Head Coach Mike Smith
Opening Remarks:
“I just wanted to start out by saying that we reviewed the tape today and I think it was obvious that our guys played hard for 60 minutes. I think we left a lot of plays out there on the field. We would like to have a lot of them back. The great thing is that we get to play another one this week when we get to go to Oakland. I want our guys to turn their attention to Oakland. We have our 24-hour rule and it is after 4:00pm here so we are on to Oakland.”
Q: How did Domonique Foxworth hold up for his first start?
A: “I thought Domonique was very efficient in his first significant playing time for us. He started for us. I thought he was very good against the pass. I don’t think that there was a completion in his area. He started out very well and we are pleased with him. I know it has been a process for him to get out on the field. Personally, I think he should feel good about how he played yesterday.”
Q: What about Jamaal Anderson’s injury? Was that a concussion?
A: “Yes, that was a concussion. He never cleared during the game so we will have to wait and see with him. It will be Wednesday before we get an opportunity to look at him. They have a protocol within the league in terms of how we make decisions on getting guys back. We hope that Jamaal will be back very quickly.”
Q: Defensively, you all seemed to improve a little bit yesterday. How did that work out for you?
A: “I thought that especially in the first 25 plays or so that we were very efficient. We were concerned and one of our goals was to be efficient in the first 15 plays because of the West Coast Offense, where Andy (Reid) and Marty (Mornhinweg) do their scripting and try to throw a bunch of things at you. I thought that we had some very good pressures. Jamaal had a sack early. We did have some throws that were not on time, which allowed us to get off the field. Overall, I thought our third down efficiency was one of our better performances.”
Q: Did Matt (Ryan) learn a lot from yesterday’s game?
A: “Yeah, I think Matt, Coach (Mike) Smith, Coach (Mike Mularkey), John Abraham—we all learned a lot from that game. The thing about this profession is that every game is a learning experience for your football team. We learn as a coaching staff in terms of play calling. It took us seven games to figure it out, so to speak, but we are learning all the time. We are learning about our players and they are learning about us. They are going through this learning process as well. It was a hard fought game. They were the better team and my hat is off to them.”
Q: Did you all key on (Brian) Westbrook yesterday or did he just have a great game?
A: “He had an outstanding game. I think that Brian is healthier than he has been all season long. He was very productive for them yesterday, not only running the ball, but he has some key catches coming out of the backfield. You want to know where he is on every snap and where he is lined up. I think he is one of the premier backs. He is multi-faceted in what he is able to do. We weren’t about to contain him throughout the game so he was able to makes some plays.”
Q: Was that the setback for your run defense?
A: “I think that the explosive play both in the run and the pass were both setbacks for us. We have talked about limiting explosive plays and I feel like we gave up way too many. He had the long run there at the end, which I think was probably the most discouraging thing. We still had an opportunity to win if we could stop the ball and get it back to our offense with minimal amount of time on the scoreboard.”
Q: Did you look at the punt again and from how many different angles?
A: “Well, I watched it. It was a part of reviewing the film. The way it was called was the way it was called. It was a muffed punt. That’s how it was called and that’s how we played it.”
Q: How tough is this week for you with it being the fourth out of five games on the road?
A: “It will be tough. We will be leaving on Friday, a day early, so we can acclimate ourselves to the west coast time. We had an opportunity with the bye week to do a little bit ahead. We were able to pick up a day as far as the staff is concerned. It will be different sequencing for our football team. That’s the way the schedule is. Teams are on the east coast and teams are on the west coast and we have to go play them. We are anxious to get there as quick as we can. Anytime when you don’t have the outcome you wanted the previous week, you are anxious to get back out there.”
Q: Are you anticipating on hearing from the league on the (Lawyer) Milloy hit?
A: “Any play is reviewable. We just have to wait and see as the week progresses in terms of how they view it.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-EAGLES GAME:
- GAMEDAY LIVE: Complete game coverage from AtlantaFalcons.com
- GAMEDAY RT: AF.com crew gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the road
- GAME RECAP: First-quarter flashes fade in road loss
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Lincoln Financial Field press box
- GAME CENTER: Stats, play-by-play and more from NFL.com
- TRANSCRIPTS: Head Coach Mike Smith | Falcons | Eagles
- GAME BLOG: Live updates from the press box in the FalconsLIFE blog
- J. MIKE'S MISSIVES: Blog and comment from the AF.com Managing Editor
- FORUMS: Talk about the game with other fans on FalconsLIFE
- VIDEO: Head Coach Mike Smith | Matt Ryan
- NFL NETWORK: Highlights | Short | Roddy White | Matt Ryan
- INACTIVES: Inactive players and probable starters from the game
