Wide Receiver Roddy White
Q: The young quarterback Matt Ryan, he really seems to have a lot of moxie.
A: Yeah he does. He is competitive, loves to compete, and goes hard. He does everything to be great, and has been a great player this year.
Q: From a confidence standpoint to come into Minneapolis and beat a team that is trying to win a division, how big is that for the Falcons?
A: It was real big because in a couple of weeks we might have to come back down here. If we have to come back down here, we will feel confident to play the Vikings again.
Q; Are you happy for your owner Arthur Blank, he went through a lot last year?
A: Yeah I am real happy for that guy. He stuck in there and did everything that he could to keep everyone away from us, and help try and do everything for us. I am just happy for him because he put this thing together and without him all of these players would not be here, along with Mike Smith would not be here. Blank put some great core players and coaches on this team.
Q: You get to go to the Pro Bowl that is a bonus?
A: Yeah it is a bonus. I am in the playoffs and that is what I am focused on and hope that we can keep going.
Running Back Michael Turner
Q: How do you feel you did against such a good running defense?
A: Just try and pull out the win. We did whatever we had to do to get the win. We played them with a lot of shortfield too, so that really helped us.
Q: When you came here, did you think you guys would make the playoffs this year?
A: I did not think about it. It is a process that we go through, and you cannot predict an NFL season. I knew guys were working hard here, and that they were building a team here. That was special.
Q: With Pat Williams being out, Coach Mularkey seemed to have a pretty good game plan to just run the ball up the middle?
A: Coach Mularkey is a great coach that comes up with some great schemes. He puts us in the best position for us to succeed.
Quarterback Matt Ryan
Q: What does this game mean to you and the team?
A: It was big for our team. With the way things shook out this weekend it ended up being up to us to win and get in to the playoffs. We played a good football team; Minnesota is a good football team. They’re physical and they did a good job today and we made enough plays to win it at the end so were excited about that.
Q:They had several turnovers; you took advantage of some them but not all of them?
A:Yes, I mean any time a team turns over the football you want to take advantage of those opportunities every chance that you get and we did it enough. We did it enough times today to come away with the win but there are always things you can look at on the tape and get better from, and I think we can do that.
Q: Matt do you think you would have any chance of doing this at the beginning of the year, making the playoffs?
A:Yes, I think you have to have confidence in the guys around you, and I think that starts with the head coach and the veteran players. Those guys believed it and it trickles down to the rookies and you just fall in line and you work the same as everybody has worked here since I have been here and I am happy for those guys.
Q: Is Justin Blalock going to get an extra special Christmas gift this year?
A: That’s twice now he’s got me. Once in the Tampa game and once today so I can’t be making those mistakes as we come down the line. It’s something you have to learn from but I am thankful for Justin.
Q:You seemed to react to the defensive pressure pretty well could you feel it on the back side?
A:Yeah, they get a good push up front and it’s loud here to and that puts extra pressure on our guys up front. They can’t really hear the snap count and you’re going to be a count late and that’s just the way it is, but credit to their front four. They do a good job and their linebackers do a good job in creating pressure.
Offensive Lineman Justin Blalock
Q: Did Matt Ryan say anything to you after you recovered that fumble?
A: He did not have to. It is part of my job to try and protect the ball carriers whenever I have a chance. It goes without saying anything.
Q: What does it mean for this team to be in the playoffs now having gone through everything that you guys have had to overcome?
A: It is huge for us. To come from the beginning of this year with all the negative expectations and negative talk around our camp, it feels pretty good to be here. We have another game left, and we are going to go back to work like we have done this season. That is what has got us to this point and is going to keep us going wherever we are headed.
Q: What is the key to coming out with the ball in a big pile like that?
A: I do not know; the ball just seemed to gravitate toward me. I have strong hands and no leverage. You get down there and just start leaning on people and good things happen.
Defensive End John Abraham
Q: After the game Smitty (Coach Smith) said a few words and at one point there was a loud shout. Can you just break down what he had to say?
A: He always has said if we do what we are suppose to do; we’re going to like the outcome. We did what we had to do and the outcome is we are in the playoffs. We are just going to try to keep playing. We know it’s going to get tougher every week now.
Q: Talk about the big plays of the defense.
A: Brian (VanGorder) told us this week the big thing is that we would have to make turnovers. I thought we would get at least two or three. We did a good job of taking out Adrian (Peterson) though. He got some big runs on us and we hit him. We knew the ball was fumbling. I think we did a good job of doing that. Closing our gaps and doing what we had to do. We pressured the quarterback a lot. He did a good job of getting out of the pocket and making plays for them.
Q: Talk a little bit about that play where they were in a shotgun, bad snap and you guys were able to get that fumble.
A: I hate those kind of plays because you don’t get a sack for them. It was a long messed up play. I was able to get to it because there was no one else moved. It ended up being a big play and tackle for a loss.
Q: Talk about being in the playoffs.
A: It feels good. Its has been a long time. Being on this kind of team and making the playoffs. This is my third year here and it’s everything I thought it was coming into here. Its just feels good to finally get there.
Defensive End Chauncey Davis
Q: Can you talk about that defensive effort today in stopping that run?
A: We knew coming into today we would have to stop the run and make them pass. I think we did pretty good in doing that making them pass. We kind of let down a little bit letting the quarterback run. We were seeing that he was just letting it go. We fought though. We just kept going and going. We knew if we would get on top that we were going to stay on top and they won’t be able to come back.
Q: It’s tough, Jackson is a guy that can break contain.
A: Oh yeah, he did that a couple of times. We were getting a little high on our rush and got up out of there. But we just kept going and going and going and at the end we got what we wanted.
Q: You are going to the playoffs right?
A: Oh yeah. First time and it took me four years. First time with 10 wins and first time for the playoffs so it’s great.
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
