CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
On his interception:
“We were in cover one that time and I was expecting the out or something short, because that’s where they’d been getting me. But once I saw him go deep, I just turned around and the ball was in there, so I just fought for the ball.”
On the emotion from the crowd today:
“That was the greatest feeling ever, the crowd rising and getting pumped. It brings the good play out of us too, gets us hyped.”
On playing wide receiver for one play in the first quarter:
“We’ve been practicing that, and I’ve been getting it the whole week in practice. But they got pressure off the end and hit [Kurt Warner] a little bit.”
On matching up with Roddy White today:
“I was looking forward to it. That is a Pro Bowl receiver, so he gets a lot of touches. I was just excited to get out there, play and compete.”
SS Adrian Wilson
On what it was like in the locker room after the game:
“A lot of guys are happy. It’s a great feeling, just overall as a team, with the things we’ve been through all season, to finally come here, get our first playoff win and keep on advancing. I think it’s very important for the ego and the psyche of our team. It’s just real big. I think a lot of the guys in the locker room, Edge [James], Kurt [Warner], a lot of veteran guys really carried us today, and you can see the veteran leadership really standing out.”
On what the key was to stopping Michael Turner and the Falcons’ run game:
“We didn’t do anything different. There was a lot of speculation about us being able to stop the run, and I think it was us not fitting the runs well and not being disciplined. I think that’s the main thing that we need to do, is be disciplined as a team, and I think we did a great job today.”
On if the team responds to the challenge of people picking against them:
“We’ve been getting it all week. A lot of people in Atlanta were giving us no chance. There was a lot of talk in the paper from them about how it was a blessing for them to come out here, but it’s not sweet out here. We went 6-2 at home, and those two losses that we did have, I feel like we could have won those games, but we made mistakes. Today we didn’t make those mistakes.”
On how concerned he was when the Falcons came back to lead at the half:
“It’s a football game. You have ups and downs, and you have swings in the football game. The development of a good team is being able to really withstand those momentum swings, and I think we did a great job of that. We came out in the second half, we ran the football, got some turnovers early in the third quarter that really sparked our offense and it really got us going. The touchdown by Antrel [Rolle] in that third quarter coming out was huge. That really swung the momentum in our favor, and we just kept pounding away.”
G Reggie Wells
On how much pride he took in the running game today:
“A tremendous amount. I think we could have run it even more in the first half, but we hit some plays in the passing game. That’s just natural when you have that caliber of weapons out there, to want to keep hitting them. But we came back in the second half and sustained a long drive, and chewed some clock for our defense. I thought that was the main thing, really just to eat up some clock. Hats off to Edge [James] and those guys who were running back there.”
On if they challenged themselves to run the ball today:
“I think we challenge ourselves week in and week out. We had some bumps in the road late, but I think a lot of us, including myself, felt disrespected by a lot of people over in Atlanta. It’s one thing to have that confidence, but it’s another thing to think it’s going to be a rollover, because we don’t allow that out here.”
On what his nerves were like on the team’s final drive to seal the win:
“It’s hard to explain. While you’re actually out there, it’s hard to explain. We just wanted to make sure we gave ourselves the best opportunity to get something done. They overplayed the run and shut us down a couple of times, but we hit two big pass plays. Guys made plays when we had to, and that was the key.”
On what Coach Whisenhunt’s message to the offense was before that last drive:
“Just keep doing what we were doing. We established a rhythm. We had that long drive. It wasn’t a matter of over-emphasizing anything. It was just a matter of staying the course, getting on your blocks and not going backward. We did what we had to do and got the job done.”
DE Bertrand Berry
On what the offense’s long touchdown drive in the third quarter meant to the defense:
“It gave us some rest. I’m an older guy, so I need a little bit of rest. I can play well, but when you have us on the field for 12 or 13-play drives, it takes its toll. Travis [LaBoy] didn’t play, unfortunately, so I didn’t have the rotation that we’re used to, so the onus was on me to go out there and stick it out the rest of the game. When they gave us those plays off, it really did a lot for my energy and allowed me to go out and finish strong.”
On his thoughts on playing either New York or Carolina next week:
“We lost to both of them, so I would love to face both of them eventually.”
On the crowd today:
“It was electric. That’s what we needed. The fans did their part, and they were awesome. Obviously, the state of Arizona and the city of Phoenix has never seen a playoff game here, so everybody was ready. We needed every single fan in there screaming. The crowd definitely was the difference for us on the defensive side, and it definitely disrupted their rhythm from an offensive standpoint. We appreciate those guys.”
QB Kurt Warner
On being able to end the game in victory formation:
“We talk about that all the time, how we want to finish the game. It’s the last thing we do every Saturday morning, we go to kneel-down and mention how we want to finish every game that way. Plus, being in the playoffs, there’s no better feeling than knowing that it’s in your hands and you’ve got it controlled until the end.”
On his speed:
“Yeah, I’m sure that will make a lot of highlights. It is what it is. My coaches have been telling me all year, ‘sometimes you gotta just run every once in a while.’ I got out of the pocket and saw the first down marker and just knew that it was a key drive for us, we needed first downs, so I had just enough speed to hit the marker.”
On the 14-play touchdown drive:
“That was huge all the way around. Not only did we control the clock – we had it in our favor there in the third quarter – and we scored points out of it, already having the lead. So that was extremely important. I thought I saw a stat that they held the ball for 21 minutes in the first half, so as well as our defense was playing, you know against a team like that that you can’t just keep putting them out there; we needed to do something offensively. So give our guys credit because it was a methodical drive, we ran the ball well, we got first downs in key situations to keep it going and then we finished it off with a touchdown.”
On working on the flea-flicker:
“A couple times. I hate that play. After today it moved up a couple notches. You’re just never quite sure. You’re kind of selling everything out and I think the thing that’s tough is that we just haven’t run the ball very well and you’re never sure how things are going to play in that situation. Fortunately we got them just to hold long enough and then Larry (Fitzgerald) made a great play to go up and get it and really get us started in the first half.”
On why he hates the flea-flicker:
“Just because there’s not a lot of options and I can’t throw it very far. And with those two things, those guys usually get out of range so I gotta give it everything I have. I don’t know, I would rather have five guys out there than just two, but again, good call and it worked in our favor today.”
On the irony of the Cardinals’ ability to run today and the Falcons’ inability to run:
“I suppose it is a bit ironic, isn’t it. I felt like our team did whatever it had to do today to win. We came up with big plays defensively, we stopped the run, we ran the ball well, we came up with big plays in the passing game. Maybe a little bit different than we had done all year, but that’s what the playoffs are all about, it’s figuring out a way to win. I think they were not going to let them throw all over them and beat them that way, they’re going to have to run the football and keep us honest. The guys on offense did a good job of that today of doing just enough to keep them off-balance to set up some of those plays down the stretch that we needed to keep that drive going and to be able to kneel down at the end.”
On the home crowd:
“Wow, they were awesome. I know we were all a little bit concerned with the extension we needed and worried about whether we were going to have a sellout or not, but they were phenomenal. I haven’t been in too many environments that were like it was today here at University of Phoenix Stadium. I’ve been in some big playoff games and been fortunate in that regard, but it was crazy today and they were a huge, huge part of this win. So we thank them. Hopefully we can figure out a way to have another game here, but if not, they’ve been awesome all year long and we say thank you to the fans. I say it on behalf of my teammates, they were unbelievable today and a huge part of our win.”
On why having the roof closed is so important to him:
“I have no idea. For whatever reason it just feels a little different. It feels like my whole life I’ve been playing inside. Since I was in college I played in a dome, arena football I played inside, St. Louis I played inside. I don’t know what it is but the air just feels a little bit different and I’ve been telling Michael (Bidwill) that all year, ‘just keep it closed every week, just do it for me, and I know it’s beautiful and we love the stadium and we love all that stuff but just keep it closed for me.’ So I thank him for doing that today. I don’t know what it is, but it just feels a little different for me.”
On the team’s maturity and focus:
“I think guys bought in a little bit to this whole playoff thing. Even thought we had a lot of guys who hadn’t been here before, I think they came to understand that this is it. We didn’t just play just to get in, so now let’s do something. We have a chance now. I did see guys really working this week. You came into this game and you didn’t feel like guys were just happy to be here. I think that’s the exciting part and that it’s going to be huge for our football team moving forward. It’s great to have experience, it’s great to win, it’s great to get that bug and understand you’re one step closer to the Super Bowl, so hopefully we can take what we did this week and build on it for a tough road game next week.”
On the effectiveness of RB Edgerrin James:
“Edge has been huge the last few weeks. You can’t say enough. The thing I’ll continue to say about Edge is that he always moves forward, he always keeps us in manageable situations. He never seems to get caught behind the line of scrimmage, when there’s nothing there he will get you two or three yards and he keeps you in manageable situations. That eight-minute drive that we had was all about that, it was all about keeping us in third-and-short so were able to convert first downs and we didn’t have to have a bunch of big plays and we were able to continue to get first downs. He does a tremendous job of running the football, the guys up front deserve a lot of credit, but Edge does a great job, once he gets contact, to continue to go forward and get a little bit more. He’s a special player and I think we all know that through the course of his career and I think we’re extremely happy to have him here.”
On having played more than a one-dimensional game today:
“It’s exciting because that’s really where we needed to go as a football team. When you get in the playoffs and you play against good football teams, if you’re one-dimensional, these teams are good enough to take away that one dimension and make you beat them another way. And that’s what happens when you play against good football teams. So playoff games take a complete effort, it doesn’t matter how you win, it doesn’t matter what the stats look like, the bottom-line is that you have more points than they do and you get to move on. It was just a tremendous team win today. Like I said, it seemed like whenever we needed a big play, we made it. Whatever it was – running game, passing game, defense, special teams – whatever it was, we made a big play when we needed to and that’s what the playoffs are all about.”
On being aggressive at the end of the game:
“I think the bottom-line was that Coach (Todd) Haley and Coach (Ken) Whisenhunt and whoever was making those calls at the end, were basically not giving them another chance. We wanted to finish this on our side of the ball. So they took some chances at some critical situations and our guys stepped up and made plays. It was huge. What a great feeling it is to have four minutes left and they just scored, they’re only down six points, a touchdown can win it for them, and to be able to make that kind of drive and make some key plays that keep the ball in your hands. It was huge for us, offensively, throughout the game. I felt like the defense played great all day long and really carried us today, so it was nice on our part to be able to contribute something at the end.”
On teams blitzing the Cardinals more than normal:
“I think the one thing is that our guys are so good at one-on-one situations if you allow them to get down the field. I think that’s what defenses say, the two approaches – they’re going to sit back and make us run it or we’re going to blitz them and make them throw it quick so we don’t let them get down the field. That’s why I think you see one or the other, you see them sitting back with a couple safeties deep or bring these all-out blitzes and saying we just have to hit him. We were fortunate today in a couple situations to hit them quick if they blitzed us and we were able to make big plays on them.”
On TE Stephen Spach being more than an option in this offense:
“I have no idea. I hope everybody’s an option, I hope everybody’s a weapon and a threat. It just depends on the situation. Today he came up big in a couple of crucial situations. Again, that’s what you need in the playoffs. With our guys on the outside, you know teams are going to try to figure out ways to take them out of it and we’re going to have to have other guys step up and make plays and Spach was one of the guys that did that today.”
DT Darnell Dockett
On the defensive score at the start of the second half and being underdogs:
"I just hit everybody -- I didn't even know it was a fumble. I was hitting the running back, the fullback and everybody. I was happy Antrel (Rolle) capitalized on that play because that was big and we needed a spark going into the second half. Our coach brought to our attention that we didn't have a chance. We looked at the media and they didn't give us a chance in any category. They said the only thing we had that was better than the Falcons were our receivers. I said, 'you've got to be kidding me.' They even said their quarterback was better than ours. We took it as a challenge and we had a chip on our shoulders this morning. I talked to the D-line and the linebackers and they said they couldn't even sleep last night -- they were too hungry. We stopped one of the best running backs to about 60 yards on about 30 carries and (the media) are saying we can't stop the run -- but we're getting better. We're going to keep a humble head and we're going to keep working and stay out of the media. We'll let everyone put their predictions out there and we're just going to get to the lab and keep working and stay focused on what we're doing."
On what the victory does for the confidence of the team:
"It's huge for us. I know next week (the media) won't give us a chance -- and that's cool. We're just going to study and work hard and feed off of everyone who doesn't give us a chance."
On his excessive celebration penalty:
"I got over-excited. I need to take that into the next game -- I can't do that again. That 15 yards hurt us, but I was so excited. We looked at eachother and said, 'we're going to make a play. We're going to get a safety.' Any time we get a team backed up like that, we have our ears back and we're hungry. (Antonio Smith) made a play and I was so excited -- but I was excited all day. Everyone stepped up to the challenge and we couldn't have done this without the team and everyone did their job. But we have to stay humble, enjoy this night and have a day off and then get back to the lab. Whoever we play, it'll probably be one of our biggest challenges for us and we're going to go in the right direction."
DE Antonio Smith
On what the victory means:
"All the work we put in -- and the defense and offense we are. Early in the season we felt so good and after (clinching the division), things just went awry -- but it battle tested us and it got us ready for what was to come. Whatever is to come, we're going to give it our all."
On what led to the success of the pass rush:
"This defense -- the front seven and secondary -- has always been a good defense. Coming into this game, we heard everything about how (Atlanta) has us beat in every category and that their offensive line is better than ours, their defensive line is better than ours -- but we went out and disproved that. I don't think there's an offenisve line that can dominate us and we're going to show that each and every week."
On what it meant to watch his team clinch the victory from the sidelines:
"It was great. Just to see that last catch -- (Stephen) Spach pulled it in and got the first down for us and it just felt so good then. All I could do was turn to the coaches and ask them, 'is that it? Did we get it?'"
On Darnell Dockett climbing on top of him after the safety:
"I don't know what Dockett was doing. He hit me in the head about 50 times -- I was trying to get up off the ground to celebrate."
On whether the safety celebration was designed in advance:
"No -- I was trying to get up to go celebrate and next thing I know he hit me in the head a couple of times. He hit me pretty hard too."
On what the victory says about the team:
"This win says that we've been through a lot -- and we got back to who we were when we started: hard workers, hard players and disciplined players. Once we got back to that, I think this team can beat any team in the NFL, so long as we believe in ourselves and keep our technique."
S Antrel Rolle
On the crowd's effect:
"It plays a part -- I wouldn't say it dictates how we play or how they play, but it's a good thing to have the crowd on your side and have people on your side. Hopefully now we won't have as many doubters out there. All we ask for is a chance -- if you don't want to give it to us, that's fine, we'll take it into our own hands."
On Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie:
"He steps up to the plate each and every time. He's not a guy I have to worry about -- he's very disciplined and the best thing about him is he listens. He's a playmaker -- he blocks punts, blocks field goals, catches interceptions and runs them back and when you have guys back there as dangerous as that, who can get the ball in their hands and make plays -- the sky is the limit."
LB Karlos Dansby
On the offense giving the defense a break with a long drive:
"It was huge -- it gave us an opportunity to make some corrections on the sideline and we came out and just flew around. We continued to get around the ball and made some plays."
On the second half adjustments:
"We came out as a defense and knew we had to make a play. Dockett got a lot of penetration and Antrel was right there on time to scoop it up and score. It was a great play. We definitely needed it and it definitely helped our offense out -- putting some points on the board."
On what winning the game proved:
"That we can play with one of the best teams in the NFC South. They wanted to praise them before they came in here -- but we got the 'W' and that's all that matters. Until you win in the playoffs, it's 0-0. We took it as a challenge as a defense. Michael Turner is a great running back -- he's the No. 2 running back in the league and to hold (Atlanta) under 100 yards rushing as a team -- it's great."
On the last few moments on the field with the crowd:
"It was unbelievable. They supported us the whole time and we definitely needed it and it definitely paid off because they couldn't get some calls in and it gave us a lot of energy to fly around and make plays."
WR Larry Fitzgerald
On the first playoff win:
“It feels so good, its been a long time coming. We worked so hard this season; we had a lot of ups and downs, and to be able to catch fire late like we have been able to, and to play well against a good football team means a lot.”
On the being under dogs going into the game:
“You know going through these playoffs nobody is going to believe in us. We just have to look to the guy on the left and right and count on him to make plays. We did that, everybody made plays. We were down a little bit in the first half, the defense then stepped up, and Antrel (Rolle) got that fumble recovery coming out of the half. After that it kind of opened up the flood gates for us.”
On the feeling in the locker room after the game:
“It feels so good, honestly man. Just to know how much work you have been putting in since March in the off-season, and in the training camps. All the things we have been doing throughout the year, just to have this feeling, this unbelievable feeling, it’s hard to even put it into words.”
On his individual performance:
“I just did what my coaches asked of me to do. My goal coming in was just to be consistent, make the plays I was supposed to make, make sure I was accountable for my coaches and my teammates. That’s what my goal is every game.”
On the fast start:
“You know we wouldn’t have been able to do that if we weren’t able to run the ball effectively early. Edge (James) did an outstanding job coming down hill, offensive line blocked tremendously for us, and you have to take your hat off to those guys up front. You can’t run flea flickers and play action without those guys blocking well, and we opened it early well.”
On running the ball to close out the game:
“Something we have had trouble doing all season, and running the ball consistently. We ran the ball today when we needed to run it, when they knew we were going to run it still able to force it down their throat. And that felt so good. Leaning on Edge (James) with playoff experience in Indianapolis it was just great to have a guy with that kind of experience that we can count on.”
On Kurt Warner’s performance:
“You know Kurt has been in this position before, he has played in big games, he has won a Super Bowl. So we all had to kind of lean on Kurt this week, to understand what it was going to be and the magnitude of this game. He did a good job of getting us all ready.”
On the fan’s support today:
“The crowd was outstanding, especially on defense when they had the towels waving it was exciting. It was outstanding the amount of support, and we know we are going to need it from a far now.”
On who they want to play next Giants or Panthers:
“You know it doesn’t even really matter we are just excited to be going to the next round. We have played both of the teams so we have a little bit of experience with both of them. We just want to go out there and play well.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-CARDINALS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more in the NFL.com Game Center
- GAME BLOG: Review updates from the press box in the playoff game blog
- GAME NOTES: Track some of the milestones from the playoff game
- GAME STORY: Playoff loss in Arizona ends Falcon season
- GAMEDAY LIVE: Complete Falcons-Cardinals game coverage from AF.com
- J. MIKE'S MISSIVES: More news and comment from the AF.com Managing Editor
- VIDEO: Head Coach Mike Smith | Matt Ryan
- NFL NETWORK: Game Highlights | Matt Ryan Highlights | Michael Turner Highlights
- TRANSCRIPTS: Head Coach Mike Smith | Falcons | Cardinals
- INACTIVES: Inactives and starters from the Falcons-Cardinals game
- FORUMS: Talk about the game with other fans on FalconsLIFE
- PHOTOS: Images from the Falcons playoff game at University of Phoenix Stadium
