INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
SUNDAY, NOV. 14, 2021
POSTGAME QUOTES
COLTS HEAD COACH FRANK REICH
Opening Statement:
“No injuries to report. That’s good news. Big division win. It wasn’t pretty but that’s the way these games go. Really proud of the guys, it took all three phases to win. Obviously, we get the blocked punt for a touchdown. Offense comes out on fire early then gets in a rut. Defense holds it together. Then, what I liked was the fourth quarter. Say what you want, at times it was ugly but what was good for us we finished in the fourth quarter when we needed to. Offensively we put together a big drive and got three points. Wanted seven but got three and made them have to go the distance. Obviously, the big play in there, Carson (Wentz) to Pitt (Michael Pittman Jr.) that was a huge scramble play, extending the play and making the big play down field. Then the defense closing it out. Thought the defense played great the whole game besides the one long run they got but finished in the fourth quarter, so that’s good progress.”
What have you seen from Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo as they’ve progressed? “Just getting better and playing with confidence. Just paying with the confidence – working really hard in practice, eager to just get better. Eager, what can I do to get better? Working hard. Great teammates. Great hustle. Everything you want, everything you want. Those guys are going to be good players and we’re on the right track.”
Where did the offense go in the second half?
“We just struggled. They’re a very good defense, we knew they were a good defense. So, yeah, just give them credit. We need to execute better and play and coach better. We’re not going to go out there and score 40 every week or 30. We did a good job at times, we moved the ball when we had to, scored early. Obviously red zone hurt us, again. We had that going. We didn’t turn the ball over, so that’s positive. We’ll be better. We scored enough to win. That’s what’s important.”
What does it say about two of your leaders, Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard, going out then coming back in to finish?
“They totally gutted it out. Those guys are, like you said, they’re leaders. Got to be in there, it’s a big division game, got to lay it all out the line and I thought those guys led the way. We had a few guys doing that, but certainly they were the leaders.”
Was DeForest Buckner on a pitch count or something?
“No, just trying to rotate the guys a little bit. I don’t know what the final play count was, I’m not sure. Obviously, we want him to play a lot, but we don’t want him to play, as we said before, in the 80s. So, we’ll see what the exact percentages were, but I think we’re at our best when we mix it up and rotate guys through that we think can play.”
What did you see during the scramble play at the end? What does it say about the connection between Carson Wentz and Michael Pittman Jr.?
“Yeah, it was just a great play by those two guys extending it. Carson (Wentz) getting out, they had someone coming up free. They did some good things. That’s a good defense. I knew it coming in, you could see it on tape. They’re well coached, they got good players. So, Carson made a couple of plays like that, he made a couple checks that were big. Obviously, we had the big run called back, that hurt us. So, we just got to find ways to continue to improve. I’m happy about the plays that we did make when we needed to.”
What did you think about Carson Wentz’s day overall?
“We’ll have to go back and look at the film, but I thought it was solid. Like I said, we come away with a win, I’m always going to say up here, whether we win or lose that we can and must get better. Coaching, playing in every way. So, we’ll look at that play by play, see where it can get better and see where it can get better and go from there.”
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
SUNDAY, NOV. 14, 2021
POSTGAME QUOTES
What can you say about Bubba Ventrone after this game?
“Oh man. Just great – all week long, Bubba (Ventrone), he had a feeling we were going to block a punt. We were doing punt block drills in the middle of the season, like serious punt block drills in the middle of the season and him saying somebody’s going to get it. There were a couple opportunities that we thought, we weren’t sure who was going to break free. We knew that Zaire (Franklin) might have the best chance, but Bubba was really confident that we were going to get a block this week. Then, of course Zaire executed perfectly. How about E.J. (Speed) on the recovery? He looked like a man possessed, like I’m going to score on this fumble recovery. So, nice job by E.J.”
21 defensive takeaways this season, what does that say about your unit?
“Just relentlessness. Those aren’t accidents, those are playmakers. Those are playmakers making plays. So, that’s a winning formula. I think that’s why – we dug ourselves a huge hole. A huge hole. We’ve climbed back to .500, to me, that’s a significant point. It’s kind of like, if you dug yourself a hole, now you’re up and you can – you’re at ground level again. Now we really got to go. There’s no margin of error. We know that we’re playing another very good team this week, so, a big challenge in front of us.”
Has Carson Wentz heard from his wife yet about their baby?
“No, but he just told me, he said he’ll see me on Wednesday, so I don’t think he’s – all good there. Thankfully that worked out. He was confident that was going to work out, the doctors were telling him everything was going to be good so, just pray for a safe and healthy delivery.”
Are the next two games going to tell you what this season is really about?
“Yeah, this is big. Especially this first one, AFC, this is huge. There’s a lot of good teams in the AFC but no one’s just taken over, so why can’t it be us? Why can’t the Indianapolis Colts take over right now? That’s our mindset. Why can’t we take over? So, if we’re going to do it, we got to prove it this weekend in Buffalo against a very good football team. So, that’ll be fun. Got a lot of respect for them and a lot of respect for yeah, that whole team.”
COLTS LINEBACKER ZAIRE FRANKLIN
How are you feeling after getting the game ball?
“Just blessed. That’s all I can say. All the work you put in, all the time you put in at practice, we practiced it this this week. Bubba (Ventrone) texted me on Monday saying, ‘Hey Z, you’re going to get a block this week. I’m calling it right now.’ I had to prove him right. So, I’m happy I had his back, got the block, wish I
could have scooped it but my boy E.J. (Speed) got it. So, kept it in the linebacker room – that’s all that matters.”
Coach Reich had a feeling you guys were going to get a block this week too. “We just knew it. We know how guys are, our special teams. Myself, E.J. (Speed), Matt (Adams), George (Odum), Ashton (Dulin), all the guys. Jordan (Glasgow). We take serious pride in that, into our craft and our preparation. We had a lot of rushes up this week on punt return, but we just knew one of us was going to get home. I was just happy.”
You guys have scored six touchdowns on punts since you’ve been here, you have to take quite a bit of pride in that, being able to score in that situation.
“No question. Since I’ve been here, since my first year in ’18, Frank (Reich) and Chris (Ballard) have always you know – and Mr. (Jim) Irsay specifically – took a huge importance on special teams and just being an impact in all three phases. We take pride in our core guys and I’m just happy that we can kind of help get to the victory today.”
COLTS CENTER RYAN KELLY
How do you guys feel the momentum from when Jonathan Taylor gets going like that?
“Yeah, (it’s) huge. That defense is a good front seven. They haven’t had a lot of big hitters on them all year. JT (Jonathan Taylor), seeing him go down the sideline like that is awesome. We just got to continue to keep building on that. We didn’t keep our foot on the gas in the second half. Get us to third-and-long, and that’s when it really started to pile on. We’ll have to be better next week.”
Back to .500. How good does that feel as a unit?
“We dug a deep hole in the beginning. We went the long way around to get to .500, but to be 5-5 is huge when you were sitting at 1-4 at one point. Those have been some growing pains that this team had to go through. I think that we continue to see when the offense is doing real well, carry the defense and vice versa. The defense kind of carried us a little bit today. I think we’re starting to play complementary football. We’ve just got to put it all together for four quarters.”
What gives you confidence in that message when Frank Reich says “Why not us? Why can’t we be the ones to take over in the AFC?”
“If you look at the players we have top to bottom, there’s no denying that we have a stacked roster. The leadership that we have top to bottom in our locker room, on and off the field. And the capability that we have to play together. I think that we’ve shown some really, really bright spots of how well we can play together, and we just got to put that together. That’s what great teams do – great teams in November, December, they put those games together. They don’t let a team get close like we did today. I think we’re heading in the right direction.”
How important is it to be able win in different ways whether it’s you guys getting a touchdown on special teams, or the defense closing it up and the offense putting up 45? “That’s what the NFL is all about. You’re going to have some times where things aren’t going so great. I think that blocked punt had a huge momentum swing for us, and the defense carried our (butts) in the second half. Like I said, it stings for me because we know we didn’t play as well as we could in the second half. Hats off to the defense for doing that for us. That’s what we do as a team, man. We pick each other up. Whenever a big play is needed, we step up and we do that. Even at the end, just being able to get a first down. It seemed like it had been a while since we got one of those. Doing that for the defense, just giving them a little more of a break was an honorable gesture. But we’ll be better next week.”
COLTS DEFENSIVE END DAYO ODEYINGBO
What does it mean to have you and Kwity Paye working together and having a big day together? “I mean, I’m just happy we won. That’s number one. I was happy for Kwity (Paye) as soon as he got his sack. I was up jumping and screaming so I was happy to see that. I was happy I was able to make a play today too to help seal the game. I’m just excited. I really don’t know how to feel right now. I’m really excited.”
It looked like you didn’t chop it so much as you pulled on it. Is that your normal way? What made you use that?
“I don’t know. I think it was just kind of instincts. I didn’t really think about it. It just kind of happened. I just kind of raked it and got it out.”
Is the game slowing down? Do you feel more like you belong? How has it kinda been the last couple weeks?
“It’s definitely been slowing down. Especially now that we have had a few more practices. kind of started off coordinating what practices matched my schedule. Had some more practices. Had some more game, so it’s starting to slow down definitely a lot.”
Does the ankle feel at all? Have you moved past it completely?
“Yeah, I mean it’s getting better and better every week. It’s still something that I am working through. Dealing with, getting stronger so just getting more used to it and playing with it. So, yeah, it’s getting better.”
COLTS DEFENSIVE END KWITY PAYE
You finally got that first-career sack. How did it feel? It was a pair of rookies that got their first sack today.
“It felt good. I’ve been getting a whole lot of pressure, so it felt good to get home.”
Can you break down the play where Dayo Odeyingbo sealed that game?
“It was great. We knew that the defense had to make a play, and he just came up big and just stripped the sack. It was great for us.”
How does it feel knowing that you two put in the work together, and you guys were able to have it pay off all at the same time?
“It feels good because I’ve seen how hard he worked when he was trying to get back. Even though he was injured, he was on the sideline eager to come back and play with us. It feels great for him to come back on the field and make a huge play like that.”
You’ve had your own injuries to come back from. What was it like to get back out there, and what was it like playing not 100 percent, I guess?
“At this point in the season, like I said before, I just want to go out there and play with my guys. I got banged up today, but at this point it’s just wrap it up and let me go back out there. I feel like I’ve missed too much time. I just want to contribute to the team.”
COLTS WIDE RECEIVER MICHAEL PITTMAN JR.
How much do you like to play with a quarterback who’s willing to extend plays and never let one die?
“Absolutely because it’s an opportunity to make plays even when they kind of fall apart.”
In the early part of the game, you guys come out and offense is clicking. Seven out of nine drives today, it really got stagnant there in the second, third and fourth quarters. What was different? “Yeah, we really have to go back and check the film. We just didn’t execute on first and second down and we found ourselves in lots of third-and-longs so I think that’s it.”
What’s the key on those scramble plays as a receiver to make sure that you are still available? “To just flow with him. If he (Carson Wentz) is flowing left, you want to flow left. You don’t want to be running the opposite direction.”
Do you have a feeling now that no play is over with Carson Wentz back there? “Absolutely. I mean Carson (Wentz) can sit back there and run sideline to sideline and then throw a ball 60 yards.”
COLTS RUNNING BACK JONATHAN TAYLOR
What has allowed you to be so consistent in the rushing attack?
“Really, it’s through the preparation and our communication with the o-line. Really, when you’re on communication with the o-line, it doesn’t matter what scheme the defense throws at you, it doesn’t matter what kind of pressure or blitzes that they bring. We’re all on the same accord and we can get that blocked up and we can execute.”
What made it so difficult in the second half to see the type of production you had in the first half? “Always making halftime adjustments, division game as well against a tough opponent. They always play tough; they have great players. We knew it was going to be all four quarters, but definitely halftime adjustments and we have to do a good job of adjusting ourselves as well.”
COLTS QUARTERBACK CARSON WENTZ
No phone call from the wife today?
“Not yet. Not yet. So we will see these next days or two so we will see what happens. I’m excited though.”
What did you see on the third down strike to Michael Pittman Jr. late?
“Guy coming free off the edge. They brought a blitz that we hadn’t seen before. They did a good job on it and I just had to make a play. Pitt (Michael Pittman Jr.) did a great job sitting and scrambling just trying to run to space. I was about a split second from throwing it away until I saw him. That was a big play for us.”
Have you made one like that this year?
“I don’t know, you tell me (laughs). It was a big one. In that moment obviously, big down, stay on the field and go down there and get points and kind of let that clock melt away. That was definitely a much needed first down.”
What has Michael Pittman Jr. done to kind of gain your trust in those moments? “I mean you guys see it every week. He comes up big play after big play, super reliable, dependable, gets open, especially in moments like that. Obviously there he was open, but in moments when it’s not necessarily open, you can give it to him. He continuously shows up and makes big plays. He earned my trust a long time ago and that’s why you’re seeing it out there on Sundays.”
Were you guys having trouble identifying the pressure or where it was coming from? There were a lot of free blitzers, and you guys had stretches in the second half where you couldn’t do anything. “Yeah, they did a good job. That’s a good defense. Definitely a frustrating stretch for us there kind of in the middle of that ball game. Yeah, they did have some un-scouted looks and some pressure looks that we were not necessarily prepared for, so hats off to them. We have to be better obviously; I have to be better getting us in the rights protections, those sorts of things. Shoot, that was a grind, but a win is a win in this division.”
Like we’ve seen a couple times, you’ve kind of switched hands or you made a shuffle pass that seemed to go about 15 yards down the field. What is your thought process in that, especially on the left hand when you are able to switch and try to get rid of it with your left hand? “My thought is just getting it to my guy anyway I can (laughs). I don’t go out there saying, ‘Hey, if I’m getting drug down this way, I’m going to…’ I don’t think that that’s my reaction. The one to JT (Jonathan Taylor), honestly, we had the first down I thought and so I was pretty fired up thinking we got it and we were still short. I have to be smart in all of those, but at the same time if there’s a play to be made I’m usually going to try to make that play.”
With that said, do you realize the risk factor in that? Because of course if it works, you’re a genius for pulling it off, but if something happens…
“There’s always risks. There’s always risks with it. You try to know who else is around at the same time. I don’t think anyone was even near JT (Jonathan Taylor) when I threw that one, so I just threw it a couple yards in those things. You just have to be smart, but at the same time you have to always wait.”
Is Frank Reich cool with that?
“Usually, if it works (laughs).”
What about when it doesn’t work?
“I don’t think it’s really come up other than the one I can think of is San Fran when the guy tipped it at the line. But he knows that I’m a ball player and I’m going to try and make the play as long as I’m just not continuing to put the ball in harm’s way, I’m giving our guys a chance to make a play or nobody. He’s confident in my ability to make those decisions.”
The way the team started this season, is it a significant step to get back to .500 at 5-5? “It’s big. It’s big, especially a divisional opponent. Obviously at this point of the season to get back to .500, it’s huge for us. It seems like we have been climbing out of this hole for a while now. It wasn’t our best game out there, but to come out of it with a win is huge for us.”
What did you see out of Quenton Nelson today after he gutted it out after that injury? “I would have to go watch tape and see how’d he played, but I respect the heck out of him for always gutting it out. He’s been banged up a little bit all year. When you see him in practice competing you know he’s hurting, he’s going through some stuff. I have a lot of love and respect for that guy. He’s going to do whatever it takes every single time we step on that field.” What did you tell Trevor Lawrence after this one? It looked like you had a message for him. “I just told him to keep believing in himself. It’s a long season, hopefully for him it’s a long career. I think he has a great head on his shoulders. It’ll be fun to compete against him God willing for a long time.”
