TITANS vs COLTS
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020
# # #
FRANK REICH: Okay. Just a quick injury update. Kenny Moore with the ribs, so we will get him an MRI and check up on him. Really proud of the way the guys played. Had a complete team win in all three phases. Just came out aggressive, locked in. We just wanted to get prepared. We knew were coming on the road, division, a lot at stake, but really still just focused on getting better. Still got a long way to go, a lot of games to go. This was an important one, but it was just the next one, and just like the way that we came out and were aggressive in all three phases and the players just got it done. So, open up to questions.
Q. Frank, what was the mood at half, and do you think that was the best half you guys have played all season, that second half?
FRANK REICH: We finished the way we needed to finish for sure. So for this year, yes, it is. The mood was great. We knew – we just kind of came in and said, 'This is what we expected, a tight game.' Just going back and forth. Felt like we were able to do some things, but we needed to lock in and finish it off, which we did.
Q. Is this the Michael Pittman you expected to see when you drafted him in the second round?
FRANK REICH: Yeah, he looked explosive, like a beast with the football in his hand. Had a chance to get him going, looked good on the reverse, so, yeah, he did what we needed him to do today.
Q. I know you guys always want get Nyheim (Hines) involved, but there are games where he barely touches the ball and games where he goes crazy. Was that a focal point tonight? Did you see him having this kind of impact, or was it just his night?
FRANK REICH: It's his birthday. I mean, a little birthday present to him. No, I'm just kidding. No, I mean, he just came out and he just had fire in his eye. I can't explain it. Coach (Tom) Rathman came up to me on the sideline and said, 'Nyheim (Hines) is on fire.' I said, 'Leave him in. Give him a break when he needs a break, but let's ride it.' He came out ready to play, and he always does. Every now and then, you know how it is, you're in the zone is and you got a little extra juice and Nyheim had that out there today.
Q. When did Rathman tell you that?
FRANK REICH: It was early, in the first quarter.
Q. We talked last week after the game how was it an opportunity lost; today was just the flip side. Yes, it was 1-0, but AFC South implications and all that, is this like one and a half and or not?
FRANK REICH: Yeah, I mean, it was a good opportunity. I mean, it was a little bit of redemption from last week. No, I think they only count one. We got another big one this week and again against these guys in two weeks, so this was important. It's 1-0, but we came ready to play and had the right mindset, and then finished it off.
Q. I hate to ask, but with Muhammad getting ejected there, what did you see and what's the reaction?
FRANK REICH: I mean, I tried. I asked the official afterwards or right after the play, I said, 'What happened?' He said something, somebody getting hit on the head. I wasn't able to see it. But certainly we don't condone that or like that happening.
Q. Really aggressive on the fourth downs tonight. I know you skew that way anyway, but was there any sort of common thread between the aggressiveness in terms of your decision making?
FRANK REICH: Just trusting the players. Look, we're three-for-five. I mean, we got to be better than that honestly in a game like this, and we had a – we got stopped on a couple drives, some short-yardage running there that was not happy about from both a coaching and playing standpoint, so we'll get that cleaned up. But just felt like we needed to be aggressive. I know Coach Vrabel. This is just one of those games. There is a lot on the line in this game had to be aggressive in all three phases.
Q. Looked like the TV broadcast caught you had conviction written on your play card. Can you tell us why that is and how long you've had it there?
FRANK REICH: It's been there for a couple years. I just not as a – it's for me personally, a reminder to me to play with conviction, to call plays with conviction, and to have conviction in what we're doing, have conviction in who we're doing it with. You can't flinch. So, that's just a reminder.
Q. You had that the whole time. Is that a word you look at on fourth downs in particular?
FRANK REICH: To me it's just important all the time. It's important all the time. Yeah, most certainly on the most crucial calls that's really when you need it. You got to have confidence and conviction in the call and in the players executing.
Q. Frank, we're always asking you questions about Philip when he's not perfect. He wasn't perfect tonight but damn close. Fill me in on why he had the game he had tonight.
FRANK REICH: Certainly right about that, he was close to perfect. I mean, had that feeling all week. We got if the no-huddle mode and he and I have done a lot of that together over the years. We talked about it during the week, he and I and Nick (Sirianni). You know, he and I and Nick talked about it, and then in the last 24, 48 – 24 hours just really decided to have conviction about going with it almost the whole game, and Philip (Rivers) is just in this control that puts him in the driver's seat. It allows him to see everything and get us in the right play when he needs to, which he did with regularity tonight. He was just really good in that mode and he was accurate. Good decisions, good checks in the run game, good situational football, so he was on point tonight for sure.
