Head Coach DeMeco Ryans
On what happened on the missed field goal towards the end of the game
"Just all across the board, we've got to be better. Expect him to make that kick. Unfortunately, it didn't go through."
On the changes he feels need to be made this week
"For us, we've just got to go do it. We've got a lot of cleaning up to do. We go through the film and our guys understand what we have to do. So, we just have to go do it. As I told our guys, we don't need a big meeting. Nothing needs to be said or talked about we've just got to go do our job."
On if he feels the bar was set too high for QB C.J. Stroud coming into his second season
"For me, when it comes to the bar being set, who sets the bar for someone? There is no higher bar set for coaches and players than the bars we set for ourselves. So, there are no added or external pressures that raise the bar. We have to live up to some expectation. Our expectation is always for our players, our coaches, to continue to grow and continue to get better and that doesn't change."
On what it means for the team to be more "locked in"
"The locked-in piece is just – I just look at it as being intensely focused on your job and being where you're supposed to be, executing the minor details of your job. It all comes down to minor, minute details that you get exploited if you don't do them the correct way and teams find those and they make you pay. And a lot of the things, as I talked to our guys about, are things that we can control. And that's where I place our focus on things that we can control, clean up the things we can control and we'll be better."
On if he feels confident in the current offensive line
"Our guys did a good job in the protection aspect of giving us time and we can still clean some things up in the running game."
On if he still feels the offense gave them enough points to win the game against the Titans after watching film
"Yeah, overall, as a team, I think we all have things to clean up, all three phases. When you look at our tape and look at the game and what happened in that game, there are a lot of positive things that we would love to be highlighting today. A lot of big plays being made, explosive plays by our offense, scoring, scoring points for us. Defensively, getting sacks, takeaways. Special teams, explosive returns, creating the – there are a lot of positives that happened with our team. But on the flip side of that, there are also a lot of negatives that negated a lot of the positives that we had. So, for us, as a team, collectively, we just have to clean up the penalties, clean up the negative plays that are happening. Everybody made enough plays. Our team made enough plays to win the game. Just the negative plays kind of overshadowed all of the positive things that we did."
On the status of S Jalen Pitre's injury
"Jalen has a shoulder injury. He'll be out for some time."
On how he puts the good things that happen in games into perspective for the players when the negatives outweigh the positives
"For me, as I talked to our team, it's no perspective. I just tell it like it exactly is. So, that's what it is. We put out really good stuff, but the negative stuff continues to hurt us. So, there is no hidden agenda or anything, it's just get it cleaned up and get it fixed."
On what led to the issues with the run game against the Titans
"What led to the issues with the run game, we didn't block them well enough and we didn't finish our blocks. We were on guys and we didn't finish. It wasn't anything that they did. We've just got to finish our blocks, especially when we're on the second level. We have to stay attached. A lot of times, we're getting up to the second level, but we're not staying attached on the linebackers or the safeties. And they are shooting the gap and making those plays. That doesn't change in all of football. You work up to the second level, you have to finish, or the guy's going to make the move and make the play. So, that's just the mindset for us. We didn't handle the edges well, or well enough to get the ball on the perimeter as well."
On the challenges that are presented when defenses take away the cutback lane for running backs
"For me, as you look at the running game. It's – I don't think you, per say, take it away. If they're taking away, or we want to say they're taking away the cutback, then you continue to press the ball outside. So, it's no – we just have to, again, be instinctive and play off of what we're seeing. Defenders are going to move. Whether it's falling back, or playing too heavy over the top, whatever those second-level defenders do, we just have to be instinctive, finish guys, be on the right spot and then just play off of that."
On who he would compare DEs Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter to from his playing days
"They're making a name for themselves. So, I don't put them in any other category. Some of the things that Danielle does as a rusher, I haven't seen anyone do, have the moves that he has and the wiggle that he has. Just with the rushes, the plethora of moves that he has, it's just – I'm wowed every time I watch him rush. And then the impressive close that he has as well on the backside to show the speed that he has. And Will, he's just continuing to get better and better of finishing, escaping at the top of the rush and finishing on the quarterback. Those guys are doing an exceptional job for us up front."
On his analysis of what happens on the deep passes the defense has given up
"With the deep balls that we've given up, it comes down to making the play. It's being on the details of where you're supposed to be in coverage and you've got to make a play. And that's what it comes down to. It's no other way to cut it. We're in position, you've got to finish and make the play."
On if there are challenges for him as a former defensive coordinator when the offense struggles
"For me, as I look at our entire team and being over the entire team, it's an emphasis on everybody. It's coaches and players to just make sure everybody is on the same page with what we're doing and as players, make sure we're executing what we're asking to get done. And we do that better, that's how our team will improve in all three phases."
On if he can put his finger on what causes the team to struggle in the second half of games
"I wish. It's not just – it's different plays at different times. I think when I look at it offensively, we – being there in third down and having two pre-snap penalties to put ourselves in third-and-long, that can't happen and those are things we can control, especially being here at home, we have to control those things and it goes back to the point of being locked in onto the snap and what we're going on, if we're going on two, whatever it may be, we all have to be on that. That takes no effort. And we have to be on those things and those are things, little things like that, that set us back. Or being in the right spot on a route, whatever the case may be, it's things like that, that we're still hurting ourselves. So, those things happen in the first half as well. There are mistakes that happen all throughout the game, but just the second half, for us, we haven't scored enough points, we haven't stopped enough people in the second half from scoring points on us as well. Defensively, second half, we have to make sure we play well as well. We've been outscored by a lot of points in the second half and we've got to keep them off the board and we've got to be able to score in the red zone."
On how he taps into his days as a player to help QB C.J. Stroud navigate the responsibility he takes on when errors happen and find ways to move onto the next play
"It's my job to help all of our guys to make sure, as the head coach, it's my job is to make sure we're all locked in. It's not just C.J., of course he owns up to his mistakes, but it's not only C.J., it's everyone on the entire team. It's not just him, everybody has their one play here or there that can end up hurting you. But at the end of the day, mistakes happen in football. That's the game we play. Mistakes happen, teams exploit mistakes sometimes, sometimes they don't. But it's about how you finish the game. And we still had an opportunity, there, to finish the game and we didn't."
On the balance of wanting to run the defense how they want while also playing to the strengths of players on the deep passes
"We're going to run our defense, we just have to play the defense the right way. So, our underneath coverage has to be in a better spot, so the guy isn't just running free. So, underneath coverage has to be better and our rush has to be better. So, everything is tied together. It's not just highlighting one guy. That's not on [S Eric] E. Murray, that's on the entire defense of playing the scheme the proper way."
On what S Jalen Pitre brings to the defense this season that they will miss while he is out due to injury
"Jalen has brought – he's been a true impact player for us. Just being around the ball. Just causing interceptions, forcing fumbles, he's just been really active, very instinctive player for us, he's been all over the field. And he's made a lot of plays for us. And just miss his instincts, miss his playmaking ability, we're going to miss that. So, we've got to pick it up and we've got to go. We've got to move forward. We've got to press forward. Whoever else steps in, we've got to hit the ground running.
