HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK
(on importance of win to get back on track)
That was the main thing going in, it's be a long time with the bye week there, three weeks since we've won. We knew we had to play well and win a game at home, again that whole thing about winning at home. We have to get that back going again and so it is just a great feeling for all of us to get to 4-3.
* (on how much the blocked punt for the TD made things easier)*
The special teams in general just played well. I think when they brought it out we tackled them inside the 10, inside the 15. We kept them pinned back there the whole first half. It was hard for them offensively to do much. Our defense took advantage of that, the crowd noise, you saw them having penalties, they struggled in the first half getting anything going offensively which gave us great field position throughout the day and put them in a tough spot as you mentioned the block, for a touchdown. (Patrick) Bailey getting that and (Jason) McCourty recovering it, a huge play, obviously anytime you can score points on the special teams that was great to see.
Like I said, those guys were playing hard, coverage was great all day. That really helps set the tempo for the game, I think for the game in the first half with the way the special teams played.
(on making the big play on special teams)
It looked good. It has been something that they have been wanting to make a play on special teams. I know the Pittsburgh game we had a couple in a losing effort, though. So, we knew this was the kind of game where if you do it early in the game, it helps the momentum. I think that helped us a lot. And then we finally get the turnovers, we got two turnovers in the game, one before the half on the interception that Griff (Michael Griffin) got leads to a touchdown. The offense (had) probably the best drive of the first half, we finally had something going on offense and had a really nice drive there to get to 20-0 which was huge.
I think then in the second half again Barrett Rudd gets the interception, the offense again goes down and gets seven points. We hadn't had any turnovers the last couple of games, we got two and turned into 14 points. We got a couple of sacks. So, those are the things I think we know we need to do which shows you what a difference it makes in a game and so it was fun to watch guys make plays again and have exciting things happen and us turn them into points.
(on going with Javon Ringer more in the second half)
I think in general just we knew we were going to give both a chance to get reps and get some plays. He made a couple of runs which was good, Ringer did. Chris (Johnson) had some early in the game, so it was just a matter of how we rotated them, really not much thought to it, just more or less how the game was going. I mean, heck, Ringer came out one of his best runs I think. Chris was back in, so we are just running both guys. I think it ended up even in carries or close to it.
* (on the decision to have the running backs sharing time on the field)*
Well, I think every game will be different. I just think it depends on the flow of the game, how it's going. I don't think we're consciously trying to decide by series who's playing. We're not doing any of that. It's more of a feel thing for Skip (Jim Skipper), our running backs coach. He probably wants to roll them as we're going. Sometimes there's a type of play that you may want to call so, no, we'll just play it forward. We know we're a work in progress as a run game. We know we're not where we want to be yet by any means so we have to keep working to improve that.
(on being still troubled by Chris Johnson not being on track)
Today, I'm not troubled. Today I'm happy we won the game. I think we ought to appreciate the good things that happened in the game. We all know as coaches, as head coaches, we know there's something in that film that we are going to be frustrated by and we can do better. We could have a lot more points on the board, especially in the first half with the good field position we had because of what was going on. The offense, again, we weren't clicking really at all. Like I said, other than the two-minute drive, you'll find we had something going there. There's a lot of things we'll improve upon. We know that going forward but again it's nice to win a division game, finally, with the Colts and get ourselves 1-2 in the division and win a game at home like we talked about. We have to win all these games at home from now on and this will help us build on playing Cincinnati next weekend here.
(on the touchdown off block, seeing something in Jason McCourty)
He's been playing well. Last weekend, I think he had 14 tackles, 15 tackles. He has a good solid season going for himself. I think he had another game where he had a tipped ball earlier in the season that let Cortland (Finnegan) get a pick and that's what it's all about. We batted some balls up. The D-line did a good job of getting their hands up on some which again broke on some big third downs. Fourth downs we're batting balls down from the line of scrimmage which is the same as making a great play. It's not a sack, but it's a great play for a D-lineman. I think you saw that in where we were really taking control of the game there. We let them have a little success there in the third and fourth quarter which we wish we could have, like I said, things we look back on, say we did a better job. We kept them out of the end zone twice there in the third and fourth quarter which was good. You've just got to build on the good things we did within the game.
(on not suiting up Craig Stevens because he wasn't feeling well today)
Craig, yes, during the week, we're hoping he would have done more on Friday. He didn't feel quite as good as he did last week. Before the game last week, the Texan game, he felt better, like he was getting a little better. He was able to do more. This Friday, he struggled to do more to get reps so we thought it would be better to give him a rest, and not reinjure it today or get it sore and hopefully we can him over the hump and get him back for Cincinnati where he'll be able to practice all week and have that confidence of practicing and get him back next week. It was kind of a game-time decision to go ahead and do that.
(on being satisfied with the lack of penalties)
Well, it's huge. I mean, that's been hurting us even some of the flags. They picked up two especially earlier which was nice to see that they overruled the one official over the other. Still at the end there, we felt giving us three or four in the fourth quarter, whatever it was, didn't hurt us but you wished that we didn't have any of them. If that's trending on the way we'd like to go that we're playing mistake free football in that regard. I don't know that we turned the ball over. I don't think we did in the game but it's things like that we did a nice job. This is a team that does a great job stripping the ball. I thought the protection was good against some good pass rushers. We did that part real well as an offense. Again, a lot of good things in the game. Obviously, a win is the bottom line. There's some things we know we need to improve upon but it's good to get to 4-3from the way the last two weeks went so again we're going to enjoy this and learn from it and get ready for next week.
QB MATT HASSELBECK
(on taking advantage of Colts' turnovers)
Our defense did a great job of helping us out. We started slow, we got three points to start but we didn't play our best football and so they did a nice job of keeping us in it. The turnovers are obviously huge and we did not turn the ball over. Our special teams scored a touchdown, which is obviously a great thing. I think we have to do a better job on offense. When our defense or special teams does score, you're on the sidelines for a long time, you can get out of a rhythm. So you've just got to stay fresh, stay ready to go. There's a lot to correct but I'm very excited about the win. I wish we were all more excited because that's a big win for us at home. It would not have been good if we didn't win. So after two games of losing, it was nice to get back to winning a game.
(on RB Javon Ringer running better in second half)
Nothing was said to me or anything like that at all. It was just…we go into the game with really a two-back plan, just like every team probably. Some plays are one guys, the other plays are another guys and then short yardage and goal line we've got even a third guy. One of these days we might actually hand the ball off to Sarge (Ahmard Hall)…maybe, someday. I think it was just a matter of what we were liking against these guys and just rotating people through.
(on Javon Ringer's numbers)
I don't know. I haven't seen the numbers. Again, we're just trying to find plays that can be successful. Running the ball is something that they have been really good at here in the past and we were decent in the preseason, but we haven't been good in the regular season. So, we're trying to fix that and it gets talked about all the time. We have meetings all day long on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday partially about that stuff, so we're all searching for ways. I think today what we tried to do is simplify what we were doing and just do it better and have some runs we can hang our hat on. You know, get four yards on a first down run or four yards on a second down run and eliminate the tackles for loss. Coming into this game too, a point of emphasis was holding penalties. This crew is a very good crew, but the stats say that they call the most holding penalties, I think. So that was a point of emphasis for our guys up front, our tight ends, our receivers, to not have negative plays in the running game.
(on winning today)
Yeah, we need it. I've had some years where you just can't get a break and then other years where despite you kind of shooting yourself in the foot early in the season, you're still not out of it, you've still got a chance. So for us, with nine games to go, if you would've said at the beginning of the year, hey, will you take this, will you take 4-3 after dealing with all of this, and Kenny Britt and all of this stuff, would you take that opportunity. I think we would take that opportunity. You can't ask for a whole lot more and we control our own destiny, in a way here, so I think we feel good about it. We've just got to improve and get better so that we're not relying on other people to help us.
(on playing a team that's winless)
It's dangerous. It's dangerous playing a team like that because you know they've got All-Pro players on their side. I mean, looking across the field it's (Robert) Mathis, it's (Dwight) Freeney, it's (Antoine) Bethea, they've got talent. They've got serious talent and even on the offensive side of the ball, they've got Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and (Pierre) Garcon, Jeff Saturday, they've got guys that you know can play. So, every week you go into the game, you look at the stats, you say, okay hey, these guys don't blitz that much, this is the coverage they play, but they're 0-7, they're 0-6, they've got nothing to lose, you don't know what they're going to do. So you kind of come into the game feeling like, hey I don't know. They blitzed us early, just to see I think if we had an answer for it. We do a really nice job against the blitz here and we get the ball out quick sometimes so it worked out. But it's tougher, your preparation, you don't feel necessarily as prepared because they really got nothing to lose, they can do whatever they want.
(on play to WR Damian Williams)
That was a big play, that was a very big play. We actually had I think a run called, alerting it to a pass if we didn't get the look that we wanted. We didn't really get the look and then we had the formation into the boundry to just look kind of tight over there. He actually had, I believe, a shorter, like a five or six-yard route on that play and I hand-signaled him a different route and it was a deep ball, it was a go-route, and he made a huge play. Those are the kinds of plays that we need guys to make across the board no matter what your position is, so that was a big play for us.
(on negative body language from the Colts)
Well just from my experience playing those guys, they're not a team that talks a lot of trash, they're just a team that goes out and does their job and does it well, that's typically how it's been. On the first drive, I probably got hit three to four maybe five times by (Dwight) Freeney, hard. He just hits you and he just gets up and walks away like, yeah I expect to be there when you're getting rid of the ball. They are just pros. There's other teams that talk a little bit more trash and have a little more, but it's been my experience anyway against the Colts that's just their demeanor.
(on RB Chris Johnson's play in the open field and his lack of play)
The play you're talking about it was like third-and-19 and they're in a cover two but really it's like four guys are rushing and everybody's deep, and we sent four guys deep and I checked it down to him and at that point you're just playing field position. Their defense is kind of like an accordion. They expand (inaudible) if their men don't break, they kind of expand and then they just come right back in. So, the best thing to do in that situation is to catch it and get north, get what you can, but that wasn't…sometimes I think as a player I know for me you can try to do too much when people get on you. When things aren't going well, you can try to do a little too much and just kind of stick them to, I know that's gotten me, but I didn't see that.
(on whether it's time for a change in the running game)
I think, like I said earlier in the week, these guys statistically they don't do well against the run, but if you turn on the film in the first and second quarters people are not running the ball. But when they're losing and teams are up like we were, we were up, we were just running the ball to kind of wear them down. They're not necessarily built for a four-minute situation, they're built to be playing with a lead, they're a little bit lighter, they're speed rushers, they're really good with line stunts and stuff like that. It's not necessarily how they want to play. They are used to playing with a lead and so the stats definitely look that way.
(on Chris Johnson's struggles being comparable to former Seattle RB Shawn Alexander's)
I definitely see a lot of similarity in that. Just in terms of, when you're so successful and you produce in such a major way with Fantasy Football and all of that stuff and people are just expecting it just to happen. There's a lot that goes into it. It's hard to be that elite all the time, so people got on him real quick, real easy. He probably got a little too much credit when things were good and definitely got too much blame when things were bad.
RB CHRIS JOHNSON
*(on if he expected to me more productive against the Colts run defense) *
From looking at the film all week and seeing how their defense has been playing, we expected more out of the running game. We just have to continue to work and it was a good thing we got the victory. It's easier to correct things with a victory than it is with a loss.
*(on if he was surprised that Javon Ringer played more in the second half ) *
The coaches have a rotation, I guess trying to jumpstart us. What the coaches have dialed up, we as players have to go out there and perform when it's our time to perform.
*(on the chop block he was called for) *
When I had cut him he wasn't really engaged, so I'm not too sure about that. I don't think it was a good call, but they called it.
*(on his frustration level with his performance) *
It's frustrating not getting the running game going, but any time coming out here with a victory I can't say I'm upset and frustrated. That's why I said it's always good to correct mistakes coming off of a victory.
*(on if it bothers him that people are apologizing for his play) *
It really doesn't make me uncomfortable; it's just a situation that I know it's something we need to get fixed. It's something we have to get going if we want to continue to win and make the playoffs. Our goal is to win the Super Bowl, and if we want to reach our goals, it's something we have to get fixed.
*(on if he needs to change something to improve his production) *
I don't want to say I have to change anything really. The couple of good runs I had, we were doing well. Javon (Ringer) got in there for a couple of runs, so I see us getting better. It's just a situation where we are not where we want to be at this time, and it is a situation where we have to keep working.
*(on how much closer he was today to being where he wants to be) *
I had a couple of runs today where I thought I was going to break out, it just didn't happen.
*(on if it's hard to understand why Javon Ringer had better numbers today) *
Not really, it's just the game of football. You go in there, you might get a play and you have to execute. You get a good run and it may not happen the next time. In the second half it got better, and we were executing better. He (Javon Ringer) was in there doing a good job and had a couple of good runs. I think we did a pretty good job in the second half.
*(on if it's hard for him not to be in the game during big drives in the second half ) *
Yes, the type of player I am, and the playmaker I know I am, it's hard to be on the sideline while the offense is making plays. Of course I always want to be out there going to war with my team. If it was up to me, I'd want to be out there every single drive, but it's just a situation where the coaches call the plays and they have a rotation and things like that. The running game hasn't been where want to be all year, so I guess they are trying new things.
*(on if the coaches let him know when Javon Ringer was going to get a drive) *
It wasn't that. It was a situation where throughout the game I had two drives then he had two drives. I had two drives and then he had two drives. That's why you can see that the carries ended up 14, 14. A lot of people aren't used to the rotation thing around here. We were just rotating the whole game.
(on if the plan going into the game was to utilize a running back rotation)
I'm not sure if it was the plan coming in, but that is just how it played out.
(on if he expects the running back rotation to continue)
I'm not sure. That's something you'll have to ask the coaches.
(on if his contract has affected him at all)
Not at all.
(on why the home run play hasn't happened for him yet)
I'm not sure, the situation hasn't happened so far this season. We still have a lot of games left, it just hasn't happened for me yet.
(on if his speed has changed at all from his rookie year)
Not at all, I feel like I have the same speed. The situation is just not happening right now.
(on if he thinks he may be pressing to make the big play)
No, I'm just running and trying to take what's there.
WR NATE WASHINGTON
(on getting the win over Indianapolis)
I'm not going to speak for the team. The team is pretty excited about the win. But, I'm not personally going to hang my hat on this one. This is a win we were supposed to get, I feel like. I'm not going to come in here and say that we didn't expect this. I am very happy about the win, but I'm not clicking my heels. We have another game next week that we need to prepare for. This was the win that we were supposed to get. So, we have to move forward from here.
(on if he wasn't happy with the way the team played)
I am very happy about the win. Nothing bothers me at all. I think we played great. I just don't want to get too happy about this win. This was a team that we were supposed to beat. That's what I mean by that. This was a team that we were supposed to beat. So, we did our job today. We came in and we got a good win and I'm looking forward to moving forward next week. That's what I mean by that. I am very excited about what we did today. But, like I said, I am not going to hold my hat on a team that we were supposed to beat. Indianapolis, as good as they are, I don't think they have been playing as well lately, so we were supposed to get this win today.
(on the areas in which the offense improved on Sunday)
I think we did good in every aspect of the game. We did good, pretty much, with the running game. Our offensive line did a good job of blocking. We did a good job in the passing game. Matt (Hasselbeck) did the things that he had to do to make sure that we are putting points on the board and advancing the ball. So, I think we did pretty good today. Did we do everything right? No. I'm pretty sure there are some things that we need to correct. But, that's the reason why I am excited about the opportunity that we have to move on. We did a good job today, but we just need to move on.
(on the possibility of a running back controversy being a distraction)
We have to make sure that we are paying attention to what we have in our locker room. We have two awesome backs. We believe in both of them. Whatever the coaches decide to do with those running backs, we will move forward. We're not worried about that. We all believe in each other. I think Chris (Johnson) did a great job today. Javon (Ringer) did a good job when he came in. So, I'm pretty sure that the offensive coaches will see that and we will move forward from here. I don't know about any running back controversy, but I'm pretty sure that isn't going to bother us. This is a team that is very family-oriented right now. We all believe in each other. I'm pretty sure Chris is pretty happy that Javon is coming in and doing the things that he was able to do today. It pulls some of the pressure off of C.J. It'll give him an opportunity to come out and be C.J. again.
RB JAVON RINGER
(on getting the opportunity to see more playing time on Sunday)
I just want to continue to do my part to help the team and I would like to contribute as much I can. As long as we get the win, I love the fact that I can be a part of it.
(on the overall performance of the run game when he was in the game)
We did continue to struggle a little bit in the run. When I was in there, I just tried to make sure that I followed my blocks. I still feel like we can continue to work hard and continue to get better.
(on expecting to see extended playing time coming into the game)
No, not really, because that's not how it has usually been. Mentally, I always prepare myself as if I will get more of an opportunity.
(on the possibility of fielding running back controversy questions following his performance)
If they do come, it's not going to bother me. I know that right now C.J. is our guy. C.J. was blessed to do tremendous things his first couple of years here. He has earned everything that he has right now. Right now he is the guy. I am the No. 2 guy. I know my role.
(on the reasons why he seemed to have more positive runs than C.J.)
I had my negative runs, too. I'm pretty sure that if C.J. continued to play the times that I was in there, he would have been able to bust a lot of runs, too. I don't know. That is just how the game went.
DE JASON JONES
(on difference from last week to this week)
Last week we got embarrassed . It wasn't a good game so we knew we couldn't come out here and start off slow, get the crowd out of it and stuff, so we had to come out aggressive. On the defensive side, we held them to a couple of three and outs. Our offense picked up their game, later in the game too, so being embarrassed last week, we couldn't come out here and start out slow. The defense sometimes has to carry the team, the defense has to be good enough to carry the team. I think we took that as a personal challenge on the defensive side of the ball, and I think everyone played well today, offense, special teams and defense.
(on where the Titans go from here)
We have to be consistent. Consistently, we can't lose one and win one, because that would leave us at 8-8. We're not trying to go 8-8. Next week will be a big game for us, as it's a conference game, and the Bengals have the number one defense in the league right now. We know we need to go in there prepared and focused, the same way as we did this week.
S MICHAEL GRIFFIN
(on the Titans victory)
Oh yeah, we put one together and got a win today. There's still some problems here and there we need to fix, but it's just good to get a win. Great team effort from everybody. Everybody fed into the coaching staff, and what they were preaching this week. Hey, it feels good right now, but we'll keep this in for about 24 hours and tomorrow we're back to work. As a team, we all played good today. It gets us back on the right track and puts another win in the "W" column, and hopefully we can feed off from there. But we'll keep this up for 24 hours and smile about it, and be happy about it, but come tomorrow, get back at work.
(on the Titans goal-line stand in the second half)
We just had great pressure and everyone did their job. All 11 people did their job on defense. Everybody just had to make a play if it came to them, and I think it was perfect coverage by everybody and as a team, we were just able to make a stand.
(on his interception)
It was great coverage by our corner Jason McCourty, who managed to get his hand in there, and (the defensive line) was getting pressure on the quarterback and making him scramble. Again, it was just great team effort all the way. McCourty stepped his game up. Painter had to throw a good ball, but McCourty managed to put his hand in there, managed to tip it, and I managed to make a play on it. But you have to give credit to Jason McCourty.
CB CORTLAND FINNEGAN
(on the Colts without Peyton Manning)
They still can make plays. Their skill players are really good—Collie, Wayne, Garcon. They were able to be effective in moving the ball early. We just had to weather the storm. We gave up a few yards but not points, and that's always a good thing. They are a different team without Peyton Manning. And you hate to see him not be out there. I missed him. Both the fact that he's been an ambassador for the NFL, and he's so good. You're playing against a Hall of Famer when he's out there. You've always got to marvel at that fact, when you've got a chance to be on the same field as someone like that.
(on the win)
This win was a bounce-back from last week and we still have to make some corrections and everybody has to come together and focus on the Cincinnati Bengals. We beat this team, and now we have to move on, but we have to correct our mistakes.
COLTS HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL
(on special teams)
Obviously, the first half in particular, we were backed up quite a bit. Couple that with penalties that were on top of it, it just made those holes deeper to dig out of. It was tough for our offense to punch that thing out which we were not able to do. We couldn't flip the field back so they were able to stack up a few points in that regard. Penalties in the first half, I think we had eight in the first half or something like that, which is uncharacteristic of us typically. But you couple that with a couple of turnovers and it's tough. Our defense played hard and we were able to do what we thought we wanted to do just in terms of stopping the run. They did a nice job of that I think overall and we had spurts offensively, certainly nothing sustained. The second half, we came out and moved the ball decently but too little too late.
(on Joe Lefeged having the green light to bring it out of the endzone )
It's not always his problem. He had to have some guys up front blocking for him as well. There were a few guys that got loose on us and after a while obviously we kept them in where we could. Simply because of the fact we just didn't do a good enough job keeping those guys from barreling down the field.
(on special teams being an Achilles heel )
I'm not certain I can address what happened prior to us but it has always been an area that we have always tried to improve. We have tried to look at different ways of making adjustments here and there. In spurts we have functioned pretty well. Last week was one of those weeks. This week was not. We had a blocked punt. Obviously any time you have a blocked punt in the ball game, it's something that should not happen. Couple that with the field position which was very difficult. I think in the first half we might have average the 15-yard line for a drive start average or something like that. It's not good and obviously it's an area that we need to improve.
(on considering fourth down territory before the first field goal )
You always think about it but we had a lot of time. We had a lot of time left. A little bit later on we did go for it on third down and would have gone for it on fourth down if we had been in that situation. We thought we had enough time and we would take the points instead.
(on field position or execution of offense being a problem )
Regardless of where you start, your job is to move the ball. We just didn't move the ball very well. We penalized ourselves as well. There were about three in a row at one point. False start, false start, and we are back inside the five-yard line. You still have to be able to execute, you still have to be able to punch it out.
(on the punt block )
Hadn't been able to sort it all out yet but the problem was in our interior, right in the middle and we will make a determination of actually what happened when we take a look at the film.
(on the offensive line's performance )
Young guys that haven't had a lot of opportunity to play for us, they hung in there and battled. It still wasn't quite good enough.
COLTS CB JERRAUD POWERS
(on the defensive performance)
I thought we came out fine this week from a defensive standpoint. They came out and got a quick three, but other than that we were getting off the field, getting some stops and making some plays here and there. It just really boils down to the Titans guys made plays when they had to and we didn't.
(on stopping the Titans and running back Chris Johnson)
They completed a couple passes and got a couple field goals, but I don't think they had an effective day moving the ball up and down the field. We did a good job controlling Johnson. They schemed up a couple things and had some nice runs and had a nice throw here and there. It is the NFL, it is going to happen every now and then. I thought we played decent on defense. It definitely could have been a lot better, but obviously we did not play well enough to win.
(on the moral of the team)
I can only speak for the defense. We are going to come out and play hard and try to do our job every day. I can't speak offensively but I am pretty sure it is the same thing. The mindset hasn't changed. Guys are still coming in, working hard, trying to do whatever it takes to win this game. Obviously, guys are frustrated. We still feel like we are losing games we could win. Obviously, we feel like we could have won this game, but we made too many mistakes in the course of the game and whenever you make mistakes and you don't cause the other team to make mistakes, you're going to lose.
COLTS S ANTOINE BETHEA
(on how the Colts can get better)
If we could put our finger on it, obviously we would do it and things would be turned around right now. As a team you just have to keep getting better, keep going out there and keep fighting. Eventually we will get one and it will turn around for us.
(on the defense making strides)
They scored 27 points, so there is still room for improvement.
(on the teams moral)
It is frustrating, but we are still going to stay positive. We have got to do that. Regardless of how many vets or young guys we have out there, we are still going out there and playing ball. I think guys are out there fighting hard, playing well, learning a lot about the game. We are still going to go out there and fight hard, we are going to play well and we are going to give it all we got each and every Sunday.
COLTS RB DELONE CARTER**
(on having poor field position for most of the game)
Yeah, absolutely—we'd get something moving and then we'd shoot ourselves in the foot. **
(on how frustrating it is to continue to start drives inside your own 20 yard line)
You expect to face adversity in every game, but when it repeatedly happens you have to gut check yourself and say, 'Come on, lets go out here and make it happen no matter what.'**
(on what the feeling was like at halftime coming in down 20-0 after a big loss to New Orleans last week)
We were still in the game—the score wasn't outrageous. We could have went out there and did what we had to do, so the focus after halftime was to get out and move it fast, pick up the tempo and move the ball—which we did. **
COLTS RB DONALD BROWN**
(on having three different possessions with first-and-goal and how they could have won the game if they scored touchdowns on all three of those possessions)
We just need to put more points on the board. We need to finish plays and put some drives together. **
(on what the Titans did in the first half that caused the Colts offense to have so many first-half struggles)
They're a good defense, but when we get as many penalties as we did that doesn't help. We just need to be able to overcome that, not commit so many penalties and put some drives together. **
(on how the team adjusts from the mindset of competing for Super Bowls to just trying to get a win)
Right, and that's what we need to do. We need to get a win, we need to put some drives together and then eventually put a whole game together. We need to overcome some adversity, and we'll do that, and we'll watch the film tomorrow and see what we need to get corrected. **
(on the injuries to the offensive line and the constant turnover of players in the lineup on the offensive line)
Yeah, guys stepped up and played well when their number was called. The motto here is, 'next man up' so some guys got hurt, some guys went down and the next guy stepped up and did a good job. That's the motto here that we go by, 'next man up,' and everybody follows suit. **
COLTS QB CURTIS PAINTER**
* (on the difference in offensive production from the first half to the second half)*
I think taking a look at the first half we just did a lot of things that beat ourselves. We were backed up a few times, but we didn't help the situation with a couple penalties there, and that's kind of all across the board—on me as well, and those are the things that we have to get better at.
(on if it is frustrating to see what their offense can do in the second half after being unproductive in the first half)
I wouldn't say frustrating; I think we certainly know what we are capable of doing. Like you said, we came out in the second half and moved the ball well and played well. Just a couple things, we have to get sharper in the first half and not be inconsistent.
(on what the no-huddle offense did to help them be productive)
I think one thing that it always gives us is tempo. Everybody on this team is kind of used to that style and it kind of gets everybody into rhythm a little bit better. I think more than anything that's what it does, it gets us going and kind of hitting plays one after another.**
(on how deflating it was when Titans DE Jason Jones batted his pass and it was intercepted off the deflection)
It's obviously tough and unfortunate. He did a great job of getting his hands up and tipping the ball, and the other guy (Barrett Rudd) made a great play. I'm not even sure who picked it off, but making a great play on it. Those things are unfortunate, but I guess they happen. They're a pretty good team and they're able to make plays as well.**
(on the Colts rushing yards potentially being a result of the Titans dropping into coverage and leaving the field open for rushing yards)
I think at times they gave us some softer looks that we were able to capitalize on—at the same time I think we did a pretty good job in that area. I think the line did a good job and the backs ran hard, so part of it was scenario but I think overall we did a good job in that area.
(on if his rushing production late in the game was a result of the Titans dropping into coverage)
Yeah, again that was kind of the situation—it's not always a protection breakdown when that happens. A lot of times it's a good look when they're in a particular coverage and the guys have their backs turned, so it's a good opportunity to get some yards there and steal a few.**
(on how long it's been since he's had a game with that kind of rushing production)
We did a little option at Purdue, so I got to run it a little bit, but I guess that was more by design—so it's been a few years.**
(on if poor field position contributed to offensive struggles in the first half)
I don't think that field position necessarily created the problems. Anytime you have a long field it's difficult, but we did a lot of things to ourselves to not really help the situation. We had a couple of false starts—I had one of those, it just kind of some things to ourselves that we need to get sharper at.**
* (on if it's good to get to play a home game after three consecutive road games)*
Yeah, no question. It's always exciting to play in front of our home crowd. Our crowd has been tremendous this year, and so we look for nothing different and hopefully we can get a win on Sunday.
(on if having Peyton Manning on the sidelines to talk to during games helps him have more success on the field)
Yeah, absolutely—it's one thing to get the information from the coaches, which obviously they do a great job, but to have a guy like Peyton on the sidelines who has been in the system, who's been on the field, it gives a little different perspective. At times that helps out a ton, and the advice he gives or suggestions or any ideas like that definitely help out a lot.
