00:00Glad to get a win.
00:01I thought the defense did a great job rising up there
00:03on the last several possessions of the game.
00:05We weren't putting them in great spots, and they just rose up.
00:08They got two turnovers, so to be able to win the turnover battle
00:11the way that we did, that's a key stat in winning week one
00:14because we knew there was going to be adversity.
00:16There's always adversity week one.
00:17There's always adversity when we play Cleveland.
00:19There's always adversity when we're on the road at Cleveland.
00:21It's never simple.
00:23And so for our guys, just to find a way to win it there at the end,
00:26proud of them.
00:27The best outcome of this game was 1-0.
00:28Forget about the stats.
00:30Forget about the score.
00:31Forget about how it all played out.
00:32The best outcome could have been was 1-0, and we're proud of that,
00:35and then we'll make some corrections and move forward.
00:43It's hard, and a lot of times it's just one play and a drive.
00:46If one play derails you and now you're behind the sticks a little bit,
00:48that plays into their hands.
00:50And so we had really great efficiency early on,
00:53and there's a player there, and there's some things I can do
00:55to put us in a better spot.
00:56So I think we're all going to be accountable to that on offense.
00:59We felt like there was opportunity there
01:00that we didn't fully take advantage of.
01:02There's opportunities where I could put us in a better position.
01:05So I look forward to correcting all that after a win.
01:08It's a lot easier.
01:09Can you take us through the knowledge straight?
01:11So, you know, we play action on the first one,
01:13and I didn't see exactly how 95 got in there, but he did.
01:17And we're trying to account for him on every snap,
01:19and he just finds a way to win sometimes.
01:21And second play was very similar.
01:24You know, I think they played Tampa, and they got us.
01:26And then the third play, that's a regret that I have,
01:29is on the nine-yard line calling a deeper throw like that.
01:33Probably something to just get the ball out of our hands quicker
01:35so we can save some space for the punt,
01:37because it was a third and really long in that situation.
01:39What went into the decision to punt it there on the offense's last series,
01:42and then your thoughts on DJ's good play?
01:44On the fourth and one, you're saying?
01:45Yeah, it's, you know, our defense was playing really good at that moment.
01:49And they missed an extra point,
01:52so you know a little bit how they feel in a field goal.
01:54So, you know, that probably weighs into their decision-making a little bit.
01:57So I just felt really good about kicking it away
01:59and letting our defense go get the win for us.
02:02And they did.
02:02You know, DJ turned up with that huge pick,
02:04and those weren't easy turnovers.
02:05You know, JB and DJ, both those were tough, you know, off tip balls,
02:09and they went and got them, and grateful for that.
02:12How much do you feel like Jordan's pick in the third
02:14really turned the game around?
02:15Because you had just come off the drive
02:17where they gained four third-down diversions on your defense,
02:20but then Trey gets a sack in the draw and gets that pick.
02:22Do you feel like that was kind of the turning point?
02:25Again, week one, the turnover battle is critical.
02:28And it comes down to these one-score games,
02:30and usually you're going to look at the scoreboard
02:32and see who won the turnover battle,
02:33and that's probably the team that won the one-score game.
02:36So, again, just proud of the way our guys handled that
02:39and found a way to get us to win.
02:40How do you think Dalton played?
02:43Good.
02:44You know, yeah, yeah, I felt good there.
02:47We'll obviously watch the tape and evaluate everybody,
02:49but I didn't have any issues.
02:51Zach, you had a lot of young players step up big,
02:53rookies all continue on the defense.
02:56Can you talk about their play in the situation
02:58and in an environment like this?
03:00Yeah, very calm, collected.
03:02That's what I saw.
03:04You know, there was a time we had two young linebackers out there,
03:06two rookies out there when Logan came out.
03:07And I'm watching just to see their body language, didn't miss a beat.
03:12You know, and so I think there's a lot of guys that fit that description.
03:15Shamar, you know, all those guys that got in there and got a chance to play.
03:18It was not too big for any of them.
03:20That's why they're here, because they're all built like that.
03:23And so we're going to have to call on all these guys as the season progresses.
03:26You talked for several months about how hard the coaching staff was going to work
03:29to get this team ultimately started.
03:31So many changes, how satisfying is it when you're going to get it done?
03:33Yeah, everything didn't go our way on every single play,
03:37but I truly believe our guys did nothing to beat ourselves,
03:40to allow us to beat ourselves in week one.
03:41They just played discipline.
03:42They kept rising up to the occasion on defense.
03:44The offense made enough plays there, especially early on,
03:47to build us the lead to where now we can play this game.
03:49Many times I can think of when we lost here, we were playing from behind.
03:53And they were able to control the game as the game played out.
03:56So proud of the way that the offense started off
03:59and got us a lead there in the first half
04:01that allowed our defense to get their bearings straight
04:03and make some key stops for us.
04:04And that's a great way to win.
04:06You heard me preach it all last year.
04:07We've got to play with the lead so we can play the right way in the second half.
04:09And this is a great example of that.
04:11Yeah, we'll learn three timeouts to beat the clock.
04:13Was there an operation problem there?
04:14Yeah.
04:16No, all of them were a little bit different.
04:18And so, again, sometimes we feel like we're critical plays in the game
04:21where we want to make sure we get the best play possible.
04:24It's not ideal.
04:24That's not what we want to do.
04:25But all the times, you know, really, Joe called a couple of them,
04:30which were all the correct decision.
04:32If he was going to talk to me about it in a meeting,
04:33what should I have done here?
04:34I would have said, let's not waste the play here.
04:37One of them, anyway, I'm not going to get more into that.
04:40But that's not what we want to do.
04:43But he made the right decisions there.
04:44What makes his game so challenging?
04:46It seems like every time you play them, no matter.
04:47Without getting too much into it, I mean, I got a lot of respect for their defensive coordinator.
04:52Makes things hard.
04:53He understands us.
04:55They have great talent on defense.
04:57Great talent on defense.
04:58And those guys play hard.
04:59They play with a lot of confidence.
05:01All the matchups, you know, they do a really good job.
05:04They're all good football players.
05:06And it's just always a challenge when we play them.
05:08And, you know, thankful to have gotten their number the last couple times.
05:12Week one is always a challenge.
05:14You're always going to get the other team's best.
05:15You're always going to get the healthiest version of them.
05:16They got the healthiest version of us.
05:18And you're going to get their best right out the gate.
05:20And so you just got to find a way to win.
05:22That's what our guys did.
05:23What most impressed you about the defense today?
05:26The thing that stands out to you the most about the win?
05:28The calmness.
05:29Just the calmness.
05:30You know, we got them in a lot of situations we wanted them in.
05:32Get back on tracks.
05:33They got to some third and shorts out of those long yardage situations.
05:38So I think that if that's an area we're going to watch,
05:40I think we can probably be a little bit better there with some of the tackling
05:43where they got some extra yards.
05:44But first of all, win the first down to get them in some of those situations.
05:48Eliminate the run game.
05:49You know, 2.0 yards of care.
05:51I know that's the same as us.
05:52But if we're playing a game where our defense is doing that,
05:55I'm going to feel really good about the outcome.
05:56What was it this Monday?
05:58Who's that?
05:59Pinnell said Monday he's out there for 25-ish snaps.
06:02It's just remarkable that you can jump in like that.
06:05What does that say about him?
06:06That when he played, I think, 22 plays a game last year
06:08in every single game all through the Super Bowl.
06:11Watched all of his training camp stuff, you know,
06:13all of his preseason game stuff,
06:14and thought this is an easy decision to get this guy over here.
06:18So it wasn't like we're pulling somebody off the –
06:19you know, like Dalton, who hasn't been putting pads on
06:21and playing a little bit.
06:23Mike, he's been practicing.
06:24And such an impressive – I mean, just right out the gate,
06:28great guy to have in the locker room.
06:30The last night is this.
06:31You got a – I see the last nine minutes,
06:33you got some just unbelievable play from the front.
06:37And they seem to be in shape.
06:38They were trying to look like they didn't bat an eye
06:41as far as, you know, conditioning or the weather.
06:44Pointing that out.
06:46I thought we had a great training camp.
06:47I thought our guys came out of it in shape and healthy.
06:49And it allows you to finish games like this on defense, like you said.
06:53So, again, those guys did a great job being relentless
06:55and making the secondary's job a little bit easier
06:57to be able to create some of those turnovers
07:00and flush them out of the pocket and make life hard on them.
07:02What went into the decision to get the ball in Chase Brown's hands
07:04as much as you did, especially early on?
07:06He's a great playmaker for us, you know.
07:08And so to be able to get the ball in space,
07:10he's usually the one in the pass game
07:11you're able to get the most space to, potentially.
07:14And so he's hard to bring down.
07:16But I just thought our guys did a great job firing off the ball early on
07:19in the run game, our tight ends, our linemen, our perimeter receivers,
07:22we asked a lot of those guys.
07:24And they helped us set the tone and build that lead early on.
07:27How much do you kind of feel Hendrickson's presence
07:28on some of those replays that they did?
07:30Yeah, that's where this game comes down to.
07:32When you put them in known passing situations
07:34with the game on the line, that's where they've got to count for trade.
07:37And it's hard.
07:38When the game's on the line to be able to put someone on his side
07:41every single time and call your best play,
07:43that's a challenge.
07:43I just went through it for, it feels like, eight and a half hours.
07:46So that's a challenge.
07:49And so we, in that outcome, we were able to be the team
07:52that was able to make it difficult on them.
07:53And that's a great way to win it for our defense.
07:56I know you talked about the rookies specifically.
07:58You know, the linebackers, especially, you know,
08:01Demetrius and Barrett playing their first games, you know,
08:03against what the Browns had at tight end.
08:04It was going to be a difficult match.
08:05How did you like how they held them, especially in the features?
08:07Because it seemed like in the first half,
08:08Demetrius was all over the play space.
08:10Sure, that's what we've seen all training camp.
08:11And again, we'll evaluate it and make sure we see how everybody played
08:14and cleaned everything up, but I loved the energy from our guys.
08:18And they were lifting each other up.
08:19That's what I asked them last night.
08:20It's not all going to be perfect.
08:22Promise, there's going to be adversity.
08:23Lift each other up.
08:24And I felt that throughout the team.
08:26Everyone had confidence we're going to find a way to win.
08:28And that's what we got done.
