty. I was really eager to get back out there and run around. I got a chance to get hit and get a feel for the game with the new system, the running game and the passing game. It was a little weird, but I was happy to get back out there and run around. I think offensively, I’m moving in the right direction. We just all have to be on the same page on certain plays. The quarterback has a lot of responsibility, but I think that we can help each other out.”
The outlook of the Falcons this season:
“I think we’re going to be explosive. Obviously, you can see that we’re throwing the football all over the field and right now, I think that’s going to help us. If we can continue to do that and keep building on the running game, we can put in some difficult situations for the (opposing) defense.”
Tight End Alge Crumpler
Grading yourself and the Falcons offense thus far:
“We’re doing well. I always strive for perfection on things I did extremely well and things our offense did well. We went down and made some plays, and were able to score touchdowns. That part of the game I’m excited about."
