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Head Coach Jeff Fisher
Opening Statement:
“Wow. Nice to come in at halftime having scored in all three phases. It was a great effort the first half and then in the second half, things seemed to get out of hand a little bit, but we made plays in the second half that we needed to make. What kept going through you mind is, ‘Andrew’s (Luck) comebacks, his comebacks, his comebacks and there’s never enough points,’ but the turnover in the second half really gave us a chance. I’m proud for Kellen (Clemens). I thought Rodger (Saffold) played pretty well at right guard, that’s a move that we made earlier in the week. We need to firm it up in there; I thought he did a nice job. What can you say about number 11 (Tavon Austin), got the football in his hands and I found myself saying, “get away, get away, get away,” on the punt that he fielded on the two-yard line, then I went from “get away, get away, get away,” to “go, go, go.” Anyway, it was a good effort and I was proud of them. I’m asked often times, “Will they bounce back?’ Well, we said, “Yes.” And we did.”
In all of your years where does this performance with Tavon Austin sit?
“Close to the top now because, just a variety of things, in the return game and then the catch and run for a touchdown. We still had some stuff in there too. Maybe we’ll carry it over for Chicago.”
Is this why you traded up eight spots (to draft Tavon Austin)? Did you see this kind of thing?
“The ability, yeah. He (Tavon Austin) has the chance to change games and we’re just going to keep working to get him the football.”
How do you feel for Tavon Austin after this game?
“There’s respect for him. After the return for touchdown and then the pooch punts took over again and then he ends up just fair catching it, but when he gets his hands on one, you see what he can do.”
How much leeway do you give Tavon Austin on returns?
“Well, I’ve worked with him on the decision making process. So, I’m not going to say I’m guessing the decisions he makes. I’m confident in the decisions that he’s making.”
How were you able to take the Colts out of their running game?
“Well, it helps when you get up fast, which we did, so I didn’t expect to see much runs in the second half, going in with that lead. The defensive effort on third down was huge for us in the first half. I think they’re 1-for-8. When we’ve had problems, that’s been the area that we go to. I thought the guys did a nice job with that.”
With the kickoff coverage, you’ve had three of them within the 10-yard line. What are your thoughts on all of that?
“We’ve been working real hard at it. Coach (John) Fassel has done a great job with those young guys. We challenge them every week, but we had a great plan this week.”
Did you feel that when you entered the game you would have the opportunity to go deep in the passing game?
“Yeah, if we were able to continue to run the football. If we got behind them they would take it away, but because we were up and running the football, it created those opportunities.”
Your ability to rush the passer with four, what impact does that have on the game?
“Well, it showed in the first half when they were in the hurry up, but they were play action passing with basic offensive personnel, just for protection. And we made some adjustments and still got there. We put really good pressure on him (Andrew Luck). He’s an outstanding quarterback. It was a tough week for the whole defensive staff watching him play.”
Any thoughts on the red zone interceptions?
“Pressure. I think pressure. When the league gets to where it is they can’t settle for three’s. So, they’re trying to force a ball in there.”
After a game like this do you wish you were playing next week?
“Again, I said the bye week always comes at a good time. We’re going to take advantage of this, get guys healed up, get some rest, and work on things that we need to work on.”
Coach where would you say both Tavon Austin is relative to the start of the season and where you are incorporating him into the offense?
“Well, we still have more to go and it’s not an issue with Tavon. We have to use our other weapons and we have to run the football and do other things offensively. We’re working ourselves into some good little packages for him.”
Quarterback Kellen Clemens
What kind of reception have you received from the team since taking over as the starter?
“Not every backup quarterback that is forced in a starting role gets the same reception that I’ve gotten from this football team. So I’m really blessed to be in the position that I am because from the offensive line, the wide receivers to the defense, to the coaches, the specialists, everybody has elevated their play since Sam (Bradford) went down and has really supported me. So that’s as good of a situation as you could ask for.”
When you were planning for this game, did you anticipate that you would need to throw more deep passes?
“You have to take shots every week and we do that every week. We game-plan based on coverages, based on personnel. We game-plan to take some shots. This week, like I said, we just did a good job of landing the shots that presented themselves.”
What are your thoughts on scoring so many points that not even Andrew Luck could overcome?
“That’s the thing. You’re looking across the field and you’re looking at a guy that’s still pretty young, but has shown time and time again that if it’s a close ballgame in the fourth quarter, he’s going to give his team an opportunity to win. It’s a little bit different going down the stretch when you’re up by 30. It was fun just to get a win. It’s been awhile for this football team. That’s the main thing. Just get a win. Go in the bye week with a good feeling, and like I said, hopefully get some guys healthy, get some guys back and be at full strength when we face Chicago.”
When you see Tavon Austin one-on-one, how does that affect you when you’re going to throw a deep ball to him?
“With a guy like Tavon, you just throw as far as you can. There’s really not a lot of thinking. On that particular play, you’ve got to take your hat off really to (Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) ‘Schotty’ as well because on third down – what was it third-and-seven, third-and-eight or something like that – a lot of teams are going to defend the sticks. They know that you’re just (thinking), ‘Hey, let’s get a first down conversion, let’s get out of here.’ So it takes a set to call a shot in that down and distance. Credit Brian for dialing it up.”
Was Tavon Austin the primary receiver on that play?
“You’ve got Tavon Austin on one side and you’ve got Chris Givens on the other, so you’re throwing to great speed on either side. Based on the coverage that they played, Tavon was the best option. They put a safety over the top of Givens and Tavon, with his speed, just ran past him.”
On your 57-yard touchdown pass to Tavon Austin, how did the hang time on the throw affect the play?
“In going back to last week, again, the play that I missed to Tavon, it could’ve been a 70-something yarder, it was flat. When a guy has the speed that Tavon has, if you put it high and far, nine times out of 10, he can run under it. And they played a coverage where I could put more air on it because I wasn’t worried about a safety getting involved.”
Wide Receiver Tavon Austin
Is this the game you've been waiting to have your entire season so far?
"I mean definitely. That's anybody. I'm just glad that my opportunity came. The coaches and players trust in me, and I'm glad we got the win."
Tell me about that punt return. You waved everybody off. Was it a last-minute decision to take it and find some daylight?
"Oh it definitely was a last-minute decision. I waved them all off there. I should have caught the ball and had good field position on the 10-yard line. I let it bounce, so I just had to make a split decision, went with my instincts, and I just made a play."
How about the two touchdown catches on the bombs? Did you just find yourself open? Tell us about those plays.
"(Vontae) Davis definitely had good coverage on me. Kellen (Clemens) just gave me a chance, and threw it out there and I just made a play."
How about the feeling in this locker room? I know the season hasn't gone the way you guys wanted so far. To take your frustrations out on a very good Indianapolis team, you guys have to feel great in here right now.
"Oh definitely. My hat goes off to a great team over there but we definitely have a great team too. We just keep pushing it in practice. You never know what can happen in these last couple of games."
Linebacker James Laurinaitis
I know it's great to get after the quarterback, but does it all start with stopping the run? I know that's something you guys take a lot of pride in.
"Yeah, it definitely does. There have been too many times this year where teams have said they need to get back on track in the run game and they've come into us knowing they're going to run and they ran it well. Dallas did that, Tennessee did that, and that's too many. Hearing them say that they wanted to run the ball, and get back on track in that department, it was motivation just for us to say, 'Hey we've got to put that fire out. If they're going beat us, make them throw it.' We were able to do that today."
How about your guy Tavon Austin on that punt return?
"I felt bad for him because he's had a lot of explosive plays that have been called back. I know he's been frustrated because of it. To have him finally be rewarded, and to see him continue to work despite the circumstances, and despite those calls and everything being called back. It was good to see him rewarded, and good to see that highlight reel today."
You guys got that defensive touchdown on their first offensive possession. What did that do as far as setting the tone for the rest of the game?
"I think any time you score on defense, it helps propel you towards victory. It's hard for teams to overcome. Even after that we knew with their team, nothing was far from over just because we scored on D. There were some other plays out there that we made that were huge. With a team like this, you've got to do it every drive, and I thought we did that. We stayed focused and we stayed after them."
Defensive End Chris Long
Did you just take out nine weeks of frustration on a very good Colts team?
"Well they're a damn good football team. We just started with stopping the run. That was a big deal for us. You can see that when we do that we're pretty good in every area of the game. When the offense is doing that the way they were today, it was really a complete win."
Do you think you really bothered Andrew Luck with getting in his face? He seemed to be missing some open receivers too. The pressure really got to him it seemed like.
"Maybe. I think he's one of the best in the game easily. Special, special guy. Everybody has rough days, but it certainly doesn't help to have pressure in your face. They're a good football team and they're going to do a lot of things this year. It wasn't their day today and it was kind of our day."
Is the next step to build on this?
"Yeah, as a defense we're looking at two out of the last three weeks we've played the run well, and you see what happens when we play the run well. That's the way we should be built. That should happen every week. Anything less can be pretty disappointing and unacceptable. That's why we get down when we give up over 100 yards, which we've done way too much. We just need to keep pounding away, trying to get our run defense shored up, and today was a good day as far as that's concerned."
How about the offense and seeing Tavon Austin doing that kind of stuff?
"He's awesome. He's been awesome all year really. Sometimes guys make plays, and plays get called back negated due to penalties. A guy is doing all the right things, but he’s just not catching any breaks. That's football, it's a team game. Today it was great to see those things come to fruition. All the hard work he's done has really paid off, and that's great for him."
Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano
Opening Statement:
"From an injury standpoint, (Mike) McGlynn went out, didn't return, with a thumb. He'll get an MRI, so I don't know the extent of the injury. Larry Asante went out with a hamstring. Same thing, I don't know the severity of it but he didn't come back. Credit the Rams and their coaching staff and their players, they came to play. They beat us in every single phase, from the first strip-sack, punt return, minus-four turnover margin, one-of-five red area, gave up big plays, we just didn't do anything. And I take full responsibility as the head football coach, did not have this team ready to play. We got to put it behind us. Got a short week, we're playing on the road, division game against Tennessee. If you got any questions, I'll be happy to answer them."
What makes you say you didn't have this team ready to play?
"Just obviously the way we played. I thought we practiced well. It was nothing during the course of the week, but obviously I didn't have them ready to play."
You talked about how strong their defensive front was all day. Was it stronger than you expected today?
"No, we knew. They were number one in the league in sacks, so the evidence was right there in front of us on tape. They knew it and our guys coming in, to a man, they knew it."
Is the issue with the offensive line an issue of competing hard or executing and winning match-ups?
"Never. Never competitive. It's never about competing. These guys are going to compete their ass off until the bitter end. We know that, so it's never an issue of that. Poor technique, poor fundamentals, communication, that leads to disaster. That leads to two-of-whatever on third down. That leads to one-of-five in the red area, minus-four turnover margin, you can go on and on and on. [Reporter: By that I meant just winning match-ups.] Absolutely, we didn't do that."
Was there anything wrong with Vontae Davis on that long touchdown pass?
"Poor communication, poor play by our defense."
What's your message to your team after a performance like this?
"We got to move on. We didn't play well. Credit them, they played better in every phase. It's a tough business. It's not for the meek. It's for grown men. Everybody in that locker room, coaches and players, we got broad enough shoulders to handle it. You sit there and you dwell on it and dwell on it, we ain't got time to dwell on it. It is what it is. We got our butts kicked and we got to move on."
You won coming from behind a lot this season. Do you think your players just anticipate that things will turn around at some point in a game like this?
"I think one of our players mentioned it this week that sooner or later it's going to catch up. And it caught up. Not enough rabbits foot in the pocket. And again, we're playing a good football team that came ready to play. Again, you do the things that we did to ourselves and catch them executing and making plays the way they made plays. Again, I go back and I read the clips just like everybody else and I think one of our guys mentioned it this week, can't keep digging ourselves a hole and hoping for another miracle, another comeback. Can't play football that way."
What do you make of the punt return that Tavon Austin took back. It looked like your guys got down there and just didn't think he was going to return it?
"Had guys down there and a bunch of guys maybe assuming play's going to be downed at the one-yard line. And again, we told our guys, they knew, this guy would catch it at the one, catch it five yards deep. He's that type of player and he's dynamic that way. Because of his special ability and his traits, and the way he can return, they give him the flexibility to do whatever. He made a great play and we obviously didn't cover well enough."
Were your returns just a matter of not seeing the field well or what?
"We didn't communicate well. We didn't execute well. They outran us."
Execution is important to success in every situation. Is the problem here not being able to execute early and falling behind, or not executing well late when you're behind?
"Probably all of the above. The way we started, you move the ball and get to midfield, but then you have a strip-sack and they pick it up and run it in for a score. One thing just led to another. We knew coming into this ball game after last week's game that we're not going to be able to consistently spot teams three-touchdown, four-touchdown leads and be able to come back. And we can't count on executing well on both sides of the ball and special teams for 30 minutes of the game, 15 minutes of the game, 17 minutes of the game, what happened in Houston. You got to do it over 60 minutes. You got to execute as well as you can over 60 minutes to give yourself a chance."
Quarterback Andrew Luck
When you couldn’t get the running game going, did you get the sense it was going to be a tough game?
“Yeah, it’s tough when you can’t run the ball. Credit to them for forcing us into a one-dimensional attack. Tough when you can’t run the ball. Did I have a sense of foreboding because we couldn’t? No. But it is tough when they force you into that one-dimensional football and credit to them for doing it.”
How good was that defensive front?
“They did a great job up front. I know our guys fought their butts off all the way to the end. I’m sure we had our snafus here and there. I had my lion’s share of mistakes. Some of those sacks are my fault. Those errors are my fault as well. Very good front four. Good football team and they beat us. Not much else to really say about it. They beat us fair and square in every which way they probably could.”
Did you want to be in at the end of the game?
“I did want to stay in the game. I think any competitor is going to want to stay in the game. You understand at the end of the day, Coach Pagano is making the decisions and he’s thinking on a much more macro scope of things. Understand his decisions are final. It stinks not to be in there at the end of the game but it’s his decision. Move on and start preparing for Tennessee.”
Are you glad to have a short week after that loss?
“Yeah, you want to get back out there and get that taste out of your mouth. We’ll prepare. The short weeks are always interesting. I think I learned that last year. We need to get back on the field and right our wrongs. Absolve our sins, if you will.”
How frustrating was it to start the game off with a turnover on offense?
“Yeah, that stunk. Terrible way to start the game with the strip sack and then returning it. Then when you get down, I think I forced a couple balls. They do a good job of playing zone, getting their hands on those balls, tipping them and making plays. It’s frustrating. I’m proud of the guys for fighting until the end. I don’t think you saw a lack of effort out there by anybody. So I guess that’s a half bright spot to it all.”
Did the score factor into some of your decision making?
“Yeah, you do. I think when you get down like that, you have to take chances. I’m not trying to make an excuse for throwing interceptions. They were bad throws, bad decisions. When you can’t line up with a fullback and tight end and run the ball and try and do what we pride ourselves on, you get one-dimensional. Again, credit to them for doing it. They forced those turnovers. They did a heck of a job. They beat us. It’s tough but we’ll move on.”
After the slow start, were you waiting for the tides to turn like they have in the past?
“We’ve never gone into any game saying ‘Alright, we’re going to have a slow start and momentum is going to pick up because we’re going to have a blocked field goal or hit a huge play.’ That’s not our modus, how we operate. We just didn’t make the play when we needed to. We got off to a terrible start. You realize you can’t survive your mistakes in the NFL forever. They jumped up 7-0 like that, 14-0, and we can’t answer, then it’s tough. Again, I think credit to them. They beat us fair and square. We’re excited to come back and work for Tennessee.”
Safety Antoine Bethea
The team is very proud, you have put together some great performances. This one, it has to be embarrassing for this team?
“Yeah, of course we did not want to go out there and perform like this. Give all the credit to St Louis. They came in and played hard. We got a short week so we have to put this behind us and get ready for Tennessee.”
Is it good to have a short week after a game like this?
“Yeah, we need to get back out on the field and just prove that this is not our style of play. So we’ll get back in here tomorrow and make some corrections. Travel Wednesday and get ready for Thursday.”
Cornerback Vontae Davis
What was Tavon Austin doing to you guys? How was he was able to get into those positions?
“They moved him around a lot, put him in mismatch situations, using his speed to run away from coverage and stuff. They executed today better than we did.”
Is this the kind of locker room that can handle something like today?
“Oh yeah, we got a lot of veterans in here. We don’t hold our head down. We know it’s a long season. We still got goals.”
On one play, it looked like you were hobbling a little bit. Did you hurt yourself or is Tavon Austin just that fast?
“Oh no, we just busted coverage. It was busted coverage on my part. I misread the play, busted coverage on my part so he got behind us.”
Tight End Coby Fleener
Sometimes a short week can be rough on the body, but are you guys looking forward to a short week after the performance today?
“I would say yeah that is probably a good thing for us. Obviously we would like to get the rest. But to get this game behind us, I think would be a great thing.”
You guys have had so many total team efforts in victory but this was kind of a total team effort in a loss. Is that something you can just put behind you and move on like you have moved on from the good victories?
“We have to try. We will do our best to learn what we can from this tape. Hopefully there will be a lot to learn. After that, we go on to the Titans.”
Given the fact this team has had so much momentum in the first half of the season, to get a loss like this, is it deflating at all? Does it stifle momentum?
“I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that question honestly. Hopefully we can use it to make us better. And not let it beat us down.”
Fans are always thinking no matter how far you guys get behind, you’re still waiting for that rally to start. But it just never seemed to come today. Was there any kind of frustration out there?
“Yeah, frustration is probably an understatement. We finally dug ourselves a hole that we couldn’t dig out of. And I think that was probably coming, based on what we have done in the past. So hopefully we can use this to learn from.”
Fullback Stanley Havili
On a game like this, you just want to turn on the film or you just have to focus on what the mistakes were and get busy correcting them?
“I think with a short week, it’s an advantage for us to put this loss to rest, learn from the mistakes and get ready for Thursday.”
You ever been a part of a game where it just seems like the wheels fall off, it’s one of those days where everything that could go wrong did? Is that something that happens no matter what the season is?
“It was frustrating to say the least. We just couldn’t get things going. Very excited to get this sour taste out of my mouth.”
Wide Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey
How do you explain a performance like that? That seemed to come out of nowhere, the way you guys had been playing.
“They just executed. We didn’t. It’s as simple as that. They beat us. Plain and simple. That’s how football goes sometimes.”
After all the momentum this team has built, to have a game like this, how deflating is it?
“I mean it’s deflating. But the good thing is we have a game on Thursday to kind of just get it behind us. We have a division game. So that’s even more important. We got to just throw it behind us, learn from our mistakes and take it from there.”
What’s up with these slow starts? It seems like this team just keeps digging early holes. Do you recognize that?
“If I knew the answer, it would probably be fixable. But we just have to execute and make plays for Andrew (Luck). We just have to execute in all phases of football, offense, defense and special teams.”
Wide Receiver T.Y. Hilton
A tough performance this afternoon, what do you learn, what do you take away from a game like this one?
“We have to do something about the slow starts. It only catches up with you when it catches up with you and it caught up with us today. They were the better team today. And that’s it.”
Is there still a process of adjustment this team is going through when you are trying to replace a player like Reggie Wayne offensively?
“There is no replacing him. We can get that out here right now. There is no replacing him. That’s a special guy. So trying to replace 87, you are going to do way too much. Just stay within ourselves and just be the players we know how to be.”
The lack of turnovers this season has been a bright spot for this team. How frustrating were the ones today, especially when you look at where they came?
“It was very frustrating. But we know we are better than that. We just have to sleep on this tonight. There will be less sleep and a lot of film working. And we just got to get better.”
Defensive End Cory Redding
Even all the momentum this team had gained, is this a setback?
“It isn’t a setback at all, man. It’s just again, a time of the season to look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘What can I do next time to eliminate this?’ Like I said, they played a heck of a game. We just got to come back, bounce back for Thursday night and get ready for Tennessee.”
Is the mindset of the locker room in the right place and perspective regardless win or lose situation?
“Regardless of what happens, we know what we have. Like I said, our mental mentality, our toughness, our belief in one another has not wavered. They were a better team today. They outplayed us, period. You can’t take anything from the Rams. They came in and executed well, we didn’t. Hat goes off
Opening Statement:
“Wow. Nice to come in at halftime having scored in all three phases. It was a great effort the first half and then in the second half, things seemed to get out of hand a little bit, but we made plays in the second half that we needed to make. What kept going through you mind is, ‘Andrew’s (Luck) comebacks, his comebacks, his comebacks and there’s never enough points,’ but the turnover in the second half really gave us a chance. I’m proud for Kellen (Clemens). I thought Rodger (Saffold) played pretty well at right guard, that’s a move that we made earlier in the week. We need to firm it up in there; I thought he did a nice job. What can you say about number 11 (Tavon Austin), got the football in his hands and I found myself saying, “get away, get away, get away,” on the punt that he fielded on the two-yard line, then I went from “get away, get away, get away,” to “go, go, go.” Anyway, it was a good effort and I was proud of them. I’m asked often times, “Will they bounce back?’ Well, we said, “Yes.” And we did.”
In all of your years where does this performance with Tavon Austin sit?
“Close to the top now because, just a variety of things, in the return game and then the catch and run for a touchdown. We still had some stuff in there too. Maybe we’ll carry it over for Chicago.”
Is this why you traded up eight spots (to draft Tavon Austin)? Did you see this kind of thing?
“The ability, yeah. He (Tavon Austin) has the chance to change games and we’re just going to keep working to get him the football.”
How do you feel for Tavon Austin after this game?
“There’s respect for him. After the return for touchdown and then the pooch punts took over again and then he ends up just fair catching it, but when he gets his hands on one, you see what he can do.”
How much leeway do you give Tavon Austin on returns?
“Well, I’ve worked with him on the decision making process. So, I’m not going to say I’m guessing the decisions he makes. I’m confident in the decisions that he’s making.”
How were you able to take the Colts out of their running game?
“Well, it helps when you get up fast, which we did, so I didn’t expect to see much runs in the second half, going in with that lead. The defensive effort on third down was huge for us in the first half. I think they’re 1-for-8. When we’ve had problems, that’s been the area that we go to. I thought the guys did a nice job with that.”
With the kickoff coverage, you’ve had three of them within the 10-yard line. What are your thoughts on all of that?
“We’ve been working real hard at it. Coach (John) Fassel has done a great job with those young guys. We challenge them every week, but we had a great plan this week.”
Did you feel that when you entered the game you would have the opportunity to go deep in the passing game?
“Yeah, if we were able to continue to run the football. If we got behind them they would take it away, but because we were up and running the football, it created those opportunities.”
Your ability to rush the passer with four, what impact does that have on the game?
“Well, it showed in the first half when they were in the hurry up, but they were play action passing with basic offensive personnel, just for protection. And we made some adjustments and still got there. We put really good pressure on him (Andrew Luck). He’s an outstanding quarterback. It was a tough week for the whole defensive staff watching him play.”
Any thoughts on the red zone interceptions?
“Pressure. I think pressure. When the league gets to where it is they can’t settle for three’s. So, they’re trying to force a ball in there.”
After a game like this do you wish you were playing next week?
“Again, I said the bye week always comes at a good time. We’re going to take advantage of this, get guys healed up, get some rest, and work on things that we need to work on.”
Coach where would you say both Tavon Austin is relative to the start of the season and where you are incorporating him into the offense?
“Well, we still have more to go and it’s not an issue with Tavon. We have to use our other weapons and we have to run the football and do other things offensively. We’re working ourselves into some good little packages for him.”
Quarterback Kellen Clemens
What kind of reception have you received from the team since taking over as the starter?
“Not every backup quarterback that is forced in a starting role gets the same reception that I’ve gotten from this football team. So I’m really blessed to be in the position that I am because from the offensive line, the wide receivers to the defense, to the coaches, the specialists, everybody has elevated their play since Sam (Bradford) went down and has really supported me. So that’s as good of a situation as you could ask for.”
When you were planning for this game, did you anticipate that you would need to throw more deep passes?
“You have to take shots every week and we do that every week. We game-plan based on coverages, based on personnel. We game-plan to take some shots. This week, like I said, we just did a good job of landing the shots that presented themselves.”
What are your thoughts on scoring so many points that not even Andrew Luck could overcome?
“That’s the thing. You’re looking across the field and you’re looking at a guy that’s still pretty young, but has shown time and time again that if it’s a close ballgame in the fourth quarter, he’s going to give his team an opportunity to win. It’s a little bit different going down the stretch when you’re up by 30. It was fun just to get a win. It’s been awhile for this football team. That’s the main thing. Just get a win. Go in the bye week with a good feeling, and like I said, hopefully get some guys healthy, get some guys back and be at full strength when we face Chicago.”
When you see Tavon Austin one-on-one, how does that affect you when you’re going to throw a deep ball to him?
“With a guy like Tavon, you just throw as far as you can. There’s really not a lot of thinking. On that particular play, you’ve got to take your hat off really to (Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) ‘Schotty’ as well because on third down – what was it third-and-seven, third-and-eight or something like that – a lot of teams are going to defend the sticks. They know that you’re just (thinking), ‘Hey, let’s get a first down conversion, let’s get out of here.’ So it takes a set to call a shot in that down and distance. Credit Brian for dialing it up.”
Was Tavon Austin the primary receiver on that play?
“You’ve got Tavon Austin on one side and you’ve got Chris Givens on the other, so you’re throwing to great speed on either side. Based on the coverage that they played, Tavon was the best option. They put a safety over the top of Givens and Tavon, with his speed, just ran past him.”
On your 57-yard touchdown pass to Tavon Austin, how did the hang time on the throw affect the play?
“In going back to last week, again, the play that I missed to Tavon, it could’ve been a 70-something yarder, it was flat. When a guy has the speed that Tavon has, if you put it high and far, nine times out of 10, he can run under it. And they played a coverage where I could put more air on it because I wasn’t worried about a safety getting involved.”
Wide Receiver Tavon Austin
Is this the game you've been waiting to have your entire season so far?
"I mean definitely. That's anybody. I'm just glad that my opportunity came. The coaches and players trust in me, and I'm glad we got the win."
Tell me about that punt return. You waved everybody off. Was it a last-minute decision to take it and find some daylight?
"Oh it definitely was a last-minute decision. I waved them all off there. I should have caught the ball and had good field position on the 10-yard line. I let it bounce, so I just had to make a split decision, went with my instincts, and I just made a play."
How about the two touchdown catches on the bombs? Did you just find yourself open? Tell us about those plays.
"(Vontae) Davis definitely had good coverage on me. Kellen (Clemens) just gave me a chance, and threw it out there and I just made a play."
How about the feeling in this locker room? I know the season hasn't gone the way you guys wanted so far. To take your frustrations out on a very good Indianapolis team, you guys have to feel great in here right now.
"Oh definitely. My hat goes off to a great team over there but we definitely have a great team too. We just keep pushing it in practice. You never know what can happen in these last couple of games."
Linebacker James Laurinaitis
I know it's great to get after the quarterback, but does it all start with stopping the run? I know that's something you guys take a lot of pride in.
"Yeah, it definitely does. There have been too many times this year where teams have said they need to get back on track in the run game and they've come into us knowing they're going to run and they ran it well. Dallas did that, Tennessee did that, and that's too many. Hearing them say that they wanted to run the ball, and get back on track in that department, it was motivation just for us to say, 'Hey we've got to put that fire out. If they're going beat us, make them throw it.' We were able to do that today."
How about your guy Tavon Austin on that punt return?
"I felt bad for him because he's had a lot of explosive plays that have been called back. I know he's been frustrated because of it. To have him finally be rewarded, and to see him continue to work despite the circumstances, and despite those calls and everything being called back. It was good to see him rewarded, and good to see that highlight reel today."
You guys got that defensive touchdown on their first offensive possession. What did that do as far as setting the tone for the rest of the game?
"I think any time you score on defense, it helps propel you towards victory. It's hard for teams to overcome. Even after that we knew with their team, nothing was far from over just because we scored on D. There were some other plays out there that we made that were huge. With a team like this, you've got to do it every drive, and I thought we did that. We stayed focused and we stayed after them."
Defensive End Chris Long
Did you just take out nine weeks of frustration on a very good Colts team?
"Well they're a damn good football team. We just started with stopping the run. That was a big deal for us. You can see that when we do that we're pretty good in every area of the game. When the offense is doing that the way they were today, it was really a complete win."
Do you think you really bothered Andrew Luck with getting in his face? He seemed to be missing some open receivers too. The pressure really got to him it seemed like.
"Maybe. I think he's one of the best in the game easily. Special, special guy. Everybody has rough days, but it certainly doesn't help to have pressure in your face. They're a good football team and they're going to do a lot of things this year. It wasn't their day today and it was kind of our day."
Is the next step to build on this?
"Yeah, as a defense we're looking at two out of the last three weeks we've played the run well, and you see what happens when we play the run well. That's the way we should be built. That should happen every week. Anything less can be pretty disappointing and unacceptable. That's why we get down when we give up over 100 yards, which we've done way too much. We just need to keep pounding away, trying to get our run defense shored up, and today was a good day as far as that's concerned."
How about the offense and seeing Tavon Austin doing that kind of stuff?
"He's awesome. He's been awesome all year really. Sometimes guys make plays, and plays get called back negated due to penalties. A guy is doing all the right things, but he’s just not catching any breaks. That's football, it's a team game. Today it was great to see those things come to fruition. All the hard work he's done has really paid off, and that's great for him."
Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano
Opening Statement:
"From an injury standpoint, (Mike) McGlynn went out, didn't return, with a thumb. He'll get an MRI, so I don't know the extent of the injury. Larry Asante went out with a hamstring. Same thing, I don't know the severity of it but he didn't come back. Credit the Rams and their coaching staff and their players, they came to play. They beat us in every single phase, from the first strip-sack, punt return, minus-four turnover margin, one-of-five red area, gave up big plays, we just didn't do anything. And I take full responsibility as the head football coach, did not have this team ready to play. We got to put it behind us. Got a short week, we're playing on the road, division game against Tennessee. If you got any questions, I'll be happy to answer them."
What makes you say you didn't have this team ready to play?
"Just obviously the way we played. I thought we practiced well. It was nothing during the course of the week, but obviously I didn't have them ready to play."
You talked about how strong their defensive front was all day. Was it stronger than you expected today?
"No, we knew. They were number one in the league in sacks, so the evidence was right there in front of us on tape. They knew it and our guys coming in, to a man, they knew it."
Is the issue with the offensive line an issue of competing hard or executing and winning match-ups?
"Never. Never competitive. It's never about competing. These guys are going to compete their ass off until the bitter end. We know that, so it's never an issue of that. Poor technique, poor fundamentals, communication, that leads to disaster. That leads to two-of-whatever on third down. That leads to one-of-five in the red area, minus-four turnover margin, you can go on and on and on. [Reporter: By that I meant just winning match-ups.] Absolutely, we didn't do that."
Was there anything wrong with Vontae Davis on that long touchdown pass?
"Poor communication, poor play by our defense."
What's your message to your team after a performance like this?
"We got to move on. We didn't play well. Credit them, they played better in every phase. It's a tough business. It's not for the meek. It's for grown men. Everybody in that locker room, coaches and players, we got broad enough shoulders to handle it. You sit there and you dwell on it and dwell on it, we ain't got time to dwell on it. It is what it is. We got our butts kicked and we got to move on."
You won coming from behind a lot this season. Do you think your players just anticipate that things will turn around at some point in a game like this?
"I think one of our players mentioned it this week that sooner or later it's going to catch up. And it caught up. Not enough rabbits foot in the pocket. And again, we're playing a good football team that came ready to play. Again, you do the things that we did to ourselves and catch them executing and making plays the way they made plays. Again, I go back and I read the clips just like everybody else and I think one of our guys mentioned it this week, can't keep digging ourselves a hole and hoping for another miracle, another comeback. Can't play football that way."
What do you make of the punt return that Tavon Austin took back. It looked like your guys got down there and just didn't think he was going to return it?
"Had guys down there and a bunch of guys maybe assuming play's going to be downed at the one-yard line. And again, we told our guys, they knew, this guy would catch it at the one, catch it five yards deep. He's that type of player and he's dynamic that way. Because of his special ability and his traits, and the way he can return, they give him the flexibility to do whatever. He made a great play and we obviously didn't cover well enough."
Were your returns just a matter of not seeing the field well or what?
"We didn't communicate well. We didn't execute well. They outran us."
Execution is important to success in every situation. Is the problem here not being able to execute early and falling behind, or not executing well late when you're behind?
"Probably all of the above. The way we started, you move the ball and get to midfield, but then you have a strip-sack and they pick it up and run it in for a score. One thing just led to another. We knew coming into this ball game after last week's game that we're not going to be able to consistently spot teams three-touchdown, four-touchdown leads and be able to come back. And we can't count on executing well on both sides of the ball and special teams for 30 minutes of the game, 15 minutes of the game, 17 minutes of the game, what happened in Houston. You got to do it over 60 minutes. You got to execute as well as you can over 60 minutes to give yourself a chance."
Quarterback Andrew Luck
When you couldn’t get the running game going, did you get the sense it was going to be a tough game?
“Yeah, it’s tough when you can’t run the ball. Credit to them for forcing us into a one-dimensional attack. Tough when you can’t run the ball. Did I have a sense of foreboding because we couldn’t? No. But it is tough when they force you into that one-dimensional football and credit to them for doing it.”
How good was that defensive front?
“They did a great job up front. I know our guys fought their butts off all the way to the end. I’m sure we had our snafus here and there. I had my lion’s share of mistakes. Some of those sacks are my fault. Those errors are my fault as well. Very good front four. Good football team and they beat us. Not much else to really say about it. They beat us fair and square in every which way they probably could.”
Did you want to be in at the end of the game?
“I did want to stay in the game. I think any competitor is going to want to stay in the game. You understand at the end of the day, Coach Pagano is making the decisions and he’s thinking on a much more macro scope of things. Understand his decisions are final. It stinks not to be in there at the end of the game but it’s his decision. Move on and start preparing for Tennessee.”
Are you glad to have a short week after that loss?
“Yeah, you want to get back out there and get that taste out of your mouth. We’ll prepare. The short weeks are always interesting. I think I learned that last year. We need to get back on the field and right our wrongs. Absolve our sins, if you will.”
How frustrating was it to start the game off with a turnover on offense?
“Yeah, that stunk. Terrible way to start the game with the strip sack and then returning it. Then when you get down, I think I forced a couple balls. They do a good job of playing zone, getting their hands on those balls, tipping them and making plays. It’s frustrating. I’m proud of the guys for fighting until the end. I don’t think you saw a lack of effort out there by anybody. So I guess that’s a half bright spot to it all.”
Did the score factor into some of your decision making?
“Yeah, you do. I think when you get down like that, you have to take chances. I’m not trying to make an excuse for throwing interceptions. They were bad throws, bad decisions. When you can’t line up with a fullback and tight end and run the ball and try and do what we pride ourselves on, you get one-dimensional. Again, credit to them for doing it. They forced those turnovers. They did a heck of a job. They beat us. It’s tough but we’ll move on.”
After the slow start, were you waiting for the tides to turn like they have in the past?
“We’ve never gone into any game saying ‘Alright, we’re going to have a slow start and momentum is going to pick up because we’re going to have a blocked field goal or hit a huge play.’ That’s not our modus, how we operate. We just didn’t make the play when we needed to. We got off to a terrible start. You realize you can’t survive your mistakes in the NFL forever. They jumped up 7-0 like that, 14-0, and we can’t answer, then it’s tough. Again, I think credit to them. They beat us fair and square. We’re excited to come back and work for Tennessee.”
Safety Antoine Bethea
The team is very proud, you have put together some great performances. This one, it has to be embarrassing for this team?
“Yeah, of course we did not want to go out there and perform like this. Give all the credit to St Louis. They came in and played hard. We got a short week so we have to put this behind us and get ready for Tennessee.”
Is it good to have a short week after a game like this?
“Yeah, we need to get back out on the field and just prove that this is not our style of play. So we’ll get back in here tomorrow and make some corrections. Travel Wednesday and get ready for Thursday.”
Cornerback Vontae Davis
What was Tavon Austin doing to you guys? How was he was able to get into those positions?
“They moved him around a lot, put him in mismatch situations, using his speed to run away from coverage and stuff. They executed today better than we did.”
Is this the kind of locker room that can handle something like today?
“Oh yeah, we got a lot of veterans in here. We don’t hold our head down. We know it’s a long season. We still got goals.”
On one play, it looked like you were hobbling a little bit. Did you hurt yourself or is Tavon Austin just that fast?
“Oh no, we just busted coverage. It was busted coverage on my part. I misread the play, busted coverage on my part so he got behind us.”
Tight End Coby Fleener
Sometimes a short week can be rough on the body, but are you guys looking forward to a short week after the performance today?
“I would say yeah that is probably a good thing for us. Obviously we would like to get the rest. But to get this game behind us, I think would be a great thing.”
You guys have had so many total team efforts in victory but this was kind of a total team effort in a loss. Is that something you can just put behind you and move on like you have moved on from the good victories?
“We have to try. We will do our best to learn what we can from this tape. Hopefully there will be a lot to learn. After that, we go on to the Titans.”
Given the fact this team has had so much momentum in the first half of the season, to get a loss like this, is it deflating at all? Does it stifle momentum?
“I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that question honestly. Hopefully we can use it to make us better. And not let it beat us down.”
Fans are always thinking no matter how far you guys get behind, you’re still waiting for that rally to start. But it just never seemed to come today. Was there any kind of frustration out there?
“Yeah, frustration is probably an understatement. We finally dug ourselves a hole that we couldn’t dig out of. And I think that was probably coming, based on what we have done in the past. So hopefully we can use this to learn from.”
Fullback Stanley Havili
On a game like this, you just want to turn on the film or you just have to focus on what the mistakes were and get busy correcting them?
“I think with a short week, it’s an advantage for us to put this loss to rest, learn from the mistakes and get ready for Thursday.”
You ever been a part of a game where it just seems like the wheels fall off, it’s one of those days where everything that could go wrong did? Is that something that happens no matter what the season is?
“It was frustrating to say the least. We just couldn’t get things going. Very excited to get this sour taste out of my mouth.”
Wide Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey
How do you explain a performance like that? That seemed to come out of nowhere, the way you guys had been playing.
“They just executed. We didn’t. It’s as simple as that. They beat us. Plain and simple. That’s how football goes sometimes.”
After all the momentum this team has built, to have a game like this, how deflating is it?
“I mean it’s deflating. But the good thing is we have a game on Thursday to kind of just get it behind us. We have a division game. So that’s even more important. We got to just throw it behind us, learn from our mistakes and take it from there.”
What’s up with these slow starts? It seems like this team just keeps digging early holes. Do you recognize that?
“If I knew the answer, it would probably be fixable. But we just have to execute and make plays for Andrew (Luck). We just have to execute in all phases of football, offense, defense and special teams.”
Wide Receiver T.Y. Hilton
A tough performance this afternoon, what do you learn, what do you take away from a game like this one?
“We have to do something about the slow starts. It only catches up with you when it catches up with you and it caught up with us today. They were the better team today. And that’s it.”
Is there still a process of adjustment this team is going through when you are trying to replace a player like Reggie Wayne offensively?
“There is no replacing him. We can get that out here right now. There is no replacing him. That’s a special guy. So trying to replace 87, you are going to do way too much. Just stay within ourselves and just be the players we know how to be.”
The lack of turnovers this season has been a bright spot for this team. How frustrating were the ones today, especially when you look at where they came?
“It was very frustrating. But we know we are better than that. We just have to sleep on this tonight. There will be less sleep and a lot of film working. And we just got to get better.”
Defensive End Cory Redding
Even all the momentum this team had gained, is this a setback?
“It isn’t a setback at all, man. It’s just again, a time of the season to look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘What can I do next time to eliminate this?’ Like I said, they played a heck of a game. We just got to come back, bounce back for Thursday night and get ready for Tennessee.”
Is the mindset of the locker room in the right place and perspective regardless win or lose situation?
“Regardless of what happens, we know what we have. Like I said, our mental mentality, our toughness, our belief in one another has not wavered. They were a better team today. They outplayed us, period. You can’t take anything from the Rams. They came in and executed well, we didn’t. Hat goes off
