Bruce Arians, Cardinals Head Coach
Opening statement:
"Obviously a very disappointing loss. We didn't really play well enough in any phase from offense to defense to special teams to win this game, although we did have a chance to at the end. We didn't execute our snap, hold and kick to win the game. That all starts with me, starts at the top. We were obviously not ready to play, they outplayed us and we will learn from it, and grow from it and continue, there's a long way to go and regroup and see if we can win the next one."
On game preparation:
"Oh, we were ready, we just didn't play."
On failure to stop on third down:
"We need to get the defense off the field on third down. They were 10/16 on third down; I thought that was the whole game. We could not get off the field on third down."
On the final field goal attempt:
"It was a low snap. Drew (Butler) got it down and he pulled it."
On offensive execution:
"Same thing for us, we were 50% on third down, just wasn't good enough. We got ourselves behind the chains a couple of times. I thought we had a couple really good spurts where we'd start in such long field positions, just from poor special teams. Kickoff return was awful and we were behind the 20 (yard line) most of the time. When we got those short fields, we got touchdowns."
On offensive miscommunication:
"Yea, there was some things that were happening as far as roll coverage and things that he thought Mike (Floyd) was going up one time, then Mike beat his guy, he was supposed to stop, but so clearly beat his guy he just threw his hand up. Those are spur of the moment plays that are just tough."
On injuries:
"We will wait to see on Evan's (Mathis) foot. J.J. (Nelson) could have probably come back, but I felt better keeping him out."
On Larry Fitzgerald's performance:
"That just Larry. He's got to get open in crunch time. Like he said, we should have won the game; as poorly as we played we should have still won."
On the Patriots:
"Their crossing routes, their quick routes and we did a poor job of stopping the third receiver breaking out most of the night."
On whether or not the Cardinals overestimated the Patriots:
"No. There's enough veterans in talking about that about Pittsburgh last year. Jimmy Garoppolo played very well, knew he would."
Carson Palmer, Quarterback
On if it is tough to lose this game with the high expectations that this team has:
"Absolutely. Any time you lose a game, it is a tough pill to swallow. But, we'll bounce back. We need to bounce back. Any time you lose the opener at home, it hurts. There is too much football ahead of us. There are too many guys that love the game, have passion for the game, and want to win and want to get it right. We want to bounce back with a big win at home next week and continue to work to be able to do that."
On what was holding the team back during the first half:
"We just didn't make enough plays in the first half. We came out too slow, and obviously there when you have to win it with a late field goal, you're obviously behind the eight ball. We were further behind the eight ball than we expected to be and wanted to be. We'll go back, we'll look at it, and like I said, we'll find ways to improve and we'll bounce back."
On if he felt that after the Cardinals obtained the lead that they had gotten over the hump:
"No, I think everybody kind of felt like they had been running the ball effectively and you've just got to be ready, whether it'd be a touchdown or a field goal that you need on the last drive. We were prepared. We just didn't make enough plays and give us a chance to be inside – you want to get down inside the 20 and have a chance to have a chip shot."
On if he is always conscious of where Larry Fitzgerald is on the field during crunch time:
"I really don't think of it like that or try to play like that. I just try to go through my reads the way I'm coached to go through them and do that."
On his thoughts about Kameron Canaday after the snap on the missed field goal:
"He is a good young football player and we're counting on him. He will bounce back. It's a great learning experience, an opportunity to go through something like that. You can't do anything but learn from it, being a young guy in his first game, first opportunity for a game-winner like that. He'll bounce back and learn from this experience."
On if he thought David Johnson's run was what the team needed:
"It reminded me of his run in Philadelphia. It was probably a similar yardage run, 50-something yards, 40-something yards. A lot of guys around him, a lot of guys trying to wrap him up and nobody wrapped him up."
On what it's like to have a guy with that type of play making ability as Larry Fitzgerald:
"It's awesome. We've got one of the best receivers to ever play that game. That's a good situation to be in."
Calais Campbell. Defensive Tackle
On playing against an offense without Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski:
"The guys out there are going to play. They're not going to slow it down because they are missing a couple of guys. Same as us, we have been down a couple guys before and we fought. That is just the way football goes. (Bill) Belichick is a great coach by having those guys prepared and they played a good football game today."
On the last minute field goal attempt:
"The opportunities were there. Today just wasn't our day. I am still confident in this team and I am going to give it my all. We will come back to work tomorrow and figure it out. We are still close and a very good team. We just need to keep playing football and it will figure itself out."
On what Coach Arians said to the team after the game:
"We didn't make enough plays. It's as simple as that. It is pretty obvious but we had the opportunities and we didn't come out with enough of them. The biggest thing is that we stuck together and didn't panic. We started slow and we were in it at the end. We had many opportunities. We need to shake this one off. We have lost before. We just need to continue to play together and hard."
Tony Jefferson, Safety
On the defense:
"We just need to go out there and execute. We can't go out there and expect them to lay down. (Jimmy) Garoppolo, like we have said all week, is a good quarterback. He was solid and in the pocket. He made throws that he needed to make. We didn't cover and take care of our responsibility like we should."
On what they needed to do better on defense:
"We just have to win on first down. Once a team gets second-and-short, they can do anything in that playbook. It opens up the playbook for pass or run. We need to do a better job on first down. And obviously on third down we didn't do as well, too. Like I said, it is a long season. It is Week One and obviously this is not a good way to start the season but we have been here before."
On defending the Patriots' underneath crossing routes:
"It is difficult. They know we are a man team and Belichick is a smart man. They did their thing but at the same time we need to execute. Whatever play is called, run it and run it affectively. We are not going to put this on what they did, it is about what we did."
Deone Bucannon, Linebacker
On how Chandler Jones impacted the team:
"He's a playmaker. Every down, he's a treat and you see that. He inspires me as a player as well. Every time he makes a play, I want to make a play. He was pretty motivated and we wanted to get this one for him. Like I said, I'm going put it on myself as well. I need to go in the film room and figure out what things I need to improve on because there was a lot of me that I left out there."
On defending Garoppolo and the offense:
"They're good players. They are going to make plays as well. We just need to go out there and play the type of football we know how to play. That's about it."
On the Patriots success on third down:
"Of course it tires us out but that is our fault. We just need to get off the field on third down, that's a big down. They always had a manageable third down. We just need to do better on first and second down. Like I said, over and over, I need to go watch film to figure out what I can do better because I left a lot of plays out there. I want to make a lot of those plays going into the future. Some of those plays could have had us in third and long."
Kameron Canaday, Long Snapper
On the potential game-winning kick:
"It was a great opportunity. Our offense set us up with a great opportunity to make the game-winning field goal and just didn't get it done tonight."
On whether the snap felt good off his hands:
"No, it was a little low. I wish I could take it back, but I can't. I am just going to have to move forward and focus on next week and improving."
On if he has gotten any feedback from his teammates:
"Carson (Palmer) did a little bit. He said it is a long season, just keep your head up and keep going. We have to improve."
On what exactly happened with the snap:
"It was just a little low. Wish I could give my kicker something a little better to work with, but it didn't happen."
On the attention he is receiving:
"I wanted to be celebrating with my teammates."
Chandler Catanzaro, Kicker
On what happened on his missed field goal:
"I've got to make the kick, just a good old fashioned miss. That's on me. This game falls on my shoulders. I appreciate the opportunity the offense gave me. Had a great drive down the field, I've got to make the kick. I'll make the next one."
On if the snap threw off the kick:
"No, it's on me. It's not on Kam (Canaday) at all. It's on me. Yeah, that falls on my shoulders. That's my fault."
On how difficult it is to miss after the team drove down to field goal range:
"It's definitely difficult. But, if I've learned anything in my life, it's when God closes one door, another one opens. So, I'm just waiting for the next opportunity so I can come through, come through for the team when they need it most. Yeah it definitely sucks. It's going to sting for a few days but I've got to go back to work on Wednesday."
On what his teammates told him after the game:
"They all came up to me and gave me their support. But, really I know in my heart I should've made that kick no matter what. So, this game falls on me for sure, and I hate it. But, I know I'm going to step up when the team needs me next."
David Johnson, Running Back
On the game not being how the team wanted to start the year:
"I feel like it was a good game. I feel like I probably missed some runs and I definitely need to work on my blitz protection a little bit more. I need to just go in and see what I need to work on."
On having a slow start offensively but getting momentum late in the game:
"Yeah it definitely felt like we had the momentum going for us. It was just a tough ending. That's basically all I can say. Like you said, we started off slow. I started off slow for sure. It took me a while to get into it. I definitely need to come out a little bit faster, do what I can to help out the team a little bit more."
On his long run and it feeling like the team was going to break through:
"Yeah I definitely thought I was going to take it to the house. I did not see that guy chasing me from behind. Hopefully it was a DB and not a linebacker."
On how the offensive tempo was early in the game:
"I don't know as far as the offense. For me, I felt like I definitely came out a little slow. I had to get hit a couple times, had to run a couple series to get a feel for the game."
On if it's frustrating knowing how good the offense can be and starting out slow:
"It's frustrating for what I did. I can't speak for the offense. It's frustrating for me. I know I can do better especially in the beginning of the game. I missed a couple blitz protections throughout the game. I know I need to go through and watch film and make sure I correct those."
On what Coach Arians told them after the game:
"We had a slow start basically. We can't start like that and expect to win. We have to just come back Monday, watch film, and correct the stuff that we need to work on."
On what it does for the team when Larry Fitzgerald does the things he does:
"It's a huge momentum swing. Larry does that stuff all the time throughout practice and definitely throughout games. It's just another boost for our offense. It gets me motivated to do what I can to help out the team."
On if the takeaway from the game is that the team was in a position to win at the end despite a slow start:
"Yeah, for me, especially. I feel like if I come out and start fast with intensity and do what I can to help out the team right from the start instead of trying to get into the game. I feel like I can help the team get those yards that we needed or get those catches that we needed."
On the bottom line being a loss at home to start the year:
"Yeah, bottom line definitely disappointing to lose at home. It was a great team. They're going to definitely be in the playoffs, so it was a tough loss."
On if he'd like to play them again:
"Yeah, for sure."
D.J Humphries, Tackle
On it not being the way the team wanted to start at home:
"Definitely not at all."
On the team being able to move the ball late but missing the field goal:
"Yeah, tough part of the game. Sometimes it swings your way, sometimes it doesn't."
On what happened offensively with the team not being able to find its rhythm:
"I couldn't tell you, to be honest. I'm going to have to watch the film and see what the miscues were. I couldn't tell you, to be honest."
On if it was disappointing knowing how good the offense can be:
"Definitely."
On being able to move the ball but not getting points when they needed to:
"I think that was the main problem. It didn't happen when we needed it to, most importantly."
On the play of Larry Fitzgerald:
"The GOAT. That's the GOAT right there. He's going to always show up, every time. That's Mr. Consistent for sure."
On him calling David Johnson a freak and him playing well tonight:
"Yeah, every time I say it he proves me right. So, I think we have all the pieces; we just have to get on a roll. This is a good gut check early. It's never good to lose, but I would rather have it early where we can learn from it and get better."
On there being a lot of positives for the team:
"Definitely, a tough loss for sure, but you can see it. You can definitely see the fight in us. How we came out that second half and battled back. So, it's definitely there. We just have to get the pieces together."
On how it impacted him with Evan Mathis getting hurt:
"I was really more concerned for him. That's one of my old heads. That's my OG. I just wanted to make sure he was straight. But, I'm glad to see he's alright. I saw him earlier and he seemed be straight. So, I think he's just getting an MRI and getting everything checked out."
On Earl Watford coming in and if it changed anything:
"Earl and I have good chemistry as well. We got a lot of work in this offseason when Evan went out earlier. I think we have good chemistry as well, so it works."
On what Coach Arians said after the game:
"Back to the drawing board basically. Let us know we aren't as good as we thought we were. Back to the drawing board."
