Falcons 25, Buccaneers 29
Q. Overall thoughts about the game in general, how it ended, up and down emotions in the fourth quarter.
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, a lot of ups and downs. A lot of things offensively we got to be better at. We can't go in there in that third quarter and just keep going back and forth, back and forth, especially when the defense gives us short field.
We got to be able to go down there and get points at some point.
Q. That last play, somebody asked Arthur whether or not it was supposed to go in the end zone. What was the call there?
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, obviously those plays are supposed to go in the end zone. You don't have any special calls for whatever it was, first and 38, 43, whatever it is. Obviously the ball has to get in the end zone and we came up two yards short.
We'll go back and look at it and see if there was another guy open or not.
Obviously that's a play you only rep a couple times throughout the year for these exact circumstances and obviously they came up.
Q. Koo took the blame in the locker room for the loss given the two missed field goals. How do you pick him up after that?
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, honestly, it's not Koo's fault. Like I said, as an offense we got to do better, get him in better field positions so he's bit kicking 50-plau yarders every single time he has to go kick the ball.
We got to be able to go down there and push the ball and move it forward and give him easier ones if we are going to stall out or do whatever.
Q. What's the hardest part about this loss when late in the fourth quarter there are so many momentum swings and that can get rather emotional?
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, any loss is hard, especially the way we were moving the ball and just getting up and down the field. Defense doing great. We should have came out of there with the win; obviously we didn't.
Like I said, there is a lot of things we are going to clean up and learn from and get better from and come out better in the back end.
Q. What do you attribute the drought to? Y'all came out, 16-play drive, and then there was a stretch starting with the safety interception, then punts.
DESMOND RIDDER: Contribute what, the drive or...
Q. The drought, I'm sorry.
DESMOND RIDDER: The drought?
Q. Scoring, moving the ball drought in the middle of the game.
DESMOND RIDDER: Like I said, we got to be better, more consistent. We got to be able to go out there and just get the first play started, get it going.
Obviously in that safety we were backed up. I just got get the ball out of my hands and not sit back there and pat it. Just throw it away if it's not there.
Like I said, we got to be consistent overall and just be better.
Q. What was working for you all in the two fourth quarter touchdown drives?
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, I mean, like I said, we were just moving the ball. O-line was doing a heck of a job up front, one in pass protection and two in run.
Yeah, we were just able to keep the ball moving, keep the consistency going, and just keep it moving forward.
Q. What do you have to say about the lineman who had to step in and play today? There was a slew of them.
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, they've done a heck of a job all year of just being ready and staying ready. Obviously we have a great starting five who is normally out there and we have great backups as well.
Like I've said, they have done a great job whether they were on scout team or whether they were in and out with the ones throughout camp, throughout the season. They've been prepared and ready for this opportunity and they took advantage of it.
They did a heck of a job out there. So whether it as Kyle, Neuzil, Vrabel, Storm. Doesn't matter who it was, they all did a heck of a job out there.
Q. What does it say about the type of person and player that Koo is? He missed two kicks uncharacteristic for himself. We are talking with him and he takes the loss and blames himself and says he left six points out there.
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, Koo is obviously a great person and great individual, as we all know. Like I said, just as a team, we got to be better and put him in a better position to go out there and not have to kick long field goals every single time.
We got to go out there and push the ball and get him in a better position.
Q. Is it fair to say you guys feel like you missed big opportunity tonight? Being able to take a two-game lead into the division, and now fighting to win the NFC South?
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, I mean, not even that. We missed plenty of opportunities out there just in this game. We wasn't worried about the weeks to come. We was worried about today.
We missed plenty of opportunities out there today that we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Q. The positive takeaway from today's game, ya'll offense being able to move down the field on all three touchdown drives under three minutes, the positive takeaways from today for you?
DESMOND RIDDER: Yeah, like you said, obviously there were some points in the game where we were able to move the ball, we were able to get down there and get points.
Positive is scoring outside of the red zone, you know, having done that many times throughout the year, so just being able to get those big plays, get explosive plays.
But like I said, just got to be better, more consistent.
Q. Can you comment on the play of Drake London today?
DESMOND RIDDER: Drake obviously played his butt off out there. You know, early on obviously just getting a bunch of one-on-ones and then at some point you got to heat check him, which he did late and just gave him a ball which he could go get. He was sort of higher than others and was able to go get it. Drake is heck of a competitor, heck of a player. Obviously he wanted that last one more than anyone.
You know, all we're going to do is keep going back to work and getting better.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports