I'll have alot more about today's tough loss to the Jags, but to hold you over here are the thoughts of the coach, as well as some of the players after the game --
Mike Shanahan --
"I thought Jacksonville did a very good job at controlling the tempo of the game. They kept our offense off the field in the first half. I thought we had some opportunities in the second half, we just didn't take advantage of it."
On Defense's Inability to Stop the Run --
"We've been concerned about it throughout the preseason and our first few games. We just have to get better at it, but anytime they control the ball like they did, especially in that first half, we know we have some work to do."
On Deciding to Go for it on First Down (4th Qtr) --
"I just had a gut. We didn't have any time outs left and we had some problems a few times with our headsets; we had no communication, and that really came back to haunt us. With four minutes left [in the 4th quarter] I just had a gut feeling with the way they were controlling the tempo of the game that that would give us the best chance to win. And, it almost turned out good."
Headset/Communication Problems --
"It just went blank on us a couple of times. We tried to get it fixed but in most of the second half it was going in and out on us."
On Being Prepared for the Game Today --
"I thought we were ready to play, they just did a good job scrambling and making plays when they had to. I don't know what the time of possession was, but we only had the ball two times for less than two minutes. The first time, we had a penalty and stopped ourselves. The second time we had a touchdown, and they did a good job making third downs. I don't know what it was in the first half but they had a number of first downs and kept us off the field and made plays when they had to."
On the Fourth Down Pass to TE Daniel Graham --
"We saw it from the play before when they were playing two deep. We saw Daniel come open a couple times and we just said if they play two deep Daniel's going to be open, and he almost had it. I couldn't see it - I thought he caught it, but he must have dropped it when it hit the ground."
On Controlling the Tempo of the Game --
"That's what we usually do to people, and they did it to us. We usually control the tempo of the game, but they did that to us. You don't get many chances, and when you do you have to take advantage of them, and we didn't."
On The Reason for the Loss --
"We have to go back and take a look at the game film. Anytime you have one drive in the first half, and you're stopped on three-and-out on the next drive, you make some big plays and the next drive you fumble at the end of the half, it's not hard to figure out that you're moving the football pretty good with 18 plays. In the second half we just didn't take advantage of it. When we got into the red zone, I believe we were two for three, but missing that third and fourth down play came back to haunt us. So, we're just going to have to keep on working. As you can see, we're not too far off offensively. We've got the capabilities of guys coming up and making big plays. That's nice. This is a defense that hasn't given up a lot of points. Second [ranked] total defense, fourth in the NFL last year, and they're pretty good. We have a pretty good defense and you can't make mistakes or have three turnovers and expect to win."
On Injury Status for S John Lynch --
"It's always tough when you lose one of your starters. That's typical. I can't tell you exactly how he is, but he has to be pretty sore for him not to go back in.
On WR Brandon Marshall --
"They had some one-on-one coverage out there and we took advantage of it, and Brandon made some yards after the catch."
On the 4th Down Quarterback Sneak [4th Qtr]
"We obviously thought it was going to work. It's something we've been working on just because of what they do defensively in that situation. Obviously, we were a little short."
S NICK FERGUSON --
General --
"Unfortunately we couldn't make the plays we needed to down the stretch. We have to go back to the drawing board, look at film and see what we can do better. We didn't play consistently or handle our run game responsibilities."
"We can't get down on ourselves, we have to come back next week and get a win, and get better as a team."
CB CHAMP BAILEY --
General --
"They were able to get third downs and we couldn't get off the field. With a team like this, that doesn't throw the ball well, at least coming into the game, it was tough to give up those third downs. We have to come back next week and that's what's good about the NFL, we have 16 games in the season."
DE ELVIS DUMERVIL --
General --
"You can't be pointing fingers at anyone at this point. We have to watch film tomorrow and get after it this week. We had several opportunities and we didn't take advantage of them. Give Jacksonville credit, they came in and got a tough win. We're still very confident as a team. Coach Shanahan is a great coach, and he won't let us get too down. We had several opportunities, and we let them slip."
WR BRANDON MARSHALL --
General --
"It's just like the first two weeks of the season; we just don't know how to finish. We talk about it all week, but we actually have to do it. Our coaches put us in good situations, but we just have to answer. Us younger players have to follow in the older guys' footsteps. We're just playing young right now."
On the Offense --
"When we get on the field, no one can stop our offense. Only we can. And that's what we did today. We did some good things to build off of offensively. When we win, we're not going to hang from the rafters. When we lose, we're not going to walk off the field with our heads down."
On His Individual Performance --
"It's the story, as far as my career goes, since little league. It seems like every time I have a big game, we don't get the win. I've been making big plays since I was in little league, and it doesn't surprise me. There's more to come."
TE DANIEL GRAHAM --
On His Dropped Fourth Down Reception --
"I didn't open up to the ball. It's a play I should make, and I'm disappointed with that."
On the Offense --
"We moved the ball pretty well. But, we have to get the ball in the end zone. There's still a lot of confidence in this team, but there are mistakes we have to correct, that we can't make later on in the season."
LB D.J. WILLIAMS --
General --
"I'm confident with the guys we have on this team. We have to put our foot down and stop teams from running the ball."
On His Individual Performance --
"It definitely wasn't one of my better games. But, you never know until you look at it on film. But it's a loss. I would rather play bad and win, rather than play well and lose."
On the Defense being on the Field for almost 40 Minutes --
"It definitely wears the defense down. I've seen our team do it to a lot of opponents, with 14 and 15 play drives. We need to get off the field on third downs, and that's on us."