HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER
(opening statements)
To have a chance to beat the Colts, the way they are playing right now, you have to play close to a near-perfect game and it was clear tonight that we didn't. The disappointing thing was that the formula got flipped. We were hoping to hold them to three's and score points, instead they held us to three's and scored points. Unless you score more points and don't turn the ball over to them in the plus-20, it is going to be a long night and that is exactly what it was.
(on if young secondary was a factor)
He (Peyton Manning) made plays. We didn't have any difficulty with coverages. We got caught in play action on the two seam routes, that was it. But, I thought the game plan was good here. We were getting good pressure on him, you're not going to get him down with the ball.
The difference in the game was the two short fields and then the two roughing the passer penalties right before half, getting 30 yards. He's going to put some drives together. That one drive, but we contributed to three of their drives.
(on if he considered going for it prior to second field goal attempt)
I didn't at that point. It was a long one almost two and a one score game. We were unsettled on offense and it was a gift with the turnover. We had jumped offsides and had a holding penalty and I wanted to get in there and get points and go on.
(On Vince Young getting in the game)
We were three and half or four scores out with seven left to go and I wanted to put him into the game. Kerry's our starter and when games get out of hand either way, you put your backup in.
(on if he considering QB change)
No, Kerry's not the problem. There's still a lot of games left. I am not going to speculate on that. What we are trying to do is find a way to win our first game. We have made our own mess and we are going to find our way out of it.
I am the head coach here and I said Vince, do you want to go have some fun? He said, I sure do. That's all I had to say.
(on running game)
We had some difficulty, yeah, with their speed. We needed to hit north and south. C.J. (Chris Johnson) bounced a little bit at times. We were picking up yards, but we thought we able to hit some first downs and didn't. They have great speed and they tackled well today.
(on not being able to finish the drive and settle for field goals)
That was disappointing for me. I think that's the case anytime your offense is sputtering a little bit. That's going to be the case, you know, getting points.
(on Jevon Kearse not playing tonight)
He was inactive tonight. We had been deactivating Dave Ball for a number of weeks now and I wanted to give Dave an opportunity to play.
(on Craig Stevens)
Well you saw, he's got a concussion. He came around and we've got him. We're doing tests right now but he struggled, is struggling. In an effort to be sure, we're going to do all the tests we have to.
(on personal fouls against Peyton Manning)
You know, we have to be disciplined. We have to understand that you can't hit the quarterback when the ball's gone. Now I didn't see replays of them. I don't know, I'll look at them and see but when the ball's out, you can't hit the quarterback. You can't hit him low and you can't hit him late.
(on Cortland Finnegan being close to playing tonight)
He was very close, yeah, that was our decision. He wanted to play but I don't think it would have been a good decision tonight.
(on the number of penalties tonight being a lack of concentration)
You know, I don't know, I'll have to look at the penalties. Oftentimes when there's penalties they shouldn't be called. I have to look at them but yes nine was way too many in a game like this.
(on Manning making it look easy)
Well, he does. He's been doing that for years and he been doing that especially this year. Our plan was good, it was sound. We were getting pressure during the game and it looked like things were working and then as I said, we gave them some opportunities and some short fields. He's playing as well now as, I think, he's ever played in his career.
(on a message to the fans who left in the third quarter)
They came out with high expectations as we did tonight. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for us but they've been great over the years and I would expect them to continue to be great.
QB KERRY COLLINS
(on being replaced by Vince Young late in the game)
The game was out of hand and he (Head Coach Jeff Fisher) wanted to get Vince some snaps. I mean, I wasn't happy about it … I never want to be taken out of a game. But, those were the circumstances.
(on offensive penalties in the first half)
It was unfortunate. We did get some penalties and backed ourselves up. We got a couple of turnovers with Keith's interception and with the special teams on the punt and it's unfortunate that that happens. We just didn't overcome it.
(on the offense stalling in the red zone)
Once again, without knowing exactly, or going back to exactly, what happened on each one, we didn't convert some third downs that would have allowed us to get a little bit closer and take some shots. And, against this team, that's what you've got to do. You've got to convert third downs and get those kind of opportunities and we just didn't take advantage of the ones that we had.
(on the pressure to score touchdowns, as opposed to kicking field goals, against this particular team)
That's what makes them a good football team. That's what makes them hard to beat. They're going to put their points up. We knew that coming in and unfortunately, for whatever reason, we didn't do that tonight.
WR NATE WASHINGTON
(on the Titans' 0-5 start)
We've got to really start making plays. We're down right now. We're not only down right now in our season, we're just down and something's got to give. We have to start making plays as a collective unit and do our best to try to stay together right now. I think the main thing right now is we have to stick together. This season right now, is not going the way we expected.
We all worked very hard this offseason and the coaches did a good job of putting a team together they thought was going to succeed. And we still do think it's going to succeed. But right now, we just need to stick together, because a lot of things are going to be said, at the same time, 0-5, that's not us. So we have to come back out this week and know now it is a sense of urgency and we're 0-5, and this is a season we are not going to give up on.
QB VINCE YOUNG
(on what the mood was when he came in the game in the fourth quarter)
It was the fourth quarter and I really couldn't get in any kind of mood or nothing like that. I just wanted to go out and do what the play was called. That was basically it. It's kind of hard to evaluate that, because it was just a couple of plays. It's hard to evaluate that.
(on will he play more in the future)
I haven't the slightest idea. I just have to sit back and see what they say. Right now I don't have any answer for you. All I can do right now is sit back and see what Coach Fisher says. I'm always ready, always ready. I always stay confident. My job was to be a scout team quarterback and that's all I've been doing all week. When they call on me, all I can do is go in and take care of my responsibilities. I always have confidence in myself. That's just me, period. That's anybody. You should always have confidence in yourself.
(on Titans' winless season)
There's nothing good about being 0-5. Especially from where we came from. There is nothing good about that so right now, we just have to stay sticking together. That's all we have is ourselves. This is our team. We are the Tennessee Titans. We cannot just turn on each other. We just have to keep working and keep fighting until we get something going.
LB KEITH BULLUCK
(on the Titans needing a win)
What we need to change is we need to get a win. However that win is going to come, we need to get it immediately. In this league, it is a game of inches. Right now, we need to do something about it. I am sick of talking about this, because when you're losing the way we have been there is really not much to say. The only thing that can fix the situation is to go out and play the next week. We don't get that chance until next Sunday. At this point it is definitely tough to analyze as far as something drastic needing to be done. There were points in the game where we played solid and points we didn't make the plays we needed to make.
(how he feels about losing)
They made more plays and scored more points and we lost. I'm not embarrassed because I'm going out and I'm playing hard every single down. I feel we're going out and playing hard. I would be embarrassed if I felt I was going out and taking it easy and letting it be what it was and accepting the losing. I don't accept losing. We've been down this road with some of us together before and you know my attitude when things start to go that way. Losing is not acceptable, really in my life. I am embarrassed? No. Depressed? After all the time ran off the clock, yeah. But when I get home and see my daughter and my family, I'll feel better after that.
CB NICK HARPER
(on having hopes of turning this season around)
There is always hope. It is never too late. As long as you have a game to play, it is never too late.
(on Manning's great play)
You can't take anything away from Manning. Those guys are very efficient at what they do and he's a good quarterback. We had him rattled at the beginning of the game, then they seemed to get a little momentum. But we still, all in all, played well against them. We just need to make more plays.
(on the prognosis of the injury)
I don't know. I need to go in and talk to the doctors right now. They are calling some guys, trying to set something up and they are going to let me know.
DE KYLE VANDEN BOSCH
(on the roughing the passer call being different if it was a quarterback other than Peyton Manning)
I don't know. The rules are in place to protect the quarterback and I think they try to protect their quarterbacks.
(on turning the season around)
You move on and we win the next one, and that can turn the season around. We keep saying that a win will change a lot of things and give us some momentum. You know that we have another tough challenge, another tough team next week.
(on an answer to the issues)
You just don't get too down. We have to come in tomorrow and learn from this game, learn from our mistakes. You just have to move forward. You have to be professional. You've got to learn from your mistakes, fix your mistakes and move on to the next opponent.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS QUOTES
COACH JIM CALDWELL
(opening statement)
Certainly we are pleased with the way the guys played. I think they played awfully hard, particularly coming down here. It's a very difficult place to play against an outstanding team that is extremely well coached but I think our guys came out and played with some enthusiasm and effort. [They] played quick, it was a spirited group and it was a great team effort as well. We keep getting a little bit better in some areas and we played the run against a team that can run the ball as well as anyone. We defended the pass pretty well on defense. Special teams, good and solid. Offensively we were efficient. Probably didn't run the ball with a lot of great numbers, but I think overall, we got the job done.
(on liking the team's position in the division)
We certainly do. It's early yet. There is certainly a long way to go. It's only five games for us but I think the one thing that we are pleased with is the fact that we've been able to get better every week. We have been able to improve. Our guys have worked extremely hard. I think they have concentrated on the process and not on the end result and that's the thing that makes the difference in this team. We have got to keep it going and we have got a bye week. It's a great time to have a bye after a tough win. We are pleased with where we are.
(on two young corners being asked to do a lot)
They have been working extremely hard, I think, all during the preseason and certainly have improved little by little. We felt that both of them have the ability to play in the league but we know they are going through tough times, some ups and downs but overall I think they have been pretty solid. The way in which we certainly gain trust in them is that they perform. The more so in practice in what we see as opposed to what we see than what happens in ball game. The ball games are important but leading up to that, in order for us to feel real comfortable with them, they have to do well in terms of a practice session and they have been doing just that.
(on Austin Collie's performance and improvement)
Well in all areas. You know one of the things, and I probably sound a bit like a broken record, one of the things about him is the fact that he is trying to improve in every single phase of this game every day. He comes to work that way and goes at it in a real professional manner for such a young guy. He has a real mature attitude toward developing his skills and I see every week he gets a little bit better. Better in blocking, better in his terms of finding his reception areas and making big plays for us.
(on stopping Chris Johnson and the Titans' running game)
There's no question about it. That is, without a doubt, one of the better backs that you will see. He's got speed and at any time he can take it to the house. So he is very, very difficult to handle. I think our defense was able to keep him contained and didn't let him get loose. If he finds a crack, he can take it to the house. They played well.
(on if he expected to be 5-0 going into the bye week at the beginning of the season)
I would have to take that from the beginning of this week. We never look ahead and say at this particular point; this is where we'd like to be. Our record certainly couldn't be any better. I think we have been playing well. We improved a little bit from the week before. I think that is a positive. I expected us to get better. I think we all expect to get better. I think that is the way our guys work. As long as we can continue to do that, I think we'll be fine.
(on the Titans penalties on the final drive in the first half)
It helped a tremendous amount. We would like to think we operate in that realm fairly consistently. Peyton (Manning) has always done a good job in that two-minute operation where he gets us typically in position to get some points. They certainly gave us a little help with those penalties, particularly with the 15-yard variety. Certainly pushed the ball up the field a little bit further and gave us an opportunity to attack and not be conservative at all.
**
(on taking the Tennessee crowd out of the game)
**
It certainly does. This is a loud, very difficult place to play. A very, very knowledgeable crowd as well, so they can give you some problems. Our guys were able to come down and score and get us a little bit of a cushion so it was a bit easier to manage the noise.
(on if he thought Bob Sanders would go today)
He is making great progress and he is doing a little bit more every day. His rehab is going well, but I didn't think he would be quite ready to go today, but he is very, very close. So we'll see what happens after the bye.
QB PEYTON MANNING
(on the early part of the game)
It was a great win. To come down here, a tough place to play. I really don't think their record is indicative to the kind of team they are. They're still stingy. We kind of had to be patient. Obviously, with some injuries they were going to toward more of the zone route to protect their young corner and make sure Harper was 100 percent. So, we had to be patient. There is not a lot of one-on-one match ups. The big play to (Austin) Collie, obviously, was a zone play. It had him on a linebacker, which is tough for a linebacker to cover Collie down the middle. That was really a pivotal play, it kind of open some things up.
(on Austin Collie ability to make big plays from his position)
Obviously, in that slot, when you are playing a lot of zone. When they are doubling essentially Reggie (Wayne) and Pierre (Garcon), obviously, the inside is kind of the area where you have to work a little bit. If the safety is in the corner, on the outside, so the inside, the seams to Dallas (Clark) or to Austin (Collie) , those are the areas you have to attack. So, he has good speed. He can get down the middle and put some pressure on that safety. Obviously, with a little bit of running game, we hit a big play to him off play-action. Maybe you can get a little freeze some where in there, you can hit him down the middle. I am proud of the way he has worked. He has worked hard. He is attentive. He is into the game plan, he his still going to make some mistakes. I am not going to bring up his mistakes. I want to keep him humble, a little bit. The first third down, he did run the wrong route on that. He made up for it with two touchdowns. I am proud with the how hard he is working and how he is taking very seriously the cerebral part of the game.
(on the short passing game)
One thing we are doing well. We are catching short passes and getting yards after the catch. Sometimes it is long ones, but, when you take a three-yard catch and turn them into seven-yard gain, I think that's a win for the offense. That can be deflating to a defense with a short pass. All of sudden it is second and three and then you can get a first down. We had a series in the second half. In the two-minute drill they were getting some good rush. You had to get the ball out of your hands pretty quickly. There is good for a guy to be available and to get a few yards after the catch.
(on the two penalties on the drive at the end of the half)
I don't get into that. I have never asked for a call. I have never clapped when they make a call. I clap when we get the yards because of execution. The first one, I have had that hit before at the knee. I don't know if I have to validate it or not, but I have got to see the doctor after this and get treatment, if that makes it more valid. When you plant that left leg, it is in a vulnerable position. I wear that brace for that reason alone. Hopefully it protected me there. I know it is a big talk with Baltimore against Tom (Brady) last week. I don't ask for the calls. I don't celebrate when they call. I just go out and play.
(on his fifth consecutive 300-yard game)
Guys are doing a good job. They are running the right routes. With zone, you have got to be in the right spot. You got to have spacing. You have to have a guy here, a guy here, a guy there. Guys I think are understanding that. They are picking up the offense, these young guys that are playing. Obviously, Reggie's (Wayne) presence creates a lot of the zone and double coverage. That is probably what he doesn't like to hear, but because of his presence it allows (Austin) Collie and these guys to get open. Obviously, it is good to be able to spread the ball around. Somebody has to be single somewhere. You can't double every single player. You try to find who that one guy is in single coverage or who has an isolated matchup, and see if that guy can win the matchup.
(on if he was aware of getting to 300 yards passing at the end of the game)
I have been playing a long time. We have been making plays in the passing game. That is a big reason we have been able to get down the field. There at the end, we were running the ball on the first play and lost two yards and I think they were kind of slanting toward the run. You don't want to go out there and go three-and-out and give them a chance to make a play and onside kick. We just threw some passes there. It is a 16 game season. You try to do whatever you have got to do to win every single week. I have never been about that or tried to do that in the middle of the season. A couple times on the last game of the season I have tried to get a receiver. I will admit that. I tried to get Reggie Wayne, if he needed five catches. I'll do that. I like to do that for other people. I have never tried to do something for myself. I remember my second season; I had a touchdown streak going. I checked from a pass to a run at the end of the game and they said, 'why did you do that when you could have thrown the touchdown pass?' It is all about scoring touchdowns. I have never been all about that.
TE DALLAS CLARK
(on the excitement of playing with the young guys)
It is a blast being out there with these guys, learning the system and getting better before our eyes. Austin (Collie), Pierre (Garcon), and Donald Brown have done a great job.
(on succeeding with injuries to the team)
We put a lot of emphasis on the next guy in. We always practice knowing that we are an injury away from stepping in and playing in the game. Everyone does a great job of taking it upon themselves to focus and always get better so they can take advantage of their shot when they get in. Guys have stepped up and have really done well for us.
(on the win over the Titans)
This is a big win for us. You never know how it is going to turn out with these guys. They play so hard and so tough, especially on the defensive side. They just run from sideline to sideline and make plays. They haven't won, but we weren't focused on that. This team has a lot of heart. It starts with the coach and goes all the way down to the players. They play every play as hard as they can. You have to respect and give a lot of credit to a team like that. They never fold, they never quit.
(on winning going into the bye week)
It is always fun to win going into the bye week. If you lose, all you do is think about it while you are supposed to be resting and enjoying the time.
LB CLINT SESSION
(on holding Tennessee to three field goals)
That's what we're all about. If you don't let them score, they can't win. The offense, they're always going to do their part. So we just did our part, kept them out of the end zone and we get a victory out of that. We'll settle for a field goal anytime, it's better than a touchdown any day. We try to keep them from getting three points but it is what it is. We played a decent game on defense.
(on run defense against Titans RB Chris Johnson)
We took great angles chasing the ball down. We knew "the beast" we were going against. He's a great back. Our whole mindset was plug the hole up and force him to the outside, we have guys on this defense that can run. That's what we did. That's what you have to do. If you want to be successful on defense, you have to stop the run.
WR AUSTIN COLLIE
(on his touchdown catch near the end of the first half)
All first half, they had a tendency to run a lot of Cover 2 out of their base defense. They didn't play much with their nickel back. With (TE) Dallas' (Clark) first seam, we knew the middle of the field was going to be open. It was a great play call. It was exactly what we wanted. The safeties were high and we got some width and basically opened up the middle of the field.
(on scoring two touchdowns in the game)
It was a pretty good night. I think defenses have to worry about Dallas (Clark), Reggie (Wayne) and Pierre (Garcon) from the way they've been playing, and I think their success kind of opened things up for me tonight.
(on playing with Peyton Manning)
Every day, I go home to my wife and tell her different stories. I'm a little kid in a candy shop. It's been phenomenal this past month, working with the team and getting to know the guys. Sometimes I have to pinch myself and be like, wow I'm actually playing in the NFL and playing with guys like Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, some of the best in the game.
