VS.

POSTGAME QUOTES
DECEMBER 30, 2007

Back to Bengals Gameday

Q: Initial comments:
"Obviously I'm pleased with how the guys finished off the season and the game today. They came out and played physical 2 games in a row. Our effort is always great; they're playing smart and physical, and taking care of things the right way. We did a good job today offensively and defensively."

Q: On what he would like the players to take from this season:
"Just the fact that you got to play smart and you got to play consistent. There's going to be injuries that occur in the NFL, and you have to find a way to overcome them. We have to find a way, that our guys who are playing go on, and particularly the guys we feel are our good players, both players and coaches, we've got to find a way to put those guys in position to win the football games that we lost early on, so the games like this at the end of the year really matter. And that's important. But we didn't distance ourselves, or put ourselves in position to do those things. We didn't make those plays. And that's the biggest lesson learned. Things are going to happen, sometimes you're going to get injuries, or the ball's going to bounce the wrong way, or whatever it's going to be, but you can't dwell on that. You've got to move forward and can't use that as an excuse."

Q: On the Bengals offense:
"Chad (Johnson) had a good game today, and we did some good things. We didn't run the ball consistently enough in the first half, but we got a few runs up in there the 2nd half. When we spread them out, we didn't run as well, they jumped over some things, but when we pounded some downhill runs they were effective."

Q: On Chad Johnson's incentive to play well, because he's from Miami:
"Of course he was excited to play. Coming to your home town to play, it's a big thing. He's been thinking about this game for a long time. Unfortunately, it didn't have the significance to our season that we hoped it would have."

Q: On any changes about to be made now that the season's over:
"It's been five years. There are things around here that are a little stale. We've got to take all those binders from the last five years, and get rid of them. Get the offices clean, the boards; clean up, as though we are new people coming in. Whoever's there, we're new people coming in, and understand that. The players have got to understand that. And that's what it's got to be. It's got nothing to do with the playbook. I'm talking about just in general. You know you go to your garage, and look at your garage, and say 'I've got to get rid of this junk!' That's what I'm saying. We just need to freshen up a bit. When our players come back, there will be a fresh outlook, and not that cloud that we've left to hang over our heads."

Q: On how he would you characterize this season:
"It's been a disappointment for us. We didn't reach our goals. Unless we're playing the final game, and the last one standing, it's not going to be what we want. Maybe if we were in the final game, I would have said it was a good successful year. But anyway, we're not happy with it, and again, I'm happy with today's effort, of the way the guys finished the season. These last 2 weeks, the game at home, then coming down here and playing a team that won their last game here, and is a better football team then what their record says. They've had their own things they're dealing with, but they come out there and play. There's some talent on both sides of the football here, and our guys came out and played today. Sometimes it's difficult to play your last game on the road when you're not going to the playoffs. I've seen those games. But our guys did a good job as I said, let's come play this game, as though we're playing for something that matters. And I thought our guys did a good job of practicing that today."

Q: On the game:
"We did come out and play well. We didn't run the ball very effectively but got enough going. The defense stopped them and gave us good field position. We made enough big plays to kind of widen the gap enough for them to realize their season was over and they weren't playing as hard. You let down in the 16th game when you've got one win, we took advantage of some things and we played pretty well."

Q: On the Bengals needing to run the ball better in order to win:
"I think so. Other than the Patriots you can't name too many teams that don't run the ball very well and are successful. That's something we need to work extremely hard on in this off season and make commitments to do it. If you can run the ball effectively in this league it only opens up the passing game and helps your play action. It gives you a better chance to win games, because of your time of possession. It helps you tremendously."

Q: On the team needing to get back to the basics:
"A lot of things need to change. Like I said we have got to find a way to run the ball better. We have got to find a way to keep the turnovers down. Do what needs to be done this off season to put us in that situation."

Q: On the team's lack of discipline being problematic:
"No question, no question (about it). If you don't have execution you get beat. If you don't execute on third down, or in the red zone, when you are running the ball, in pass protection, or throwing the ball you don't give yourself a chance to win. One of the biggest keys to this year was that we got out executed. We didn't do our jobs correctly enough to give us a chance to win games."

Q: On his performance this season and what he needs to do better:
"A lot of things. The quarterback position all starts with mechanics. From footwork on up, I need to do everything I can to get my feet right. I need to work on the small mechanics, where I'm releasing the ball, and getting my weight in throws. And from there just get smarter. Find a way to find an edge studying films. It 's not just really one area I need to improve on."

Q: On closing out the season on a positive note:
"It was good. It was big for us to finish the season on a positive note, win two games in a row and go in to the off season with a win."

Q: On needing a fresh approach to next season suggested by the coach:
"Change is good, change is good at times. That's always a question is how much you should change and what you should change, which I think that is the tough question. They devote the off season to figuring that out; we just go out there and play."

Q: On if he thinks guys are complaining about contracts:
"No not necessarily, but I wouldn't know."

Q: On what the difference is between 7-9 and 6-10:
"It's big for us. It kind of gives us a little momentum going in to the off season. It's the first time all year that we were able to put together two wins and so that gives us momentum going in to next year, going in to the off season, so we can build from that."

Q: On his thoughts about scooping up the John Beck fumble for a TD:
"Yeah, I was just at the right place at the right time and I try to be around the ball as much as I can, and with a new quarterback coming in, you see that often with the bobbled snaps and stuff. I just took advantage of it and excited to get my first touchdown."

Q: On the positive rays of hope next year going in to next season:
"We can't do anything about what we did earlier in the season with all the losses, but we just decided we can finish strong, the second part of the season strong. I think with these last two games, against a good team last week in Cleveland and another team that's trying to find its way in Miami. I think we did well and its something to say about the future of this team and the direction that we need to take things in this off season."

Q: On the pass play that would have been reception #113 of the season:
"He gave me the opportunity. The way we were winning the game, we figured we would just run the ball down the stretch, but they decided to throw the ball and give me an opportunity. I've probably caught that last ball all year with one hand, but I dropped it today. It was cool though. I appreciate just giving me the chance."

Q: On Carson Palmer's last pass to T.J. for reception No. 113:
"(Carson) said that he couldn't hold onto it much more, and I went probably a little further than I needed to. I would have loved to have it, but all in all we finished the season with two wins, and I'll be bored for six months."

Q: On possibly finishing the season with the most receptions:
"After last night, I didn't really expecting to come close to it with the way he (Wes Welker) played, and it would have probably only been fitting for him to lead the league anyway the way they (Patriots) have won on offense."

Q: On Head Coach Marvin Lewis blowing up the mentality of the team:
"Obviously, this year has been a big disappointment for the players, coaches, fans, and the organization. Everybody in here understands that this will probably be the last time that we all play together as a team. That is how the NFL is. There are changes every year. It is what it is. The guys that are here, if I am one of them, we just got to bust our ass because we played a terrible season this year."

Q: On ending the season with a winning streak:
"It feels good. It makes you feel good even though we are not playing next week. It feels good to win and guys are happy."

Q: On what the Bengals need to do to get to the next level:
"I think the biggest thing is consistency. We have got to get consistent guys in here. You can't just have guys play when it is convenient. Like the coach says you got to play well when things get tough. He wants consistent players and a consistent game plan. I am sure he will get that in here."

Q: Opening statement:
We had opportunity there in the second half to get it to 21-17 and then turned the football over. That had extended the point to where we couldn't get it back in the football game. You saw the mistakes that we made, again, give Cincinnati credit and tip your hat to those guys.

Q: On if it has been a "bizarre," long tough year for him:
Well I think it's been for all of us. Bizarre may be a good description at times. You know what goes into this, everyone else does as well. But so much goes into it but it's been tough on everyone. Everyone's battled through it and that's all you can do in a situation like this.

Q: On whether or not he expects to coach for the Dolphins next year:
As you can imagine, my mind is coming off of a tough game, a game we wanted to win, and we'll address those things starting tomorrow.

Q: On reports that General Manager Randy Mueller will be let go:
I'm not aware of that, number one, and those things will start being addressed, I'm sure, starting tomorrow.

Q: On if he will be meeting with newly named Dolphins Executive Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells tomorrow:
We talked and we will meet this week some time.

Q: On when the team exit meetings will be conducted:
We'll speak with each player tomorrow.

Q: On if he is disappointed with how the season has ended:
I think that is the word. Discouraged? No. Disappointed? Yes. Our guys have battled, it's been tough, it's been bizarre at times in the different things that have happened throughout the course of this year. You're disappointed, we're disappointed because of all of the effort that goes into this thing, but in no way am I discouraged, I can tell you that.

Q: On how the players handled this being the last game that some will play as a team:
We talked about that this week. This team...there's change every year. That's the National Football League. That's the one constant, that's change, and I encourage everyone to maximize every practice, every meeting, and they've done that this game. We did that just to have them understand that this team will not be together again. There's a lot of quality people there in that locker room and it's disappointing that we've had to go through a season like this, but it is something that we've had to deal with, and we've dealt with it, and now we'll move on to the off-season.

Q: On the feeling of Zach Thomas not being able to participate:
There's a lot of things...reasons why we are in this game, in this profession. You don't get a chance to see all of the interaction. There were a lot of great efforts this year, and there was a lot of heartache this year with guys that obviously didn't get to finish the season with us. Those are the guys that it's really tough on, after all of the hard work, the Ronnie Browns and so forth. Obviously there's a lot of emotion.

Q: On if he would have done things differently during the season:
You do, but now it's time to take a deep breath and reflect a little bit and evaluate...really everything. That's what you do at the end of the season. And that will definitely take place.

Q: On the play of QB John Beck:
He understands that he's got a lot of work ahead of him and now this season is complete. We'll meet tomorrow, I'll have a chance to visit with him in my office. We'll take some time off and we'll be back at it before you know it and that's what he's going to needs the most.

Q: On if the future at the quarterback position lies with John Beck:
I think, that will all of our personnel, we'll do a thorough evaluation of all our guys and get back to work. I think that the bottom line is that you don't want to get too far ahead of yourself, we're going to keep working to develop these guys, and that will all play itself out.

Q: On the injury to QB Cleo Lemon:
It's a hip. They need to check it a little bit further. It wasn't a hip pointer, but some type of hip bruise.

Q: On if Bill Parcells' presence at the game affected his play:
"We were just trying to focus on the game. In my case, I wasn't the guy who came out and started. Cleo (Lemon) got injured and I had to go out on the field. My thought process is I'm glad I prepared the way I did for that case, which did happen. I just tried to make plays and not miss a beat."

Q: On the fumble he lost by dropping the snap from center:
"I was trying to go on with the play before I got the football. Its simply you've got to get the ball before you can make a play. I tried moving too quickly before I had the ball."

Q: On the two touchdowns he was responsible for:
"It was good to get the two scores. From my standpoint, I always look at a lot of things that I feel like I can improve on. It was good to get in the end zone because the previous games I was in we did not get there. But from this game we can take a lot of things and improve on. I want to go back and take all of my games and study them and improve."

Q: On how important it was to play this year as a rookie:
"Most rookies don't get an opportunity to play. I had an opportunity to be out there on the field because of the situation we were in. All of those plays whether they went well or went bad are going to be for my experience that will help me in the long run. What I want to do is take as much from it as I can and use those as lessons from games to try and improve for this upcoming season."

Q: On head coach Cam Cameron's statement that he needs a "grinding" offseason:
"Yeah, and that's the way I'd want it to be. I'm going to try and work as hard as I can. Obviously I have a lot of room to improve at this level. It's been great to have Trent (Greene) here so I can see what a veteran quarterback is like. How he works, how he is in the film room, how he is when he studies on his own, how he practices and I know I have a lot of room to improve on in that."

Q: On getting an opportunity to play halfway through the season and his contributions to the team since then:
"I went out there, I worked hard, and my teammates enjoyed the plays I made at practice, and so did my coaches. I knew I was going to get the opportunity, I just had to stay ready because I know in the NFL opportunity comes at strange times. I went from not dressing out to playing, pretty much, three-quarters of a game in a week. Thank God Coach Cam (Cameron) and Coach Bobby (Jackson) where always on me and making me do so many things at practice so I was ready, both mentally and physically."

Q: On his anticipated role in the team's offense next season:
"I have no idea, to be honest. I learned along time ago not to mess with thinking of what somebody else is going to do or what somebody else thinks of you. You've just got to go out there and play your game and as long as you do that all that other stuff will take care of itself. I hope they were pleased with my play. I don't think I played bad. Obviously, I think I could have played better, but, again, that's up to them."

Q: On the level of uncertainty on the team:
"When you lose there is always uncertainty. Obviously, there is going to be a little more in this locker room because we lost a lot more than most teams in the league this year. At the end of the day, you have to just be content with your effort. You'll never play perfect, even though that's the goal. As long as you can look in the mirror the next day and know that you gave it all you had, whether you played great or you played terrible, it has to be enough."

Q: On if he played differently because Bill Parcells was at today's game:
"I really didn't take that into consideration. I'm going to play hard regardless of who is watching. That's just me, I don't know any other way."

Q: On if he anticipated that the season would unfold this way back in July:
"Not at all, not at all. I thought for sure we were in the playoffs in July. Every NFL team was in the playoffs in July. I couldn't' see that we were going to go through this. There's no way."

Q: On the mood of the locker room throughout the season:
"We stuck together as a team. We fought through it. I don't know if it brought us closer, but I know we definitely learned from this experience."

Q: On if he expects Cam Cameron to return as the team's coach next year:
"God willing."

Q: On how the team's record reflects on Cam Cameron's coaching efforts:
"It's just unfair to him. Coach Cam is better than – this record doesn't show what type of coach he is. It hurts me that he's going through this, but one thing you have to admire about him is he keeps his head up. He keeps his head up and keeps pushing. I guess that's what the message he sends to the team. Even though we had the season we've had, as you noticed, no one really gave up. We just kept pushing."

Q: On if he is glad the season is over:
"It's been a rough year. In one sense, you do hope the "nightmare" would end at some point, but this is always a tough time of year, when the season is over and you haven't had the success that you want or you're going home early. You know it will be the last time you play with a lot of these guys. Change is on the horizon, and that always makes it tough. But as far as the nightmare and the losing we've had to endure this season, it will be a relief to not have to worry about losing a game next week."

Q: On if he feels this may be his last game with the team:
"I don't know. We could all speculate and talk about it, I don't know. There are certain things that we can't control in this world and that is one of them. Will I have say? Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. Today was a bittersweet day. Walking off the field for the last game today, obviously, it was on my mind. I thought about it. If it is, I'll obviously miss it a lot."

Q: On if he would like to be with the team next season:
"I don't know. I can't answer that question right now. I'd like to win. Nothing would make me happier than to win the championship in Miami. The city has been so great to me, the ownership, the team, the organization, everybody here has been so great to me and my family for the last 11 years. This is home for us, and we'll see what happens. Like I said, nothing would make me happier than to win here. But sometimes that doesn't work out. We'll see what happens."

Q: On having a new person in charge of football operations creates uneasiness on the team:
"We've been through it before. You have to learn to let go of what you can't control. I think when guys try to control too much and try to do too much, you end up worrying yourself and stressing yourself out over situations. At this point, you take a step back. You reflect on what happened. You try to learn from it. You draw any positives you can. Tomorrow we'll get together for the last time and enjoy the guys one last time. As the saying goes, let the chips fall where they may."

Q: On if certain players felt like they were auditioning for Bill Parcells today:
"Do we know he's here? Yeah, but that should never change anything. Just because someone is in the building doesn't mean it should change anything. People see you all around the league every day anyway. Bill saw us when he was at ESPN. He saw you then. Your effort and your expectations should always be so high that, regardless of who watches, you should always have your goals and your expectations set higher than theirs anyway. I don't care who was around and who was seeing it. Every day is a new chance to prove yourself, and, to me, I feel obligated every week to prove myself over and over again."

Q: On how drastic the level of change needs to be to turn the Dolphins into a championship-caliber team:
"There is a big dude named Tuna you can ask about that. He has to answer all those questions."

Q: On what he can take away from this season:
"The only thing you can get out of this is you find out what you're made of. You find out what type of guys you're fighting with and you find out a lot about yourself, first and foremost. This is a different situation for anybody - just your whole mindset. To get ready and do the things you need to do at a high level each week and looking at your circumstances each week, it's even more [difficult] when you come to the end of the season and you see where you're headed. It's going to be tough for a lot of guys because you know it's a different team next year - let's face it. It was my first year getting here and meeting a lot of guys, and I don't know what the future is for anybody. It's tough. It wasn't anything that I expected. I expected way better things than what we did, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, you have to make each player a stronger football player."

Q: On if he expects this week to have a lot of turmoil:
"That's pretty much how it happens at the end of the season. The coaching staff, they have to start looking at the players they're looking at out of college and looking at who is going to be free in the offseason and stuff like that. If any changes are going to be made, it's not up to me, but you would think it's going to happen pretty much after the season is over."

Q: On how difficult this season has been:
"It's been tough, but like I said before, at the end of the day it has to make each guy and each player a stronger person because this is something you can't get used to. You can't get used to going 1-15. If you're comfortable with going 1-15, I think you've got to look for a different occupation."

Q: On if he wants to be part of the team's redemption:
"I've seen the worst of the worst, so I've got to be there when they get good. They're bringing (Bill) Parcells in, and everybody knows he's a football guy. You have a great football mind that knows talent and knows football players, so at the end of the day, it has to be a good thing. It's the time where you've got to weed out the guys who are going to be here and who are not going to be here, and do all of those things. It's going to be tough for everybody, but that's the reality of it."

Q: On if he is glad the season is over:
"I'm never glad a season is over. I love to play in the latter months, but seeing there is not going to be an opportunity, it is what it is. All I can do is get back and do what I do best. Get my body back in shape, get my body back ready and healthy and get ready to kick this thing off again in March."

Q: On if it will be difficult for him to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers, his former team, compete in the playoffs:
"No, not really. I'm focused on the Miami Dolphins and what we're going to do to get ourselves better and get ourselves out of this rut. That's my whole focus."

Q: On what he expects to happen on Monday:
"I expect to have my meeting with Coach (Cam Cameron), and pretty much that's about it. I'll start my offseason and maybe take a month off just to get my body ready and get ready to do this thing over again in March."

Q: On if he is relived that the season is completed:
"No, because this is when football really starts. Those whole 16 weeks is to set yourself up for the postseason. This is where guys have to step up and when the football really counts. You're playing the cold-weather games. You don't know who you're playing next. It's a whole another level of football. Those 16 weeks are to try to put yourself in a situation to play football. Then it's another speed of football after that. We don't have a chance to play in the playoffs. Hopefully this is a lesson learned for everybody. This is not where you want to be at. You definitely don't want to be on a 1-15 team because nothing good comes out of that."