HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
Postgame Press Conference
Monday, October 5, 2020
OPENING STATEMENT: "It was disappointing. We had some opportunities tonight and we were not able to take advantage of them. I think they have a good football team and had opportunities. We competed hard. We just did not make enough plays. We need to play better. We turned over four times and we had too many penalties. We just did not play good enough."
Q: Did you have any concerns playing this game given the situation with Cam Newton?
BELICHICK: "I think we have done everything right and everything we are supposed to do. It is in the hands of the medical people here."
Q: What went into the decision to start Brian Hoyer over Jarrett Stidham? Did you consider going to Stidham earlier than you did?
BELICHICK: "We did what we thought was best, so that is what we did."
Q: It looked like Hoyer called a timeout on the play right before the half. Was there a communication error?
BELICHICK: "No, we were out of timeouts."
Q: It looked like he was signaling for one so was there a communication error in getting him that?
BELICHICK: "No."
Q: How much consideration was there at halftime to make the switch that you did late in the third quarter with Stidham going in for Hoyer?
BELICHICK: "Not a lot. We were trying to play better. We were down by three points and we had some missed opportunities in the first half. We tried to find ways to keep playing well. It was a three-point game."
Q: On the Tony Corrente in the grasp call, was there a consideration to throw a challenge flag there?
BELICHICK: "They called forward progress and he was down. You can't challenge that. They called him down, they called forward progress. That's what I thought he called."
Q: Was it clear that Tony Corrente called forward progress on the field?
BELICHICK: "Ask Tony what he called. I don't know."
Q: But it was clear to you before the Chiefs came out to punt that it was a forward progress call and not that he was down on the sack?
BELICHICK: "I just answered this question."
Q: I feel like I am asking you a different question.
BELICHICK: "Well, I am giving you the same answer."
Q: How much of tonight were the missed opportunities and the turnovers because it seemed like you had a good formula. What did you like what you did defensively against Patrick Mahomes and that offense?
BELICHICK: "We just have to do a better job of coaching and playing and take advantage of our opportunities. We missed some tonight in all three phases of the game, so we will keep working to improve those and get them better."
Q: You gave them 14 points and three turnovers, what went wrong in the second half?
BELICHICK: "You pretty much said it there. We just have to play better. They are good players and they make plays against everybody. We just have to coach better and play better in the second half."
Q: What did you think about Damien Harris running the football?
BELICHICK: "I can't evaluate everybody out there tonight. I was trying to do what I could to help the team win. We will look at the film. I am sure everybody had some good plays. I am sure everybody had some plays they wish they could have over again. That is the way it always is in the National Football League."
QUARTERBACK BRIAN HOYER
Postgame Press Conference
Monday, October 5, 2020
Q: Can you take us through the week, how many reps did you get during the week? And then how did things change and what was your weekend like once you heard the news about Cam Newton?
HOYER: "You know, a normal week. And obviously Saturday morning we find out the news. It was a whirlwind for all of us."
Q: So, you didn't get a normal number of reps all week?
HOYER: "I'm not going to discuss that. It really doesn't have anything to do with it. Look, that's what the job is. When you get called to go, you have to be ready to go."
Q: Right before the end of the half, did you know you didn't have any timeouts left? It looked like you signaled for one.
HOYER: "Josh (McDaniels) said to me in the helmet, 'Let's take a shot and no bad plays.' Like I said, I looked, and I knew I was in the pocket, so I didn't want to intentional ground. I've just got to do a better job of throwing over someone's head."
Q: Is any of tonight a result from maybe being tired from a day of travel or is it just something that got away from you?
HOYER: "No, it just got away from me."
Q: How stressful would you say this weekend was? Finding out Cam (Newton) was sick, shutting things down, testing again and then traveling to play the same night. How stressful were these last 72 hours?
HOYER: "Like I said, it was a whirlwind but that's just the world we're living in, in 2020. You just have to try and make the most of it. It had nothing to do with the bad plays that I had."
Q: Is there a sense tonight of, "We had a chance, we just let one get away?"
HOYER: "Yeah, for sure. I look at it as I cost us at least six points. I've got to do a better job there. We knew it was going to be a tough game that was going to go for 60 minutes. We had to be physical with them. I thought we did a good job, I thought the (offensive) line did a good job, obviously, running the ball, with protection. There were definitely missed opportunities there."
Q: What happened on that play in the third quarter with the strip-sack?
HOYER: "I was just trying to step up. Obviously, we were in field goal range. I was getting ready to throw it and we've just got to do a better job of protecting the football."
Q: What type of toll does a day like today take on you guys?
HOYER: "It is what it is. I think a lot of people in 2020 are dealing with a lot of crazy things, ups and downs. We signed up for this and this is just the way it played out. Regardless of this situation, that had nothing to do with those few plays. I just have to do a better job."
Q: How frustrating of a day was this as much as you were looking forward to this opportunity?
HOYER: "Yeah, I mean, it's frustrating. Obviously, you can't turn the ball over especially when you're that low in the red area. It's disappointing, it's frustrating, it's all of those combined."
QUARTERBACK JARRETT STIDHAM
Postgame Press Conference
Monday, October 5, 2020
Q: What were your thoughts on the opportunities that you had? How frustrating was that to have those picks? How did you feel stepping into that situation?
STIDHAM: "Obviously I was really excited just to get the opportunity to step in there and play football with the guys. I just wanted to come in and move the chains, try and give ourselves a shot to score some points. N'Keal (Harry) made a heck of a play in the back of the endzone. The guys up front were doing a great job with protection and the run game. It's frustrating that we couldn't pull out the win, but we can definitely learn and get better."
Q: How difficult was it to not be in uniform for the first three weeks of the season? Did you feel like you had shown enough in practice to be considered the No. 2 guy?
STIDHAM: "I definitely think that as a competitor, you want to be suiting up and on the field every game. I've just been controlling what I can control. Going further down the road here, I'm just going to continue to get better, really focus on what I can control, and really focus on what I can do to help the rest of the team out in whatever fashion that may be."
Q: How unique was this weekend?
STIDHAM: "Obviously, it was a very unique situation starting from Saturday morning to all weekend. We had to maneuver some things, figure some things out. At the end of the day, I think as a team we were ready to come here today, come in here with a great attitude and try to win a ball game. I think we played really hard. There's some things that we can learn from and get better from and that's what we're going to continue to do."
Q: What was the process of you being told you were going into the game?
STIDHAM: "It was there in the third quarter after one of the drives, Josh (Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels) just came over and said, 'Hey, you're in.' It was short and simple. That was pretty much it."
Q: Was there any conversation at halftime about you having the potential to go into the game in the second half?
STIDHAM: "No, there was not, no."
Q: Could you take us through the two interceptions? The one off of Julian's (Edelman) hands and the one deep in the endzone?
STIDHAM: "Those were both on me. Just got to place the ball better to Juls. The one to Damiere (Byrd) over the top, just trying to give him a chance. I've just got to do a better job of laying it out there and letting him go get it. Just trying to do my best to go out there and execute the plays that were called. Unfortunately, you know, I ended up throwing two interceptions."
Q: Could you recap what the week was like for you, being an active?
STIDHAM: "I took the scout team reps and other things like that during practice. Going into Saturday morning when we found out about the situation, it was really just trying to figure out not only football but the health and safety of everybody in the building. It was kind of a spur of the moment type thing where we had to switch some things around, do virtual meetings and stuff like that. I thought we did a good job of adapting to the situation and making the most of it."
Q: On that second interception, is that a situational moment where you want to generate points and yards quickly? Is there a different decision-making process for you in that situation?
STIDHAM: "I wouldn't necessarily say that there's a different decision-making process in that sort of situation because at the end of the day, I'm trying to move the chains, trying to get our offense down the field to score some points. If a read tells me to throw it down the field like that, then that's what I'll take. If not, then I'll go somewhere else. Just trying to follow my reads and give us an opportunity to score some points."
Q: How much work did you and Brian (Hoyer) have to do with Josh McDaniels and (Quarterbacks Coach Jedd) Fisch following the Cam Newton situation? How much readjusting on the fly did you guys have to do the last 48-72 hours?
STIDHAM: "There was definitely some readjustment involved but at the end of the day, Hoy and I both know the offense and know the game plan and so forth. We really just sat down with Josh and Jedd and went through things even further and making sure we were good on everything. That's kind of how it went."
Q: Now that you got some game action, how much more prepared would you feel if you got called upon to start or play again next week?
STIDHAM: "Obviously, I'll always want to be out there on the field, and it was good to get reps in a live game and so forth. I'm going to watch the film on the way back tonight, see where I can get better, see what I need to do in order to continue to grow as a person and as a player, and do whatever I can to help the team and put the team first. It was definitely good to get out there, but it was pretty frustrating not to get the win."
Q: You guys are facing a short week now before playing Denver. Is it your understanding that you'll have to prepare to start against those guys next weekend?
STIDHAM: "Oh, I don't really know. I'm just mainly focused on the game that we just played, watching the film on the way home and seeing what I can do better. As we get into tomorrow, start getting ready for Denver and moving onto them."
Q: Did Cam (Newton) give you guys any message before the game?
STIDHAM: "I texted Cam earlier this weekend. We chatted back and forth a bit. I just said, 'Hey, whatever you need, I'm here for you and I hope you're getting better.' We've had some good conversations throughout the week."
Q: You being in the quarterback room, what was it like for you mentally and emotionally to try and shift your focus on what was at hand in this game after a player in your position had tested positive for COVID-19?
STIDHAM: "I think at the end of the day, things can always happen in a weird way. Obviously, I want Cam to get better and have him get back in the room as soon as possible. Saturday morning, finding out, you're just really trying to go over the game plan even further and making sure you're good on everything and so on and so forth. That was what I was really focused on and trying to make sure that I was ready to go."
Q: What did you learn on a night like this that you can use going forward as an NFL quarterback?
STIDHAM: "Obviously, it's nice to get out there, play, and get those reps. It's obviously very frustrating to not come away with a win, throwing the two interceptions and so forth. I think I'll be able to take a deeper look once I'm able to watch the film. I definitely think there were some better throws I could've made on the field. I'm anxious to watch the film and see what I can do to get better."
CORNERBACK STEPHON GILMORE
Postgame Press Conference
Monday, October 5, 2020
Transcript to follow.
RUNNING BACK JAMES WHITE
Postgame Press Conference
Monday, October 5, 2020
Transcript to follow.
