Head Coach Mike Smith
Opening Remarks
“I thought yesterday was a great day for our organization, our football team and most of all, our fans. I thought it was a great game up there in Minnesota. We went up there and did what we had to do and that was win the football game. I spoke a couple of weeks ago talking about the last two weeks of the season. There were 32 games that were played starting last week. There were a lot of changes and that was evident by what happened this past weekend. We are very fortunate to have gone up to Minnesota and come back with a win. There were some other things that happened throughout the league that allowed us to secure a playoff spot. With that being said, I am very proud of our coaches and players. I thought that it was an exciting game for the fans yesterday. We do have the 24-hour rule. For us, the task is now the St. Louis Rams. We need to win this last football game.”
Q: Is there an update on Jamaal Anderson’s situation?
A: “Jamaal was only able to play four snaps in the ballgame yesterday. We are going to see how he progresses through these next couple of days. At this time, I can’t really tell you a whole lot. I will be able to tell you more on Wednesday.”
Q: Could you talk about the play of Justin Blalock against the Pro Bowler Kevin Williams?
A: “I thought that Justin had a very good game. I thought that we were able to run the ball against a very strong front seven. I thought Justin played his best game. He made a huge play there in the end zone on the fumble to recover it for a touchdown. That is two weeks in a row that Justin has made big plays by running to the football. That is something that we preach all the time to our football team. They need to know that when the ball carrier is tackled and if you are not carrying the ball, you need to be around the pile in case something happens. We did a very nice job yesterday making that play.”
Q: (Justin) told us that he was going down to celebrate and he happened to make the play.
A: “That is part of it too. (laughing) That ball popped out of Matt (Ryan’s) hands and didn’t break the plane. Justin made a big play for us. He may be working on that technique with Coach (Paul) Boudreau and Coach (Paul) Dunn.”
Q: Do you have an update on Sam Baker?
A: “I thought Sam got some significant playing time. We were rotating him with Todd Weiner. I thought that he played well. I thought he executed his block perfectly on Jerious Norwood’s touchdown. He was able to run up the field and block the safety as well. He continues to progress. It feels good to have our first round pick out there playing again.”
Q: How pleased were you with the offensive line and the things they were able to do?
A: “I think that the offensive line of ours did a great job blocking their defensive front seven. I thought they were one of the top defensive fronts that I have seen in the past few years. Those guys are big, strong and they have some good speed there on the edges. I thought they did a nice job.”
Q: What has it been like for you for the past 24 hours with everything going on?
A: “One thing is that I am very excited for our football team. These guys have worked extremely hard, not just the players and the coaches but the entire organization. We still have some work to do. Through the regular season, we have set milestones. We have a milestone that we haven’t reached and we have had four opportunities to reach it. That milestone is to win three games in a row. It would be very good for us to finish the season off with winning three in a row. For me personally, I am very excited about the direction that the football team is going in and the way these men have worked.”
Q: When you take a look at where the season is right now, is it everything that you hoped it would be and more?
A: “I think it’s been accelerated. I feel like we have a very good nucleus. We have always had a good nucleus coming into this season. This coaching staff has worked very hard. The veteran players that we kept from last year have done a very good job disseminating the message of our staff. The young guys have come in and played well, not just our quarterback but our entire draft class. I think Thomas (Dimitroff) and his staff did a good job of picking some fine players. There were a bunch of guys yesterday that made contributions. Really, all 45 guys that dressed made contributions throughout this game. For us to win football games, we as a team will have to play well across the board. We have done that for the most part this season.”
Q: You have often referred to the process when talking about the team this year. Despite your confidence in the nucleus, did you ever think that part of the process could include making it to the playoffs this year?
A: “I thought it was a possibility, but I really didn’t put a whole lot of stock in it. I figured that we would just go out and play. As the season progressed, it became apparent to me and the way that the season played out in terms of wins and losses, if we could get to December and be close, we would have a chance. The teams that play well in December are the teams that will make it in the playoffs. That is something that we have really been able to do. As I have stated before, when you don’t lose back-to-back games in this league, you will get to December and have an opportunity to get in the playoffs. I think the biggest thing for us is the fact that we have never lost more than one game in a row. Our guys have done a great job even when we have not had the outcome that we desired.”
Q: How do you avoid complacency with your guys this week as you began to prepare for St. Louis?
A: “I don’t think our guys will be complacent. They understand that this is a 16-week season and this is our last regular season game. We have been task masters from the very beginning from our very first (Offseason Training Activities). I think the guys will be up for the challenge. They know that if we play well and get the outcome that we desire, there are possibilities for us that can change.”
Q: What does it mean that the back up quarterback has not taken a snap this season?
A: “I think that says a lot of our offensive line and our offensive players in keeping our quarterback healthy. I know there are a number of factors to that, but I think they have done a nice job. Chris (Redman) is experienced and he has played in this league. He has received a number of snaps despite the fact that he has not been able to get any regular season snaps. If Chris has to come in and play, I know that he will be ready.”
Q: The reserves across the board—(Eric) Weems, (Kindal) Moorehead, Kroy Biremann—have all contributed.
A: “Those guys have all come in and made contributions to this football team. I think when you have guys that step up when the opportunity arises, it says a lot of great things about the future. At lot of these guys are young. They haven’t had an opportunity to play a whole lot. When they are given the opportunity, they have made the most of it. Kindal and Chauncy (Davis) both had big games yesterday. Eric Weems also had a big play on the fumble. I want to take a second to point out that to me the difference in that game was the four turnovers. The ball was on the ground seven times yesterday. I thought that our defense did an outstanding job of attacking the football. That is something that we preach to our players all the time. On the other side of the ball, we have to talk about ball security. I know that our coaches spend part of the drill period in practice Wednesday on ball security.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-VIKINGS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more from NFL.com
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Metrodome press box
- GAME RECAP: Falcons lock up playoff berth with victory
- FORUMS: Talk about the game with other fans on FalconsLIFE
- GAME BLOG: In-game thoughts on FalconsLIFE from "It's a Mod's Life"
- J. MIKE'S MISSIVES: More thoughts from the AF.com Managing Editor
- VIDEO: Head Coach Mike Smith | Quarterback Matt Ryan
- NFL NETWORK: Highlights | Michael Turner | Matt Ryan | Falcons in the Playoffs
- TRANSCRIPTS: Head Coach Mike Smith | Falcons | Vikings
- PHOTOS: Images from the Falcons victory at Minnesota
- INACTIVES: Inactive players and starters from the Falcons-Vikings game
