Q: How did you feel out there?
TB: Obviously anytime you win, you feel good. But at the same time, I think there are a lot of mistakes. I think we left, offensively, a lot of plays on the field. I'm sure when we correct the film, a lot of that joy you have from winning the game is going to go to how we can get better. It's going to be tough in three weeks coming back here. Tonight was getting familiar with the field, getting familiar with the crowd and getting familiar with the team.
Q: You seemed to get in a pretty good groove there, after not a bad start, but a slow start. The last drive of the first half and then the second half. Anything going on there, or what was happening?
TB: I think early in the game I missed a few throws. And anytime you miss the throws you should hit where guys are open, they do a good enough job of covering us up, so when we finally do get them free, it is up to me to hit the guys that are open. I think that was part of the problem: me not hitting the guys that were open. Fortunately our defense kept us in there long enough, and we were able to take advantage of some opportunities at the end of the first half and the first drive of the second half.
Q: Would you rate this your best effort in the preseason thus far? You personally?
TB: I think in the preseason, the things you can't do in practice like the strip-sack…you don't get hit in practice. So that's the type of game action that this preseason is good for, making the throws when no one is open. How to throw the ball; I got lucky a few times trying to throw the ball away and the ball doesn't go anywhere because I'm under duress. They dropped some interceptions that I am sure they won't be dropping in three weeks. It's important for all of us under these type of conditions, where the speed and the tempo is a lot faster than it is in practice, to make good plays when you really need to, when the heat is on.
Q: How far away are you from being ready for the season opener?
TB: I'm glad it is in a couple weeks. I would say that. I think there is a lot of room for improvement and I think there is a lot of room for us to make up for some of the mistakes we've had. As a football team you are always wanting to improve. At the same time you realize that even though you win the game tonight, I know it's going to be a different story when we come back in three weeks for me. When the first stringers are in there for real for four quarters and they are game planning and they show all their stuff, it's going to be a different story. We are going to have to prepare hard and just get ready for that season opener in Buffalo. It's going to be as tough as a game as there is.
Q: Do you welcome another game, another preseason game?
TB: Personally, I think that I'm the type of player who likes to play as many reps as I can and play as many snaps as I can in the preseason. I think I gain more confidence the more I play and the more I get into the game action. I'm glad we have another preseason game, definitely. And the Bears, we play them on three or four days rest. I think the whole team is ready for another preseason game.
Q: You talk about confidence. How much of that last drive of the first half, that two-minute drill, gives to your guys' confidence?
TB: I think that is a point of emphasis we always put on our team, executing in a two-minute situation, whether it be offensively or defensively. This time it happened to be offensively. I think we had probably just over 2:35, 2:40 when the clock started…
Q: I think it was 4:17 or something like that…
TB: Was it four minutes? All right. Yeah, we'll it could be that. There was 13 plays or 16 plays. That is a lot of execution, and that's good. I know all the plays weren't that good, I think it is good for us to score on that drive. And that was a nice play by David [Patten] in the end, making that play for a touchdown.
Q: You said you didn't see all that they had and you guys didn't show them all you have either, right?
TB: Yeah, it's definitely less of game planning. But still you are understanding what game coverages they are running on certain down and distances and trying to scheme plays that are going to get guys open. Will we run all the same plays in three weeks? Probably not. But it's not like your style of play changes. You always try to play physical. You always try to run the ball. You always try to dictate the line of scrimmage. You always try to complete the passes and run good routes and get open. All those types of things are the same. A slant is a slant. How you scheme it up might be different, but ultimately the plays end up being the same on both sides of the ball.
Q: You talked about maybe not all the plays necessarily running how you would like, are you still searching a little bit in terms of offensively?
TB: Yeah, definitely. And I think that comes with playing and the performing under game situations and game like conditions. Every one always uses the term "mid-season form" because you have played a lot of games and you have been in a lot of situations. And you are starting to get a flow for the game and a flow for your emotions, and the tempo of the game, the speed of the game and how quick things actually happen. After three preseason games, it's getting better, but we are not near the point that we need to be when we kick off against Buffalo. I think that's what we these are for. Every time you play, you go back and you watch the tape and you evaluate how you did. Then it really gives you things to work on. We still have a lot of things to learn, especially after turning the ball over four times tonight.
Q: Do you feel better tonight than say after Washington in that regard?
TB: Play about the same. It's just getting ready, getting ready, getting ready to play. Getting ready to play that long regular-season schedule and realizing that every game is important and every game counts. That first game is as important as that sixteenth game, so you have to be ready for that first game. We are doing everything we can to get ready for that opening week.
