FALCONS HEAD COACH ARTHUR SMITH
Jaguars vs. Falcons
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
Q. Could you discuss how you were able to close out this game?
ARTHUR SMITH: Yeah. You know, obviously, we wanted to end the game with the ball in our hands, but sometimes it doesn’t always go that way. Those guys battled. We stayed aggressive, [were]able to convert that third-and-2, got a call playing off of tendency there, conversion. We had to put the defense back on the field, but they’ve got to close games as well and that’s what a good team does. There’s no panic. Our guys, I think it says a lot about the character of this staff and this staff after the last couple weeks because we don’t live and die on the day-to-day narrative. [We] keep trying to improve and [I’m] really proud of this team and this staff.
Q. Can you discuss RB Cordarrelle Patterson’s play and 151 yards rushing, a season high? ARTHUR SMITH: Yeah. That’s what good teams have to do. That’s why you can live in all these narratives, and they’re all BS if you don’t continue to grow and improve. We felt good about it, about the run game, regardless of what statistics and situations, whatever. We kept chipping away and today was a great job by the entire offense running the football. Obviously, having CP [RB Cordarrelle Patterson] back adds an element. He’s a warrior. He’s a big, physical presence that can do a lot for us, and that’s clear. It was good to have him back.
Q. Can you talk about C Drew Dalman coming in at center and LB Mykal Walker at linebacker for LB Deion Jones?
ARTHUR SMITH: That was the plan all week with Henny [C Matt Hennessy] and Drew [Dalman], and I thought Matt responded. That’s not an easy thing to go through. Yeah, it was a little unconventional, but we thought it was best for our football team. I thought it made us better and we’ll continue to do that. Guys are going to have to step up. It’s a long season. Deion [Jones] had something pop up at the end of the week and that’s why we develop the roster. I’m proud as hell of Myk[al] Walker. He stayed ready all year and he did a good job playing that role today.
Q. Can you discuss the decision to put C Drew Dalman in at center?
ARTHUR SMITH: We felt good about it. Like I said, you can write conventional rules, whatever. But, you know, we felt good about the rotation. We’ve got a lot of trust in both Henny [C Matt Hennessy] and Drew [Dalman] and the work they’ve done all year with Matt [Ryan], so it is what it is. We felt good about it, and that’s why we went with it.
Q. At the end of the first half, the clock ran down in fourth down situation when the Jaguars were going to kick the field goal. Did you consider taking a timeout there?
ARTHUR SMITH: Well, it depends. You could make an argument either way, but they were going to get the ball after half. So, you burn the timeout. We were at the advantage. I believe it was second-and-11
when I called it. [It was] incomplete. I believe they had a third-and-11. They checked it down. We tackled them, watched and see if they were going to call a timeout, seeing what they were going to do. There was some consternation on the sidelines, so I think he was looking at me thinking I was going to call it. I was waiting, just playing the game because I felt with two timeouts, obviously, we threw an interception, I thought we had plenty of time to go down and score a field goal. With the balance between time and timeouts, we felt good it about it. Really, it was the result of what happened on third down. So, yeah, you could bang it there, but I didn’t want to give them that opportunity. I wanted to see what they were going to do.
Q. The offensive line allowed just one sack and the Jaguars had four total quarterback hits. What does that say about that group?
ARTHUR SMITH: It says they rally. They’ve got a tough-minded group is what it says. I told you guys, been saying all year, you can’t live and die with the day-to-day narrative. You’ve got to see the big picture. You look at minor obstacles that get thrown your way in a long NFL season, and it says a lot about this team. We’re chipping away, so we’re right in the mix and we’ve got six games to go playing meaningful ball in December. That’s where we want to be. Sure, you want your record to be better, but this team grinds. They do. Whether you start 0-2, you dip to 4-6, the easy thing to do would be rationalize and say, ‘Oh, this, that.’ Nope, we’re going to continue to work and try to get better.
Q. What does RB Cordarrelle Patterson bring to the offense?
ARTHUR SMITH: There’s a couple things. Certainly, he’s a good football player, and you’ve got to account for him. He plays a lot of roles, but he’s physical. He’s a hard guy to tackle and that’s stating the obvious here. So, it brings a different element in that right. When it gets late in the year and you’re running the football, those hits add up and he can do a lot for us. It says a lot about him and went out there and played today and he made an impact. But really, we needed something early. [I] felt we got some good momentum, and he was able to punch the ball in on that run and it kind of got us going again.
Q. Did you have to talk RB Cordarrelle Patterson out of the kick return?
ARTHUR SMITH: I made that decision.
Q. You made that decision?
ARTHUR SMITH: Yes, because he would try to do everything, so sometimes you have to save people from themselves. You want to coach guys like that.
Q. Would you look at maybe making the choice of kick returner more of a permanent thing? ARTHUR SMITH: Well, I mean, every week presents different set of challenges. So, it’ll just be week-to week and we’ll see where he’s at, you know, but I would make those calls. I’m not going to sit here today and back myself in the corner, but all options are on the table.
Q. What type of statement does powerful running like today make?
ARTHUR SMITH: Well, you can be physical in the wide zone, wide zone. So, no matter what scheme, you can add a physicality to it, which most people don’t, but I think we want to have a physical presence. Whatever scheme we’re running, wide zone, tight zone, gap, pin pole, there’s a lot of ways to try to run the football, but we want to have the physical element and that’s why we train the way we do, why we try to get up to the line of scrimmage. It’s good to see those guys’ hard work pay off. Then next week is going to present a whole different set of challenges and we’ve got to find a way to win a division game at home.
Q. How did you see this group turn it around after the last few weeks?
ARTHUR SMITH: Well, you take some time. I mean, the human emotion right after, you know, you lose two games like that, it’s easy, like I said, to go through the range of emotions. But when you take a step back and you can have some perspective, and that’s what we’ll all try, here, have some perspective. Here’s where we’re at, we know why, we deserve to be where we’re at, but it’s not catastrophic. I think too many times people think instant results. Well, there’s a lot of ways to go with it, but I don’t believe in that, and this team doesn’t. We kept it to work, things we want to tweak. We’ll continue to do that, so [that] says a lot about the character of these players and this staff.
Q. What was giving you that confidence in the run game today?
ARTHUR SMITH: [It was the] same thing that gave me confidence in Tennessee. When you’re installing a system, you know, there’s a lot of revisionist history. But there were times in ’18 where it didn’t look too pretty, and we got going at the end of the year in the run game. [It] just takes some time sometimes and
these guys work so hard. The easy thing to do would be, hey, let’s panic, let’s just start grab bagging, stealing plays that we think worked that other people [did] that may not fit us. That’s not we’re training to do. We’ve been training to hit these combinations, and they paid off today. [That] doesn’t guarantee it will be like that next week. Like I said, next week will present a different set of challenges, but it’s what we believe in. I’ve been through it before, so again, talk about perspective and going back to work.
Q. (On RB Cordarrelle Patterson playing multiple positions)
ARTHUR SMITH: He got his defensive snap today. Did you see it? Did you mark that down? I may put him on the depth chart for d-line next week, for free safety.
Q. How does the rotation actually work?
ARTHUR SMITH: Like I said, it was a little unconventional. But our plan was to go two on two and take it from there, and we’ll assess when we get back and watch the film and have a day kind of think about it and just see where we go from here.
Q. How did the defensive unit play today?
ARTHUR SMITH: They’ve improved, the defensive guys, again, [Falcons S] Duron [Harmon], [Falcons S] Erik [Harris]. Those guys provide a lot of steady leadership. It’s good to see [Falcons S] Richie [Grant] and Duron [Hammond]. It’s a long season, but [we] try to have perspective there too. They came up. They made plays. Ade’s [Falcons OLB Adetokunbo Ogundeji] continuing to have a [good season], just a quiet pro. A lot of these young guys are having impacts and they’re surrounded by some smart vets, and we’ve got to play together as a team.
Q. Like you said, you’d rather end the game with the ball in your hands. But to get the defense to shut the door, just what kind of confidence can that give them?
ARTHUR SMITH: A lot. It’s a team game. I mean, we would have loved to have converted that had third down. We didn’t, so, you know, credit to Jacksonville, but there’s no panic. The only thing there was they pumped the play clock there. It was a little bit of a… I don’t know what happened there, why they pumped it and then it went down. I’ll get to the bottom of that. We take a delay. It’s not catastrophic right there, but you don’t want to see the false start on the next one. [Falcons P] Thomas Morstead, another guy [that] came in this week. He’s a pro and he made an impact on the game. Not that [Falcons P] Dustin Colquitt hasn’t punted well either, but that’s why we have a good staff. Everybody’s collaborative, and [Falcons General Manager] Terry [Fontenot] and his staff and all the coaches, we all collaborate. Those are underrated moves that nobody thinks about, but he had a huge impact on this game.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
FALCONS QB MATT RYAN
Jaguars vs. Falcons
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
Q. How did it feel to get the offense rolling today, you put up 21 points today? MATT RYAN: Yeah, I thought it was a good day. I thought the offensive line played really well. We ran the ball, you know, tough, physical. I thought our running backs played well, which is what we needed, and I’m proud of those guys. They worked hard the last couple of weeks and I thought [they] set the standard for what they’re capable of doing. And I’m excited about that moving forward.
Q. It was hard for us to see what you all are working with the run game other than they moved the splits out or got better angles, different tracks. What are some of the technical things they did other than block hard?
MATT RYAN: I’ve got to see it. I did my part on just making sure that the ball was in the belly, making sure they didn’t mess it up. So, I don’t know, we’ll take a look at what they did. The thing I could feel is just the intensity they were playing with. I felt like really good communication across the board from our guys, a lot of positive energy and a lot of intensity. And that was good.
Q. What did it mean to the offense to get RB Cordarrelle Patterson back today? MATT RYAN: That’s huge for you us. CP [Cordarrelle Patterson] has been such a big part of what we’ve done, both in the run game and in the pass game. He makes a difference and he brings an energy. There’s no question the way he plays, the physical nature with which he finishes runs, finishes plays— guys feed off of that and I thought he did a great job today.
Q. How tough was it playing musical centers for you today?
MATT RYAN: I thought both our guys did a good job. I thought Matt Hennessy did a great job. Drew Dalman did a good job. When both their numbers were called, they went in, they communicated really well. I’m happy for both those guys. I thought they both played tough.
Q. Do you take on more responsibility when you’re doing something like that with two centers? MATT RYAN: I mean, not really. In the pass game, in terms of protection, I’ve always got the trump card. So, we can make a call, and I can get us into something different. And in the run game, we have certain plays that come in that are canned or checked or whatever you want to call it. And we kind of dictate that. So, no, I didn’t do anything different. I thought Drew and Matt both did a nice job.
Q. Does Head Coach Arthur Smith go to you and tell you, ‘Hey, I’m going to try this?’ Because, obviously, a center-quarterback connection is a fairly important one. Does Arthur bring that to you before he does it? Or say, Hey? How does that conversation go?
MATT RYAN: He told me during the week, ‘Hey, we’re going to evaluate what we want to do at all these spots. Be heads up for possible this,’ and it’s my responsibility as a player to make it work. But that was pretty much the extent of the conversation that we had.
Q. And how different did you feel with this offense with Cordarrelle Patterson in there? MATT RYAN: Well, it was better today. And, ultimately, that’s what we needed. We needed a better performance from all of us today. So, it was good today. And, you know, we’ll see where we’re at with the guys we have up moving forward. But I thought he played well.
Q. Hey, Matt, I know it’s what you expected to happen, but what does it say about this team to respond with this performance after two tough weeks?
MATT RYAN: It’s what we needed. You know, I feel like we’ve got a good group of guys in the locker room. I really do, you know, guys that come to work with the right mindset every day and work really hard. I think there’s a lot we can improve on from today too and clean up for next week. But I’m proud of the guys. You hear a lot of positive things when things are good. You hear a lot of [crappy] things when things are bad. And I’m proud of the guys for having the right mindset to come in and continue to work and not hear all that stuff. And I think guys have done a great job with it.
Q. Could you see that during the practice week, some signs that you guys were locked in? MATT RYAN: Yeah, I thought the week of practice was really good and I thought guys were locked in. And it helps sometimes you get that little mini bye [week] after a Thursday night game, as ugly as it was that week. But a little bit of rest and a little bit of chance to recover and get some guys feeling good enough to get some good work on the practice field, I thought was a really positive thing. And [Coach] Arthur [Smith] gave us a chance to do that with the schedule that he set up.
Q. You guys are heading into kind of the home stretch playing meaningful football. I mean, how important is that for this group that you guys continue to –
MATT RYAN: Yeah, it’s all you can ask for. At the beginning of the year, if you tell me we’re right in the mix in December, that’s where you want to be. And I certainly think our best football is still in front of us and we’re going to get there. But six games to go, right in the mix, December starting next week, like, sign me up. I’m ready for that and I’m excited about it. And it’s going to be a fun couple of weeks.
Q. Head Coach Arthur Smith mentioned his confidence in the run game even before today. Did you share his confidence? Did you think it was close or did you wonder?
MATT RYAN: I thought we were close. And I know it’s easy to say that when you have a day like today, but I feel like when you go back and watch it, there were a lot of things. ‘All right, if we can just be a little bit tighter, if we can hold up a little better on the backside here.’ And I thought we did that today. Obviously, we’ll look at it, [I’ll] have a better chance to see what we actually did. But I did feel like we were close and I do have belief in our guys up front both and both in the back field that we’re capable of moving the football like that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
FALCONS RB CORDARRELLE PATTERSON
Jaguars vs. Falcons
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
Q. Cordarrelle, how did it feel to get back out there and play such a vital role in the victory today? CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: Honestly, it felt good man, being back, man. I practiced all week, and I was just excited to be back, honestly.
Q. You had a couple big plays there, the 12-yard touchdown run. Talk about the blocking you received up front from your line. And I think I saw Keith [Smith] getting a block for you there. CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: Keith [Smith] always getting a good block for me, man. Every time I score, Keith is always in the mix. Honestly, the offensive line, they did a heck of a job today, man. Coach, he pointed out all week, we need to do better in the run game. We all took it to heart. And offensive line, they came in. They really did. They showed what they really can do.
Q. Talking through your scores, looks like you swung the first one wide and then the second one was some power it looked like.
CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: With that blocking, man, how could I not score? Like I said, offensive line, they did a heck of a job. And Keith Smith, man, the best fullback in the game. He’s always showing up, always making that key block for us.
Q. How much do you feel this offense looks different when are you in it?
CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: I wouldn’t say different, man. I’m a big part of this offense. That’s a no brainer, man. I mean, outside looking in, you can see that. Like I told you before, I love it here. I love when I’m out there on the field. I love competing. I love having fun. That’s just something I’m always doing. When I’m out there, man, I’m going to give it my all. I just love it.
Q. Pregame you wore cleats honoring Ahmaud Arbery. What went into your decision to do that? Just walk me through your feelings.
CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: I’m pretty sure we all seen what happened. I mean, I just got to show my respect to his family, man, and that shit was – that stuff was tragic. That could have been my son just jogging down the street. People just pull up on him and kill him.
That’s something we’ve got to deal with every day, man. Unfortunately, we do. That’s the part of life. It’s — you know, this football stuff really doesn’t mean stuff because we got so much going on outside. People don’t understand. They just think we’re football players. We’re human too. We always got a target on our back. Every time — we’ve just got to be careful, man. Just got to do the right thing and just always try and get home safe, man, because our family depend on us. I got kids, a girl, you know. They’re always making sure we’re safe. And like I said, unfortunately, that had to happen, man. I’m sorry for him and his family. I just had to honor him wearing his cleats.
Q. You said that this week there was an emphasis on we need to run the ball better. What did that look like and sound like? Was it just, hey, we need to run the ball better? Was it a challenge issued to you guys?
CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: Honestly, when Arthur [Smith] say something, we take it to heart. You know how Art can be sometimes. Love him to death, but we all know how he gets. When Art say something, he’s the head dog in charge. We’re going to go out and execute it. This whole week we’ve been talking about the run game since Wednesday all the way up to Sunday. We made it a big target for us to go in and just run the ball and just do what we do. We know we can do it. We’ve just all got to get together and work together. Running back got to get the right track. Offensive line got to get their blocking. We’ve just got to trust the offensive line they’re going to get the job done.
Q. For those of us that don’t know how he gets, does that mean like animated angry or what does it look — we only see him behind the microphone?
CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: I’ve never seen him angry. He’s the best man in the world.
Q. After your second touchdown, I don’t know if you remember exactly what you said, but you were pointing at the ground running up to Mike Davis. It looked like you were saying like this is my house or something like that?
CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: I said, ‘This is my shit.’ Honestly. I just love football, man. I’m so emotional out on the field, man. I just say a lot of things I probably don’t mean; just having fun like I say. I’m a kid at heart, man. You can’t take that away from me. I’m having fun. I’m smiling. I’m joking. It’s just fun to me, man. I just love this game.
Q. You said, you know, we know we can do it. We know we can run the ball. We just needed to do it together. Do you feel like today specifically that first half was a prime example of doing that? CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: That first half, sure. We probably had over 100 some rushing yards in the first half. That just shows you, we put our mind to it, we can’t be stopped. We’ve just got to keep building that confidence each and every week. It starts at practice on Wednesday. Just keep building that confidence and that faith that we trust each other. We’re just going to build that chemistry and just get the job done.
Q. Multiple times this season you talked about special teams being your thing. How hard is that not being on kick return today? Arthur said that was your call that he kind of left it to you. What was it like not returning kicks?
CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: It was hard. You know, special teams is my bread and butter. That’s something I’ve been doing my whole career. I would never give it up. Today, man, I just had to focus on what coach wanted me to focus on. And that’s just what it is. Like I say, I’m going to do whatever coach needs me to do. That’s just the kind of guy I am. If he needs me to return the kick, I’ll go out there and return the kick.
Q. Do you see yourself in more of this type of role going forward or do you want to get back to returning kicks?
CORDARRELLE PATTERSON: I want to be in any role that’s going to help this team win. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
FALCONS OLB DANTE FOWLER JR.
Jaguars vs. Falcons
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
Q. What was it like being back here, man?
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: Just treat it like another away game. Just wanted to come down here and handle business, which we did. Got the W. Ready to go back home now.
Q. When you get the sack, is there something emotional in that for you, considering what you’ve gone through here?
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: No. It just felt good to come back and get a sack in Jacksonville for sure.
Q. How about the defense, Dante, you know, closing out the game? Got a couple stops there late to get the W.
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: It felt good for us to go out there and close out the game like that. I think we was playing pretty good throughout the whole game. And when it was a clutch moment time, and time for us to stand up, we did that.
Q. What were some of the things that you guys have been getting better the last couple games? It looks like unit’s coming together… Are you sensing that too?
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: Yeah. I think we’re just playing together as a unit, you know, just doing our jobs, everybody doing their jobs, not trying to do something special, just doing what you’re supposed to do and doing that 100 percent.
Q. On your sack, I think they shifted a few guys to (Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett) Grady. How much does playing with Grady kind of free you up sometimes to be you and do what you want to do?
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: Yeah. Same thing for me too so — whenever we get opportunities to win one-on ones, we try to do it.
Q. Was Trevor Lawrence – it looked like a couple times you were real close to getting him again and then he slipped away?
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: Yeah. Just got to do a better job of getting him down. He’s athletic and a strong, long guy, so I’ve just got to make the best of my opportunities when I get there.
Q. The energy that (Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson) CP provides, the offensive guys were talking about. Does that bleed over to the defense as well?
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. You know, his runs, the runs that he does and things like that, that’s really cool. Gets us going, and you know, be ready to go out there and play.
Q. (Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan) Matt talked about a minute ago, about (there being) six games to go. What are the things that you’re seeing that tell you this team is on the upswing, is building toward the stretch run?
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: I just think we’re coming together and playing as a team. The team we have is built to play as a team. So I think guys are doing that and getting more confidence. Our rookies are getting confidence throughout the year. They’re getting a lot of reps. So I think you’re starting to see guys playing with confidence and swagger and just playing together as a team.
Q. You guys haven’t given up many touchdowns in the last couple of games. What has been the key to keeping teams out of the endzone?
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: Just playing together as a unit, everybody doing their job and being on one accord.
Q. Was there anything, like, when you came in today, did you see people that you knew in the past? Like were there people that —
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: Yeah. Anybody that was on the team in Jacksonville when I was there, it was good to see them.
Q. So there was not much extra emotion?
DANTE FOWLER, JR.: I didn’t care to see anybody else. If you didn’t play with me in-between the white lines, I didn’t care to see you, honestly. But it was good to see, you know, the guys that I played on the team with and almost, you know, went to championships and almost went to a Super Bowl with. So it was cool.
DraftScripts by ASAP Sports
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
FALCONS CB A.J. TERRELL
Jaguars vs. Falcons
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
Q. How did it feel for the defensive unit to be able to close out the game here and get off the field there a couple times late in the game?
A.J. TERRELL: Just going out there and playing a complete game and just getting it done in the fourth quarter, [we’re] just hanging our hat on that.
Q. What were some of the keys keeping QB Trevor Lawrence under control?
A.J. TERRELL: Just hats off to Trevor [Lawrence], you already know that. [He’s a] great quarterback. But defensively, we just played as a unit this week, just came together as one. Everybody just did their job and came out with a W.
Q. When you went out briefly again, what happened there?
A.J. TERRELL: [It was] just something happened with my shoulder, just came down on it and that was it. [It was] just something that was hurting for a second. [I] came back in and just finished the game.
Q. The shoulder?
A.J. TERRELL: Yeah.
Q. How did LB Mykal Walker play? I know it was a tough spot having to get out there and start with LB Deion Jones out.
A.J. TERRELL: Yeah. [It’s about] just being ready. You know, next man up, next man up mindset. He was ready. He had a good practice all week and just came out and did his job, helped us get the W.
Q. Has the defensive unit grown over the last few games?
A.J. TERRELL: Yeah. Just something that we focus in on every week [is] just not beating ourselves in a winning situation in the football, playing as one, playing as a unit.
Q. The fact that you faced Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence so often in college on a day-to-day basis, does that help you early on in a game potentially or at all because you know him?
A.J. TERRELL: You know, me and Trevor [Lawrence], we had our battles at Clemson, whether it be in practice or whatever. But, you know, Trevor, like I said, [is a] good quarterback, very instinctive and just decisive with all his passes. The ball’s going to get rolling over here, so he good.
Q. Did it help that you saw him so many times?
A.J. TERRELL: I haven’t played him in so long. I’ve never been really against him for real live situations, so that was my first rodeo. You know, it is what it is.
Q. QB Matt Ryan was saying that he thinks the best football for you guys is still in front of you. Do a lot of you guys feel that way?
A.J. TERRELL: [It’s] just the heart of the team, just everything we do. You know, we try to be meaningful, just come in, whether it be in meetings, in practice, just trying to focus in on details and understand that we’ve still got to race for the playoffs and just not getting complacent. [We’re] just staying on ten toes the whole time.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
FALCONS FB KEITH SMITH
Jaguars vs. Falcons
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
Q. Cordarrelle told us that Coach [Arthur Smith] said, Hey, we’ve got to get the running game going this week. How did you feel about it today, running for 150?
KEITH SMITH: It feels good. It feels good when your plan works and I think that’s just what we did as a team. We were kind of intentional all week in just making sure we were on top of the details, especially in the run game, and it panned out for us.
Q. On the 12-yard touchdown run, could you walk us through that play and your role in that play? KEITH SMITH: It was just a regular lead play. You know, just everybody kind of did their job. I guess my block kind of stands out more because I’m kind of at the point of attack. But it was the guys across the line that were driving their guys back and, you know, made it easy for CP [Cordarrelle Patterson].
Q. Coach was saying that we’ve got to stay with it. He fully believed you all could run it. How did you all stay, you know, with it and attacking it until you were able to get it going like this? KEITH SMITH: I think it’s just being intentional and understanding what we’ve done thus far. I think we left a lot on the bone this season and I think that’s just kind of what we’re diligent about doing moving forward is kind of getting all that we can get.
Q. How has this offense changed with Cordarrelle [Patterson] on the field?
KEITH SMITH: It’s — I mean, you know, CP’s dynamic. He does everything. It just gives you a lot more options. It changes the look for the defense, especially because they got to worry about a running back being in a receiver spot and all the places that he plays. But, you know, CP kind of — CP brings energy too. When he’s out there, it’s contagious. And you see it out there when he’s out there.
Q. How does he [Cordarrelle Patterson] bring that energy? What does he do? KEITH SMITH: Watch his highlights.
Q. Is he [Cordarrelle Patterson] saying stuff or — ?
KEITH SMITH: I mean, CP is always a positive dude. I think he’s always about uplifting his teammates. It’s not only an example, but he is contagious as far as encouraging others.
Q. Can you give us an idea how much Arthur emphasized the running game this week and how he emphasized it?
KEITH SMITH: A ton. He just kind of showed us a lot of the stuff that we were capable of and what we’ve done this year and just things that we could build off of.
And he was just — it was all about intention and making sure that guys are on top of their details all the way down to walk-throughs, even outside of practice. Just making sure that we’re envisioning us, ourselves being successful. And I think that’s what we did.
Q. When you say he showed it to you, showed it to you on film?
KEITH SMITH: Yes.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
