Colts 24, Bears 17
Q. Tyson, where did your poise and comfortability come into play tonight?
TYSON BAGENT: I would say it's probably two things. Luckily enough, I was able to play a lot of football in college to be able to really get exposed to all the situations that football has to offer, so I think that definitely serves a role. I've also been playing quarterback since I was six, well, my dad forced me to play. So I've been playing for a long time, got a pretty good understanding, I guess, of what needs to happen, what doesn't need to happen.
Then also the mental load that it is to play quarterback in the NFL, it's a lot. So if you kind of let that get to you, you could start to look pretty crazy out there.
I just like to keep it cool, calm and collected, let all the guys in the trenches do all the crazy dirty work and then try to get everybody on the same page mentally so we're able to move the ball down the field.
Q. (Indiscernible).
TYSON BAGENT: Yeah, that was pretty cool just because coming from college and all, I didn't really celebrate like that. I'd never spiked -- I'd never even practiced a spike before. I thought it was pretty solid form, and everybody seemed to be pretty juiced up on the offense, which is also just celebrating with the O-line after just a big drive like that is always pretty exciting. It was a lot of fun.
Q. When did you know that you would be the second guy out?
TYSON BAGENT: When did I figure that out? I think one or two days ago. They just kind of gave the order of who was going to go in the game at what point.
Q. What were you thinking?
TYSON BAGENT: I was pretty excited. Another opportunity.
Q. (Indiscernible).
TYSON BAGENT: Yeah, so we had a speed break, which we're breaking the huddle pretty fast trying to get set, quick cadence, trying to catch them off guard. We had a mesh concept with the back in the flat. I kind of bobbled the snap a little bit, checked the back out, he was covered. The first mesh was covered. Escaped the pocket, looking at the high mesh opposite, gave him a pump fake, the defender rolled with him, and I was able to sneak into the end zone.
Q. What do you like about (indiscernible)?
TYSON BAGENT: So I had three offensive coordinators in college all with kind of a different scheme and way of doing things, so I feel like I was introduced to pretty much every single little thing that an offense can possibly do. Then here it's kind of just bringing all three of those offenses all together, just with how detailed and intrinsic everything is at this level.
I think he does a good job with situational football. I think that all the checks on plays are -- you really can't be wrong. You can't really run a bad play. Every play is not going to be great, but we're really operating in a sense that we're just getting out of bad plays, and if anything, it's just a neutral play.
I kind of like that aspect, and really just following the coaching points and listening to those coaching points every play.
Q. Have you checked your phone yet to see how many texts or calls you got?
TYSON BAGENT: My dad called me and I answered that one, but I haven't been able to check it yet.
Q. The game was on NFL Network tonight; you're probably going to get a lot of attention. How have you been able to manage it to this point and how will you manage it going forward?
TYSON BAGENT: You know, I think just keeping the main thing the main thing. I think social media-wise I've got my notifications muted, so I have to manually go see what's going on whenever I have time so it's not a distraction.
Really just continue to do everything that I've done to get me to this point. I think it's served me pretty well, so really just keeping my tight-knit group of family and friends close to me, as close as I can, and just keeping the main thing the main thing.
Q. Your dad is an excitable guy?
TYSON BAGENT: He is, yeah.
Q. What was the conversation?
TYSON BAGENT: We were figuring out where I was going to -- my mom flew in this morning. I haven't seen her since I left camp. Actually I went to college 15 minutes from home, so I've never left home before ever in my life, so this is probably the longest -- one of the longest stints that I've ever been away from my mom in particular. Yeah, that's what -- I'm ready to go see them.
Q. Describe what these last three months have been like.
TYSON BAGENT: Yeah, I think it's everything that I had planned for myself, but then again, every day has been nothing short of amazing. I kind of catch myself pre-practice, pregame, pre-walk through looking around and looking at certain individuals and just kind of pinching myself with just how amazed I am that I am where I am and just how thankful and blessed that I feel.
Q. When you hear Coach say there's an opening and you're landing over there listening to that, what do you hope you're showing?
TYSON BAGENT: You know, as a quarterback, I really just would like them to know that -- I would just like to make them as comfortable as possible with the thought of me in the game, just really have them understand that any play that needs to be run, I at least know how to run it. Every play is not going to be perfect, but I know how to run every play in the playbook, and that's kind of where I'm at, kind of working tirelessly. I know opportunities will present themselves, so I just try to be as ready as I can for those opportunities.
Q. Is it your understanding that you're competing for a backup spot on the chart or did he give you an idea where --
TYSON BAGENT: No, the only understanding that I have is to just handle the operation and the play that's given to me as smoothly and efficiently as possible. That's the only understanding that I have up until this point.
Q. (Indiscernible).
TYSON BAGENT: I don't think that you can really kind of sit there with that thought. It's going to come regardless, so I think up until that point, just continue to put up good film, continue to study and continue to just be ready for the opportunities that present themselves.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports