Q: How did everything turn out after the game, since you’ve had time to look back at it?
A: Physically, everything was fine. Everything is where it needs to be, so that’s all good. It’s a matter of making some corrections, and that’s from every game. There are always going to be things that you can improve on and do better. It’s about finding those things, talking it over with the offense, getting better, and learning from it.
Q: Any cause for concern?
A: No, no concerns. I can’t tell you what my preseason record is over the last six years. I don’t know if it’s good or bad or what. We know what we’re capable of, and we know we have great talent on this team. It’s just a matter of going out there. We can clearly play better, and we can see it out there on the field. Plays are there to be made, it’s just a matter of making them work.
Q: Specifically, what would you guys like to clean up? Is one preseason game, a quarter, really enough time to do that?
A: Yeah, definitely. We’re where we need to be. I think a lot of it is just correcting some of the mental mistakes. A lot of it is having some new guys in working with the second groups. It’ll be our fourth week in a row working against a 3-4 scheme so we’ll be just correcting some of the mental mistakes and being sharp: going out there and running crisp routes, getting the ball out, finding completions. I think that’s what’s important.
Q: Have most of the mistakes so far been mental ones?
A: I’d say most mistakes are mental. Physical mistakes happen, those are part of football. You’re going to have drops, bad throws, guys getting beat, that’s football and you deal with those. The ones that are mental are doing the wrong things, going to the wrong guys, running the wrong routes, reading the defense wrong as a quarterback. Those things are all things we can control. It’s just about being sharp and knowing what you’re doing, preparing for that week, and those are things that disappoint the players and coaches.
Q: Tom said that some of you guys aren’t showing the right amount of intensity. Do you think you guys can turn it on once the season comes around?
A: Yes. I think obviously there is a different mentality for when there is a preseason game than a regular season. Baltimore played well and did some different stuff. They came after us a little bit, and there are guys who understand that it is a preseason game but you still need to do your preparation. You have to study, you have to know what you’re doing so you can go out there and play well. I think a lot of the veteran guys know that. They know, ‘Hey, I have a responsibility for myself and my team to know what’s going on.’ It’s about getting that mentality into the younger guys and even if it is a preseason game, you’re still responsible for going out there and doing your job well.
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