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POSTGAME QUOTES
OCTOBER 25, 2009
Initial comments:
“I think for the first time this year ... that was the first complete football game we’ve played. Last Sunday, the guys got their nose rubbed a little bit and didn’t like it. We had a good week. They got a feel for how well they can play. If they play together and eliminate more of the foolish things we’ve had happening ... We did a good job of staying on point and in rhythm today. On offense we took the first drive down the field and had a tremendous start to the game. We converted third downs, ran the football, and were very accurate in our throwing game. Also, our protections were good. Defensively we were able to get good pressure on them and not allow them to run the ball, which kind of made it a one dimensional game. Special teams did a really nice job covering the kickoffs. This is a good way to go into the bye week, and we’ll have a chance to regroup and get better coming out of it.”
Q: How much extra motivation did you notice in Cedric (Benson) going against his old buddies?
“Ced is always pretty motivated, so I don’t know that there was any extra. I thought the guys did a good job of not leaving it all out there for Ced today. Everybody played.”
Q: There was an up-tempo rhythm to that offense, quick executions:
“When you make first downs, it makes a big difference. We were able to eliminate a lot of penalties we’ve had in previous games.”
Q: You mentioned this was the first complete game that they guys have played. How important was it to get a game like this under their belts?
“It’s a good opportunity, they worked hard. It’s over and done with now, and we’re into the bye week and we’ll get ready for the Ravens.”
Q: Does this team have the potential to be the best that you’ve coached here?
“This team has a great opportunity to be good. I think they’re a more grounded football team than we’ve had before. There’s a stronger foundation of guys. It’s younger, and maybe that’s a good thing because they don’t know any better, so they keep playing. Some of our veteran players have smelled it, they know what it’s like, and we’ve got some great leadership from our older group.”
Q: Chicago had given up only six touchdown passes so far this season, and they gave up 5 today. What were you able to exploit in their defense?
“Our guys did a good job today. I don’t worry about who did this or that. It was a good job today, and we’re on to the next one.”
Q: Were you able to relax a little more in the fourth quarter of today’s game?
“I never relax. It’s good to have some distance at the end. It’s the NFL, and you don’t get many of these.”
Q: You mention accurate passing. Was today about as accurate as you have seen Carson (Palmer)?
“Yeah, Carson was on fire again today. Lately he’s been moving and really doing a nice job. I think the big part is, we’ve got all four guys (wide receivers) up and running, and they’re doing a great job of being in the right spots for him.”
Q: Would you rather not have the bye happen right now?
“No, we need to get better. We need a chance to look at ourselves and improve in some areas, and to come out of this thing focused. The guys know that we’re going to work. The time is now, November is when teams go one way or the other, and we want to make sure we’re going the correct way.”
Q: You were banged up on the defensive line; did this affect you all in any way today?
“I thought all of our guys answered the bell today, so we weren’t really banged up. Everybody was ready to go, and I dressed an extra guy today.”
Q: Each time it looked like they (Chicago) were threatening in the second and third quarter, your guys were able to cause a big penalty:
“I can’t recall every series right now, but I know we did get some turnovers today, which was good.”
Q: How does a coach in this league explain what happened today?
“You make first downs and prevent third downs, you control field position, and it all makes a big difference.”
Q: Was this week one of those weeks, judging by a poor performance last week, that you didn’t have to say much because they knew how badly they had played?
“I don’t have to say a lot, they realize it. We’re going to work a little bit on Tuesday and Wednesday this week and have a few days off, come back on Monday and get started on the Ravens. They deserve a little time away, and most importantly, the coaches also deserve a little time away.”
Q: 
“That was amazing. I am happy for Ced. It got kind of played up as a revenge game, and he had one quote that kind of got played up during the week, but I am just really happy for him and Tank (Johnson). It is special when you are somewhere for awhile, whether it works out or not. It’s just nice to play that team and win for those guys and our team, our fans and our organization.”
Q: How nice was today for you? Blowouts don’t happen very often in the NFL:
“No they are very rare. Blowouts like this don’t happen often against a good team. There are always games where you can get up on a team and jump on them when they are down, but Chicago is a good, physical team both offensively and defensively, and they are going to win a lot of games still and make a push for the playoffs. For us to do this at home and get to 5-2 at the time of year that it is, with a bye this upcoming week, it’s a good spot to be in. We have a lot of football still to play and a lot of big, tough games. But to get to this point, we are happy and proud, but not at all satisfied. We still have a lot to do.”
Q: There seemed to be a good crispness to the offense today:
“We did a really good job up front, and that is an understatement. We matched their physical play, their speed, their tenacity, and we took it a step higher. When you can jump out to a 14-0 lead with some time to play in the first quarter like we did, that team (Chicago) isn’t built to play like that. They are built to control the ball, control field position and punt the ball to field position and run it out. They play their Tampa 2 and make you dink and dunk the ball down the field and try to hold you to field goals. When they didn’t hold us to field goals and we executed in the red zone like we did, it made it difficult on them.”
Q: You said after the Pittsburgh game that was the most fun you’d had on the football field. How does today compare?
“This was definitely nice, but a division game like Pittsburgh and the position we were in with them, having not beaten them at home in a while, that was definitely just a different game and a different feeling. But it’s nice to sit on the sidelines with a cup of Gatorade and a hat on and watch. That doesn’t happen very often in this league.”
Q: You used a lot of play-action passing today? Can you talk about that aspect a little bit?
“The running game set everything up today. We have run the ball very successfully all year, and we will continue to do that. When you have Cedric back there and an offensive line that gives him gaps and holes, it only makes the play-action pass game that much better.”
Q: Cedric’s running seemed to give you a lot of chances to take shots down the field:
“We had a number of nice play-action passes that seemed to suck the underneath coverage up, and then we hit some holes behind them. But it all starts up front with the run game, and we got off to a nice start. The pockets were great all day, and I don’t know that I got hit hardly at all today.”
Q: Has Cedric’s time here taught you anything about making assumptions about people that you don’t really know?
“I think so. I think I tried to keep as open a mind as I could when he came in. You just can’t listen to outside sources. It goes back to the whole thing that your mom teaches you when you are young, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Ced came in here with an open mind, the organization kept an open mind, and he has done nothing but be a model teammate. He has been a lot of fun to play with and to see him run through arm tackles and run over people is fun.”
Q: How do you explain having your career-best game against your former team?
“It’s hard to explain. It was a bit of an emotional week coming into this one. At the end of the day, we played against my ex-team. With the way things unfolded there until my arrival here, it was just a bit of an emotional day.”
Q: Can you talk about the satisfaction of having that kind of performance against your former team?
“I tried to make it a point throughout the week to not get too emotional coming into this game. I didn’t want to seek revenge. Revenge was not a goal of mine — it’s not how I wanted to play against them. I just wanted to take advantage of my opportunities.”
Q: Was there much talking out there?
“No, not at all. We are friends on the field and off. I did play three years with those guys, and I spent time off the field with many of them. I think they were just thrilled with the competition that I provided them. In a way, I think a lot of those guys were happy for me.”
Q: You seemed like a cool customer out there. Did you try to avoid being over-emotional?
“Like I pointed out, I didn’t want it to be revenge. I knew I was going to be faced with being too emotional at times. We talked about it in our running backs room with Jim Anderson right after the last game. We came in on Monday and watched film, and once we got over that, we talked about the Bears a little bit — about not getting overwhelmed.”
Q: Can you talk about your emotions when you scored that touchdown?
“It was huge because everyone was scoring touchdowns but me (jokingly). I was trying to get into the end zone. To finally get in there after having such a great day, it was just another great achievement for me. I was proud of myself and the road that I have travelled. It is always fun to get the fans riled up. They are part of the game as well.”
Q: How you played today and how the team played today ... is this a good time for a bye week?
“I think it’s a great time for a bye. You always want to get your bye late, going into November. I think we have had a lot of emotional games. This one was very emotional for a lot of guys. We have a few guys hurt, so I think it came at a good time for people to get themselves back on their feet and for the coaches to make some adjustments. I think it’s a good time for the bye — get some time to recover and pick up right where we left off.”
Q: At one point late, you ran across the field and looked at the Bears sideline. Was there a message there?
“I tried hard the entire game not to get too involved in my emotions. It was just an emotional moment for me. Here we are in the fourth quarter running the clock out. We have a lot of points on the board and everyone has had a great day. I think there was a small part of me that couldn’t resist just going up and showing a little emotion.”
Q: Was there anybody you wanted to talk to postgame?
“Yes, I really wanted to say hello to Lovie (Smith), but he shook Marvin’s hand and ran off. I think, as a head coach, he was probably disappointed in the outcome of the game. It would have been really nice to look him in the eyes again and say thank you.”
Q: What specifically did you want to thank Lovie Smith for?
“Just for getting me here — getting me picked No. 4 by the Bears. Not everything went the way I wanted it to. But everything going the way they did brought me to where I am today. I have no regrets. I am very thankful for my situation. Lovie did a lot to help me get here.”
Q: You had 189 yards rushing. That’s a great day at work:
“That’s what you sign up for. I could do this every week.”
Q: Your first game against your old team seems to have gone pretty well:
“It sure did. It was great to see a lot of my old teammates. It was fun to go against those guys. It was a wonderful experience, and I think them for the competition.”
Q: How much was your adrenaline pumping?
“There were a few times where I may have gotten a little too hyped up. But once I got past that, we were good to go.”
Q: You’re the lading rusher in the NFL. During the week, you said you weren’t going to get caught up in that — that you would let your play do the talking. Your play showed everything:
“Yeah. That’s what we worked for throughout the week. Everyone knew it would be an emotional day. What a wonderful day.”
Q: It probably helps that your mother and your younger brother were in the stands watching this one:
“Yeah. I’m glad they could make it out to see this one. I knew she wasn’t going to miss this one, and I’m sure she had just as much fun as I did.”
Q: Would you call this a complete performance?
“Yes. This was the one we knew we had in us. I think we’ll take more from this win than we took from last week’s loss. We’ll ask ourselves, ‘How can we get better?’ It’s a big win.”
Q: Was this a big victory considering Cedric Benson’s circumstances?
“We did this for him and Tank (Johnson). It was a big win.”
Q: You had double the amount of TDs the Bears have given up all season:
“With much respect to the Bears ... at some point as an offense, we needed to click. We needed to put together four complete quarters of football.”
Q: Explain how this game ended up so lopsided:
“I can’t explain why it went this way, or why we lost last week. The O-line played unbelievable. The way we were able to run and throw, we could have done what we wanted to do. Again, no disrespect to their defense, but the O-line made coach (Bob) Bratkowski’s job very easy.”
Q: How excited are you that Cedric Benson played so well against his old team?
“Very, Very. Everyone had Ced and Tank’s (Johnson) back today, based on their previous situations coming from Chicago.”
Q: What did the Bears defense do wrong today?
“They played the same way I saw them on film. That’s it.”
Q: When you were watching film, did you see a lot of holes in the coverage?
“They looked good. When I saw them on film, they were shutting everyone down.”
Q: What was it like to watch
“I couldn’t watch because I was running routes. But I hear he looked good.”
Q: Was it nice to see Benson continue to play well as the game went on?
“Yeah. We talked before the game about going ‘ham.’ That’s a new one. Let it soak in.”
Q: Did you see anything different about Cedric Benson coming into the game?
“No. He did a good job at keeping his emotions in check. I talked to him earlier in the week and told him to keep doing what he has been doing.”
Q: Is this the kind of game you have been waiting for?
“Absolutely. There’s never a perfect game, but that was a good one. We need to play well on offense. We talked last night and said, ‘We can say all we want — that we’re a good offensive team — but we have to start acting like it.’ We stepped up this week.”
Initial comments:
“The Chicago Bears should never lose a football game like that. It was a tough day at the office for us. Nothing went right today. I’m disappointed in our defense. We knew were playing a good offense, but we should be able to hold them down a lot better than that. We didn’t stop the run or fill gaps, and there were missed tackles. They knocked us around. We are better than that. Offensively, it was the same thing. I think they were plus-four in turnover ratio, and you can’t have that. We did not get much going on offense, whether it be the run or the pass. They beat us, and you have to give them credit. They were ready to go, and I didn’t have my team ready to go this week. This is this week, and we’ll learn from this game. It’s one game, and we have a big game against Cleveland next week. We’re 3-3 right now, and we’ll get ready to go from there.”
Q: What do you say to your team after a game like this?
“You can imagine, not that you need to say a whole lot. We all saw what happened out there. It was a total breakdown by us, but you move on. Experience teaches you a lot, and we’ve been in this spot before. We once lost 45-0 and came back to play for the championship that same year. Right now, I’m just disappointed in our play.”
Q: After a game like this, do you re-evaluate every phase or just look at this as an aberration?
“We always evaluate everything we do, whether we win or lose. We’ll look at what we did scheme-wise and with personnel — all the things you evaluate each week.”
Q: Were you trying to get your guys going on the sideline during the game?
“Yes. Before, during and after. Nothing was working today.”
Q: Did you get the sense beforehand that your team would not be ready to play?
“No. I thought we were ready to go, but the game told us we weren’t ready to go. We haven’t been in this situation, so it’s hard for me to answer these questions. We’ll learn from it.”
Q: Is there anything Cincinnati did early on that caught you off guard?
“Not at all. They did what they normally do, and they made plays. We did not play well at all. We were not ready to go, and they made plays. Give them a lot of credit.”
Q: Did you feel they were rubbing it in by leaving Benson in the game late?
“No I don’t. They were running their offense. It’s our job to stop them. I don’t see that at all.”
Q: Did you get a chance to talk to Cedric?
“No. This was a business trip — not a family reunion.”
Q: What did you think of his performance?
“He played well, and he’s been playing well all year. He ran hard today from start to finish.”
Q: In all your years, have you been able to figure out why a team comes out like this?
“I wish I knew, but it happens in the NFL. You never know. I thought our preparation was good and I thought we were ready to go, but according to the game we weren’t.”
Q: How do you explain a loss like this?
“It was a tough game. Anytime that happens to a team, that tells us that we have a lot of work to do offensively. We can’t put our defense in that situation. We have to answer back. That’s on me and the rest of the offense.”
Q: Did you have any idea beforehand that you guys were going to come out flat?
“No. We had a really good week of practice.”
Q: How hard is it playing from behind like that?
“We’ve done it before. We’ve been behind. We just have to execute. In those first three drives we had a chance, but we had penalties and I missed a few throws. We have to get back to work. Luckily for us there are 10 games left. There’s a lot of football left. We’re a better team than what we showed out there. We just have to get back to it and start playing better football.”
Q: How embarrassing is it collectively for the team to lose like that?
“I think it’s really embarrassing. I’m embarrassed and I think that everyone in that locker room is embarrassed. The coaches and players are embarrassed. To get down 21-0, then 28-0 ... The guys were still fighting, but it just wasn’t ... we were missing some crucial things. Three picks. That’s going to hurt us. We have to get back to work. We have to go back and look at this tomorrow and figure out what’s wrong and get ready for Cleveland, which is a big home game for us.”
Q: Does a loss like this stick with you a little more than an ordinary loss?
“A loss is a loss. We’re going to learn from it. You don’t want to lose in the NFL, but it happens to a lot of teams. It happened to us today and it’s an embarrassing one. It’s going to sting for a few days to lose like that. We have a lot of work ahead of us offensively.”
Q: What would you say to someone watching this game today and how they should adjust their expectations for this season?
“They don’t have to adjust their expectations. Everyone in the NFL wants to win the Super Bowl. We have those expectations. We still think we have a good football team, and we still think we can make a run. Like I said, there are 10 football games left.”
Q: Talk about what happened today:
“We didn’t play well today. That’s the bottom line. No excuses. They outplayed us today.”
Q: What do the defensive backs need to do to improve next week?
“Me personally, better tackling. Obviously, we have got to cover better. We’ve got to work harder.”
Q: Talk about why
“He did a couple of things on a couple of plays that I had never seen. He made a lot of double moves on his pass routes. He had a good game. I tip my hat to him. He had a good day.”
Q: You have more elite receivers coming ahead on the schedule. Talk about what you need to do in the coming weeks:
“There are always corrections to be made. There are things I need to correct. I need to look at the game film and correct the mistakes.”
Q: What did Lovie Smith say to the team after the game?
“Basically, we need to start playing. Bottom line. This is the Chicago Bears. This is not how we play.”
Q: Was Carson Palmer better than you thought he would be?
“No. I’ve always thought Carson Palmer was a good quarterback. He was as good as I expected.”
Q: How do you feel after looking at the stat sheet?
“It’s very frustrating. We didn’t get the job done. They wanted it a whole lot more than we did. We just didn’t show up today.”
Q: How embarrassing is this loss?
“It’s very embarrassing. We deserve whatever we get back home. We didn’t step up at all.”
Q: How do you explain the Bengals wanting it more?
“(The Bengals) made plays all over the field — on defense, special teams and offense. They did a great job. Whatever you say, they wanted it more.”
Q: What can you say about former teammate Cedric Benson’s performance today?
“He did well. He was a major contributor to their win. He rushed for more than 100 yards. He ran hard, and we knew that coming in to today. We knew he had a passion about this game. We knew he wanted to get back (for being waived). We expected nothing less, and he stepped up today.”
Q: Why is Chad Ochocinco so difficult to defend?
“He wanted the ball. He got the ball and made his plays. We played physical, but they wanted it more.”
Q: Is bouncing back from a loss sometimes easier said than done?
“Guys always say, ‘We’ve been in this situation before.’ Sometimes you get tired of being in this situation. We need to get back to Chicago and look at the man in the mirror — look at each other individually, and move forward. It’s cliché, but there is still a lot of football left. It is early. We can look forward to the future.”
Q: Is this an embarrassing loss?
“Most definitely. Nobody likes to lose like this, especially the Chicago Bears.”
Q: Talk about your performance today:
“That was pretty embarrassing. Times like this, you have to look at yourself. I’ve got to play better. I’ve got to play harder. Hopefully, I’ll play better next week.”
Q: As well as the Bears defense has been playing, was it a surprise to see what the Bengals did today?
“We’ve seen it on film. We’ve seen how explosive they are. No. It was not surprising. We didn’t make plays. It’s embarrassing to play like that and how we represented the Chicago Bears.”
Q: What did you think of the play of former teammate Cedric Benson?
“I tip my hat to the whole (Bengals) team. The defense played well and created turnovers. The offensive line blocked well and Cedric ran the ball like crazy. Carson threw the ball and had time whenever he wanted, and they caught it. They could do whatever they wanted.”
Q: Talk about the position of this team following the loss:
“It’s still anybody’s season. It’s still early. As the season moves on, you’ve got less room for error and we’re putting ourselves in a little bit of a hole.”
Q: Was the team flat today?
“I don’t know. After the Atlanta game, you would have expected a better effort. I wasn’t able to make any plays. Every team in the NFL relies on big plays. We weren’t able to do it.”
Q: What happened against the Bengals running game?
“Ced (Benson) played well. We probably missed some tackles. I haven’t watched the game film. We didn’t make any plays. Not watching the film, that’s probably what I would say happened.”
Q: How embarrassing is it for the team to lose the way it did today?
“It’s bad. Especially, because we pride ourselves on playing tough football. It seemed like it was too easy for Cincinnati today. Early on, for some reason, we started slow. Today, they kept steamrolling us. That bit us in the tail. We have a good team, and we start slow. Other teams see that. They knew.”
