A: Great to be 6-1, win at home. When you look at the tale of the game today, I think it's been similar to our other wins where it has been the whole team needing a play from special teams, needing turnovers from the defense, getting the offense to show up and score. It's been complementary football is the way we've been winning.
I think creating turnovers, our defense and our special teams creating turnovers, made a big difference. I believe after we fumbled, holding them to a field goal was a crucial play in the game, a crucial moment.
Then to be five for five in the red zone, which I think largely goes back to running the football well. Having second and five or six, being able to just pound the ball in, really helps with the red zone efficiency.
Stayed in really manageable third downs in the first half, which helped a lot. There's still so much we can do better. There's ways to stay on the field really is what I look at on third down when we're punting. Some of those plays that if you can find a way to improve in those moments, then we can stay on the field and prolong drives. Prefer to pull away when we get a lead.
It's hard to pull away in this league. Come down to the final drive, no matter how hard you try, it's difficult to pull away.
Great to get Dalvin going, great to see what Alex can do. We'll just keep going from here.
But take any questions you have.
Q. You talked a couple weeks about defensive coordinators probably need to look for you to potentially run. Your thoughts on using your legs today?
A: Man coverage. Honestly, we had a great play for man coverage. They defended it really well. I was surprised at their ability to take it away. Then I kind of was like I got to go, I got to move. Was still looking to throw it, but didn't feel we had anybody. Just kind of took off.
Usually the cavalry gets there a lot faster. On that one I was able to get to the front pylon. I had no idea how much it means to the O-linemen when I run. They said it was big deal to them. I didn't realize that. If I'd known, that maybe I'd run more. For some reason they really liked it (smiling).
Q. How did they express that?
A: Garrett said it was the greatest thing he had ever seen in the locker room after the game, which I thought was a bit of hyperbole, maybe not. They were right there in the end zone, just their reaction. They were for some reason really happy, really proud of it.
Q. Third down to Justin where he won the jump ball there. How did you see that play developing, just trusting him when he was maybe covered up at the time?
A: Yeah, he was covered. When I let that ball go, I'm thinking to myself, Is this the right decision to give him this chance? If it ends up being a punt, you're like, I should have progressed, what am I doing?
One of the traits that makes Justin special, when the ball goes up in the air, he plays in such a way that he says, That's my football. He's not 6'5", 250 pounds like you think a guy has to be to have that mindset. But he plays big.
When that ball goes up to him, he tends to take the approach that, That's my football. I told him right after he caught it, it was a big-time play by a big-time player in a big-time moment. We'll need more of those up ahead.
Q. Has that trust developed over time? Would you have made that throw a few years ago?
A: I'll never forget playing the Titans week three, 2020, he caught a ball, same approach, That's my ball, he's going to get it. That's the first time I said, That guy is going to be a good player. First round pick.
Certainly there's in mindset of how much more can we do, that how many more times can we put the ball in his general direction and let him go get it.
You don't want to be throwing a bunch of incompletions, throwing it up for grabs. There's an efficiency standard that you want to meet. I told him, If you keep putting that on tape, you earn the right to get more of those.
Q. How do you work through the process of I want to give my guy a chance and I want to protect the ball?
A: Yeah, I think that's been my life now for the last eight years in this league, is that tension. Every year you play, you get a little better.
The key is you're critical. You say that wasn't good enough, let me correct. If you overcorrect, you go back the other way. You never say, I got I figured out. You always have to course correct and get better.
Another one I looked at him, the one where we fumbled, he had a basic route, the linebacker was inside leverage, I was trying to stay with him. Man, the middle is wide open if he could get past that linebacker. The guy was so far inside him. I was starting to throw it to Irv. I go to look at the tablet picture, Justin separated. I just said to him, Hey, man, just keep putting that on tape. When you do that, when you set a guy like that who is way inside of you, you still win inside, I see that, then I'm able to know next time stay with him.
Pocket has to hold up. But he can do that kind of stuff.
Q. (No microphone.)
A: I mean, we're one week at a time. I kind of like it this way. I don't need anybody to talk about us. We're good. There's a lot of football left. You all know, I know playing in this league, being around this league, it's week to week. You just got to keep earning your way. The difference between 6-1 and 1-6 is pretty thin. You just got to keep finding ways to win, keep moving forward.
Q. Pat was pretty fired up today. Is that energy kind of contagious?
A: Yeah, he was bringing the energy. If anything, I was nervous he was a little too fired up. Sometimes I know in this game you have to have the emotion but you also have to have the focus.
He did a tremendous job of playing with passion but not letting it go too far. He's a pro. We expect that. Just did a phenomenal job today. Jordan Hicks, as well. We're so fortunate to have gotten Jordan in free agency. He checks every box as a person, a leader, a player, a teammate. He just checks every box. Man, how did this guy become a free agent? What a gift we were able to get him. Love having him in our team.
Q. It gets used a lot in the media, I don't know how players actually feel those emotions towards their old team, is that typically a real thing in the locker room, or is this a rare situation where two players seem to be genuinely at a higher level emotionally because they're playing the team they used to play for?
A: I just sensed a little extra from Pat 24 week and today. Really today more than anything. That's probably what stood out. Otherwise I would say no.
Q. Will it be for you this week?
A: I haven't gotten there yet. I'm still trying to come down from this one.
I think for me it will be important to not even go there and just kind of focus on the job and kind of be just very surgical about what I'm doing.
Q. Talked about recognizing the impact Za'Darius has made since the day he walked in. What do you remember about recognizing his impact early on?
A: Yeah, I remember meeting him in the cafeteria the day I came up for a physical in March. He was coming in to visit, to likely sign. Just being able to say hello to him, you could feel his presence, his energy.
He's a guy that's made a lot of plays in this league. Usually those guys don't get to leave a building. The fact he was able to leave the building he was in, become available, was a great opportunity for us.
I'm watching the game on the sidelines, just like you guys are. I just feel him. I feel him. I feel his effect on the game, the way he can condense the pocket, the energy he plays with. That's what you want from people who are rushing the passer.
Q. 54th career game for Johnny Mundt.
A: That's what he told me right after.
Q. What is it like for a guy that's done a lot of dirty work?
A: Just tremendous. First of all, that's really good design by our coaches, to create a play like that. Did it really two weeks in a row. Miami was very similar in a play down there with a play-action, where the tight end is able to sneak through for a touchdown. Give the coach as lot of credit for coming up with that.
He came over to me after the score and said, That's my first career regular-season touchdown. I don't know if he was emphasizing he scored in pre-season or playoffs. I said, That's tremendous.
He is doing so many things for us. He wears a lot of hats. The tight end position does in general. Pass protection, route running, blocking in the run game.
To see him get a touchdown is outstanding.
Q. Pat was talking in the locker room before appreciating this kind of an opportunity, hadn't been on many teams 6-1. How do you balance the week-to-week nature of it, looking around and saying this winning streak isn't a culture you get every day?
A: I think you focus on going 1-0 each week. Whatever happens you take that same approach the next week, try to go 1-0. You don't look ahead, you don't look back.
I do know that you enjoy it more. I think work's a little bit more fun when you're practicing. You have a little more juice, which is the way you usually are emotionally. Talking to you guys is a little less difficult. It's difficult when you're losing. I think it becomes everything a little bit more wind at your back, and that's why you want to keep winning.
Q. You talked two weeks ago about this kind of being the reverse of last season when you were losing all these close games. What do you think the difference is?
A: That's a great question. A question I ask myself. How do we find the inches? I thought we were a great football team last year, but couldn't find the inches in too many games. Why we found them now, I don't know. Like I said in the beginning, team, winning, it has to be a lot of different areas to win those inches. It's special teams, defense, turnovers, run game, pass game. A lot of different people contributing. It's hard to know where those inches are coming from, but we have been finding them.
Q. (Question about Dalvin.)
A: You get shorter third downs, which are then more convertible third downs. You put yourself in an advantageous position when you can hand the ball off and create second-and-short, third-and-short, or not even go to third down at all. Obviously in the red zone you really put yourself in position to have a higher percentage of scoring when you don't have to wait till a third down to throw it into a tight window, you can just pound the rock.
Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports