On the late defensive pass interference call and if it reminds him of the 2018 NFC Championship Game
“Well this is years later, so a completely different game, different players. I think there were two calls really that I guess many people are watching, one over on [WR] Pat Bryant’s side and then the one a little later. Each week when these things come up… The longer you go into this, the less you discuss punishments. You just have to go out and play. I haven’t seen anything change either way. You hope that when the game is over, the season is over, you’re on the positive side of the ledger. I’m a little bit more focused on the penalties that we can control in terms of pre-snap, post-snap, those types of things, but that’s where I really sit here.”
With WR Pat Bryant’s performance
“He has real good hands away from his body. He high points the two-point play. It was really covered, and [QB] Bo [Nix] and he does a great job of just finding a throwing lane. Because of how he catches, he is good at running after the catch. We saw some snaps of it last night. You’ve seen it all through training camp, so it’s good to see him come out in a game like that.”
On whether the team lacked urgency in the first half and how it could establish that urgency earlier
“I thought defensively we played well, 13 points and then the last two-minute drive for a field goal. It’s hard to chalk it up to urgency. I think maybe there were a few things we didn’t do well and they did a good job for the way the game started. Obviously everybody has a sense of urgency when the game starts. You understand who you’re playing. So I think those two are a story. It’s not because of the rush.”
On what they can do to improve the slow start to the games
“I think it comes back to your initial assessment of the gameplan and how you want to start a game. Cleaning up the details. Obviously you can’t throw it all in a first-half slow start bin. What you have to look at is, ‘Okay, what are the things that are holding us back from some early-down efficiency?’ We’re not splitting atoms here in regards to trying to move the football better earlier in games. I think we’ve had some games that—look at Kansas City and then this game—where from one yard, third down, all those numbers, and even Jacksonville for that matter.”
If they anticipated the Rams’ offense would be so pass heavy
“No. I’d say no. Sometimes it’s a by-product. I don’t think we’re going to get that game from them if we don’t tie the game or fight the game. Then when we do, it’s not one-dimensional, but I think all of a sudden you throw six passes or however many in the last series. Generally, it’s kind of a late number of times that you don’t see. Guys—with a lead—do a great job in run-action, on the run, on the run, and then they hit a tight end over the middle to take a knee I think a lot of it had to do with the second half, and how that played out and the attempts after that really shined.
Turns out there is an art form to NFL players selling calls like in the NBA or soccer
“We are not at the soccer level yet, cause we saw that for a summer. (Laughs) I think it’s probably south of where the NBA is. I don’t think anyone does anything. If they’re trying to get a pass or… It’s not a routine thing. I know nothing but him [WR Pat Bryant] natural reaction, outside of that, we don’t really look at anything.”