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Quotes: Pat Shurmur, Bill Davis

Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur

Q.  When you are evaluating QB Mark Sanchez's performance on Sunday, how much do you throw out because of the nature of the game, what was happening and just not being able to really run the offense because of the score?

            PAT SHURMUR:  Well, I think we always evaluate each play by [itself] and then you certainly factor in the game and decision making and everything that goes into it. So it starts with the fundamentals of each play, making sure you execute and doing things properly on each play. Then, certainly, you always factor in the decision making as you go into the game.

            Q.  With that consideration, what was your takeaway from the game?

            PAT SHURMUR:  I think he battled through it.  He was no different than any other position on our team, especially on offense. We didn't play near well enough. We didn't execute at a level that's consistent with our standards, and we got beat.

         *  Q.  Is it slow going a little bit with C Jason Kelce coming back from that injury?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  No, he's in there playing fast. I think it takes a little bit of time when you come back to get a total feel for the whole game, but he's doing fine.

            Q.  What do you see from the running game and what are the biggest problems?

            PAT SHURMUR:  Well, I felt like we ran the ball with some consistency the other night. We are going to stick with it regardless of the score because we feel like we can run the ball, gain yards and score points doing it. So we had some situations where there were some holes blocked pretty well and then a guy would fall off late. The safety would come down and maybe make a play where we had a 5 or 6‑yard run, where at times we might get a little bit longer.  But our guys battled through the run game.

            The biggest thing for us is to make sure we secure the football when we do it.

  *         Q.  You were No. 1 last year on inside runs pretty much?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  No. 1 in terms of amount of inside runs?

            Q.  Yards per game. This year not so much.  Are teams focusing on taking away those inside-zone runs?

            PAT SHURMUR:  Different season, different opponents, different team.  I think we tried to run the ball inside, we also tried to run the ball at the perimeter, and we like to try to run the ball in the mid-zone area as well. So we continue to do all those things.

          * Q.  It's been six games now where RB LeSean McCoy has been under 4 yards per carry.  How does he get those bigger gains and chunks of yards that he seemed to get in the past?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  Well, I think that's news to me about his yards per carry.  He's in there battling.  I think when you look at how the year has gone, we can run the ball better for all the reasons we've talked about each week and we just stick with it.  Just stick with it.

          * Q.  You mentioned ball security. In your first year in St. Louis when you were the offensive coordinator you kind of went through something similar and had around 33 or 34 turnovers. That was a different circumstance, of course, but how do you deal with that as far as trying to get an offense to ‑‑*

            PAT SHURMUR:  Well, I think last year we didn't have as many issues with it; this year we have.  We're continuing to coach it.  We're actually coaching it harder this year than we have in the past.  It's just important that guys, when they're in there, understand the importance of finishing the play with the ball if they have it given to them or thrown to them.

            Q.  Are you coaching it harder this year?

            PAT SHURMUR:  No, we focus on it just like we do everything. Part of the fundamentals of teaching the game is focusing on ball security. We coach it and teach it just like we always have.

   *        Q.  When you say that you are coaching it harder is that in response to the early turnovers?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  No, typically you get what you emphasize and so we just re-emphasize it, and re-emphasize it when it happens.

    *       Q.  Getting back to the runs, it seems like last year you had so many great cutbacks off those zone-read plays and just wide open spaces. What are teams doing to keep that from happening?  You just don't see that this year.*

            PAT SHURMUR:  Well, some of the time when you play split-safety looks, you can cut the ball back and somebody in the front is responsible for two gaps.  What we're seeing is a lot of defenses where there is maybe one more guy at the line. So what happens is as you crease a run, there is some daylight in there, but there is not always the cutback that you would have had if it was a split-safety look.

       *    Q.  How much does the read have to do with it?  Have the quarterbacks -- Nick Foles and now Sanchez for the most part – been making the right calls for the most part?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  In terms of?

           Q.  When to hand the ball off.

            PAT SHURMUR:  Yeah, their decision making has been very good: better than last year, in fact.

           Q.  Why do you think teams are using less split-safety formations than they did last year? Are they just more focused on stopping the run?

            PAT SHURMUR:  Well, we are certainly a team that's going to run the ball from the beginning of the game until the end.  That is traditionally one way [to try to stop the run]. If you get one more guy down there and try to do what you can to control the run -- I don't think you ever totally stop it -- but do what you can from a defensive standpoint to try to control it, and that's why you see at times we'll throw the ball a little bit more than maybe in past stretches of last season.

            Q.  How has G/T Matt Tobin played in the last couple of games?  Has he made any progress?

            PAT SHURMUR:  Yeah, he's made progress.  We've asked him to move from left to right, and I kind of went tongue‑in‑cheek [when saying the difference is just] putting the other hand down. Certainly, when you're an offensive lineman it's [about] working with the guys around you. I think he battled through the game. He had his bad plays in the last game just like everybody out there.

           Q.  Are there certain types of running backs who lose their value if they rush 20-30 times per game instead of intermittently touching the ball here and there like you have been using RB Darren Sproles?

            PAT SHURMUR: I think maybe in the old days when you had one marquee running back and you could say, 'Well I'm going to hand him the ball a bunch of times and get him going.' That's really one way of saying, 'Well, I've [only] got one choice.' I think the way football is played now, you need more than one running back, and whoever that is in the game has to be able to run the ball, pass protect, and catch the ball when you throw it to him.  So that's sort of how we see it.

*           Q.  Is the offensive line playing up to your standards right now?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  They're battling, and I think they're playing hard and they are doing what we expect from them.  Certainly, nobody did what we expected in this past game.

      *     Q.  At this time last year, and I know it's a different season, that was the group that you were kind of speaking of as far as the consistency.  Four of those five players on the offensive line are back now, so it's not ‑‑*

            PAT SHURMUR:  Just coming back. Just coming back and getting back working together. You remember last year that was a model of consistency for our offense because they were the same guys playing all the time. When that happens, you can play better together. All right? The guys are coming back and they are battling. We did not play well last Sunday. We need to train better this week and get it going against Tennessee. But, they're battling and doing what we ask of them.

        *   Q.  The Tennessee Titans looked pretty physical and aggressive up front last night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.*

            PAT SHURMUR:  Yeah, they're a team that if you let them -- There are times, even if you choose to spread it out, they're going to leave five on the line. They're basically a 3‑4 spaced defense when they're in base. They had a lot of guys up there last night. They pressured quite a bit, and that is sort of a signature of a [Titans defensive coordinator] Ray Horton defense. They did what they could to kind of control Pittsburgh's run, which they did a nice job of early, and then get pressure when they threw the ball.  There were times when they brought one more than Pittsburgh could block.  Then as the game went on, I think Pittsburgh kind of wore on them a little bit by running the football, and they also made some big plays throwing it.

      *     Q.  Horton is a disciple of Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Does he do a lot of what they do in Pittsburgh?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  Similar scheme. It's similar. I think he's a little bit different in his pressure packages. I think he's kind of veered off a little bit from that, but [there are] still the inside-cross dogs, and the edge pressures, and all the traditional things you see from a traditional 3‑4 front we will see.

     *      Q.  So not as many zone blitzes?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  They will zone blitz.  Those are actually zone blitzes -- what I just mentioned.

            Q.  Going back to the running game, are you finding that McCoy is getting frustrated because he's not having the same kind of success?

            PAT SHURMUR:  No, that was the same question from a week ago. We don't see that in the building. He's out here training, and he's deliberately practicing what he does. And that's where he's at. I think when you get in the flow of the game, I don't see it.

    *       Q.  What is the biggest different between Sproles and McCoy in terms of production?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  The biggest difference? Well, last week we got Darren in there and tried to throw the ball to him.  But in terms of -- you would probably have a better idea of the numbers, but they're both guys that can carry the ball, they're both guys that can catch it out of the back field, and we use them both the same way.

        *   Q.  What kind of practice player is WR Josh Huff?  How does he carry himself out there on the field?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  He's done a good job in practice. He's a rookie and so he's learning the process. He's becoming more and more familiar with the training on a week‑to‑week basis. I see his preparation improving each week and he's getting more and more snaps in the game as the year goes on. So I see a good, steady improvement from him.

     *      Q.  As far as Sanchez goes, did you see any progress from his first to second start while playing in this type of game?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  None of us did anything that was good enough to win, but he did some things better in this game than he did in the last game. I thought he got the ball out quickly. On the one drive that we did score, there were a couple of balls that were [close]. We had a post that we could have completed for a touchdown, which was actually the same play he completed on his first pass against Houston, it was just coming from the other side. Then we had Darren [Sproles] on a rail route up the left side. Those are two throws that come to mind that were just off. Nonetheless, he saw it, and got the ball out to the right guy.  We eventually scored on that drive, so it wasn't an issue. But he battled through the game last week and certainly I think there are things he improved on, but we've all got to be better.

            Q.  While Huff's snaps have been increasing each week, TE Zach Ertz's snaps have seemed to decrease --

            PAT SHURMUR:  I think that's just the flow of the game. That's just the flow of the game. Zach was in there last week and made some big plays for us. [TE James] Casey was in there as well.  So we'll use all three tight ends.  Some games the combinations will be different, but they're all up, they're all ready, and they all play.

      *     Q.  When you're going to go 11 or 12 personnel, obviously you like TE Brent Celek blocking, but both Ertz and WR Jordan Matthews could play the slot.  So in 12 personnel you could have Ertz split wide like Matthews. They're both similarly sized and I know that Ertz is a little bigger than Matthews, but --*

            PAT SHURMUR:  Some of it has to do with how it affects the defense. There are certain things we want to do when we get a certain defense on the field.  So that's part of it.

        *   Q.  There been a spike in Jordan Matthews' production in these last few games. Have you seen anything behind the scenes?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  He's another guy that steadily trains and he's steadily getting better. He's a grinder when it comes to doing things the right way.  When you watch him train, he's sort of a model for what a rookie should be in terms of how he trains.  Because he'll do that, then I really believe he'll have more and more success as the year goes on when we play the games, because you have to train to win.  I think you have to train to have winning performances, and I think he has a feel for how to do that.  When I was in Cleveland, we had a player that was a really, really talented player, but he got in a slump and he was a kind that didn't grind at it. He got in a slump, and then he was trying to work his way through it, but he didn't know how to work right, so it made it worst.  When you're talking about a guy like Jordan, he knows how to work. So, he'll steadily improve.  If he doesn't have a great game one week, he'll come back, flush it, hit the reset button, move on and follow it up with a good performance.

        *   Q.  How is the process of watching film and making corrections different with this team than it has been in your previous stops?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  No different other than you guys getting beat up by the tent. [Laughter] This is Tuesday for us, and part of what we do today is a mixture; we clean up the last game and we move on to the next one, and that's what we've done every week. Whether we win, or in this case, whether we lose.  That is the way we do it. That is the way we stay in the moment. That is the way we get into the next process for the next opponent, and in our world it is Tuesday and we're moving forward.

            Q.  When it comes to Sproles and Ertz, two of your better playmakers on offense, what do they need to do to see the field more?

            PAT SHURMUR:  Well, they are in there. They are in there. I guess what you're asking is, 'Why don't we put them in there every play?' If that's what you're asking? Q.  Not every play, but why not more?

PAT SHURMUR: They'll be in there. Again, like I said, when you have multiple skill players at multiple positions, the combination and the amount they play each week will be a little bit different. All right?  There was a game, two games ago, when Celek hadn't caught many passes [previously] and he had a lot. So you keep them trained up, you have them ready to go and when they get in there, we expect them to produce. Some weeks they'll produce more than others.

            Q.  In your experience as a head coach and assistant, how do you deal with a Sunday‑Thursday turn around, especially when Thursday is on the road?

            PAT SHURMUR:  Yeah, that's the next week's question, right?

        *   Q.  Yes, but there is an 11‑day window here. So is there anything you do?*

            PAT SHURMUR:  No, we're working on Tennessee. We know, as coaches, we have what are considered four‑day weeks. Last week we had a six‑day week, and then after you play you have an eight‑day week.  So we have a process that we go through.  Once we play the Tennessee Titans and we leave the stadium, and you'll get another shot to ask a lot of questions about what happened in that game, we'll immediately come over here and get our preparation and training ready for the next opponent.  It just so happens that we've got to compress it. I think we as coaches all have our ways of doing it.

Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis

            Q.  When you played the single safety high and left CB Bradley Fletcher against Packers WR Jordy Nelson, was it by design that Fletcher wasn't trying to get his hands on Nelson at the line of scrimmage?  Was that because he feared Nelson's speed?  Do you understand what I'm saying?

            BILL DAVIS:  His press technique, he didn't get his hands up on that play. And we talked about that. He should have, yes. We talk about press all the time, but when you go to the corner world -- and I understand completely the stress I put on corners when I go single-high press, especially against a guy like that. We moved in and out of that, but one of the things, if you're talking about a press technique [you look at], 'Who am I and who is he? And where are we? Where is his split?' There are a lot of things that factor in. But absolutely, when you can put your hands on him, you want to stop him and restart him.  So he could have done better on that play. Later on in the game, he did it a lot better. When you go into a game like that, one of the things you face when you're facing [QB] Aaron Rodgers, like you face when you're playing [QB] Peyton Manning, when they possess the playbook under center and they can move themselves in and out of whatever call. They can have a run call on and see single high and audible to the vertical passing game.  You can split the safety.  They can move into a run game.  They change their protection. So you constantly have to be moving in on them.  So that's what our goal was in that game was to mix it up.

            Q.  What did the Packers do well in terms of stopping the 3‑4 pass rush?  Not on the plays when Rodgers got rid of the ball quickly, but on the plays were he had a lot of time in the pocket.

            BILL DAVIS:  On the first- and second-down plays, I sent them from a 3‑4 base, and that is not a pass‑rush alignment. You want to be in wide threes or a shaded nose. So when we start from our three techniques or our two‑gap techniques, the pass rushers are not going to be there as quick.  You combine that with the ball coming out quick. Now on the deeper drops, some of those were play action and seven‑man protections or six‑man protections where they had the guys in and they were throwing the digs and sucking up the underneath coverage.  So there are a lot of elements that weren't perfect and a guy like Aaron Rodgers makes you be perfect as many times as you can.  If you're not, he's going to find it.  That's what the great ones do.

            Q.  Teams do that more often where they come out in heavier personnel.  They keep your best pass rushers off of the field, but then they start passing out of those formations. Do you have to get a better rush from your front three or do you need to hold your coverage better in that situation?

            BILL DAVIS:  Well, I think the different pressure packages we brought -- again, we'll give the credit to them first. I don't think he came out with any intention to run the ball to start with. I was anticipating some running game coming.  A series and a half in, when I realized it was going to be all passes, you'll notice we went to nickel versus their first and second down. We made all of the adjustments. I should have split the safeties earlier. There are a lot of things I wish I would have done better, but they executed. When we did make some plays -- we sack stripped the quarterback, and [the ball] falls to them and they pick it up and run it. It wasn't going our way that day, but there were things individually technique‑wise we could have done. I could have called a better game and could have had a better plan, but we didn't.  It's a loss, and we have to move on.

            Q.  Head Coach Chip Kelly was saying yesterday that against a quarterback like Rodgers you have to play a lot of man coverage.  Can you explain how he forces defenses into that?

            BILL DAVIS:  Well, when you're not up and on him with those quick throws -- and you see it with Chip -- he moves down the field with the quick out like the first play of the game, the quick stop with the tight end over. It just picks you apart so you have to come down and get closer and those are man [coverages] to get closer, and then you have one‑on‑ones that you have to win.  You [also] have to get the pass rush there.  On the one that Fletch [Bradley Fletcher] got beat on for the 75‑yarder, there were also a bunch of one‑on‑ones and a pass‑rusher. Nobody won those one‑on‑ones and we didn't win the one‑on‑one outside [either]. It was a perfect ball thrown, and a great catch. They make you be perfect.  They make you be on top of your game.  The great teams do. And we weren't that. We learned a valuable lesson. I think we had a great session in there correcting all of the mistakes and how the game went and we're real clear. Like we are after all games, we put the same face on and we correct them and we move forward. We had a good session and if we had to play them again, hopefully we would be better the next time.

            Q.  Have you been impressed by Titans QB Zach Mettenberger in his three starts?

            BILL DAVIS:  Absolutely.  I really didn't have much background on him until I turned [the film] on yesterday.  He's a tall, pocket passer that's got a strong arm that can get it deep and outside. He doesn't get rattled easily. They blitzed him last night a lot. He doesn't really rattle. He threw an interception early and came back in there and made a nice play.  So he's an impressive rookie.

          * Q.  You said you had a good session. Do you find players that players are more attentive when correcting mistakes after a loss than they are after a win?*

            BILL DAVIS:  I think that is the human nature side of it, because you're more depressed and you're more mad about things. But hopefully we can get to where, and we talk about it a lot, there should be no difference on Monday. Every man that comes in here should be the same man on a Monday, win or lose, so that even in the wins it's, 'We had mistakes and we have to get better.' In a loss it's, 'We lost and we have to get better.' Hopefully it's not [any different]. I think the human nature side says yes to that, but I think our guys are pretty advanced.  They're pros and I think they handle it well.

            Q.  Bradley Fletcher has been targeted more than any other cornerback in the NFL. How does his confidence play into your decision to keep putting him out there?

            BILL DAVIS:  I don't know if you guys notice, but I kept a really close eye because he had a bad start and it wasn't going well. And a lot of corners have a lot of outs. They don't keep fighting and battling.  I've got a lot of respect for Fletch and how he responded. I was watching him close [and thinking], 'Wait one more? What do I do?  Do I make a move?' Then you watched him come out and play in the second half and he made those same plays that beat him in the first. He was on it; he played the ball. His press was better. He got better and fought through it. He's a mentally tough human being, and I was very impressed with the way he finished.

            Q.  Is he still your guy?

            BILL DAVIS:  Yes, he is.  Absolutely.

            Q.  Have you prepared DB Jaylen Watkins to get into a rotation to play?  Is he ready to play?

            BILL DAVIS:  I think he is. He is still in the rookie mode. Jaylen has positional flexibility for us.  The good news to that is he can play corner, nickel and safety in a pinch. The bad news is he's not getting reps at one thing and that's what rookies need the most. Rookies, in order to excel at one position, need to get in there and get the reps. So when you're not active on game day and you're in the back‑up role, then you take on the role of multiple positions if you have the skillset, and he does. So we're anxious to see him grow, and again, we're kind of stretching out a little bit because we have different positions.

            Q.  Will that stay the same then or is there a chance you might start working Watkins at one position to see if he can get out there and help you at all?

            BILL DAVIS: Yes, but it's difficult to do with a limited ‑‑ you have reps and then you have preparation. Then you have to get them the right reps and then the scout team [reps]. It's tough to put him at one and have him hone in right now this late in the season.

           Q.  What about with LB Marcus Smith II? Yesterday, Chip Kelly was saying that he has to show you guys more on the practice field for your staff to feel comfortable putting him in games. What is he doing or not doing on the practice field that you need to see?

            BILL DAVIS:  Well -- I've said this before -- he's made the positional switch, which is hard in and of itself. So, until that light goes on and we see that on the practice field that, 'Boom, he's got the inside backer eyes and all those [things],' and it takes reps. He's moving along in the right direction, but that position change is hard, and he's just not there yet.

            Q.  How does that handicap you since you are already a little thin at linebacker? Do you need some contribution from him?

            BILL DAVIS:  You could, but right now we have a rotation at the inside backer spot going. We have [CB] Nolan Carroll in the dime, so we're working through it.  But we want to have all the best players play, and the guys that are ready to play. We believe we're doing that right now.

            Q.  Without giving away the game plan and all that, when you face a guy that doesn't have a lot of experience, do you do more stuff to try to confuse him and show him a few things that he hasn't seen, as opposed to Rodgers who has seen everything?  Does your approach change against the younger guys?

            BILL DAVIS:  With the younger guys, sometimes you don't have to do as much just because they're young and their experience base is a little bit different.  This guy really is a pocket, experienced passer.  I mean, that's what they do with him.  He sits back there, they've got nice protection, and he reads the coverages well. So I think he's a little more advanced than a lot of rookies from what I've seen on tape. Now, I don't know him. I've never spoken to him. But just watching the tape, he looks like he sees the field well and he's a little bit beyond his years.

            Q.  You have faced some good tight ends this year.  Do you see Titans TE Chase Coffman as a Greg Olsen type of tight end?

            BILL DAVIS:  Yes, I do.  It's a good similarity there.  He does all things well.  I don't think he stands out in any of the areas as a Pro Bowler, but every individual aspect you ask a tight end to do, he does it well, and he's someone that has to be reckoned with out there.

            Q.  Going back to Bradley Fletcher, how hard is it to have that kind of mentality where if you get beat early you can still continue to make plays late in the game. Is that a rare thing?

            BILL DAVIS:  It is. Mental toughness is the No. 1 thing an NFL player needs. I really believe that.  Once you have the talent level, the mental toughness part allows you to have poor starts, bad games and come back and still be the guy to say, 'I still believe in myself. I still can get this done.' There is no harder position than a cornerback position.  When I say single-high press, then it gets even harder. I understand that. I understand the harm's way that I put them in sometimes and they know I'm aware of it and I'll mix it up. When they do that, they've got to rise to the challenge, and if they stumble, then so be it. It's also attached to the rush. That's one message I send the players all the time: 'D‑line you are attached to this cornerback's play, and same thing to the D‑line. If we can press and reroute, it gives you another step in the pass rush.'  So we succeed together and we fail together. They're all attached to each other.

            Q.  It seemed like there was a three- or four-game stretch there where Fletcher was playing at a relatively high level. In this past game, besides the fact he was playing against Rodgers and Nelson, did you see anything different with the way he played and the way he covered?

            BILL DAVIS:  Well, I think it's tough to say, 'Besides playing against Rodgers.' Those guys are really disciplined in their route running and the ball was thrown in a perfect location. Not sometimes, every time. So his technique? Yeah, everybody out there had bad technique plays and when a corner makes a mistake in technique, it's a big play.  When a defensive lineman does it, you don't even notice it half of the time. When a linebacker does it, you don't notice it as much. In the back half, when they make a technique error and the ball is thrown at them -- especially as well as it was being thrown – then all of a sudden it is a big play and we have issues. So those guys are held to a little bit different standard.  As a coach, I try to make a fair standard. I have to make sure that the best players that are playing the most consistent technique are out there, and right now Fletch had a couple of bad plays, but he had some good ones, too.

            Q.  How did you feel about your defense's effort in the second half when the score really got out of hand? Particularly late in the third quarter and the fourth quarter?

            BILL DAVIS:  There were some plays -- and we had the good, bad and ugly [on Sunday]. We had one play that really stood out, and it wasn't us. It wasn't us as a finish.  But then there were a whole bunch of them –

Q.  Are you referring to Packers RB Eddie Lacy's second touchdown?

BILL DAVIS:  Yeah, the Lacy touchdown was probably our worst defensive play of the season.  That's where we hit the frustration mode. We hit the, 'Oh this isn't going well mode,' and we talked a lot about it today. It was one of the themes and what we've got to do to move forward is not have those plays, no matter what happens. To credit, after that play, there was a whole bunch of everybody flying to the ball, but that was a pressure point. We talked about it, addressed it, and this group is a great group of guys. But that's not us, and that won't be who we are.

            Q.  You have talked about how injured LB DeMeco Ryans helps you do more on the field, being able to check late in response to what the offense is doing. I'm just wondering how much of a challenge that is to pick up for the guys that have filled his responsibilities, especially when going up against a talent like Rodgers?

            BILL DAVIS:  I think the guys have stepped up well. Really it hasn't been an issue at all. DeMeco might have had a little bit more to check, but I really don't think so with Aaron and the way he was going quick count, and double count, and hard count. There wasn't a whole lot of moves. The cadence part of what he does is another thing that keeps you in check. So you've got to be on your toes and I think the guys that are filling in for DeMeco are doing a great job. I don't know how much more, from a check point, that we could have done.

            Q.  You mentioned that you thought Green Bay might run the ball a little more early on.  What is that based on?  Did you think they would run the ball to try to keep your offense off of the field?

            BILL DAVIS:  Well, I think a lot of people try to establish the run early. Green Bay has really worked for a balanced attack. A balanced attack means you run a little bit more than they did. But it wasn't long until you knew right away they were going pass, pass, pass. He was checking into some runs, I think, but I think they were looking at our presentations, so it makes us have to have a little broader plan against them.  Again, I could have done better with the plan, too.

       *    Q.  Did they have more passing plays with a run-pass option?*

            BILL DAVIS:  I believe he does.  I'm not in there.  But from what it looks like, he has a lot of ability to move people around, change and protect, change routes with hand signals. So it won't phase those guys.  That's what the elite quarterbacks do.  That is the advanced package.  We just have to be ready for it.

*           Q.  Did you say anything to the guys after the Lacy touchdown? Did you say something along the lines of, 'No matter what the score is we have to have some pride out here?'*

            BILL DAVIS:  Honestly, it didn't stand out to me as heart.  We were missing tackles. That stood out to me. I was looking at the scheme: what happened, how he got out there and how he leaked out? And then we didn't tackle well. But when I looked at the film I could see the frustration on the guys. That 'Oh, man' [look]. They didn't finish on the ball like they do 99 percent of the time. So, I believe it's a one‑time occurrence.

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