CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Quotes from Panthers and Falcons players and coaches after the Falcons 20-13 win at Bank of America Stadium.
Head Coach Bobby Petrino
Opening Statement:
"I think the thing I’m most happy about is winning the game in the fourth quarter. That’s something that we’ve been talking a lot about and working hard at. We understand that all of these games are going to be close. We had some earlier in the season that we didn’t get it done in the fourth quarter. We certainly found a way to today, and that’s a good thing.
"The punt return was huge. There’s no question about that. We looked like we maybe had a couple of them earlier. I thought we did a real nice job on their gunners. Going into the game, that was our biggest concern. They’ve got two guys that are very good at it. Our vice people did a nice job of it. Adam (Jennings) is getting better every game at returning punts. So that was huge for us. Rod Coleman getting a couple of sacks in the fourth quarter was great. It was a hard fought game. Offensively, we opened up like you’d like to open the game, but they are a very good defense and we had to fight and battle. Our defense kept us in the game. There’s no question about that. We found a way to win it in the fourth quarter (and) had a nice drive. It’s good to see Alge (Crumpler) get the touchdown."
On playing field position before Crumpler's touchdown:
"They were blitzing everybody. They were in what we call cover zero, where they are blitzing everyone. We would have loved to get 5 or 6 more yards. We threw the slant the play before and the guy over Alge was outside leverage and we were really trying to get 6 or 8 yards. Alge just broke two tackles and ran it into the end zone."
On Crumpler’s performance:
"I think it’s a combination of things. Number one, he does feel healthy and he feels good. One thing we were talking about before the first game is that he didn’t have any OTA’s, no pre-season, and he’d had back surgery. So he was going to get better as the year went on. I think that’s showing up some. At about the third game of the year he said, 'I’m starting to feel my timing. I’m starting to see things the way I usually do.' And, we’re trying to make as big a commitment as we can to running the ball. They made it hard on us today because their idea on how to stop the run was to blitz. Sometimes you get negative plays when they do that. We still kept calling runs.
"He does a lot of things that amaze you. He’s not the biggest guy in the world. He’s great. He really played hard today. He not only made some great runs, but he was a big part of our passing game and had some huge yards in our passing game."
On the Falcons defense:
"We were committed to stopping the run. I think our front four guys did a real nice job. Linebackers hit their gaps. I think they got one bounce. One thing that Coach Zimmer was on our defense about all week was to make sure that we kept our containment because these two running backs are real good about bouncing the ball outside. I think we only lost that one time. They played hard. We tackled well. We rushed the quarterback when they did throw the ball. It was a good game offensively. We did give them the one touchdown and then they had the nice return to get the field goal. So I think our defense did a nice job.
"They played well. They were having a lot of fun. They had a lot of energy. At halftime we said that it was going to come down to the fourth quarter. That everyone should keep fighting. We’ve got to make a play in the fourth quarter. The defense did an outstanding job the entire game."
On challenging Laurent Robinson's fumble:
"Yeah, it was (challengable). They told me upstairs that he did fumble it, that he was not down."
On building on two straight wins:
"Certainly, we just want to try to get ready for Tampa next week. We look forward to the game. "
Quarterback Joey Harrington
On the touchdown pass to Alge Crumpler:
"We had Alge (Crumpler) coming across the middle. We had a re-route coming in behind him. They did a good job of disguising the pressure. They brought it right at the last second. I knew I could get the ball out. I saw Alge come open and then I listened to the crowd. You learn to do that as a quarterback. You let go of the ball and you listen to the crowd.
"Knowing that we put the drive together, that makes you feel great. All of the pain goes away. Tomorrow morning we’ll have some ice but we all will."
On the defensive stop and punt return that set up the final drive:
"It didn’t surprise me because we’ve been so close this year. We’ve been so close so many times this year. I think it’s a tribute to this team. Those were three completely separate areas of the game. The defense made a great stop. The special teams set us up and the offense scored to win it. For us to be sitting at 2-6 and still have the togetherness to go out there and have each other’s back says a lot about this team. And, like I said the day I arrived here, I’m proud to be part of this team."
Tight End Alge Crumpler
On his touchdown reception:
"It was a big play, (Adam Jennings) was able to get the punt down the field and get the punt down the field and get us in good field position. We were just trying to get 15 or 20 yards and finish up with a field goal and they were blitzing up the middle which left the play wide open."
On the run before the score:
"It was just a catch and run, I’ve done that several times in my career. But it’s not about me, it’s about our team punting it away to win the game. We won the game in the fourth quarter last week against San Francisco and we found a way this week. That’s huge for us; we haven’t won back-to-back games this season. Now we’ve got to make it two, three, four and five to for us to continue to build upon what we are doing."
On playing well in the fourth quarter:
"It was fun to see Roddy (White) back out there and making plays. As a team we played well enough to win the game and that’s all we have to do. We don’t have to do anything spectacular, just find a way to win the game.
On how he felt:
Physically, I feel fine now because I had enough time off. Mentally it’s tough because you want to be out there grinding with your guys and doing as much as you can to help our team. I was that outside voice and try to help our guys with the experience I have. It’s not easy, but it was necessary."
Cornerback DeAngelo Hall
On if he's happy with the outcome of the game:
"Yeah, we just came out and played ball. Anytime you face your division opponents you want to come out swinging. You definitely want to go out swinging and this team did a great job doing that. We had a lot of young guys grow up today."
On the play with Steve Smith's fumble:
"We had an all-out blitz call. He was the only receiver on the field. We kind of knew he was going that way. I didn’t think they would run the ball. I just had a feeling. I didn’t think they would throw a fade ball. I kind of thought they would throw a slant. They threw the fade ball and I was a little bit out of position, couldn’t go up and get it so I just had to play the ball. Played it the first time and missed it but just stayed with it and was able to knock it out. It was a good play. It didn’t hit me until I got to the sideline that not only did they not get the seven, they didn’t get the three either... To have them come out of that drive with no points was a real good feeling.
On Chris Houston's play:
"He definitely grew up today. I told them if I have to take less money just to play along side him I’ll do it. That kid definitely grew up today. He’s a force to be reckoned with."
On stopping the Panthers run game:
"That’s always our first priority is to stop what the team does best. Carolina is a running team and they ran the ball on us the last couple of times (we played them) so we wanted to take that away from them and make them pass the ball. They had to pass, especially in the last couple of seconds on the clock. That’s a secondary’s dream."
Linebacker Keith Brooking
On winning in the fourth quarter:
"The past two weeks have been this way. We had some close ones at the beginning of the year and we could not close them out. We finally made the plays to get a victory. It feels good and we are excited right now. We are going to enjoy this for the next couple of days and get back to work on Wednesday."
On the Panthers' devotion to the run:
"We knew that they were going to try to establish the run game. I don’t know how many yards they had but I know they had a lot of attempts. I thought we held solid; I thought we stuffed them from the beginning. We knew what they were going to try to do and we stayed consistent with it the whole game."
On the Falcons offense:
"You have got to give our offense credit. They kind of had a lull there for about two-and-a-half quarters but that is going to happen. This is the NFL and defenses are going to stop you and most days you aren’t going to be able to keep it going for four quarters. But when it came down to it in the fourth they made the plays they had to offensively and that is a great feeling. I felt that we won the game in all three phases overall."
Kicker Morten Andersen
On his kick that took the lead:
"Make the kick and go up by three points. That was the plan and it worked."
On winning back-to-back games:
"It means we’re 3-6 right now and we’re one game out of first place in our division. That’s a small positive but we’ve dug ourselves a big hole here and we’re trying to get out of it scratching and clawing."
Running Back Warrick Dunn
On how he feels after the last two games:
"I actually feel healthy for a change. I’m happy that we are coming together and executing as a team. It feels good to win games, and I am just happy that I can contribute. Hopefully I can stay healthy and we can keep on producing outcomes like today’s game."
On if he feels like he did five to 10 years ago:
"I don’t feel old. People are trying to say that but I don’t think like that. People have that perception that I can’t play as well as I did. I just try to take good care of my body so that when it’s time to play I am ready.
On his first-quarter touchdown:
"I just tried to read the lines. The last thing I saw was the defensive back coming my way, so I tried to cut it off into the end zone. The offensive line did a great job against a talented defensive line, and I was just able to get through the holes they provided me."
On carrying the load for the team:
"I just felt like I needed to go out there and continue to play hard and motivate my guys to continue to play hard, but also make plays when given the opportunity. I tried to play within myself and take what they were giving me. Whether it is -- a 2-yard run or a big play -- I just tried to make the most of my opportunities."
On the Falcons' progression:
"I felt our defense played great all game long and I just felt like the offense needed to make a play to help them. Special teams also stepped up today and made a play at the right time with a big punt return. It feels like it is finally coming together and we finally got a ball to bounce our way."
Panthers Tackle Jordan Gross
On the loss:
"That’s what’s happening with the losses our defense is doing a nice job, but we have to figure out a way to score points. You’re never going to win in the league scoring less than 10 points. Today was a pretty good example of that."
On the Falcons defense:
"They have good players but I’m really disappointed. I thought that we were going to be able to run the ball at will today. They had good pursuit and were making plays on the backside of the run. I will have to look at the film, but we just have to do better. It’s a team effort and unfortunately everybody took their turn messing up."
On the offensive struggles late in the game:
"I don’t think it was fatigue. We have been in a lot of games this year where we have been in that situation and held up okay. It’s just our job and we have to do better. If you know you’re not running the ball well you have to go to the pass, and if you are going to pass the ball you have to protect so that somebody can make a play. We have to keep Vinny on his feet so that he can get the ball to the wide receivers. We’ve got to give him a chance."
On Vinny Testaverde:
"I thought he did a nice job with some pressure by stepping up and everything. That last series with 20 seconds left nobody is expecting the run at all so we got some pressure there. Vinny did a nice job, but as an offensive line we have to put it on our shoulders to get better."
On Green Bay (next week's opponent):
"They are looking really good; we are going to have our hands full. If we want to win that game we will have to play a whole lot better than we did today."
Panthers Cornerback Ken Lucas
On the defense:
"We played okay but we didn’t play well enough. We allowed the other team to score 20 points. When you have a perfect game they shouldn’t score anything. If the other team can’t score then they can’t win. We allowed 20 points today so we can’t pat ourselves on the back."
On the secondary:
"A lot of the time the secondary is the last to get any type of props when it comes to having talent. Usually the front, the defensive line, and the linebackers are the ones that get attention. We are just out there to prove to everybody that we can play and that we aren’t as bad as they say we are."
On stripping the ball from Laurent Robinson:
"We started focusing on that back in training camp when they changed the rule that a wide receiver can take one step and have possession. Even if it’s a questionable catch or not, you can pick the ball up and run with it. Every time the ball hits the ground we are trained to pick it up and run with it. Fortunately for us it did count and I was able to take it in for a score."
On next week's game against the Packers:
"It’s tough regardless if Green Bay is doing well or not. They just have that mystique. They use the weather to their advantage whenever they play at home, especially this time of year. It’s going to be another great challenge for the secondary to go there and compete against those guys. They are doing very well and Brett is doing a great job of putting the ball in the air and giving his wide receivers chances to make plays. They are one of the better teams in the NFC right now, and if you want any type of respect you go out and have a good game against those teams."
Panthers Wide Receiver Steve Smith
Opening statement:
"Offensively, we didn’t do a very good job. We’ve got to do a better job. If we don’t things are going to continuously keep happening like this."
On chances to make plays:
"We’re just out here running our routes efficiently and the quarterback makes a correct read. You deal with the outcome. As wide receivers, we just run our routes."
On the team's mood:
"I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, I’ll come here tomorrow, lift weights, watch film, see the things I did right, the things I did wrong, evaluate the film and take in information, build on it and just keep plugging in and go next week and do the same thing each and every week. I just approach everything that happens as data. There are no feelings. You try not to have any feelings. You just take it as information to get better, your strengths and your weaknesses."
On being frustrated:
"Who said I was frustrated? I’m just out here playing football, man. You are not going to get me to say that I am unhappy here and all that stuff. I’m here to play football, and when we don’t win, you want to win."
On the Panthers quarterback situation:
"Back there is difficult. You’ve got guys coming in and out, but the receivers have to run routes. We don’t have a say in what’s going on. We really don’t want a say in what’s going on. We just want to go out there and catch footballs and make plays.
On if it's difficult to play with multiple quarterbacks:
"Sometimes it is when not having a guy that’s been here. Jake and I have been playing for four or five years. That’s the difference. Sometimes you forget things like that like Jake may think this, or Jake knows I think that. So, does it hinder? No, but in the long run you want somebody back there that you’ve had in there for a long time. Unfortunately, that situation is not present right now so we’ve got to move on and who ever is back there has to rally up the troops and we have to run our routes accordingly. That’s what you’re supposed to do."
On if the offense can get better:
"It’s obvious that we are not scoring enough points. (Ken Lucas) made a great play today, but we can’t lean on our defense every single time."
On if the receivers are getting enough touches:
"I don’t know. I don’t keep a count."
On his fumble in the end zone:
"Ball was up high. I jumped up and caught the ball. (DeAngelo Hall) made a great play of coming in and taking it out. I was trying to get it. Two guys going up. Two good players making two good plays."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-PANTHERS GAME:
- GAMEDAY: All the coverage from the Panthers-Falcons game
- STATS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY: NFL.com Game Center
- GAME NOTES: Updates and injury news from the Bank of America Stadium press box
- INACTIVES AND STARTERS: Inactives and starters from Week 10
- QUOTABLE: Thoughts on the game from Falcons players and coaches
- VIDEO: Head Coach Bobby Petrino
- VIDEO: Quarterback Joey Harrington
- VIDEO: Falcons-Panthers Highlights
