Packers, 33, Vikings, 10
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Really not much to say other than we got outplayed and this all -- I got to do a much better job clearly preparing our team. Regardless of circumstance, we have to play better than we just did.
I didn't think it was an effort thing. I think our guys came out with a lot of energy. Just was a combination of a lot of things. Early on the execution offensively could have been much better, and defensively we put them on the field far too much.
Green Bay had success on offense to maintain possession of the football. This is going to be one that we really got to take a long look at. Starts with me, like I said. You know, I'm going to be the first one out in front of this thing fighting to make sure we don't have anymore performances like that.
Have to get right back to work this week. Going to find out kind of with everything being tested within our organization of culture and what we've tried to build here. In the end, we have to go back to work and try to improve with the opportunity that we have left, and that all will start with me.
I did want to update you guys. Ed Ingram left the game with a left shoulder and did not return. We'll 0get him evaluated and I'll keep you posted on where Ed is at.
Q. What went into the switch at quarterback?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, just there was some things excuse-wise, some things progression-wise, some play calls here and there, that we just had to get everybody -- give ourselves a chance, especially with where the score was at the half, just to make sure we got premier execution and at least the process.
I thought Jaren had a good week of preparation. There were some early plays in the game where maybe things were happening pretty quick and progressions and things like that, but like I said, this isn't about Jaren tonight. This isn't about any one particular aspect of our team.
Ultimately I have to be better for our group. You know, I did think Nick, especially with where the score was at, trusting in his preparation, like him and I talked about all week, when called upon, Nick could go in and help the offense move the ball and see if we could scratch and claw back into the game.
Q. What do you do at quarterback next week?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Going to take a look at it. Ultimately we have to find a way to do is regardless of what we try to do with the plan, whether we try to simplify it, whether we try to use tempo, use different aspects of our offense, the quarterback position, the decision we'll make will be based upon that position putting our group in a place to try to move the football and have success.
We did not do that tonight. Like I said, we'll look at it. I think all options are on the table. That will be a huge part of making sure, as we put the game plan together, we do the best thing we can to give the other ten guys in the huddle a chance to be at their best and have the quarterback do their jobs, and hopefully we can function and move the ball.
Like I said, there were some bright moments for Jaren in there making some throws. Just not enough across the board. Including from me. So we've all got to take a look -- good long look at the film and figure out how the techniques, fundamentals, play calls, philosophies, all those things, and make sure we're constantly chasing improvement.
After that performance, that's the number one thing we need to do.
Q. You say progressions; is he just not getting through quick enough?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Just plays, early third down where maybe the number one progression might have been KJ working across the field, and we had our eyes in the wrong spot and just things that would've been hard to really predict.
Then just about the time he found only rhythm on some throws and we moved the ball a little bit, then we took a sack to knock us backwards and kind of scratching uphill from there.
Really felt like even when we were able to get momentum, got to it 10-3, Greg hit the 54-yarder and we're seeing if we can keep that thing a one possession and possibly have a chance to double up, and had the strip sack fumble that equaled 7 points for them.
Have to take a look at what caused that. I thought that was a critical play in the football game to try to continue to stay in the middle of the ring and try to throw some haymakers and see if we can win the football game.
When that you have flip of a momentum play, it seemed to be catastrophic for us.
Q. What did you say to Jaren?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, I think going into the game I did not want him to feel like there was any sort of quick hook or anything like that. He knew all along that we were getting Nick ready to play. I had dialog with both those guys together all week long last week leading into our preparation, getting going, so they were both aware.
I just told them I felt like with where the game was we needed Nick to go in and just process and run the offense and try to see if we can stack some plays together in the pass game and still mix in the runs.
But where we were at, it was time for Nick to go in the game.
Q. When you say you need to take responsibility yourself, where does that start this week?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: I'll look at how we prepared. I'll look at what our plan was. Get with the coordinators in all three phases and really talk about areas where maybe we could have been better as a coaching staff, areas we could have been better putting the plan together, and then ultimately see where did the failure happen. Was it play calls? Was it technique and fundamentals? Ownership the plan? You got to take inventory, and it's not an easy process, not a fun process.
But we as a coaching staff, starting with me, have to have the accountability and ownership to then attack this next opportunity with our players side by side as a group and just try to improve.
Q. Probably irrelevant to the outcome of the game, but do you have any issues with the Packers throwing deep there at the end?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: No. I used my timeout there just to see if we could get the ball back. We were more than likely going to sub. We had subbed on defense.
At this point every rep we have for some of the guys that have not played, if we can get some possible reps on offense to see if that propels us to either current success and see if we can possibly have a chance on the scoring, and then onside, and just when there was time left I wanted our guys to continue fighting.
But, yeah, that's all part of it, especially you're trying to sell out to stop the run. It's all part of it.
Q. You made culture such a big part of what you do here. Do you feel like a performance here tests that?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Absolutely.
Q. How do you evaluate that?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, I've learned that this group responds to adversity. They respond to tough circumstances throughout the season, whatever has happened, injuries, tough results, turnovers, whatever it is, they've come back and gone to work every single week.
They love one another in that locker room. They believe ultimately that they'll go back to work and trust in each other, trust in us as coaches. I told them after the game I wasn't good enough for us tonight. I know that was echoed by a lot of folks in there. In my opinion, it starts and ends with me.
That's where we'll go back to pressing forward. I don't know any other way than to press onward and compete and try to improve. I do believe any and all improvement, it's much more than just about one play, one quarter, one game, it's about the future. It's about guys having the opportunity to continue to grow if they haven't played a lot and they get opportunities because of injury or any other circumstance.
All of it matters. Everything matters. That's what's so hard about this result. These guys, they works their tails off to prepare and we weren't good enough in really any aspect of the game tonight. You got to give Green Bay a lot of credit for coming in and executing their game plan.
Q. What were you not good enough at?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Any time you have a result like this there was no ounce of that locker room or staff or anything -- you could feel the energy in the stadium. I didn't believe there was no -- there will be no acceptance of a result like this. Never.
There was never one person in the locker room that wasn't talking about, hey, we've been here before. We walked out of this locker room down much more than this and found ways to come back in previous opportunities.
When I look at it, it's a matter of -- my job is to really evaluate everything from a standpoint of where we weren't good enough, where there was failure tonight within the plans, within the techniques, fundamentals, and clearly our leadership of the team is going to take us through this.
I trust those guys. I value my coaching staff tremendously and we'll all go back to work. We've got to find a way to compete and make sure we do not have an effort like this again.
Q. What was your sense for why Jordan Love looked much for comfortable this time?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: I thought they had a good plan. Any time we were soft in coverage they were taking completions. When we tightened up they were able to get some explosives down the field.
Yeah, I would have to go back and take a look at kind of how -- individual plays, but they seemed to be able to get enough of their run game going to stay efficient. There was a lot of times where they were third and shorts, third and inches, getting first downs, and kind of able to stay on the field and possess the ball when they moved it.
We certainly didn't do much offensively, especially in the first half, to be able to combat that with time of possession and get in any sort of flow offensively. You got to be able to convert third downs and limit the negative plays and sacks and penalties.
Just felt like we were pressing a little bit once they started to get a little bit of a lead on us. Maybe we pressed as a team, all of which comes back and I look at my responsibility is to make sure we're competing for four quarters and battle back if it hasn't started the way we wanted, which it did not, and we go from there.
Q. Since about halftime of the Saints game it has been hard to get consistency from the quarterback position.
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah.
Q. What do you think has caused it to drop off to that degree when Dobbs came in and gave you a good lift?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, I think we're trying to do whatever we can to feature some of our players that we think are game changers for us at the skill position. Had some guys step in for TJ and Jordan without a lot of preparation this week. Trying to get healthy and was able to go in and function.
We got -- I think just as an offense the way I look at it, we have to find a way to make a couple of those early opportunities go as far as if the design of the play is there and the execution is right, I trust our guys to go make the play and the throw and the catch when it's there to be made.
Just across the board just didn't show up early enough in the game or consist enough throughout the night to avoid the outcome. We have to be better on offense. Got to find a way. Like I said, regardless of circumstance, it's about putting together one play at time with the right mentality of all 11 guys doing their job.
Sometimes it's easy to look at one particular position, especially in our sport, and say that's got to be the issue. There is certainly a time and place for that. Also there are times when we have some other breakdowns going on besides just the quarterback position.
That's where we have to continue to chase improvement, chase trying to feature our best players, and allow those guys to make plays. Giving them opportunities in the pass game, giving the running backs in the run game and see if we can stack some plays together which we just did not do tonight at all.
Q. Is Dobbs a possibility now that he's been around?
KEVIN O'CONNELL: Yeah, I think at this point, you know, I said it last week, and we had discussions about all three quarterbacks last week, and we'll do that as a staff again and take a look at where we are. What kind of game plan we're going to put together against a team we just played a couple weeks ago.
At this point, whatever that depth chart at quarterback looks like, including the starter, we're going to do whatever we think gives us the best chance to win this football game this week and leave the conversation at that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports