Panthers - 23, Falcons - 16
DAN QUINN: I thought getting done with the team, what I discussed with them, certainly a tough division loss. But at the end of the day players and coaches, you've got to be able to leave your mark on the game. That's the -- the big tackle, the big hit that caused the fumble, the big score, the big kick. So that's what we've got to be able to do. I told them that. It's a tough division loss, for sure, but more than anything we've gotta be able to leave our mark on the win. And that comes in all shapes and sizes depending on what your role is on the team and that's what we discussed just in the locker room just now.
Q. Our first question is about the interception Matt threw in the end zone and do you believe it was a pass that should have been thrown away? What was your view of what happened?
DAN QUINN: Yeah. So on the play, my view, definitely one Matt would like to have back. Said it in those words. Not that he wants to have back, but just know he can't throw that one and have any other outcome other than incomplete or rough. But at the same time we gotta get stops, too, when that happens. To finish in the minus in the turnover margin, not what we need to do.
Q. From day one you preached physical defense. Are you disappointed with the perception of lack of physicality from the defensive side of the ball?
DAN QUINN: I was disappointed on the extended runs. Some of the ones where they got yards after they contact Zach more than anything. For us I know those are correctable, and we certainly expect to do that. More than anything I like to see that ball come out, ball hawking, big hits to get those. At the end, yeah, you can't have a run the goose for an explosive one.
Q. Do you feel your message is still getting through to the players?
DAN QUINN: 100 percent I do, Zach. And doesn't make it easier. They're upset. They're frustrated, just like we are. And at the end of it we've gotta make sure -- there's a lot of ingredients right, but we've gotta make sure, just like I said, as players, coaches, collectively together, we've got to be able to leave our mark on the wins, play calls, big plays, the execution in the moment, when they come up, we've gotta be able to nail that. No excuses on our end. We gotta be able to correct the things we need to correct, and that's where our focus will be this week heading into Minnesota.
Q. Speaking of coaches, do you anticipate any changes on the staff or at least a change in the responsibilities of some of the assistants?
DAN QUINN: No, I don't, Zach. We're going to collectively get fixed and address what we need to, but, collectively, we'll all be part of that solution of playing better. Not one person. It's all three phases, coaches, players, everybody, we're in the same boat and in it together. All hands on deck to help. No need placing blame anywhere than right at one another to say what could we do better and that's what we'll do.
Q. Would you understand if Arthur came to the decision that it's just not working and a change has to be made?
DAN QUINN: Honestly, it's the furthest thing from my mind. It's his job to evaluate, but for me it's coaching, and I'll work as hard as I can to align our team and play like we're capable of playing.
Q. What was your message at halftime, and did you feel the players did or did not respond to that message?
DAN QUINN: I thought so. The two halfs have to look different from what the first was to what the second half was. I knew we were going to start with the ball, and let's make an impact in the game right off the bat. I don't like 0 for 2 in the red zone. As we're going down there, we've got to get touchdowns. But that's what I expected to get some points, get stops and get back into the game exactly kind of as we were going. That's what I said, it's gotta feel like two different halfs, and certainly heading into the last drive, it certainly felt like we were heading in that direction.
Q. You mentioned some of the big plays the defense gave up, I think yards of 29, 57 and 23 today. Is there a common theme when the opposition is allowed to strike for those big plays?
DAN QUINN: Yeah. Well, you want to go back and look at it all, and so we'll do that. But elimination of the explosive plays, that's a big part of it. If you get beat on a man-to-man route or those, those are ones that go along with that territory. But we'll have to go back and look was there an error of technique or error of a concept that wasn't played correctly. Those are the things I know we'll go back and look at.
Q. Second straight week the offense failed to score more than 20. What needs to change for them to put more points on the board? I think Matt's gone over 30 consecutive series without throwing a touchdown pass.
DAN QUINN: I think number one the explosive plays, Zach. That comes off the run game, comes off the play passes. It was certainly good to see Calvin's involvement in the second half, for sure, but more than anything, just these explosive plays. Those flip the field. Those cause chances to get down in the red zone to get scoring plays. The big plays certainly need to be a bigger part of our game. That's for sure.
Q. Great start with a touchdown and then three consecutive punts and a kneel-down. Did Carolina switch anything up defensively in that first half to get you guys out of rhythm?
DAN QUINN: I'll have a better as we're going through it as the one we discussed at the half. But just having four possessions there, we knew coming out we obviously took a knee on the one with not much time left. But more than anything, when we get our chances, we've got to go deliver on some of those. I think there was a drive of six, a drive of five. Smaller ones, we've gotta be able to convert some of these ones to go -- I'm not certain. I think a penalty knocked us out on one that got into some long yardage. But by and large third downs were manageable for us. They weren't in the long space, so we've gotta be able to extend some drives.
Q. On the defensive side of the ball, on third downs, it seems teams constantly are picking on Isaiah Oliver in crucial situations and crucial moments. Why has he earned the playing time to see fit on the field when teams seem to be picking on him a little bit?
DAN QUINN: We'll go back and evaluate everything, Zach. As we're going through, was there a technique or was it part of the coverage was he playing off. We'll go back and have a better assessment of that as we go through tomorrow. I certainly want to go back and look at everything before commenting that.
Q. And the signs defensively in the beginning, they were there. Kind of obviously struggled there at the end, Coach, with the missed tackles. Was the effort there or was it just execution?
DAN QUINN: Yeah. It was good to have some of the guys back. So certainly having Ricardo and Kiki back, that helped a lot. The execution, the communication was so much better. And we have to continue to build on that. I didn't feel from an effort standpoint that was lacking, and I didn't feel that from a toughness standpoint. What I told the team we've got to have our mark on the game. That's the big sack. That's the big fumble. That's causing an interception. That's getting the explosive play on offense. That's making the big block. Those are the ones I want us to focus on, to continue to focus on, because the effort, that part's on point, and now we've gotta be able to go execute your role, your job over and over and over, all of us. Not putting it to the players.
Q. Thanks, Coach. I appreciate your time.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports