Head Coach Marvin Lewis
Opening Statement:
"I think to play a preseason game like that – the fourth one – to have that at the end, couldn't have scripted it better. Proud of how the guys fought their tails off and kept giving us an opportunity to win the football game. Disappointed we didn't get it done, but we had obviously the opportunity to win the football game there at the end but we gotta make the kick. A lot of positives there. We're hanging in there, playing, guys playing out of position. We're a little thin there on offense, but they kept fighting their butt off and gave us an opportunity to win the game."
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Was it Darrin Simmons scripted?
"It couldn't have been, you know, better. Now the focus changes. It's here now, so, we got to get focused and get ready to go."
How much of the fourth quarter figures into the kicking competition?
"Well, I think everything that we do figures into the competition."
Is Jeff Driskel's injury something that's going to keep him out for a while? Did he actually break his thumb?
"I don't know."
What about John Ross? Is he okay?
"Again, I'm not going to talk about injuries, as you know."
Randy Bullock and Jake Elliott obviously have been alternating, but I'd imagine this scenario again because of the script, pressure kicks in the fourth quarter of a game and of some distance. I know it didn't go through, but I'd imagine this is the one thing you haven't seen.
"Yeah, it's situation we've tried to put them in in practice, but obviously in practice it's a different situation unlike we have here tonight. Again, you want to make the kicks, that's the thing, and obviously we're not satisfied with missing three opportunities."
Whatever kicker you do go with, do you feel confident in them going forward?
"I do. I do feel very confident. I think we've done enough and we've tried each and every kick so when we make the decision we feel very confident with that. Most importantly is I think the team will feel very confident. Now, confidence – all you do is remember the last one, but I think the team is very confident. And that's a good thing."
Had there not been a kicking battle, do you think you would've approached those last drives a little differently? I'm sure it's a little uneasy with AJ McCarron back there taking shots.
"Well, I don't know it would've been much different. I think the opportunity to win the game comes from winning the game. Just offensively, we put the ball in position and we ended up with third and one. That's all – fourth and one, I should say – so that's all you can do."
Jordan Willis with one sack, so he had a sack in each preseason game. He has flashed a bit. I know you want to look at film, but those guys in open space were pretty fast.
"I could see Jordan Evans because he was in open space. He demonstrated what we've seen from him the entire time. I can't be more excited about a young player than I am about him, both those guys and Carl Lawson had a good showing tonight so those guys are ready to go. And that's what we need to have. They're going to be a part of the football team and part of the 46-man roster on Sundays and they earned an opportunity to be there."
Kicker Randy Bullock
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Has the competition been good for you, does he (Jake Elliot) push you, you push him at least?
"Absolutely. I think competition has been good for me but I didn't really try think of it too much as competition. I just tried to come out and do what I need to do every day."
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Obviously that cumulative thing, does that sting you a little to have the last one be the only…
"Yeah it's frustrating for sure. Any time you go out there you want to make your kicks regardless of the situation whether it is preseason or not. To kick throughout the course of the game you have to do your job. So it absolutely is frustrating."
Linebacker Jordan Evans
They said coming out you could cover the catch, they weren't too sure about the run. You think you showed that this camp, pretty stellar against the run?
"Yeah, like I was saying, I've always outplayed my expectations. People have always put limits on me, I've always exceeded those limits. At the end of the day, I'm always going to do what I can do."
Re: The blitz on the fourth and one:
"Yeah, something like that – got the quarterback. Good call by coach."
Do you think you are way more than a nickel-backer? You certainly showed that tonight. You played all three downs.
"Obviously. I have a lot of confidence in myself. At the end of the day, I really could care less, as long as I can go out there and help the team. If it was at nickel, it would be at nickel. If I was covering or stopping the run, it would be in that. For me it doesn't matter, as long as I can help the team in any way I can. Obviously I feel like I have proved a little bit to those people. I outplayed expectations like I said, and let's just keep gunning from here."
Obviously with Vontaze Burfict being out for three games there is an opportunity for snaps for different guys. Do you look at it as an opportunity to get a few more snaps than you would have?
"I mean yeah, obviously. With him being suspended, they are going to be down a linebacker and I know at the level he plays at, if I get the opportunity to play I have to come with that same intensity. So that's why hopefully tonight I proved a little something to give the defensive staff more confidence in me and also the players' confidence in me if I go out there."
Do you have a play you like more than the others?
"No, I'm out there just having fun."
Do you have a different feel being out there for the start of the game, as opposed to watching things develop and then coming in?
"For sure. They put you on the starters. Obviously you're not the starter, but you're starting the game so you might as well go make some plays if you're out there first."
Has anything about this camp surprised you?
"Everything. It's my first camp. I don't really know anybody besides guys that were at OU (Oklahoma) that went to the NFL. From my high school I was the first drafted to the NFL, so for me it was a whole new experience. I kind of took each day, day-by-day, enjoyed each moment. I felt like I adjusted pretty well. The guys around me helped me adjust as well."
Who was your biggest mentor for the past four or so weeks?
"I feel like all of them have done a good job in their own certain way. Obviously Vinny (Vincent) Rey definitely helped me out. Taze (Vontaze Burfict) has done his thing as well. Kevin Minter. So it's just been a good handful of people who have all put in, because they all went through the same thing at the same time. Transition actually was really well because they helped out a lot."
Halfback Jarveon Williams
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I think you had 25 carries and at least five or six catches. How enjoyable was today for you?
"It was pretty good. Just glad to go out there and capitalize on the opportunities that the team has given me. Going into the game, I knew I was going to be the only back pretty much taking most of the load. I was prepared mentally and physically for it to get the job done."
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Does it bring back memories of college or high school?
"Yeah, just playing the game that you love you're always happy to go out and do it."
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What was your mindset going in, in terms of the importance for you? The Bengals have historically had at least a running back on the practice squad and obviously that's a good living if you're not on the 53-man roster.
"Like I said, just going in and capitalizing on my opportunity that I was given. Like I said, I knew was going to have a lot more opportunities this game due to people sitting out. Just going in there and capitalizing on my opportunities."
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How has this camp experience and preseason been for you? The Bengals obviously have a very talented group of running backs that you've been working with and learning from."
"It's been great. N too many people can say they got the opportunity to play in the NFL or practice in the NFL. So like I said, I am taking it all with open arms and it's all been a blessing to me."
Head Coach Chuck Pagano
Opening Statement:
"I'll be brief so we can get home. It's always great to win a football game. Really proud of the football team. I'm proud of all the young guys. Just talked to the guys about how hard it is to get into an NFL building and to make a 90-man roster. We know that this weekend is the toughest weekend in football because of the cut downs. But I'm really, really proud of all the players - their efforts, hard work, determination, dedication. There's a lot of guys who have been dreaming about this opportunity for a long, long time. And it's really hard. They all have some special traits and special talents. Again, it's going to be a tough weekend. It's hard on everybody but it is what it is. It's a part of the National Football League and I'm glad that these guys got to go out on a winning note."
JoJo Natson obviously showed flashes thus far but fumbled three times. How do you weigh the good with the bad there?
"He's a talented guy and he's a game breaker, but at the same time, you've got to make great decisions and you've got to take care of the football. It's something that moving forward, we'll obviously have to address regardless of what happens."
Brian Schwenke got a lot of action today. You haven't seen the film, but how do you think he looked?
"We were able to put seven points on the board – we didn't do much. A little bit in the second half, moved it a little bit. We made a nice play – a great throw by Phillip (Walker) to (Justice) Liggins. It got us on the board; it got us a win. We've got to wait and see what the tape looks like but we didn't move the ball very well. I know we got outrushed almost 100 yards to 15 or 16 in the first half. There was some protection issues. I don't know if he was involved in those or not but we'll look at the tape and then see how he did."
How valuable is it to have Schwenke and Deyshawn Bond healthy and playing tonight?
"No, it's good because we've got a bunch of decisions to make in the next 24 to 48 hours. We know Ryan's (Kelly) out for a little bit. Deyshawn's done a nice job so it's good to have Schwenke back in there and he's got some position flexibility. We know he can play center and we know he can play guard. He's played both. So we'll take a look at him and make the evaluation."
You guys took advantage of the takeaways again. What are your thoughts on that?
"It was great. They usually come in bunches. It was great to see – get a couple more. It's something that we've emphasized and will continue to emphasize. Early on, with the regular season now upon us, we're going to have to do a great job of playing great fundamental football on all three phases, taking care of the ball and then taking them away and creating some short fields for our offense so it was good to see."
Quarterback Stephen Morris
Opening Statement:"First, I thought there were a lot of good things we did in the preseason, a lot of things we need to clean up as well. So, our work is kind of cut out for us as a unit, as a group and our biggest thing is to come in tomorrow, Monday, whenever the day is and just get to work. We don't know what the status is with 12 (Andrew Luck) or really with any injuries going on right now. Our biggest focus is just getting ready for Week 1."
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Were you happy with what you were able to put out there on the field this preseason?"Yeah, I was happy. I saw some growth and development from last year and some improvement as well, so that's always good to see. There are a lot of things I want to clean up still. Obviously just nitpicking all the little things, and it's time for practice to fix those mistakes and get ready for Week 1."
Wide Receiver JoJo Natson
What's your takeaway from tonight?
"There's some good and bad tape from it. Obviously, I wasn't trying to put the ball on the ground. That's one of the biggest things that I took from the game. Just got to be disciplined on the ball security. Just holding on to the ball. I got excited a couple times on that punt return and just let the ball get a little loose. But like I said, I've just got to stay disciplined throughout the entire play, and when I do mess up, also, just keep my head up and move on to the next play."
Do you feel like you've established yourself as a receiver and not just as a special teams guy?
"Yeah, I mean I feel like I made flashes at receiver as well. As much as I take special teams serious, I take receiver serious as well. Just being able to make some plays at receiver as well is good for me."
So what are the next couple days like?
"It's a waiting process. We've got to be in tomorrow, but I'm just going to stay prayed up these next couple days and hope for the best."
Do you think you've done enough to make the squad?"I feel like I left it all on the line man. I've got a lot of heart, so I feel like I left it all on the line, gave it all I got and just let God take over from there."
