HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, December 1, 2024
JM: Obviously a tough game. I just told the guys, again, I know I sound redundant – we're doing a of things that are good. We just need to be more consistent. I would say penalties and, look, it's about us. Penalties continue to show up, both operational and post-snap, which we've got to do a better job of. I would also say just our red area in general. Our red area offense I think we were 1 for 6. Our red area defense, we weren't able to stop them there. That's really the game. You talk about on special teams, the missed field goal. I thought we handled the situations the right way, the way we wanted to, and we gave ourselves a chance to win. Gave ourselves a chance to win at the end. Fire away.
Q: You mentioned some good things from your team today. On that 19 play, 80-yard drive, how disappointing was it? You had three fourth down conversions allowed and just not being able to make a play, and plus the two-point conversion?
JM: Yes, very disappointing. They obviously ran the ball relatively well. We just didn't make the stops that we need to. Look, that's the NFL. That's the NFL. We say it every week. It's that one play here, that one play there. That extended drive definitely hurt, and then those guys going for two and couldn't keep them out.
Q: What went into the decision at the end to try the 68-yard field goal versus going for a Hail Mary there?
JM: That was 100% me. Look, [Joey] Slye was hitting it well in pregame, and I felt that that was the best thing to do to help our team win the football game. Not sure what the numbers are on Hail Marys versus the field goal there, but that's what I felt was right.
Q: Coach, was there any thought to taking a time-out maybe before earlier in the drive where the Colts ultimately scored, and what was the thought process there?
JM: Absolutely, there was a thought. We have also won a Super Bowl here doing it the other way. Keeping our time-outs is what I thought was best for the team.
Q: What did you see on Drake Maye's interception down at the goal line to Hunter Henry?
JM: The one that just bounced around a little bit? Look, it's just unfortunate. Again, just in the red area in general I would say from the entire game we just weren't good enough. As the field starts to contract like that, I mean, the details and everyone has to be on the same page, and we just didn't do well enough.
Q: On the 25-yard attempt by Joey Slye that he missed earlier in the game, it looked like after the kick he looked down in frustration or disbelief at something. What went wrong? Was there something with the operation there, or was it just a missed kick?
JM: Just a miss-hit. Nothing with the operation. It was a miss-hit.
Q: It seemed like you had I think it was a season high rushing yards today on offense. Just what went into the run game, and why was it able to be so successful?
JM: I've said all along we have good backs, and we just have to get them started. I would say just the mentality. If we don't have a good running game, it starts up front. The same thing here. It starts up front. I thought Layden [Robinson] actually went out there and moved some bodies, and his physicality definitely showed up. The entire offensive line. That's good to see. Just have to keep it going.
Q: You mentioned penalties off the top. What's happening in the process that's leading up to the result on Sundays where you continue to have issues like that?
JM: Look, we know with this crew the first – I think we had them the first Miami game. They threw ten holding penalties between the two teams. So we went into the game knowing that's one of the calls that they make a lot. It just comes down to, look, some of them obviously were questionable, but they called them, and we just have to fix those mistakes.
Q: Your offense had four trips inside the 10-yard line. You only come away with one touchdown. How frustrating was that? Is there anything you can pinpoint to these sudden problems in the red zone?
JM: No. I'm going to go back and watch the film. It's ultimate execution at that point in the game. Now, that safety that usually plays in the deep part of the field out in the field now is now part of the count, and we just have to do a better job executing.
Q: Would you categorize this as a game that you guys should win, should be able to close out?
JM: It comes down to execution. I think we should win every game. That's just my mentality. We just got to get better.
Q: There was a few minutes to go. I think there was a third and eight catch by Mallory. It looked like it might have wobbled from our perspective. You decided not to challenge that, but I think you had three time-outs at that point. Did you consider that? What went into that decision?
JM: We were waiting to see the replay. Never really got a clear shot of it, so I didn't challenge it.
QUARTERBACK DRAKE MAYE
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, December 1, 2024
Q: Drake, obviously a lot of good things from your offense today. How tough was that one to see that unfold the way it did?
DM: Yeah, it was heartbreaking. I think our guys fought hard, did a lot of good things. That's what Coach Mayo preaches in the locker room. We did a lot of good things on film. Proud of the way the guys fought. I'm proud of the defense. I thought they played their butts off. Especially our guys up front on offense. They did a great job. I think we ran the football for a bunch of yards. I think we were efficient in the passing game, and just came up short. It's a bummer. I hate it for these guys, and I hate it for these coaches. We're practicing hard. We're fighting hard, and just came up short.
Q: What did you see on the interception down at the goal line to Hunter Henry?
DM: Just tried to get to him quick, and hopefully he gets in. I think I put it on the wrong shoulder. I think if I put it on the opposite shoulder away from the defender, and I think that's maybe a completion there. Just unfortunate it got tipped up. Just a bummer.
Q: We saw Jacoby Brissett come in for one play. Is that something you guys have been working on on the offense to kind of get him involved and have those plays where it's maybe a little harder to guess what you guys are doing on offense?
DM: Yeah, just mixing it up. So I think going about our philosophy. Hopefully not trying to share that information. Just glad we picked up the first down.
Q: Four trips inside the 10 yard line. You guys only come away with the one touchdown. Anything you can pinpoint to sort of the reason you falter there, and how frustrating was that?
DM: I thought we ran the ball up until we got to the goal line pretty well. I think in the passing game I think maybe get through my progression. It was tough down there. It was tight. Tight windows. Tight throws. I have to give our guys some chances. I think that's probably the biggest thing. And penalties – I think one of them was penalties. We got back into, like, a first and goal from the 20. Just can't settle for four field goals in the red zone and expect to win ball games.
Q: I know that you want what's best for the team down the stretch, but would you have wanted that last throw?
DM: I think it's up to the coaching. I'm here to support what Coach Mayo and the special teams guys and what Joey thinks. So I think whether it's that or the Hail Mary, either one.
Q: When you take in all aspects of your offensive performance today, what did this game say about your offense and where it's at right now?
DM: I think we're dynamic. I think we can hurt them in the pass game and the run game. We can do different things. We have play action. We have boot. We have running the football. We have throwing it down the field. We have guys making plays, run after catch. There's another layer to it of making more explosive plays, but we saw that a lot from our run after catch today. I think we're up seven. We have the ball left with about seven minutes, and we have to go pick up the first down and try to get a field goal and make a play.
Q: On that first red zone trip, first drive of the game for you guys, you end up taking a sack on third down and kicking the field goal. On the third down play what did you see there, if you can remember it, and was the spacing at all an issue? It looked like Henry and Bourne kind of end up in the same spot by the goal line.
DM: Yeah, I think can't take a sack there. Red zone sacks, especially if we have a chance to maybe get some yards and go for it. I can't remember the play, but I think maybe – which way were we going? We were going that way. Yeah, I think maybe had a chance on the back side. If I got back side, I ended up scrambling out. Just have to stay in the pocket and get back to the back side of the progression.
Q: After the last game you mentioned you were frustrated with your performance in Miami. How did you feel about how you bounced back this week, and obviously the only turnover was that fluke play. You scrambled to rush but also to throw. Was this back on track for you?
DM: I think I can only speak for the offense. I think we got back on track and played a solid football game. For myself, you know, watch the football and watch the tape. I think watch the tape and learn. I still think I left some plays out there. I just hate it myself. I pride myself on trying to lead this team to wins, and we didn't accomplish that. That's probably the biggest thing.
Q: It looked like you guys had a lot of success in the quick game overall, but it seemed like there were a handful of throws where things weren't quite right. What would you attribute that to? Was it timing? Was it an accuracy thing? What did you see on those plays?
DM: Yeah, I'm not sure the stats. I'm not sure how many completions we had, but I thought we were efficient most of the day. I think some of the plant stuff I was on time. I think I missed booting on the slant. I was just late to it. J.P. [Ja'Lynn Polk] over the middle, I think I've got to put it on him, or once he gives me eyes, kind of let him make a move. I have to give him a better ball, but at the end of the day I think we were efficient in the passing game, and the guys made plays.
ADDITIONAL PLAYERS
Christian Gonzalez, CB
(On the final drive of the game)
"Yeah, I mean we were obviously trying to get the stop, we weren't able to do it. We've got to be better at the defense at a time like that. Props to the Colts, they executed."
(On his interception)
"Yeah, it was a man coverage, so I was man on man. They ran the same route earlier, so saw it, trusted my instincts and went and made the play."
(On how he would categorize the performance of the defense as a whole this game)
"It just wasn't good enough. Like you said, we made plays. They made more plays. We've got to – like I said earlier, we've got to be able to hold it down for the offense when we get out there with the game on our back. We've got to be better. I mean we'll get in the film room, we'll get it fixed. Take this bye week, recover, get right mentally, move onto the Cardinals."
(On how important the bye week is and how close he feels the team is to a win)
"Bye week is big, it's big for everybody. However you choose to spend it. To be able to mentally get back into the right headspace. But then, I mean as a defense, like I said, we've got to be better. It's too late in the season to be saying, 'this game we were close.' We've got to be able to make those plays and finish out the game."
Hunter Henry, TE
(On the team's emotions towards how the game ended)
"It's just hard. Put a lot into this and I feel like we emptied the tank. Just got beat today. Just had too many mistakes."
(On the red zone)
"I mean, I can look at myself in the mirror. I've got to be better down there. I've got to run better routes. I've got to block better. I think I can just speak for myself. I think we all just have to be better and I mean obviously that was the story of the game for everyone to move the football a lot, just couldn't finish drives."
(On how frustrating it is to make progress offensively without results)
"Yeah, sure. I mean, obviously we're continuing to get better but obviously it's just not good enough, we've got to be able to finish those drives."
Antonio Gibson, RB
(On a disappointing result despite some positives on offense)
"Sweet and sour. I felt like everyone on both sides of the ball fought really, really hard. It shows what we are capable of. It's kind of been the story all season at this point. I'm proud of the guys for continuing to fight and playing hard. We just have to fix the small stuff that's beating ourselves."
(On the emotions of how the game ended)
"It's tough. You never want to hold your head down too long, but it's tough. We feel the emotion. You can see it a little bit, but we do continue to fight, continue to practice hard. We're trying to take a step in the right direction, but when things happen like that, it's hard. It's not a great feeling right now."
(On the growth and potential of the offense)
"Week in and week out, just continue to take a step forward. I feel like it's at the point where we'll go back one week, then showcase what we're capable of. Once we get more consistent throughout the weeks, that's when we really start to show continuous games like we had today."
Jonathan Jones, CB
(On the loss)
"This is a tough one. You just feel like you do enough to win. Did enough, made enough plays, just made too many mistakes. You wanted to leave here with a good feeling going into the bye week. We had the opportunity to do that, just could not capitalize on it."
(On Anthony Richardson and his ability to create)
"Yeah they kind of stayed ahead of the chains. So it would be second-and-medium, third-and-short, and they were able to pick up yardage when they need him, to use him as a running back. So it just makes it difficult. Something you have to account for, which we did, but they were able to do it better."
(On the Colts going for two at the end)
"I think we kind of felt that they had the momentum. Wanted to kind of either win and go for it all, or not go into overtime. I think they felt like they had the momentum. Gutsy call by them and it paid off."
Joey Slye, K
(On if he thought he had hit the field goal at the end)
"Yeah, I mean I hit it clean. It was dead down the pipe from where I was looking. So I knew if I just got the distance, I would be fine. Cold weather today, wind in our face going that way as well so I know I needed to put pretty much everything I had into it and just fell a little bit short."
(On if he was surprised they attempted the long field goal)
"I would not really say I was really surprised in that situation. I know that Coach has a lot of faith in me that I have a strong enough leg to hit from distance. To be honest with you, when they did the chunk play right there at the end, I figured it was going to be a better situation for me just to get into field goal range. I do not think we are taking that opportunity to try to get a Hail Mary in that situation. Just seemed like everything was kind of leaning towards kicking the field goal in that situation."
(On the game coming down to a one-point game)
"I mean to be honest with you, I take full responsibility for this. We had a short field goal at the end of the half I have got to make. Puts us up eight, or what, nine or ten depending on what our circumstances are. When we went for two, it put us up seven. We have that field goal and we make it and we are up ten. They go down and score, they have got to get an onside kick and kick a field goal just to tie it. So I have got to be better, team counts on me in those situations. Every point for this team matters with how we play complementary football with offense, defense, and special teams. So whenever I am out there I have got to score points."
Marcus Jones, CB
(On the Colts' go-ahead touchdown into the two-point conversion)
"Yeah, I felt like we were in the right call. It was just one of those situations where he made a great catch in a time and a moment and everything. We had some plays before that, so I don't always think about the ending play, but we had plays before that to where we definitely need to be better with our communication and things like that, so we'll get that fixed."
(On the swing of emotions in the game and having an opportunity to stop them in the end)
"Yeah, as everyone can tell, we have a team that has talent. The National Football League, the margin for error is very small, and when it comes down to it, we showed a lot of fight. But at the end of the day, a W is the main thing that we need to get."
(On the most frustrating thing about the 19-play drive and if the plays start to add up)
"We don't really think about the numbers at the end of the day. Our main thing is trying to get off the field as a defense. It didn't matter if it was the 20th or the 21st; whenever they started getting down, it's bend, don't break, kind of like that. So, that was just one of those situations where we came up short."
(On taking accountability and shouldering the load as a defense)
"When it comes down to it, it's a team thing. So, whenever we're not doing our part as a defense, we feel like we're letting the offense down and vice versa. So, we just try to keep an even keel and just make sure when we do get in the film room, we correct it. Like I said, the National Football League, the margin of error is real slim. So, we've just got to make sure that we get turnovers and do what we have to do."
Austin Hooper, TE
(On his touchdown)
"It was just a flat route, went to the flat, took the flat defender. Went to the post outside, holds a safety. Drake [Maye] gave me a good ball over the linebacker, and we were able to convert there."
(On how much of a battle the game was)
"It's the National Football League, there are no easy games on the schedule by design, so they're all a grind. For sure this one hurts, did a lot of good things out there in all three phases. Obviously didn't get it done, so that all gets wiped away."
(On what needs to change for upcoming games)
"We've got to execute at a higher level. We can't beat a team before you stop hurting yourself. It's not for lack of effort, just things that happen out there that get you scars in this league."
(On the frustration of not scoring touchdowns in the red zone)
"Yeah, for sure, the goal is to score, so if you don't get a touchdown that's frustrating. But what I like to do is go back to work and keep getting after it."
(On the progress in route running)
"Yeah, there have been some encouraging things for sure. Even in the darkness, there's light. There was some good stuff today, but at the end of the day, if you don't like the result, no one remembers the good detail and spacing after a loss."
Jabrill Peppers, S
(On being back out there on the field)
"I felt pretty good. Being out of it since Week 4, not being able to practice and do real football in a while, I surprised myself."
(On how tough it was to bring down Anthony Richardson)
"He's a big, strong physical athlete. You just have to explode out of your hips, wrap up, and run your feet. He's definitely a hell of a tackle. We called him Derrick Henry. He's Derrick Henry's size, but he can throw it 100 yards on the field. Teams know the challenge that he presents, but we were up for it. Just have to finish late down the stretch."
(On the two-point conversion)
"Just a great play call for what we were in. Kind of split the defense. We had to respect the read option to J.T. [Jonathan Taylor]. 83 [Kylen Granson] split out and ran a route. We had to respect that as well. When it's a QB run, they gain that extra guy, and sometimes it's more than the defense has. It was just a good play call for what we were in."
Davon Godchaux, DT
(On the final touchdown and the two-point conversion)
"On the touchdown, the quarterback just made a good throw. Thought it was good coverage by Dug [Kyle Dugger]. Obviously, he was trying to get the ball out, but strong hands by the receiver. On the two point, I knew they were going for two. Obviously, they're fighting for the playoffs for that seventh seed. Personally, I played it right. I thought we had a great call, played back into the guards, down-blocked. I ended up grabbing Anthony Richardson by one of his legs, but he's a big, powerful guy. We all need to rally to the ball and gang-tackle. I thought we had him stopped, personally, but I don't know everyone else's position. Obviously, he's a big quarterback, made a 'got-to-have-it' play for them, and we needed a stop. We'll look at it on film."
(On any surprises facing a running quarterback)
"Actually, I was thankful last year, when we played in Germany and he didn't play. I knew he could run the ball. I say things out of honesty. Last year in Germany, I think we would have had a hard time against him. I just know he's a big quarterback who can run the ball. He's not really developed as a passer yet. We actually wanted him to pass the ball because he's a problem running the ball. This guy's a problem. This guy is going to add another 60, 70 yards a game in rushing with Jonathan Taylor, a great running back. He's a good quarterback running the ball. We knew that coming in. We knew they were going to have some schemed runs for him, to get him on the outside. That last play, they ran him down the middle. Like I said, I thought I played it pretty good. We just have to see what it is. Games in this league are going to be close like this every week. Just because we're a 3-10 team doesn't mean we're going to get blown out. Every week is going to be down to the last possession. If you take the Gonzo [Christian Gonzalez] pick, I thought we should have put the game away. I thought the offense did a hell of a job driving the ball downfield. Obviously, couldn't finish well in the red zone, but Drake [Maye] is just getting better and better every week. Thought our running backs ran the ball pretty good. We blame ourselves on this because I thought we had a chance to put them away. A team like this, fighting for a playoff spot, they're not going to want to give the ball back to Drake Maye. They wanted to end it there. I thought it was a good call by their coach to go for it. Obviously, we have to stop them."
Layden Robinson, G
(On playing in a new spot)
"It was good, great opportunity to be out there with the guys again. Just make sure that I do my part and doing what I've got to do to help the team out."
(On the momentum getting to the goal line)
"I feel like we were rolling good. We had a good pace going and it was a good flow of offense. We were making really good decisions, but we've got to finish in the red zone. That's a big thing, once you make drives like that, you want to reward yourself in the red zone."
(On controlling the running game)
"I felt like that's what football is about. The run game in the trenches, it's always been about that. It's also about who dominates the line of scrimmage. That determines the outcome of the game, and I feel like we were dominating the line of scrimmage for the majority of the game. Our hearts and our passion were there, you could see it. When you turn on the film, that's never going to change, we've just got to make those adjustments and later on we'll come out on top."
(On his level of comfort at left guard)
"I feel like I'm really comfortable, just getting better. Everything is new, but I'm learning. That's the best part, it's a new challenge. The new challenge when you're uncomfortable, it forces you to learn, broaden your horizon, open your eyes to change. Which, I feel like change is really good majority of the time. It's going to help me keep getting better."
Kendrick Bourne, WR
(On his overall thoughts on the game)
"Yeah, I think the defense did a great job, we fought until the end. Shout out to Anthony [Richardson], they went for [the two point-conversion], believed in themselves, played hard, and competed. There were a lot of long sustained drives by both sides. They ate up the whole third quarter so we just have to keep learning to play [how we did today] and keep fighting."
(On Joey Slye's field goal attempt as time expired)
"I thought he made it. But to that point, we have to try and execute better. That first play was very important to get some yards so I could have been better on that play. They did a good job scheming and clouding the middle up. I tried to get around Kenny Moore and he did a good job on bumping me off so. Drake [Maye] did a good job finding Hunter [Henry], making that play was very important in getting close."
(On Drake Maye's growth)
"That throw to Austin Hooper was 'one-of-one.' I don't know how he saw that, but where he put it was phenomenal. Even the [41] yard scramble was impressive but I'm just glad he's playing well. I'm glad to be playing with him and I can't wait to see his future growth."
