Head Coach Mike Smith
Opening remarks:
A: “That was fun. It was a really exciting football game. Obviously, we made some mistakes. We had two interceptions, the one fumble and the blocked kick. (Turnovers) make it tough on us, but our guys showed their resiliency and played extremely hard for 60-plus minutes. We talked with our team prior to our game about going out there and emptying our tank. There is no doubt that the guys did that today. Winning a game like this is all part of the process. It may have felt like a playoff game with the atmosphere, but this is really just another step in the process of this football team. I’m very proud of the men in the locker room and their resiliency.”
On John Abraham:
A: “John had some game-changing plays throughout the game. That’s something that John has done all season. John’s three-sack game gives him 15.5 for the season and that is just outstanding. John Abraham is having a Pro-Bowl year. When we needed him to come and make a big play, he was able to do that.”
On the defense:
A: “The defensive played well throughout the entire game. They bounced back from last week. We did not defend the run like I had wanted to last week. It was a great effort. They were put in some difficult situations and were able to rise to the occasion.”
On Matt Ryan:
A: “He was very efficient. I know there are a couple of throws he would like to have back, but he put some nice throws in pressure situations. There were a couple of throws to the sideline that were outstanding. Matt continues to progress with what we’re asking him to do. He was very efficient in the no huddle offense. To win a game like this, when we’re not hitting on all cylinders is huge.”
On the confrontation with Tampa Bay wide receiver Antonio Bryant:
A: “Antonio was on our sideline, and I politely asked him to go back over to his sideline.”
On Michael Turner:
A: “This is his seventh 100-yard game of the season. Michael was our first big acquisition in free agency. We knew when we were doing our due diligence that he was the kind of running back that we wanted to have. We wanted to be able to feed him the football and as the game went on he got stronger and stronger. That’s the best thing about Michael. He gets stronger as the game goes on. He did a great job.”
On the win:
A: “This was a big win for us because we’ve gone through this entire season and not had back-to-back losses. That’s very important for a football team. If you don’t have back-to-back losses at the end of the season, you’re going to be around where you want to be. We’ve talked about the milestones that we’ve reached and this is a milestone that we’re continuing to be able to do. This is a big win for us. This is exciting. We’re going to move forward because it’s going to be a big game up in Minnesota.”
On the crowd:
A: “I can’t say enough about the crowd. There were five false start penalties (on Tampa Bay). We got 25 free yards that were directly contributed to the fans. It was electric in there. Our fans are without a doubt the most educated. They know when to scream and yell. They do a great job. Those 25 yards were big for us today.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-BUCS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more on the game from NFL.com
- GAME RECAP: Turner, defensive stops key in overtime victory
- GAME NOTES: Falcons and Bucs game notes straight from the Georgia Dome press box
- GAME BLOG: Notes on the Falcons victory over the Bucs on FalconsLIFE
- J. MIKE'S MISSIVES: News and comment from the managing editor
- VIDEO: Head Coach Mike Smith | Ryan | White | Foxworth | Turner | Elam | Abraham
- NFL NETWORK: Falcons-Bucs Game Highlights
- TRANSCRIPTS: Head Coach Mike Smith | Falcons | Bucs
- INACTIVES: Inactives and starters from the Falcons-Bucs game
- FORUMS: Talk about the game with other fans on FalconsLIFE
- PHOTOS: Images from Falcons-Bucs games present and past
