Sunday, September 15, 2013
Game 2
Postgame Quotes
Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid
OPENING STATEMENT:
"Ok, so Dunta (Robinson) was really the only one that didn't make it to the game. He was excused for personal reasons. The guys that were banged up just a bit here were (Anthony) Fasano, he has an ankle (injury) and he'll have an x-ray tomorrow. He continued to play, just a little sore. Branden Albert hurt his shoulder when he was down there, but he was able to continue. (Mike) DeVito had a stinger, he came out for a little bit and he's a bit sore. The crowd was unbelievable today. I mean they just made it about impossible for the Cowboys to hear. That's a good Cowboys football team; I think time will tell you that as the season goes on. I appreciate the resolve of our football team, just pushing through. Obviously, there were some ups and there were some downs, things in crucial situations, those young-guy mistakes here and there and the guys didn't let any of that get them down. They just kept pushing through and I thought they did a nice job. The two turnovers, I thought, were huge. I think that Preston Road Trophy is huge, too."
Was there any revelation to how the guys responded like that?
"They fought. That's what they did. They kind of put everything else out of the picture and just fought. There are certain games where you just have to do that. There are going to be highs and lows when you play a good football team. If you get caught too high or too low, you're in trouble and they didn't do that. They just kind of put their heads down and kept going. That might be what I'm proudest (of). They just didn't have those high highs or low lows."
Were you curious to how they were going to respond to adversity?
"I'm curious, they're curious. We haven't been down this road. We're experiencing it all together and that's ok. That's how you come together as a team; you have to go through all these different experiences and just keep battling. Am I surprised? I'm not surprised, I've been around them. You never know until you're there, right?"
Knile Davis had some trouble out there. Why did you decide to put him back in?
"Well, (Quintin) Demps was tired. He'd been out there that whole period. Knile (Davis) was put in there and he was supposed to catch the football and do what he's supposed to do. You're put in that role and you're a professional. You practice it and get in there and do the right thing. We're fortunate that we got the ball back."
How did you feel about Alex in the last three minutes?
"I'll tell you, I think he did great. But, I also think that big o-line did great. Those guys—they banked on him and then 25 (Jamaal Charles)—what are you going to say? Here's a guy that is out a practice and a half this week and he said give me the ball, we need to end this thing the right way. Tough kid, good player."
How would you evaluate Alex Smith in the first quarter?
"We had a few option plays we ran. We tried to involve him—they have a very good defense and so, we knew he would need to be a factor in there. They were packing the box on us. (Dallas Defensive Coordinator) Monte (Kiffin) went with a lot of single-safety-middle, which is a bit tough to run on. So we came out and we threw the ball. Alex (Smith) was going to be a factor in the run game. We went with the option game, where we got that extra person. That gave us that eight-man front and it worked out ok. When he had chances to scramble, there were some nice lanes there and he took advantage of that. That's his game."
Where was your heart when he flipped over there?
"I'm glad he flipped over backwards that way. He did it with grace."
What about the takeaways?
"You hang with me long enough, it's takeaways and points. On both sides of the ball, we keep it nice and simple. We try to eliminate the turnovers and we try to score points on offense. The opposite way, don't let them score and have some takeaways and normally good things happen. There's a lot of emphasis on that and the guys are doing a nice job. I'm not sure we didn't have a chance for another turnover, with Eric Berry, that was a heck of a play. That's one of those bang-bang (plays). You have (Umpire) Tony (Michalek) back there, who is a phenomenal official and that's a bang-bang call. That one could have, I think, gone either way."
How are you feeling about Philadelphia?
"I mean, I haven't gotten there yet. I'm still on this one. I'm going to go back and take a look at their film and we'll take it from there. I'm going to tell you this right now, it's not about me, it's about our football team. That's the way it's going to remain throughout the next few days, when we have the opportunity to play them."
What was the key defensively?
"Listen, the guys played hard. I think they did a good job."
What about Brandon Flowers?
"I'm proud of Brandon (Flowers), because he battled the whole game. That's a great player right there. Right when you thought it was at the point, and dognabit, he came back and gutted it up and played like a winner. He was unbelievable. He made some big plays down the stretch. He's going to catch some balls, I don't care who you put on him, he's going to catch some balls. You double him up, and then you've got the other guys you have to deal with, that's what they want you to do. Brandon went out and I think he battled his heart out."
How did the defense come together?
"I think they're doing a good job."
What does it mean to your defense to have a player like Dontari Poe?
"You're in a 34-front and it starts with that guy right there, then you kind of build off from there. He's showing that he's a heck of a football player, these last two weeks. I think you've seen a pretty dominant force in there. I'm proud of him."
What does it mean to have a season home-opening win?
"They came out and there was a Sea of Red out there. It was crazy and our players felt that. They wanted to dress in red for the fans and so they asked me about it and I talked to (John) Dorsey about it. He gave us the ok on it, to do that, and the players feel that. Believe it or not, they feel it, especially when the ground is shaking. When our fans are going, you can feel that field and it just kind of rumbles, it's crazy, but (an) awesome feeling."
