VS.

POSTGAME QUOTES
DECEMBER 23, 2007

Back to Bengals Gameday

Q: Initial comments:
"We'll go ahead and get started. No. 1, as I told our guys, we had two goals - win the football game, and not allow them (the Browns) to earn a playoff spot here in our place. Our guys went out and did that today. We overcame some adverse plays in the wind - offense, defense and special teams, on both sides. And we were able to overcome some of those situations, which were good. When they had field position, we were able to stop them. Conversely, on offense, when we had the ball backed up, we were able to grind it out. We were able to overcome a punt in the wind, and overcome a fumble. Still, there were some (bad) things today. We fell down and gave them the ball back a couple times there at the end. And, obviously, the fumble. You don't want to do that. That's probably the biggest thing this season that has really haunted us - our inability to take care of the football. And that's something we've done well in seasons past. I thought it was a good job today by the young, rookie secondary. I thought they did a fine job and made some plays. They made some errors, but they came up with some plays on the ball and they tackled. I think that was big."

Q: The young defensive secondary was productive today:
"They did a good job. There's only one guy back there that's got more than two years experience, so that's kind of amazing. With Dexter (Jackson) and Madieu (Williams) getting hurt in about a 10-minute span in practice the other day, things changed in a hurry. Marvin (White) and Chinedum (Ndukwe) are going to be fine players. I think they showed some of that today, and obviously Jonathan (Joseph) and Leon (Hall) did what they do."

Q: They looked pretty active:
"Like I said, I think they did a good job. The guys did a good job of tackling. They were physical. They made plays, and they had fun. They're playing on all the special teams, so they didn't get much relief today. I looked over one time to talk to the defense before they went out on the field and there was only about four guys standing there. Everybody else was covering the kick. So they had to do double-duty today with the injuries that we suffered in the game."

Q: The defense was able to limit the number of big plays today. That obviously hurt you the first game this year:
"That was the biggest part of the game. Up there (in Cleveland), we had the explosive runs, the explosive passes, the dropped coverages, and all of those things. You've got to make a team earn their way down the field, particularly in (weather) conditions like today."

Q: How much of a factor was the wind today?
"Today was very windy. It plays a lot into it. It really does. Sometimes the ball seems to cut right through the wind, and others it seems to get (caught) in the wind. You saw the first interception to T.J. (Houshmandzadeh) on the bootleg where the ball actually went backwards. And you saw Shayne (Graham's) kick go right down the middle then all of a sudden go directly right into the upright. (The wind) was strong today - as strong as I've seen it here at Paul Brown Stadium."

Q: Kenny Watson had a strong day today, except for the fumble:
"Yeah it was a bad fumble. That's the thing I'm talking about. We've got to do a better job in those situations - just get down (on the ground) and let's play the next down."

Q: You went 5-3 at home. Is it that much harder to win on the road?
"We've been pretty good on the road until this year. Our goal was to be 8-0 at home and split on the road. We haven't gotten that done. We get another chance to get our second road victory of the year. So we'll be ready to go."

Q: Was this game more about a morality booster than playing spoiler to the Browns?
"Well, I thought it was good for us to win and finish (well) in the division. Now, we split with them, beat Baltimore twice and, unfortunately, lost twice to Pittsburgh. To finish with a win at home for our fans was good. Our fans were great today. We've got to get them out of that (club) lounge in the third quarter, because it looked pretty empty out there. It must have been warm in there. But I think they've been great all year, and I'm sure it was fun for them and one that they can enjoy now. People from Cleveland were coming down here in groves, so now they're just driving that bad ride back up I-71."

Q: The wind certainly seemed to have a big impact on the game:
"I never really got a good sense of which way it was blowing. It was really swirling. They said the wind was blowing at 50 miles per hour before the game, but it thankfully died down after that. It was an ugly game, and a tough one to play in if you're trying to throw the football. Fortunately, we ended up winning the game."

Q: Jamal Lewis really hurt you guys in Week 2 with 216 rushing yards. Today Kenny Watson goes for 130 and out-rushes Lewis. That was big, wasn't it?
"That was huge. Our defense could not have played better today. They played well against a very strong offensive line and against a big, physical (running) back. They just made plays on the ball when it was thrown. On offense, we won the battle up front and it was good to get Kenny going again."

Q: Red-zone execution for both teams made a huge difference today:
"It made a huge difference. We did a good job executing down there and getting points."

Q: How good was it to see Willie Anderson back in there at right tackle some of the time?
"It was great. What's crazy about it is that Stacy (Andrews) has played flawlessly all season long. Willie's leadership kept everyone under control today. There was a lot of talking on the field today, and Willie did a good job of keeping the other guys on the line on the same page."

Q: Is it a good feeling to send the fans home happy in the final home game of the season?
"It's great. It was loud today. We were excited to see the fans show up today after the way we've played for them. It was good to have the electricity in the stadium, and hopefully a home win against our rival gives them something to look forward to next year."

Q: The win today gives you a final record of 3-3 in the division. That sounds a lot better than 2-4, doesn't it?
"It definitely does. The talk all week was to not let them pull out the hats and celebrate on our field. I'm glad that we didn't see that today, and that we out-performed them."

Q: There were some teams in the league that missed the playoffs last year but finished the season strong. Is there a sense with you guys that the same thing could happen here if you can finish this year strong?
"To be honest, I haven't thought much about what this year means going into next year. I've just been trying to figure out how to get a win. But if you look at a team like Green Bay, you see a team that struggled a lot last year and now is one of the hottest teams in the league. There are a lot of teams that are playing well this year that played poorly last year. We can be one of those teams. We have a lot of work to do to get there. There's no question that this team wants to finish with a win. We have a good chance against a team that has really been struggling (Miami). We need to go down there and execute ... We need to finish the season the right way."

Q: Kenny Watson came up so big and then he had that fumble near the end. Did you have anything to say to him after that?
"No, Kenny is as hard on himself as anyone on this team is. You hate to see it happen. We get so excited when Kenny has a game like he did today because everyone on this team loves him so much. He's such a team player, and he's come up big for this team a lot over the last four or five years."

Q: Do you think the strong wind is why you guys struggled so much on offense in the second half?
I think it's why both teams struggled. Thankfully we ran the ball well today and didn't have to throw as much as they did."

Q: You had a great day. Are you a little tired after all that running?
"No, I'm OK. The offensive line did a great job blocking today. They controlled the line of scrimmage. My job was just to be fast and hit the holes."

Q: The wind was a big factor in this game, but you guys were able to answer the call:
"It wasn't only me. It was a team effort. The defense helped me out there in the end on that fumble. I have to do a better job taking care of the football at the end of the game, especially in that situation. The defense came up big, and it was a team win."

Q: Was the execution in the red zone the difference in this game?
"Definitely. That just shows how well the defense played today. I thought they made a lot of key plays, especially at the end of the first half. They gave us an opportunity to put some points on the board."

Q: You and Marvin White made a lot of big plays back there at safety. You guys really stepped up:
"Thank you. Marvin did a great job making plays on (Kellen)Winslow. Just feeding off his energy was nice. A lot of young guys were in there making plays. That was a good feeling."

Q: Brady Quinn knows that you have good hands, and you showed those good hands making those picks:
"I appreciate that. I told him before the game, 'I don't want you shaking my hands,' and he started laughing. It would have been better if they were against him."

Q: As a team, you guys out-rushed the Cleveland Browns today. Was that a big part of the win?
"You win games in the National Football League by either stopping the run, or by running the ball. That's a big stop for us."

Q: Only two catches today, but you still have the chance to lead the NFL in receptions:
"It might be tough now. The last couple of weeks, I have been kind of decoyed. But we won, so it's not so bad."

Q: You might be able to play in warm weather next week in Miami:
"You never know, it could be real hot, but it could be raining. We just want to win. Hopefully we can go out with two straight victories to end the season. When you look at Pittsburgh, they played well down the stretch last year. You look at Tennessee, and they played well down the stretch last year. You look at Green Bay, they played well down the stretch last year. And all three of those teams are having pretty good seasons. Hopefully we can be one of those teams next year."

Q: Does sending the Browns home with out clinching the playoffs mean a lot to you?
"Yes. I guarantee that their equipment people brought the hats and the T-shirts. And now they will box them back up and put them on the airplane go back to Cleveland and hopefully get them out next week in San Francisco."

Q: Was there a lot of talk out there today?
"Oh, man. Shaun (Smith) is non-stop. He played well, though. His talking gets him going, but the bottom line is that we won."

Q: So there was plenty of incentive to win this game:
"We didn't want Cleveland to beat us twice in the same season and clinch the playoffs. Hopefully they will have to claw to get it, and that's what we wanted."

Q: You guys had four turnovers today. That was a big part of the win, wasn't it?
"Yeah, they were where they needed to be, and they got the ball. I think that was a big difference from the previous game we played up there. It was good to get the win."

Q: You weren't going to let former Bengals Shaun Smith and Eric Steinbach celebrate today were you?
"I went out to eat with Steinbach last night, and I kind of told him that. They kind of thought they had it in the bag. We know what we are capable of doing when we all get on the same page. They are a heck of a football team, but I'm glad that they weren't able to do anything here."

Q: Were you surprised that they were throwing with just a little bit of time in the first half?
"No. We have been giving up a lot of touchdowns before the half. I'm sure they watch film too. I'm sure they thought that no matter how much time was on the clock that they could score. I think we caught them off guard with some coverages that he probably didn't recognize. Teams have been scoring on us before the half, so that's probably why they came out throwing."

Q: Were you able to stop Jamal Lewis a little bit better today?
"A little bit. He got going in the third quarter. I think he got a little over 100 yards rushing. He didn't hurt us like he did the last game (with) a 65-yard run and a 40-yard run. When you give that up, you just kill yourself."

Q: Do you have anything to say about your two new safeties that got the start today?
"With those young guys, when you get an opportunity to play like that, it makes it tough for other guys to get back in there. We had two safeties hurt, and that's hard going up against Cleveland. Fortunately, our young guys played well."

Q: Opening statement:
"We were not able to get it done today. It's disappointing, realizing what was on the line and what was at stake. Our guys made a valiant effort in the second half trying to come back and make and game out of it, but there were too many mistakes in the first half for us to overcome. We turned the ball over four times and muffed a field goal attempt. Those things hurt you. A couple of those turnovers ended up as touchdowns for them. With the weather being what it was, they impacted the game a little bit, going from 6-0 to 19-0 at the half. I think that was pretty critical. I didn't anticipate that we would turn the ball over like that. We haven't been doing it, but we did today. We're just going to have to tighten our belt straps. We've got a game next week, it's a home game, and we need to win it. The thing that might hurt a little bit is depending on what happens later this afternoon. Our playoff scenario might not be in our hands. That's the disappointing thing. We had it in our hands today if we would have won. We didn't win, so now we have to see if we can get this one next week."

Q: On Derek Anderson's struggles:
"I haven't spoken with Derek, but I think the wind had something to do with it. He threw four (interceptions) and they threw two. Carson (Palmer) is a pretty good quarterback himself, and I think the wind effected some of his throws too."

Q: On the impact of the two interceptions before the end of the first half:
"They hurt tremendously because it's a 6-0 game. Even if you go into the half 6-0, you can (come back and) score (and be) ahead in the game. But when it got to be 19-0 after turnovers, they were able to get momentum, plus they got a cushion. It makes it tougher to come back. You saw that we came back, but it was too far to go. If it was 14, it might have been OK. But with it being 19, we couldn't overcome it."

Q: On Cleveland's run defense today:
"We've struggled with the run all year. We struggled with the run today. I didn't anticipate that we'd struggle as much, but what has happened throughout the course of the year happened today. We're still working on it. It's a work in progress, and we haven't made enough progress in that area."

Q: On if he considered running out the clock with 50 seconds left in the first half:
"No, we've been a pretty good two-minute team throughout the year. We felt that if we could get a field goal, it would benefit us. So, that's what we tried to do."

Q: On his message to the team after the game:
"We need to give Cincinnati credit because they came ready to play. It's unfortunate we didn't play well enough to win, but we still have a game next week. We've got to get ready to play next week. Depending on what happens later today, we may not have control of our own destiny. If we don't, we still need to win. There is still a whole slate of games, and anything can happen."

Q: Opening Comments:
"We were not good enough today."

Q: How many of your interceptions were wind related?
"A couple of them. A few were bad decisions, and another got hung up in the air. We had a great drive going in the third quarter, and it resulted in an interception. We went to the corner of the end zone and the ball hung in the air, and they had a guy there to make a play. I should have thrown the ball a little firmer."

Q: Did you question your confidence going into the fourth quarter?
"I never question myself. We work too hard. I owe all our success thus far this season to all the guys in this locker room. Everyone here has had my back all season. It is hard to look around this locker room after a disappointing loss. We are never going to question ourselves or our abilities."

Q: What do you feel caused the team to come out flat this week?
"I thought we had a good week of practice this week. We were loose and excited to play. Things just didn't work out. I am not going to blame my play on the weather elements."

Q: How did you feel coming into the second half?
"I knew I had made some mistakes, but at that point, there was still a half of football to play. We have enough weapons to make plays on this team when we need to. Unfortunately, things just didn't work out today. Some days, breaks go your way. And other days, they don't. ... That is the way it goes."

Q: Can you elaborate about the interception that was intended for Kellen Winslow?
"I was trying to throw him a jump ball in the end zone. I just wanted to give him a chance."

Q: How would you assess your situation considering that you were in the game at the end?
"Fortunate. Our defense played great. We obviously were in a couple of bad situations at the end of the first half. The Bengals played well. It is a tough battle to fight when you throw four picks. It is frustrating to get into the red-zone and come up empty. We want to score every time we have the ball. It wasn't bad play calling or anything else. Things just didn't work out today."

Q: Thoughts on today's game:
"This was a very tough game for us today. We owned and controlled our own destiny. This (Cincinnati) was a team that we thought, if we jumped on them early, we could take away their will to win. We wanted to grind them down, but the Bengals have a great offense and today they got away from us.

"We didn't put points up early, and it was not until the fourth quarter that we got back into the game. Jamal Lewis has been running well the past few weeks, so we felt that we could give the ball to our bruiser and he would carry us."

Q: How difficult were the weather conditions today?
"You could see that the wind did carry the ball today. Near the end of the game, the wind died down and made for better passing conditions. We just didn't play well today, no matter what the conditions were."

Q: Is this game easily forgotten if Tennessee loses today and you still get into the playoffs?
"No. We need to go back and assess this game. Why did we play like this? What caused us to play so poorly? What kept our offense out of sync? Because our defense played well ... our offense gave Cincinnati field possession that led to points. We can't forget about this game. We must look at it from start to finish."