Arthur Smith
Visitors Postgame Presser
Falcons – 30, Dolphins – 28
Q. After they go up, you’ve got two minutes and some change left. What
was the mindset of the offense to go out there and attack?
ARTHUR SMITH: The mindset was great. We got the ball, got a chance to go
win. Our guys have a big time mindset, and that’s what it’s about. This team,
as we try to improve every week, obviously, you want to stop them, but as an
offense, you’ve got to have the mindset, good, give us the ball. Give us a
chance, and we’ll go down there and close it out. So that’s what it was.
Credit to the O-line. It’s good protection. Matt (Ryan) delivered the football,
and Kyle (Pitts) made two big time plays. He made some big time plays all
day.
Q. And the last one with Xavien Howard in coverage, what made that one
stood out? You guys needed it in clutch time.
ARTHUR SMITH: It’s two really good players. (Xavien) Howard made a good
play on third down. The ball bounced around, and he came down with it. He’s
a good player. There’s good players every Sunday in the NFL. You know that.
I know that.
But what it really says is about Kyle Pitts’ mindset and the belief that,
obviously, Matt Ryan, the quarterback, has in him. He gets better every week.
Like I said, those are big time players. Those are two big time players going at
it, and Kyle came down with it.
Credit to our guys, but the Dolphins, they fought. Brian Flores is a hell of a
coach. We knew they’d come down and be ready to go. Josh Boyer is a hell of
a d-coordinator. We knew it was going to be a fight, and glad we’re getting out
of here with the win.
Q. And how was it getting the big turnover from Jaylinn Hawkins early
and the one that Foye Oluokun got, almost took it into end zone?
ARTHUR SMITH: That was huge. That’s being a team, and that’s what we’ve
got to be in all three phases. Obviously, we’ve got to take care of the football.
Credit to them. The ball bounced, and (Xavien) Howard caught it, and he
made a play. The defense, the next play go in there, and Grady (Jarrett)
makes a rush. Foyesade (Oluokun) steps in front of the ball, goes down. We
take the ball and we go down and score, and that’s how you become a team
to play off each other. That was a huge play, huge play in the game.
Q. (Unintelligible)
ARTHUR SMITH: Might have been their scheme, but he had the look he
wanted, and he took it.
Q. (Unintelligible)?
ARTHUR SMITH: I know you’ve got to ask those questions. Again, I’m not
trying to be evasive. I won’t know until they see the doctor. I don’t want to give
an answer and create any false narratives. We’ll know more tomorrow when
they see the doc.
Q. (Unintelligible)?
ARTHUR SMITH: All they told me was they called upstairs, and they asked to
see them. We don’t mess around with that. So we got to find a away. T.J.
Green goes out there. Right at the end, Fabian (Moreau) had to come out.
Guys step up. That’s the name of the game in the NFL.
Q. (Unintelligible)?
ARTHUR SMITH: I haven’t seen the doctor. Not going to put words in my
mouth. I don’t know. Until I get to the doctor, this is how it goes in the game.
You’re calling the game. Trainer calls upstairs, then he comes down and says
he’s out. I’ve got to call the next play. I’ve got to call the next situation.
I’m not trying to be a smart aleck. That’s just how it is. I’m not going to give
you a false narrative. I won’t know until we talk to the doctor.
Q. (Unintelligible)?
ARTHUR SMITH: Yeah, that’s why we took (Kyle Pitts) in the fourth pick of the
draft. There’s no secrets there. He’s a good player. It’s the mindset. We don’t
get caught up in the day-to-day roller coaster narratives. It’s the big picture. All
he’s done every week is he’s gotten better, and he works. He’s unselfish.
We’ve got a lot of unselfish guys in the locker room.
Q. The number of explosive plays overall, was that a particular emphasis
coming into today, or did it just develop?
ARTHUR SMITH: Again, it depends what they’re playing and how you’re
going through it. They came up and challenged us in a lot of man. If they want
to pack it inside and they’re going to drop guys in and play and bracket things,
they’re going to make you go outside. So you’d better win outside, and it’s
going to be one-on-one.
Thankfully, we’re able to do it enough to win today. If they don’t do that and
play different zones, take us off the read, and someone else is going to win.
It’s a catch and run game. It’s just a chess match going through.
Q. I don’t know if comfortable is the right word to use here, but you’re
down with two minutes to play, and you have Matt Ryan and you Kyle
Pitts and the offense. How comfortable or confident are you in this
situation?
ARTHUR SMITH: Very. That’s what this league is. If you don’t like that, that’s
probably not the job for you. You’ve got to get used to that because that’s
what most of these games are going to come down to. It’s the way the league
is structured. It’s very competitive. It’s the most competitive league in all of
professional sports, in my biased opinion.
More times than not, you’ve got to handle situational football end of half, end
of games. I thought we did that. I thought we played off (Jaylinn) Hawkins’
interception. We go down and get the field goal. Come out and double them
up, get the field goal to end the half, open the half, get the touchdown.
Then at the end of the game, obviously, we want to hold them. We’ve got to
take better care of the football. Credit to them. They knocked the ball out of
Matt (Ryan) right there. There’s plenty of stuff I tell you guys every Monday.
You’ve got to take a single-minded approach and see what we’ve got to do to
get better.
But I thought we handled situational football well. That’s what it’s going to
come down to. You’ve got to get comfortable in it. It doesn’t mean we’re not
going to feel something. We’re all human. That’s why we train, and we’ve got
a lot of confidence in our guys.
Q. How did you see Matt Ryan process the transition from having the
fumble to having to go back out?
ARTHUR SMITH: You’ve got to have a short memory. It’s the same thing as a
play caller. I wish I could tell you that I was going to call nothing but perfect
plays. You try to call more good plays than bad ones, and you’ve got to have a
reason you’re calling them. Not that you’re just trying to play Madden here.
So you’ve got to have the right mindset, and you’ve got to have some
courage, especially at the quarterback position, and he does. He’s a special
player. I personally think he’s criminally underrated if you look at his career
here in the National Football League.
Q. Talked a lot about the mindset. I think like particularly with Kyle Pitts,
there’s been so many moments over the course of the last few games
where you have gone to him in those big moments and he came up with
the big time play. What can you say? Can you talk more about what you
mean in his mindset in those moments?
ARTHUR SMITH: It’s a credit to everything. I think what a lot of misnomers in
football is, a guy gets here and one person wants to jump in front of a parade.
Like we have a really good football staff, and that goes back to our scouts that
go on the road. They don’t get enough credit. They’re kind of behind the
scenes. You got to come as a staff and do a ton of work. Terry and his staff
and the coaches, and you’ve got to have the right people where you don’t
have the egos. You try to see what’s best for our football team.
Then going through that process, and we do, we’ve got good scouts,
especially in the southeast. And we all came and watched him, and you go
through an interview and you do the background, and he’s rare. He just turned
- That’s huge because, when you put a fourth pick on somebody, there’s a
lot of expectations, and I’ve seen some guys not be able to handle it, but
fortunately Kyle (Pitts) has. He’s exactly who we thought he was. He’s got to
continue to improve. We all do.
I don’t think enough credit goes around. I think a lot of people try to get in front
of the parade. We’ve got a really good football staff, and it’s really
collaborative. Credit to a lot of people and ultimately the player.
Q. This offensive line protecting Matt Ryan over the last few weeks, what
can you kind of say about their evolution as a unit?
ARTHUR SMITH: They’ve got a lot of confidence. Again, Coach Dwayne
Ledford, Chandler Henley, they do a helluva job. Again, you guys didn’t even
notice Jason Spriggs was out there. Spriggs is a pro, goes out there, grinds
through it. That’s what happens in the NFL. You have 17 games, guys are
going to step up. It goes back to the whole football staff, guys getting in there.
Those are undervalued moves we make in training camp. Here we are, week
7, our sixth game of the year, and we need a new play, and he played well.
Q. Preface this with facetiously, but 110 games against 500. How
important is it that you have a few wins in the bank?
ARTHUR SMITH: It’s big. You’ve got to see — use that business analogy. We
felt our foundation was strong. We knew there was things we have to clean
up. You can’t lose perspective. We haven’t turned the profit yet. Right now go
on our earnings report right there. We need to turn the profit hopefully next
week. That’s the name of the game. You want to build — clearly you need to
win so these guys understand. That’s where the buy in is huge. We’re doing
something different. Are we getting any return on anything?
These guys have worked so damn hard. They’ve bought in. It’s good to see,
and it’s big for those guys.
Q. Following up exactly what you were just talking about, how big of a
building block can this kind of win be last second on the road?
ARTHUR SMITH: That’s what I can’t say — I mean, (Younghoe) Koo. My heart
rate felt pretty normal like it did if I was calling a play in the second quarter
because he’s been clutch. He did it in New York, and he did it again today on
the road. That’s the whole operation. Josh Harris is a pro’s pro, I mean,
everybody. Good situational football.
Q. (Unintelligible)?
ARTHUR SMITH: It’s the toughest position to play in all of pro sports. It’s the
most overanalyzed. That’s what makes this game fun. That’s why they get
paid a lot of money. I think it’s probably the most misunderstood position too.
For a guy to do it and have the production he’s had year over year
consistently and then come in here and lead this football team and to lead by
example, you can coach Matt Ryan, and the great players that I’ve been
around — obviously, he’s got confidence, but he’s going to lead this football
team in a way to lead from the front. He’s going to come to work every day
and work hard.
There’s just not many guys who have had the production he’s done for a long
time. In any industry, somebody that sustains success, those are the people I
look at. I’ve been pleased, and I feel fortunate to work with Matt.
Q. (Unintelligible)?
ARTHUR SMITH: I knew him from afar, but until you get to know somebody,
there’s a lot of preconceived notions maybe or whatever. That relationship is
still building, but he’s been awesome.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Matt Ryan
Visitors Postgame Presser
Falcons – 30, Dolphins – 28
Q. Walk us through the play of Kyle Pitts at the sideline there with the
game on the line.
MATT RYAN: We saw a lot of man-to-man coverage the whole day. Credit to
Miami. They played tough. They were tight man-to-man coverage, taking
away a lot of what we were doing underneath. A great call by Coach (Arthur)
Smith in that part of the game to trust Kyle (Pitts) going down the sideline. I
thought Kyle ran a great route and made a great catch.
Q. Just kind of development here six games in, I think Kyle Pitts just
turned 21 here recently. Where is he at? You’re all leaning on a rookie to
help you all win some games here lately.
MATT RYAN: He’s done a great job. He’s focused on just getting better week
in and week out, and he’s done that. I’m proud of him. He’s a guy that
practices. His practice habits are getting better. The way he prepares during
the week is getting better. I think he’s getting more comfortable with that, and
it’s showing in the way that he’s performing. I give him a lot of credit. There’s
no blink in his game. When the game’s on the line or it’s an important
situation, he just goes out there and executes the same way he does every
other snap.
Q. Is there a point in the last few weeks where you think, I feel
comfortable throwing to Kyle Pitts, even if there is some of the coverage
that he has, especially on this last drive?
MATT RYAN: I think that coverage on the last drive, particularly the last plays,
is the stuff we’re looking for where you get one-on-one opportunities and you
give (Kyle Pitts) a chance. I think you definitely get more comfortable the more
you play with people, but I trusted him as we got out of training camp. I
thought he did a great job for us at that point too. I think he’s only going to
continue to grow, and I’m proud of him. He’s worked really hard.
Q. And Arthur Smith was saying he feels like you’re extremely
underrated. Do you feel like that at times? What does that mean to hear
that from him?
MATT RYAN: I appreciate the confidence (Arthur Smith) puts in me week in
and week out. That means a lot to me. That’s what I’ve always tried to draw
my confidence off of is my process, the way that I work, the way that I
prepare, and the opinion of the people that I trust. I really appreciate him.
Q. What is the mentality you have to have in the last two minutes? Just
had a tough fumble and then had to come back and lead for a field goal.
MATT RYAN: You just play the situation. We had plenty of time. A lot of times
we just need a field goal. We know our cutoff for (Younghoe) Koo is probably
the 38 or 40-yard line. To get us there in an emergency situation, he’s so
clutch. I think that helps too knowing that you have a guy that’s reliable to go
out there and put it through the pipes. I’ve been lucky in my career to play with
guys like that, and to know that, if you do your job and put it to that part of the
field, they’re going to execute. I thought we had plenty of time. No panic. Just
do your job, make the plays when they present themselves. Really the thing
I’m most proud of is the three plays, the three run plays we had there at the
end to make them burn the time-outs but also get the first down, bleed the
clock all the way down to zero when we kick it. There was still a lot of time left
on the clock in that situation. To get the first down running the ball three times
when it had been tough sledding the entire day was huge.
Q. When things don’t go right and you’ve got that fumble, is it easier the
farther you have into this league to flush those things out than it may
have been earlier? Was that easy in this instance?
MATT RYAN: I think you’ve got to just keep playing. I’ve always tried to have
that mindset. I remember being a younger player throwing five picks and still
winning. By no stretch of the imagination is two turnovers the worst.
Obviously, we’ve got to clean those up. I’ve always had that mindset that you
just keep playing and you just go out there and give it your best every snap.
Q. Were you surprised that you saw that same coverage against Kyle
Pitts on that last drive given the situation?
MATT RYAN: Not really. That’s a lot of who they are. They play tight man-toman coverage and they trust their guys to go make plays in critical situations.
You go to the things you hang your hat on. They’ve been very good at it. They
really have. Last year they were extremely good at it. I wouldn’t say we were
surprised, no.
Q. What does it say about your team to now have two last second drives
for game-winning field goals?
MATT RYAN: I think it’s what you need to do. This league is about winning
one possession games. It’s amazing regardless of how games shake out, how
at the end it always kind of finds itself in that position. You have to be really
good situationally. I thought situationally we were excellent today. Before the
half, turnover by our defense, go down, get three points there, that was big.
Then obviously end of game, executing in that two-minute situation was clutch
as well.
Q. Arthur Smith commended this offensive line, I know you talked about
those run plays at the end, but what can you guys say about the
progress of this unit even being without Kaleb McGray today?
MATT RYAN: I thought (Jason) Spriggs did a great job for us coming in,
stepping up. He played really hard, played well. Our guys, I love our guys.
They fight. They play hard. They work hard together. They prepare really,
really well during the week. They’re fun to be around and they’re competitors.
It’s not always perfect, and there’s lots of room for improvement for all of us,
but there’s no blink in them. Regardless of the situation, they just keep
hammering away.
Q. So staying up late watching baseball didn’t hold your performance
back?
MATT RYAN: I fell asleep last night. I woke up happy when I checked my
phone this morning. It’s going to be an awesome series to watch. So happy for
all those guys with the Braves. Talk about a team that grinded through a year.
I don’t think they were above .500 until the middle of August and find
themselves in the World Series. So maybe we can draw a little inspiration
from that.
Q. What was going through your head after that fumble?
MATT RYAN: Just three points. If they score a touchdown, three points is
going to win this game. If they don’t, three points is going to win this game.
That’s it. Obviously, you’re pissed that you turn it over. It gave them a short
field. But those kinds of things happen. It’s a hard league. They happen, and
you’ve got to be able to put it behind you and have the confidence and the
guts to go out there and just let it rip and go play on that last drive.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
114056-
Jaylinn Hawkins
Visitors Postgame Presser
Falcons – 30, Dolphins – 28
Q. What did you see on your interception there in the end zone?
JAYLINN HAWKINS: It was a formation set we studied the whole week as a
group. I seen that they were empty. Tight end was at two. Running back was
at one. So I knew they kind of run that seven route combination with the slot. I
just read the quarterback’s eyes, trusted my instinct. Linebackers and
everybody got good drops. Corner got a good drop. It helped put some air on
the ball and I just jumped the route, trusted my instincts and I made the play
for the squad.
Q. Are you almost expecting to see what Kyle is doing on a weekly
basis?
JAYLINN HAWKINS: He works hard. He works hard in practice. You practice
hard and do the little things right, it plays out in the game. He’s a great player.
Happy to have him as a teammate. Good dude. Just got everything man. I’m
proud of what he’s doing. It’s dope. It’s dope to see.
Q. Was there a point when you were in training camp or OTAs that you
sat there and thought oh wow, this guy might be a little bit different?
JAYLINN HAWKINS: When he first came in, of course. The dude is a freak.
You know what I’m saying? Long, tall, fast, can run. You know what I’m
saying? Just a good player man. Just making tough catches up the middle.
He’s like that. He’s a good player man. We just as a team, good win. There’s a
little sloppy stuff but we’ve just got to get back to the drawing board and keep
working hard.
Q. What is it like to defend him in practice?
JAYLINN HAWKINS: Good competition. I feel like there’s great competition. It
gets me better. Hope to get him better. It’s iron sharpening iron. It’s fun. I learn
different things and different techniques. So yeah, it’s dope.
Q. The defense today, your play was a big play. Foye’s, what was your
vantage point when he got his interception and took off on the run there
looking like a running back?
JAYLINN HAWKINS: Foye, when he got that pick, I was … I was running with
him. I was just so excited because I’m like he’s gone. Once you see
somebody gone like that, you just let up because you don’t want to get no
block in the back penalties. So he was just running full speed and I was like
yeah, he’s to the crib. I was just excited for him. He played well as well.
Q. As a unit overall, how did you all feel when you had some guys down,
people had to play again, guys that got hurt again and had to play. How
does that bode for the unit moving forward?
JAYLINN HAWKINS: We just got to practice hard. Keep practicing hard,
everybody, because you just never know what can happen. For example, like
what he’s talking about. We’ve just got to continue to get better. We got a solid
win, but there’s a lot of things we’ve got to clean up to play cleaner ball and go
1-0 each week. That’s the biggest thing.
Q. Did anything change from what you were doing defensively those last
two drives?
JAYLINN HAWKINS: No, no, nothing changed. We just got calls. Then we just
played the calls. They did a little tempo. I wouldn’t say anything changed. We
just played the calls that we got dealt with. They made some plays. We’ve got
to clean up some things.
Q. Are their tight ends just something that you all struggle with? That
was even an issue back in August during joint practice season.
JAYLINN HAWKINS: They’re a good group. Good group of tight ends. You’ve
got (Mike) Gesicki, got 81 (Durham Smythe), you got 80 (Adam Shaheen).
You know, It’s a good group, so it’s good competition. They’re a good group.
Q. A lot of time left this year, but is there anything symbolic, kind of
emotional to get the record back to .500 and be able to build going
forward?
JAYLINN HAWKINS: Win today, 1-0 each week. We’ve just got to continue
this growth, man, and we have to keep getting better and keep being more
detailed and keep playing. We’ve got to play cleaner ball. A good win today,
but the main thing is we got to go back in the office tomorrow, learn from our
mistakes and win the day, and make those days count and play clean ball and
clean up everything.
Q. From a personal standpoint, is there a sense of gratification that you
feel that now you have these chances, more chances than you had your
rookie year now in your second year? Is there a sense of gratification,
from an individual standpoint, that you’re going up and making the plays
when your number is called?
JAYLINN HAWKINS: Just doing it for my squad. That’s it. You know what I’m
saying? I want to win. We don’t want to lose. When I’m out there, I just do it for
my squad. For the back end, the linebackers, for the D-linemen, for the squad.
That’s it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Foyesade Oluokun
Visitors Postgame Presser
Falcons – 30, Dolphins – 28
Q. Foye, could you walk us through the interception in today’s game.
FOYE OLUOKUN: They just came off a turnover themselves, I believe. So
just stressing let’s not let them in the end zone. Grady (Jarrett) and the d-line
made a good pass rush. Grady was on his legs. I think he was trying to play
some hero ball, threw it up and overthrew him, maybe behind him. I was there
doing my zone drop and kind of moving with the quarterback and he
overthrew it. So I just capitalized off that and took off trying to score.
Q. You looked like you protected it pretty good. They were trying to
come for it.
FOYE OLUOKUN: Last year, same kind of similar thing down in Kansas City,
where Tyreek Hill popped it out and that was the scariest moment of my life.
As soon as I felt that pressure on the right, he tried to pop it up and tried to
push it down, and I just held on to the ground.
Q. Did you think you were going to get in the end zone there?
FOYE OLUOKUN: Yeah, I played receiver in high school, all-state. No, I was
trying to score for sure. I pulled away from the linemen. I saw the tight end on
the right that I pulled away from. Just hoping and praying I was going to get
there. I’m not thinking I’m going to get tackled.
Q. You said you thought Tua Tagovailoa played a little hero ball on that
play. Were you seeing more and more of that as the game went on?
FOYE OLUOKUN: I’d probably have to look at the film on that. Eventually they
kind of just spread us out and went tempo. Maybe (Tua Tagovailoa) was
inching around the pocket some. I know he got out a couple times. I don’t
know if it was hero ball or just good quarterbacking from him.
Q. That last drive that they gave up then the potentially game-winning
touchdown. Did anything change on that drive? Obviously, it was a
short field.
FOYE OLUOKUN: Their last drive, where they scored?
Q. Was there anything that changed defensively?
FOYE OLUOKUN: No, they were just tempoing us. We’ve got to do better
while we’re getting tempoed to be detailed and do what we need to do to get
off the field. I think we had them in a long down and distance situation. We’ll
go over the play they hit, the kind of deeper pass they hit and then got to be
detailed and get off the field.
Q. Arthur Smith was talking about how he felt really calm. His heart rate
was really steady when he sends Youghoe Koo out there for the field
goal. From your vantage point what do you feel in those moments?
You’ve seen him do it before.
FOYE OLUOKUN: I’ve got all the faith in Youghoe (Koo). I’m going to stand
down there and look the opposite way.
Q. You don’t look?
FOYE OLUOKUN: It’s my superstition on that. If I do that part, he’s going to
do his part.
Q. Can you see the jumbotron?
FOYE OLUOKUN: Theirs was like blank. I didn’t even see. I look at the fans’
reaction. I think I turned around and saw it go through the upright. I didn’t see
him kick it, though.
Q. When did that start for you?
FOYE OLUOKUN: High school, college. When I was in defense even in
college and offense had the critical drive, like fourth down or something, I
would go to the opposite sideline, opposite part of the thing and look the other
way, and it worked out. I’m superstitious.
Q. Did you turn away on that last drive as well, when Matt Ryan hit Kyle
Pitts a couple times too?
FOYE OLUOKUN: I was sitting down breathing trying to get some oxygen in
me, but as soon as they got down in the red zone, I had all the faith in it.
When Youghoe (Koo) went out there, that’s when I got up.
Q. Are you surprised at all by anything that Kyle Pitts has done?
FOYE OLUOKUN: Coach has challenged him a lot. He said, ‘We expect you
to make those plays. Everybody talks about you like this, we expect you to
make those types of plays.’ (Kyle Pitts) definitely stepped up to the plate. I’ve
got a lot of respect for Kyle, especially how young he is. I think he’s just a
baller. The more confidence he gets, the better he’s going to be.
Q. Defensively, you have played, Grady Jarrett doing his thing, people
going down, coming in and out. How do you keep building as a unit off
of these game experiences?
FOYE OLUOKUN: At the end of the day, we’re finding ways to win games. We
obviously want to be cleaner so we could not have to go through the whole
struggle of the last drive. A lot of NFL games will come down to the last drive.
If we do what we’re supposed to do throughout the game, finishing when
we’re supposed to, I think it will be good for our defense.
Q. In the course of a game, do you have time to appreciate a left-handed,
one-handed catch?
FOYE OLUOKUN: Yeah, I got up. I was yelling at (Kyle Pitts), pumping him
up. It was nice.
Q. Anything in particular you yelled at him?
FOYE OLUOKUN: Nothing I’m going to tell you (Laughter). It was good stuff,
though. Very, very good play.
Q. You go back to your supposed wide receiver days in high school?
FOYE OLUOKUN: That’s what I told him when he got to the sideline. I said,
you look like me in high school (Laughter). That was spectacular. I don’t know
what the saying is, but very high ceiling for (Kyle Pitts). I’m excited to see him
keep growing.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Kyle Pitts
Falcons Postgame Presser
Q. Could you walk us through the last play up the sidelines there.
KYLE PITTS: Just a play where I had the go route and I beat my defender, and Matt Ryan had trust in
me to throw me the ball.
Q. Throughout the day, that wasn’t the first time you did that. How was the flow for you today?
How comfortable were you out there? How did it feel to be making big plays to help the team
out there again today?
KYLE PITTS: It just felt great. Just taking everything play by play, trying to be the best I can for this
team. When the opportunity comes my way, to just do something great.
Q. How did it feel when you saw the kick going through and the heavy lifting was done and
you all were able to get the W?
KYLE PITTS: It was great. Winning in the NFL is hard, and it comes down to one possession. So for
us to just come out and finish it, it was great.
Q. Why has your progression been maybe so stunning the last three or four weeks?
KYLE PITTS: I would say just preparation during the practice. Practicing hard for each game and
pushing myself each week.
Q. Is there anything you saw through the first two, two and a half weeks like, man, I need to do
this better or I need to figure this out because that’s going to unlock the next three weeks?
KYLE PITTS: Definitely small details. Just trying to stack bricks every game. Just eliminate the small
things, the ones I messed up in the last game, and make them better this game.
Q. Any small detail you’d like to share that you think may have been more important?
KYLE PITTS: Just being — I would say just going as hard as I can each play, noticing what the
defense is doing in my matchup.
Q. You’re the first tight end since 1970 to have back-to-back 100-yard games. That’s 50 years
ago. When you hear that, what goes through your head? You’ve done something that hasn’t
been done in so long.
KYLE PITTS: That’s a great statistic, but I want to keep going and have more games like this.
Q. How do you grade the one-handed left-handed catch?
KYLE PITTS: I feel like the ball just fell in my hand. I didn’t know I caught it at first, so it was pretty
exciting.
Q. You’ve done that several times during the season. What’s the key for you to securing the
ball when you only have one hand to bring it back?
KYLE PITTS: Just when it touches my palm, just tuck it as fast as I can and don’t let it drop.
Q. You guys have won two games down at the last second now. Is there some confidence to
be gained from that?
KYLE PITTS: Definitely. I feel like we’re trending in the right direction. Each week we’re trying to get
better on our small details to help us win.
Q. Kyle, when you go back to the sideline after that one-handed catch, what are guys saying to
you? What are the reactions from other guys? On TV, they just show eyes wide and jaws
dropping. What are guys saying to you?
KYLE PITTS: Just keep going. The game wasn’t over, just that was nice. We’ll talk about it at the end
of the game, but just keep going. Keep making plays.
Q. There’s that tight end stat that Michael mentioned, but do you consider yourself a tight end
in the classic mold, or is there something different about the way you play?
KYLE PITTS: I would think the whole position now kind of shifted to hybrid. A lot of tight ends around
the league are kind of doing everything in the slot, outside, back side, 3 by 1. Yeah, I would consider
myself a tight end, but I would just say the position has kind of changed.
Q. (Inaudible)? Are there times you stick your hand out and hope for the best? What’s that
ratio for you on some of those catches?
KYLE PITTS: Just once I’m a step past my defender, I look for the ball.
Q. Were you surprised or excited that you’ve got the man coverage again on that final drive?
KYLE PITTS: Yes (Laughter).
Q. Which? Surprised or excited or what?
KYLE PITTS: I was surprised and excited.
Q. Do your eyes get wide when you see that at this point? Are you at that point in the NFL
where you’re like, if I have single coverage, this could go really well for me?
KYLE PITTS: Close to it but not all the way. Just trying to win my matchup as best I can.
Q. How was that for you when you were at Florida? At what point at Florida did you get to that
level?
KYLE PITTS: I would say my junior year. That’s where I was kind of flowing the best and coming out
of my shell.
Q. Matt Ryan was talking about his continuing evolution of his trust in you and your trust in
him. Can you kind of speak to the development you’ve seen in that area with the two of you?
KYLE PITTS: Just during the week, preparation and practice. We’re out seven-on-seven in teams
trying to make the certain throws and making the catch so he can trust me.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sport
