PATRIOTS 50, JAGUARS 10
Q. Darrell just said that they thought about potentially pulling you towards the end of the game and putting C.J. in, but he said that he feels for you to grow, they kind of made the decision that you have to go through this. What was it like going through this one?
TL: Yeah, obviously, it wasn't a good day for us. Just didn't play well all phases of the game. It sucks when you go out there. You prepare for the game and to go out there and just not perform, it's disappointing. Just got to regroup, got to go flip the page, turn it over, get ready for the Colts, but it's definitely frustrating.
I know for me I feel like I really started off the game pretty well. I felt great throwing the ball. I thought we had them on their heels the first two or three drives, and then from there I had a couple -- I had two bad plays that were picks and just wish I had those back. The other pick was a tip to the guy. Can't do much about that. Yeah, I wish I had those two plays back. Weren't good decisions by me. Put our defense in a tough spot. Then they really just dominated the game, and you've got to admit that after that performance. We've got to regroup and get better, play better next week.
Q. Have you thought at all about maybe if you had been pulled later in the game, do you think that would have provided a different level of insight for you? Is that where you might be at?
TL: No, not really. I came here to play the game, and I want to finish, and I was glad we got that last possession to at least put something together offensively and finish on a positive note. It wasn't a good day, like I said, but the finish and score there was nice. We put together a nice drive, and guys didn't quit. You look around that locker room, it's disappointing coming in there after a game like that. It's a bad feeling. Just doing everything we can to insure that doesn't happen again, but for me when I'm in the game, I want to finish, and then just growing from there. Similar situation in Tennessee as today, but Tennessee I threw another turnover late in the game, just forced it. Kind of got desperate, and today I was happy with at least that last drive where I thought I managed the situations.
Our guys did a nice job. Trent had a great physical catch there at the beginning of the drive. We ran the ball well. Dare did a great job on the screen at the end. It was good to at least finish there. Obviously, like I said, a couple of plays I want back. Can't get them back. You've got to execute in the moment, so just got to get better.
Q. What gets said in the locker room after one like this? Much of anything or everything?
TL: It depends. Today, obviously, like I said, it's not a good feeling being in that locker room after a game like that, but just Coach Bev talked to us for a second, and at that point, like I said, there was a positive. We kept fighting, finishing offense, but other than that, there's not many positives. You just got to move on. I'm learning you've got to have a short memory in this league. Sunday is coming quick, the next one. You've got to flip the page. Obviously, we're going to watch the tape. We're going to watch tape tomorrow and then learn everything we can from it. There will be some learning every game there is, but we really just have got to get ready to beat the Colts. After a game like this, you've got to really flip the page quick and just definitely not let that get in your psyche. You got to keep playing with confidence and forget about it.
Q. Are you kind of ready for the season to be over? Second part of that is, where is your confidence level that this thing can get fixed with the current people who are making decisions?
TL: I wouldn't say I'm ready for the season to be over. When that comes, obviously, it's going to be nice to take a breather and really take in everything that's happened this year. It's been a wild year, but really, I kind of want some more opportunities to finish strong. We've got a lot of guys, like I've said before, that work really hard, deserve to win. Really just disappointed. That's kind of my feeling right now. I'm just disappointed the way we played today because I know the guys in that locker room. Really just want to be better for them. I definitely wouldn't say I'm ready for the season to be over, but yeah. Second part of your question? I'm sorry.
Q. Confidence level of the people making decisions to get this thing right.
TL: Obviously, I haven't been here that long. I've been here for a year. We'll see in this offseason. That's something, like I said, we've got one more left, and I'm putting everything I have into this last game and trying to get a win and finish strong with these guys and end on a positive note.
But, yeah, I haven't been around the NFL long, so I really still don't even know how everything completely works, but I'm just trusting who is in leadership positions. At the end of the day my job is to be a quarterback and to lead this team, and I can only do so much, and that's what I'm going to do. Other than that, I'm just going to put my head down, go to work, and I have faith that we are going to come out in a way better spot next year than we are right now. I 100% believe that, and I'm just looking forward to doing that because a lot of these guys deserve it.
Q. You just touched on it, but talk about one little bright spot is how hard Laquon Treadwell is going to the ball and making catches in traffic and being physical out there.
TL: Laquon is playing great. I'm really happy for him. He is a guy that was on practice squad at the beginning of the season for a while. Can't remember how many games it was. Just has always been a competitor. If you look at his journey, he has had a lot of ups and downs. It's interesting just talking to him. His wife and Marissa are close friends, so we spend a lot of time together, and he has a really good perspective. He has kind of been through a lot of ups and downs, and really just keeps his head down and goes to work, and this year, obviously, he has had most of his action late in the season, but he just kept being the guy that's consistent every day. Like I said, he fights for the ball. He has made some great plays the last few weeks, and just feel great about him and where his confidence is at, and my confidence in him has been really good, and you kind of see that.
Q. A question on the leadership on the team right now. Is there enough vocal leadership? Is there enough veteran leadership that you feel comfortable with the way things are wrapping up here? Obviously, play on the field is one thing, but how you handle it off the field is another.
TL: Are you talking about within the team of players?
Q. Players, yeah.
TL: Players, obviously, I'm included in that group, and just trying to have conversations with the guys, one, like I said, flip the page. Let's go and finish strong. We have one more week left. I don't want to hear -- no one really has, but I don't want to hear anything about offseason. We've got a week left. Let's put everything we have into this and feel good about it. You want to go in the offseason feeling like you left everything out there. That's for one.
Just having those conversations with the other leaders on the team has been great. Obviously, we're missing a lot of them today that are out with COVID, so a lot of them aren't on the trip. Communicating that with the guys, and then, yeah, I think our leadership has been solid this year. Obviously, maybe that's something we need to have a little bit more leadership, more vocal leadership. Obviously, our play on the field hasn't been what we wanted it to be, so I think really just grooming our mindset especially this offseason and going into next year is doing everything we can to win, and that being the focus, and that's really all it's about. I have confidence, like I said, that we're going to get there, but just really everybody getting mentally prepared when next season hits. Let's go put everything we can in to go win every game.
Q. Leading off of that, you have had more games that have been non-competitive losses this year than you probably ever had losses previous to this, just games where they got away from you. What have you learned from those games that you think will help you in the future?
TL: The games we've lost by a lot you're saying?
Q. Yeah.
TL: Just really people look at the final score, look at the stats, look at all those things, but when you are in the game, you see how close it is, how small the margin is, and it can get away from you fast. Just realizing the game is played with momentum especially in this league. Momentum is huge. Really, for me today where I'm disappointed, obviously, their offense had a lot of momentum early. Scored on the first consecutive possessions. I don't know how many it was. For us we were driving the ball, and then, like I said, the turnover -- the interception off the tipped ball, can't do much there for me. But then after that, get the ball back, start going on another drive, and I throw one to J.C. Jackson. That situational football is they got a little bit of momentum. Let's put together a good drive. Let's eat some clock, keep moving the ball. And that throw, I would love to just throw it away and keep the drive alive. We had just converted a big third down. That's one example from today of where I can do a better job is taking care of the football and giving our defense a chance to regroup and get ready for that next possession instead of having another sudden change where they've got to run out there on their minus 40 and go play defense again. That's tough. I've learned a lot. I've learned just to keep your head down, keep working.
And I've also learned, like I said, just about how small the margin is, and it looks like it's big after the game, but really, there's plays here and there, and I think just the game is so mental on this level, and the teams that are really good and play together are all on the same page, and they're super prepared, and that's a step that I think we need to take.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports