Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Indianapolis Colts 11
Q. What's your reaction -- (no microphone).
DARIUS LEONARD: My first reaction is it just sucks, you know, when you think about everything that you've been through the whole season, starting with off season. Then, you know, just battling through the things that we battled through, personal, individual guys, you know, battling through injuries.
And then, you know, starting on the 4, go on the run and to end the way that we did, you know, it sucks. As of right now, that's all it is. It sucks. We came down here and just flat out got dominated. You know, it just sucks.
Q. Can you put a finger on why this team came out so flat when so much was on the line today?
DARIUS LEONARD: I wish I could put my finger on it. I just don't know. I just feel like they came out swinging. And we kind of just got hit in the mouth, you know what I'm saying. And we didn't adjust accordingly. We didn't do enough defensively. You know, we didn't get off the field. We didn't have no turnovers. We didn't do enough defensively to win a ball game. And I just put all the pressure on me. I didn't do enough. I don't know exactly what I could put my finger on. I've got to watch the tape and actually see exactly what really went wrong.
Q. Darius, what's the mood in the locker room? More disappointed or shock that it ended like this?
DARIUS LEONARD: Disappointment. You know, just coming out, you know, having everything in front of you. Everybody's just disappointed. Didn't do enough. That's what it always just comes down to. Defensively just didn't do enough. Just disappointed at that. Didn't find a way to take the ball away. Didn't find a way to get off the field.
Q. You mentioned all the stuff you did to get back from the ankle. You guys climbed -- (no microphone) to have the chance -- impossible to understand and just swallow at this point?
DARIUS LEONARD: Yeah. Yeah. Just -- just kind of just thinking back to everything that I've been through this whole season and battling, you know, just to go out here to just play this game. And for it to end the way it did, you know, it sucks because, I mean, battling through injuries, have everything right in front of you and, you know, you want to make a run.
You think you have a team to make a run, and it just didn't come out that way it sucks. It sucks. Especially knowing how much you put in this game, how much time away from the building you try to make sure your body is right. And you do this thing because you love the game, you have the passion for it. You want to be out there for your teammates. And it sucks. It sucks right now.
Q. I know you had, rightfully, a lot of faith in this team and leading this team. When you have the outcome to the season the way you have the last couple weeks, does it change that outlook at all?
DARIUS LEONARD: No. No. I still believe in every one of them guys that's in that room. No. I'd go to war with them guys any day of the week no matter what it is, no matter where we're at. I'm going to stand up behind them no matter what and I know they'd do the same for me.
Yes. We didn't do what we were supposed to do, but they're still my boys. We're still teammates. And we're still going to stick up for each other no matter what.
Q. You've always -- (no microphone). You guys mentioned how you didn't want to have a repeat of what happened against Las Vegas. The way the team started, were you just like in disbelief that, you know, you knew what was on the line but -- (no microphone).
DARIUS LEONARD: No. In my mind, I don't -- they got out and they scored the first drive. I went to the sideline and said we're good. They're not getting another first down. It's just a mindset.
I don't think that at that moment when they scored at first my mind went back to, oh, snap, you know. I think it didn't go there until the fourth quarter. Once it got close to 4 minutes and we're down 23, 25 points, that's when I'm like, snap, this is about to be the end of it. That's when it kind of set in. And to see them out there in victory formation, that's a feeling you don't want to be in.
Q. There's a moment at the game, I think it was around that time you were down -- you were kind of squatted down on the ground. A couple of guys came up when you were on the field. What did you think?
DARIUS LEONARD: Just heartbroken. Same thing I told them. I thanked them guys for helping me be a better man, helping me be a better leader. And I flat out just told them, you know, just all the things that I've been through, you know, my ups and my downs this season, you know, just -- this season's been by far one of the toughest seasons for me dealing with off the field issues, you know, just nonsense stuff that I have to deal with. Then the ankle. Then, you know, just putting it all on the line. And having it end the way that it did, that just hurts me the most.
I'm a true competitor, ultimate competitor. And for them to come out and do what they did against us -- and, in my mind, we was the better team. And today, we didn't show that. And now we're sitting here where we're sitting. It just sucks. And I told the guys that, you know, no matter what, you know, I've got their back no matter what. It's going to hurt. We're going to sit here. We're going to soak this in and then hopefully we just use it, use is at fuel.
Q. Were you able to watch the end of (no microphone) --
DARIUS LEONARD: No. I just lost. I'm not looking for no other game. You know, you're tired of, you know, looking for help. Why are we looking for help when we can't help our self? That's what I think about.
We go into a game, you know, this team is 2 and 4. Not taking away anything from them, but how do we expect to win or want to be in if we can't even beat the teams we're supposed to beat? That's what it is.
I just hope the guys really -- if this is our last stop here, I just hope guys really just this off season take the time and just realize what we had in front of us and let this feeling, you know, just burn through their heart and go out and have the best off season possible and just train to be the best. And, you know, just out work absolutely everybody.
That's the mindset that I'm going to tell the guys on -- whenever I can, you know, just attack the off season just like you would attack the season. So when the season comes we can hit the ground running and we can rock and roll, don't have a slow start. And hopefully this year, next year, whenever we get back out there we have an opportunity to go out and perform. We've got to perform under pressure, whatever it is.
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