Ryan Tannehill, Quarterback

Q:What happened in the second half?

RT:We didn't make the plays that we needed to. We found a groove in the first half – scored some points and then obviously [we] didn't score any in the second half. We knew coming in facing a good team that's going to put up some points – we didn't execute well enough in the second half.

Q:Coming out in the second half were you planning on making any changes or did you plan to continue doing what you had been doing successfully?

RT:Yeah, some minor adjustments, but we were comfortable with the success we were having in the first half and there [weren't] many changes happening in the second half.

Q:Obviously one of the situations was protection. They were throwing a lot of different blitz looks at you and they were successful. What do you guys need to do in order to be able compete against teams that can show you these looks?

RT:[There's] nothing special that we need to do. We just need to get the target on the right guys and execute the blocks and get the football out.

Q:Can you talk about the affect that the kick that went off the right upright had on the game? It really seemed like that's when the momentum went to the other side?

RT:Maybe it changed momentum. Maybe it didn't. At the end of the day, that didn't matter. We needed to execute and needed to score points and we didn't make that happen.

Q:Did you feel like you missed an opportunity two plays earlier when you threw down to Mike Wallace on the goal line? Do you feel like you missed an opportunity to put the game out of reach there or at least put yourself in a very good position?

RT:Yeah, we had a chance and we just didn't make the play.

Q:On the sack that you got blindsided what happened? Should you have adjusted the protection, should the offensive line have adjusted? What happened on that play?

RT:That was just a good play by them. I'm not going to get into whose fault that was, but they hit us at the right time and got the ball out.

Q:What was the mindset of guys in the locker room? You start out winning three games and then you lose four straight and you've got another quick one coming your way on Thursday. What's the confidence like in that locker room?

RT:Obviously we aren't at an all-time high right now, but we've got to get back on track; that's the only option we have. [It's] a short week coming up with a good Cincinnati team coming to play at home, so we've got to turn around, put this one behind us, learn from it and get ready for to face a good team on Thursday.

Q:The interception where Devin McCourty tips it and it gets picked off; did you think that he was in bounds? Did you have a view on it? Did you have any opinion on that play?

RT:Live, I got hit so I didn't see how it ended up. From the replay, it was close; too close for me to call.

Q:Generally speaking, what do you think of the job that Bryant McKinnie did with only three or four days of practice with a new team?

RT:I think he did a good job. It's tough coming in [and] learning a full offense in a week [and] being thrown onto the field, but I think he did a good job.

Q:In the play where Olivier Vernon was ruled to have batted the ball forward, did you get a view of that and what did you think of that? Was he trying to scoop it?

RT:Yeah, it's a tough play. I'm sure we'll have to see what the league says about that.

Q:How tough is it when it looks like the defense has made a great play and ends up being a first down for them?

RT:That was a big play, but there are a lot of big plays in the game. It was a big swing in field position – I think it was a 35-yard swing in field position right there, but we had our chances to make an opportunity and it didn't come down to that one play.

Joe Philbin, Head Coach 

JP:I want to congratulate the Patriots. They played a very good football game and clearly deserved to win the game. Played better than we did and we have to do better.

Q:Did it feel like the avalanche came down the hill in the second half and things piled on top of things and you couldn't get your footing?

JP:I wouldn't call it an avalanche; we didn't play very well in the second half. We didn't play well. Hey, we didn't make stops, we gave the ball away, we didn't protect our quarterback, and we got a field goal blocked…we didn't play well. I wouldn't call it an avalanche, but we didn't play good football. Not good enough to win.

Q:Joe, Olivier Vernon's illegal batting of the ball. What is your interpretation of the rule and what was explained to you?

JP:Just what you said, James, he illegally batted the ball. You know, our stance was we thought he was trying to recover it and they said he illegally batted it.

Q:Coach, the missed field goal when it hit the upright, after that it seemed like the bottom just fell out of this football team. What was the difference between the way things were going prior to that to the way things happened afterwards?

JP:We were making a lot of first downs, we were dictating the tempo just like we wanted to, we were making stops on third down. Have to credit them, they made a lot of plays in the second half and we have got to do better. They made a lot of plays.

Q:Coach, it seems like a repeating story, same issues—inability to protect the quarterback, turnovers, give aways—those lead to the downfall again. What does this team need to do to change that pattern?

JP:I thought our protection was better. They did a nice job in the second half. We didn't handle their blitz package very well, which is a little bit different than some of the things that have been hurting us earlier. But still, it is all part of the scope of pass protection and we have to handle it better. We have to do a better offensive line and running backs, at times, quarterback getting the ball out, receivers looking. And when they are bringing extra people, we have to respond better.

Q:It's got to be a tough feeling in that locker room, you have a short turn around before the game on Thursday. How do you get past this and get this team ready to play against a very good Bengal team coming to town?

JP:Well, we have said it before, it is a long season. We believe in the guys in the locker room and it's going to have to be a quick turnaround. Cincinnati defeated this football team, so they are very, very good. And there is not going to be a lot of time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have to get to work right away.

Q:Joe, why weren't you guys able to run the ball as effectively in the second half, as you were in the first?

JP:Well, a couple times they played different personnel packages. We had some runs in the second half that were productive, but certainly not as many. Our rhythm wasn't as good.

Q:NFL.com reported that Brandon Gibson has a torn patella tendon and he is out for the season. Can you shed any light on that situation?

JP:I haven't really spoken to anyone about it.

Q:You mentioned the blitz package, the one that got Ryan [Tannehill], where he was blindsided and he fumbled. Is that something Ryan has to see, coming to the line, to change the protection?

JP:Well, I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but you don't want to expose the backside of your quarterback to a blitzer uncontested. So, that's what happened. I'm not going to get into scheme specifics, but it is safe to say, we don't have a lot of pass protection schemes where we turn free a defender coming of the slot to hit our quarterback in the back of the head and fumble the ball on the 13. I'm not trying to be a smart-aleck, we don't like to do that, but we did it.

Q:Coach, [Caleb] Sturgis missed, counting the block at the end, four of his five attempts. Is that becoming a concern for you?

JP:Like I say, I have a lot of faith in Caleb, this guy is a pro. He works at it every single day. And I am sure he is going to get back on track.

Q:There was a sideline pass to Rishard [Matthews] that looked very borderline. Was there thought to challenge it?

JP:there was absolutely thought to challenge it, but our feeling was, we were not going to get the call. So I did not throw it.

Q:Individually, how do you think Bryant McKinnie performed in his first game?

JP:He looked like he did some good things. You know, I thought he did some good things. We will have to take a closer look at the tape.

Q:I know you addressed the defensive pass interference on Jimmy Wilson…[inaudible]

JP:You know, those are bang-bang plays.

Q:Joe, how was [Cameron] Wake today? Was he effective out there at all?

JP:Yeah, I thought he did a good job. I mean, you can't always measure performance on sacks, but I thought he played well.

Brandon Gibson, Wide Receiver

(On his injury)
"You would have to talk with the coach, I knew something was wrong and it is very frustrating. I have to do what the doctor tells me, and if it doesn't look too good, it doesn't look too good."

(On how hard it is to deal with the injury)
"I think I can always play better, but I was trying to make plays when it comes my way and that was all I was trying to do."

(On how he felt he was doing)
"I think each and every game was a great experience for me I felt like I was getting better. This has kind of put a damper on it now. I'll take my experiences and learn from them."

Brian Hartline, Wide Receiver

(On how the game turned around)
"Well, we stopped scoring points. Then they started scoring points. And that is how it turned around. You guys are seeing it from a bird's eye view, you guys can tell me [what happened]. There really isn't any explanation. I would like to think if we knew what the explanation was we would have corrected it. We didn't, we lost and they played better and now we have three days until our next game. To me, I thought in order to beat New England you have to score 30 points. We didn't score 30 points so we didn't win. That is my general assessment. I assessed it before the game and I assess it after the game."

Richie Incognito, Guard

(On what the Patriots did in the second half)
"It wasn't what they did; it was too many mistakes on our end."

(On the running game)
"It seemed like we were running the ball real well, we were effective. It was third and manageable; we were picking up big chunks on the ground. I think we got away from that in the second half. That is kind of where we kind of sputtered."

Jonathan Martin, Tackle

(On the second half)
"Football is a full 60 minute game so we played well for the first 30 minutes. We were executing on offense and we were really moving the ball. Turnovers kind of killed us, and got us out of our rhythm. You can't do something like that especially against such a good team as the Patriots, and such a good quarterback as Tom Brady. "

(On the Patriots defense)
"They made some nice adjustments, no question about it. They are a good defense with a lot of talent, even with three injuries. At the same time, we didn't do a good job executing our base game plan."

Lamar Miller, Running Back

(On the game)
"We still have a lot of room for improvement. I just want to win. My carries and yards don't really matter. I just want to win. I want to help this team win. We just have to find a way to win. We have to finish stronger. They came out in the second half and did a great job of adjusting to us. We just have to move forward and be better as a unit."

Jared Odrick, Defensive Tackle

(On his sacks)
"I was able to beat some of the protections that they had. I took advantage of a few one-on-ones. Then I got back there."

(On how the game turned around)
"Obviously everybody makes halftime adjustments to what they see. We had things going good for us but we didn't execute like we should have in the second half. Obviously we didn't do enough to win. Not enough plays were made and capitalized on for us as a whole, as a whole team."

(On Tom Brady)
"We got some pressure on him and we were able to do some good things in our coverage. We played pass, getting in his face and making him move around somewhat. In the second half, we didn't execute like we did in the first half. We didn't make enough plays to win in the second half. Same as always, to get him off his mark, to not let him set his feet and sit there and try and pick you apart. We got after him, we did some good things but we obviously didn't do enough good things in the second half. "

Dimitri Patterson, Cornerback

(On his first quarter interception)
"We were coming into the game [knowing] they would want to get Gronk

(Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski) started early, so you know, [they got] him going with a nice little quick hitch route and I just read it, jumped it."

(On if his first quarter interception gave the team momentum)
"Every play is critical. You try to make as many plays as possible and you try to make them when they come your way, knowing their quarterback never makes a lot of mistakes so you try to capitalize on the opportunities you get."

(On being back on the field after suffering an injury in the season opener)
"It felt good. It felt good to be playing a full game after coming off a tough injury

(torn groin). But, you know, it's offset with a loss, a very tough loss. Disappointing loss."

Randy Starks, Defensive Tackle

(On what happened in the second half)
"They made adjustments and were able to execute. They made more plays at the end and they came out with the victory."

(On what Tom Brady did in the second half to win)
"I have to watch film, but obviously he did something to put them in good position to make plays on us. They were able to run the ball on us in the second half and I think that helped also."

(On what is the difference between the first three games of the season and the last four)
"The difference is that we haven't made the plays at the end when we need it. We make plays at the beginning but right now we aren't making them at the end. We need to find some way or somebody needs to step up and make some plays."

Caleb Sturgis, Kicker

(On what happened on the field goal that hit the right upright)
"All our balls in warm-ups were moving right to left a few yards so I thought I would start up on the right upright but the ball never moved."

(On what happened on the blocked field goal)
"I was slow. I need to speed up on that."

(On the impact of the missed field goal that hit the right upright)
"That would have put us up three scores. I need to make that. It was huge."

Olivier Vernon, Defensive End

(On what happened on the penalty for batting the ball)
"The referee made the call. I was trying to make a play, but the referee made that call. Just need to move forward now."

(On the impact the penalty had on the game) 
"It impacted it a lot. The game just didn't go our way. We have to give credit to the Patriots, they played a heck of a game and we didn't come out with the win."

(On what happened in the second half) 
"We started fast and we had them on their heels. Then the second half came around and we just messed up a few times but that's one thing we need to learn: how to finish. We have to keep working on it and chipping away at that rock."

Mike Wallace, Wide Receiver

(On how the team rebounds from four straight losses)
"We go to work. That's all you can do. Sitting here and saying that isn't going to get it done. We got to go to work and [close] these games out. We've been in control of [most of these games] but we lost them. We got to do a better job of closing people out."

(On the team's play in the second half)
"Honestly, I don't even know. We haven't looked at it yet so it's kind of hard to say right now what happened. I mean, in the second half they just did a better job than we did. They came out and made the plays that we didn't and they just took advantage of their home field and won the football game. We knew it was going to be tough. They're 24-3 in their last 27 home games, so we knew it wasn't going to be easy, we just have to finish the game."

(On whether or not the team's mindset was to put the Patriots away in the second half)
"Obviously, but that didn't happen. They outscored us; I mean, I don't even know, 17-0, in the second half. We have to do a better job in the second half. We have to. We've been a really good first half team but we're not a really good second half team right now, so we have to do a better job to close out games."

(On how the team can improve in the second half of games)
"Just execution, I mean we got to keep the same mindset the whole game. We just have to step on their throat. We can't let up; we've got to make plays, that's all, the whole team, in all three phases. In the second half, they won the whole second half. If you look at any of the three phases of the game, they won it and we have to do a better job in the second half of closing out games."

Jimmy Wilson, Safety

(On the team's play in the second half)
"There's a lot of momentum in football, especially when you have a good team like the Patriots at home. They have a ridiculous record at home and you just can't give those guys momentum and we left a lot of plays out there that should have been made. Like our coach will tell you, give them credit, they are a good team. In these close games, we just have to start pulling them out. It's four [losses] in a row now and we just have to get back on the right track. We are playing another tough team on Thursday, so we really got to make it happen."

(On whether or not the season is starting to slip away after four straight losses)
"No, I don't feel like the season is starting to slip away because we have a great team. We lost four in a row so now we got to win four in a row."

(On the feeling heading into halftime leading the Patriots, 17-3)
"We had a lead and we were playing just like we wanted to and we wanted to come out the second half and start the same way. We basically did come out the half and started the same way; just a play here or there changed the momentum."

(On how difficult it was to play against Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the second half)
"I felt like we did alright. I know they got that little 14-point run, but then I thought we held our own. We got to look at the stats and see what happened. I'm sure there's a lot of corrections that have to be made, but there's a lot of plays we made also. We can't be down on ourselves, that was a hell of a game. These types of games like that, against a good home team, like I said, it is how sometimes [these games] end up and we just got to get back on the right track."