CINCINNATI BENGALS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME
BENGALS HEAD COACH MARVIN LEWIS
"There's no doubt I am proud of our effort today. I'm proud of our execution and our preparation leading up to
the game this week. We came out here ready to play and it showed up out there on the field today. Most
important, I'm proud of our attention to detail out there today, and that was big. It was a good day for us. Now
we've got to pack up and look forward to next week and let's get ready to do it again."
(on Andy Dalton's performance) "We know what we have in Andy Dalton. Day in and day out, we've noticed
that he generally is able to put things behind him and move forward. He did a good job with that today.
(on bouncing back after last week) "Just dedication to what we have to do, learning from our mistakes and
understanding what we have to do. We've got to seize the moment and keep doing it. At this point in the year,
this was the football we were going to have to play. Regardless of what happened in the past, we don't get
anything for it. We've got to move forward.
(on the goal line stand in second quarter) "Obviously, any time you can keep a touchdown off the board against
this (Saints) offense, that's a big swing. We had the penalty, it's going to be third down and 7 or 8, then we've
got to stop them again. A great job by the guys of doing it.
(on Rey Maualuga returning from injury) "I thought Rey would come back and really help us with his presence
and his play mentally and physically. He did a great job today."
(on defensive effort) "We let (Jimmy) Graham catch a couple of those third downs. We didn't execute (very)
good on third downs. That was the key to their drives is being able to keep the ball moving on third downs.
Early in the game when we needed to, we played good run defense."
(on A.J. Green) "A.J. had the (offensive pass interference), which is a foul. He made big plays coming back and
we've got to keep doing that. He had a couple of balls off his hands. The quarterback was very accurate today."
(on Jeremy Hill) "Jeremy is such a tough runner. As he keeps going and just becomes a Bengal and just plays
football, he'll only be more and more impressive. He's got a lot of ability - he's strong, he can cut and run, he's
got great speed, great vision and can catch the football. He's a very complete player. As a young guy, he's
showing a lot right now. We've got to feel good about that."
(on Hill's run at end of first half) "I was surprised there was only one second left. I thought there would be
enough time but I'm glad we were able to save one second. When I saw him cut and make the guy miss, it was
off to the races and I'm trying to beat Jeremy down to the official (to call time out)."
CINCINNATI BENGALS PLAYERS
QB #14 ANDY DALTON
"We had a very good week of practice. We knew that if we came out and played like we've been practicing,
good things were going to happen. So, that's the way this league is – it's so week-to-week. We've just got to
take one game at a time. This is a big win for us on the road."
"It all counts at one. We put last week's game behind us, and now we know (going into Sunday) we have seven games left. Regardless of what everyone else does, as long as we take care of our own business over these next seven games we'll put ourselves in a good position. This is one, we've got six more games to go."
"I think we wanted to come out and start fast – that was one of our goals. And to score on the very first drive
was huge. That was really big for us. We felt we sat around a lot after that because they (Saints) had a few long drives. But our offense had a lot of energy and we just kept going."
(on Jeremy Hill's performance) "He's going really well. I think, for him, he's been able to be featured a little bit
more since Gio (Giovani Bernard)'s been out, and he's made some big plays. Even that one play right before
the half, that was a big run and it gave us points. We've just got to keep his progression going and he's done a
real good job."
(on A.J. Green) "A.J.'s been saying if we can get him singled up, he's going to make plays and that's what we
were able to do on that drive. I think A.J.'s so talented he's going to make plays for us and it was real big to get him going. Coming back from injury for him it's going to take a little while to get back to speed. We had really good rhythm going out there today and that's why we were able to make some big plays."
"Like I said: you lose and everyone wants to run you out. And when you win everybody's going to like you.
You know, I'm not too worried about that. It was a big win for us, so, it's good to bounce back and get a big
win on the road."
RB #32 JEREMY HILL
"Especially after last week and the way we played, I just knew what we were capable of. We did a great job of
bouncing back real quick by playing well at the very start and I thought that was the key to the game."
"I thought a big factor was converting on third downs and keeping Drew (Brees) off the field. We know what
kind of quarterback he is. So for us to hold onto the ball and score touchdowns and keep him off the field was
huge and led us to victory today."
(on returning to Louisiana) "It was big for me, coming back home - it was a terrific feeling. Actually it was my
first time playing here. And I watched tons of Saints games here and I've watched LSU play here before, and I
watched national championship games in here as a kid growing up so it was a great opportunity to play and a
big honor for me. I had a lot of family members and friends here out of high school and college teammates so it was good and a big win for us."
"Obviously it was a big game for me, to perform out there; and especially huge because of how we played last
week and the way we played last week. We knew we had a lot of doubters looking at us after how we played
last week so what we had to do is go out there and play Bengal football and that's what we did today."
(on 62-yard run at end of first half) "I wasn't surprised how big the hole was – as a matter of fact I had a chance to make a big run on the play before. I knew I had all of their defensive players playing up on the box, and once I got through to the secondary it was just up to me to make a play and then I got down quickly enough for us to kick a field goal and to give us three points before the half."
WR #18 A.J. GREEN
(on review following his touchdown) "Yeah, I knew I got my foot down. I knew I had my back foot down on
the ground right when I caught the pass and then I made sure to hit the ground again with the other foot just to make sure I scored."
(on Andy Dalton) "We have his back, no matter what. We respect him as our quarterback. Like I said, last week we didn't play great, he didn't play great, and hey I didn't play great. You can't put all the blame on the
quarterback when things don't go well. As wide receivers we all have to run better routes – myself included.
Last week I didn't do a great job, but like I said we all have to be accountable and come back out the next week and play a whole lot better and that's what we were able to do today."
T #77 ANDREW WHITWORTH
(on Jeremy Hill) "He is big and athletic and tough to tackle. I think, and like I said before, I think he's going to
become a great running back. He's continuing to run in between his pads and that's why he's running well.
When you look at some of the better backs in the league, they don't try to cut and dance around a lot. It seems to me that the more he puts his head down and plays straight ahead, he'll be okay. He has the unique ability as a back to be real physical and athletic and that's a rare combination."
CB #24 ADAM JONES
(on the defense today) "We didn't give up any deep balls. That's the key to our defense. When you look at how we try to control things on defense we make sure we try to check the ball down. And I think we did a great job of doing that today. And our guys up front did a great job of applying pressure on Drew (Brees) and collapsing the pocket."
"We feel we can win every week. It's the NFL, man – you're going to have weeks like we did last week. For the most part, and this is what Coach (Marvin) Lewis said to us, we've got to keep playing our type of football so at the end of November and into December we'll get into this (divisional) race and play well; especially when we get everyone back healthy."
(on stopping the Saints offense) "They have a good offense, but we played better today and that's why we got the win."
CINCINNATI BENGALS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014 MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME
SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON
"We are just finding ourselves in this up-and-down swing we seem to be in. Credit Cincinnati, but we didn't do
much of anything today.
(on Cincinnati defense) "They play a lot of zone to begin with. We had a few shot opportunities and yet they dida real good job of trying to stay on top. We were obviously going to have to move the ball underneath and do itwith some balance. I thought in the first half, with how many possessions we had (three), the time of possessionseemed pretty good. Then it becomes one dimensional at some point when you're looking up and trying tofigure out how you're going to get 17 points."
(on going for it on fourth-and-goal) "There's two things that go through your mind there: You're going to have
a chance to get it and if not you're going to leave them at the one (yard line). There's a sequence that takes
place: you're unable to get the one before, we come back and throw it, they stop it, then they go (94) yards and(kick a field goal). That's a pretty significant swing. We'll see on film if we had any goal line defense. We kind
of felt going in we were going to run a sequence there: certain run then come back to a pass. They defended it
well and we weren't able to get anything."
(on emotional energy) "Each week we have to figure out and I have to look closely at these. Hey, I'm obviously not doing a very good job if we keep swinging up and down like this. You have to be able to shake those in the same way you have to do the wins. We weren't able to do that today. They clearly outplayed us in every area."
(on starting Keenan Lewis) "We were just going to dress five corners today, so we were going to be smart and try to limit his snaps. To his credit, he came back toward the end of the week and received some reps. We felt like he could go X number of plays."
(on giving up big plays) "Our third down defense was awful. Honestly, the long yardage situations that we've
been in; whether it's 18 or 10 (yards to go), we have to be better in that area, more consistent at least."
(on if he went into the contest with a conservative game plan on offense to try to avoid turnovers) "I do not
think we went in with a conservative game plan. Once again, there were not a lot of snaps in the first half; I
think possession-wise there were three. All of a sudden, the clock is running and you are playing a game that is
going quicker and you are not receiving the same possessions. But our plan was to carry out a bunch of plays.
We wanted to be down the field. Drew (Brees) did a good job of getting us to some of those plays, getting to thecheck points. We still wanted to have our balance. Those possessions in that type of game become that much more valuable."
(on giving up the long run and field goal at end of first half) "It's poor football. It's situational football at the
end of the half. It's like stealing three points."
(on punting with seven minutes left and down 3 possessions) "You just have to trust your gut on that. I thought that we would be able to get it back a bit, get some timeouts, (and) possibly get some field position . When you call an early timeout there and they convert a first down, obviously the timeout was wasted. We were just hoping to change field position."
(on the team being 4-6 for the first time since 2007) "Every year is different. It's a different team. You look
closely at your week. You have to make sure you turn the page and don't go back to the same old, same old
next week and start all over. We obviously have to look closely at every little thing we're doing because in a
game like today, you come away from it disappointed and frustrated. They're a good football team, make no
mistake about it. Some of those matchups were going to be challenging coming in but you feel different if you
play better."
(on meeting Devon Still) "It was great to see him and it was the first time I've ever met him. Much has been
written and talked about the story. It's just something I've heard about. It's good seeing him for the first time.
You pray for his daughter, (and) you pray for his family."
(on Cincinnati playing well against the run today) "We got a handful of movement from their front. They did a
good job with some stunts. We found I think a little bit more consistent yardage in the second half. They are a
good team. Obviously we felt the importance of playing well early in the game was going to be significant. We
were able to get the first field goal but after that we really struggled getting off the field. The kicking game, we
still can't get the return game going. Kickoffs are one thing, but the punt return game was struggling. In a game like today, it wasn't real good."
SAINTS QUARTERBACK DREW BREES
(on series with fourth and goal) "We kept getting closer and closer. I believe that on fourth down, from my
vantage point, it looked like it was obviously inside the one-yard line. You are trying to give them the illusion
that you are trying to hurry up and run one up the gut, get everyone committed there, (and) then throw (the ball) to the outside. I think maybe us hurrying up worked to our disadvantage because the guy is late making his way to the edge. He feels the flow coming out the backfield, so he's able to run. Both guys were really covered we were throwing it to. You're trying to get it (to) the fullback and maybe he sneaks in. Unfortunately we didn't convert there. Obviously that was huge turning point in the game because we had an opportunity to (take the lead) by getting those points so we needed that."
(on possibility of him running quarterback sneak on fourth and goal) "There's certain elements to it. I'm not
sure we were close enough. There's a couple of things we could do but we chose the one I think they were
ready for."
(on looking at everything they're doing) "Definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and
expecting a different result. It's not a wholesale change of anything, but certainly there's elements you can
maybe change up a little bit in regards to preparation. At the end of the day, you want to create a confident
mindset, as confident a mindset as you can each and every game. We are prepared. We are ready. There's
nothing that we can see that we are not playing for. So that's the first step."
(on if this game threatens optimism) "No, I'm still annoyingly optimistic and confident. This is a tough one to
come off especially at home. That's two losses in a row both at home where we feel like we should have the
advantage and we play very well. I'm confident we are able to come out this week with an extra day being that it's Monday Night Football (next week vs. Baltimore), and because it's Monday Night Football, to really come out and make a statement as to how we see the rest of our season going."
(on possibly winning division despite record) "That is the truth, but we cannot escape the reality of where we
are right now. You are what your record says you are. We are a 4-6 team right now. I believe we can be much
better than that. None of us are happy with that, none of us feel like since we are still in contention that that is
good enough. We still have a lot of work to do. I think we've proved to ourselves based upon that Green Bay
game, based upon that Carolina game, that man we can be a really good team if we get out there and know what to do, execute, and we do what winning football teams do. Unfortunately these last two weeks, we haven't made enough of those plays, we haven't done some of those things that winning football teams do. We need to be more consistent."
(on anything Cincinnati did that was surprising) "No, defensively I think it was everything we thought it would
be with a few wrinkles obviously. Nothing that we didn't have adjustments for. I don't think we ran the ball as
well as we had hoped or planned. Again it was nothing exotic on their end, they just had a good front, did a
good job defending us and we really didn't make any big plays down the field. We were good on third down;
we kept drives alive, we converted a lot of them. What it really comes down to is the opportunities we had
inside the red zone. We only came up with one touchdown, one field goal, and we got stopped on fourth down. You want touchdowns when you get down there and maybe it changes the complexion of the game a little bit because now it's a one-possession game going down to the wire."
(on being a playoff team) "I don't really even think it's necessary to go there, to even speculate or talk about
anything past this week. You know as well as I do the state of the division, where everybody's records are.
Could we go the playoffs? Yes, we could. But we need to start playing that way."
(on punting with 7:00 left down by 3 possessions) "You want to be able to keep drives going no matter the
situation and keep getting points especially when you're down by that much you want to make it a game. Yes,
it's disappointing."
(on having a tough schedule) "Everybody has a tough schedule. Everybody plays each other. There's no
gimmes, that's for sure."
(on if there was any carryover from last week's emotional game) "No. Every game requires a tremendous
amount of energy and focus. So many games go down the wire and games go into overtime as well. We've had three out of our first nine (go to overtime) and that's maybe a little more than usual, but I don't think that played a factor."
(on flat energy being a factor) "Everybody's hyped up and ready to roll. There's always energy. Depending on
how the game goes, you feed off certain guys making plays. I know when the defense gets a turnover and the
offense gets a short field, there's this infusion of energy, it's momentum. That is what momentum is: that
infusion of energy and the belief that this our opportunity. Let's make it happen. Confidence. We just have to do more things that give us that energy and that confidence."
(on if this was a "what happened?" type of game) "They played a great game. (In) All three phases they beat us fair and square. It was nothing tricky about it. It was everything we thought they would do, I know at least
defensively (that was the case). Offensively they did a great job of possessing the ball. They were off the charts on third down conversions. They scored touchdowns, made some big plays, ran the ball extremely well. What's funny or really not so funny is usually that's how we beat people. We beat people with that type of efficiency, with that type of tempo, with those big plays, with that run game, with that balance, with momentum, with staying on the field converting third downs. That's usually the way we beat people. All of a sudden the roles are reversed today at home which is unfortunate. We have to find a way to fix it."
(on being too conservative to avoid turnovers) "I do not know what the statistics were as far as where we ran, when we ran. It didn't feel any different than what we normally do. We picked our spots, we are committed to the run game certainly. We are going to take our shots as well. Every time we took shots they were in good position. Again, we sustained drives. We were almost as good as they were on third downs, we were eight of 13 and they were nine of 13. We were on the field, we just weren't making touchdowns when we should be getting touchdowns."
(on talking to team after game) "I talk to the team a lot. It was just our plan for how we're going to do what we all say we're going to do and what we're committed to doing. We're going to find a way to bring us together and find a way."
(on being a leader and preventing guys from panicking) "I don't think anybody's hitting the panic button.
We've had an interesting season. We've had some heartbreaking moments, maybe more than usual. I will be
honest, I feel good about our chances and our opportunity we have in front of us. I feel we have a lot of young guys who are developing and maybe not quite there yet, but they're on their way. I feel like we're learning a lot about how to win. Unfortunately it's because of failure but failure can be the best teacher at times."
(on Joe Morgan returning) "I was excited for Joe. I think he'll continue to be incorporated into the game plan.
Hopefully we get (Robert) Meachem back at some point soon as well. The more guys you have like that in the
lineup the more big play opportunities you have and the more you give a defense to worry about.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS PLAYERS
RB #22 MARK INGRAM
(on the Bengals stopping the Saints' running attack) "They had a great game plan. They came out and executed. We have to do better. They beat us in all phases, offense, defense, special teams. Players
(on our team) have to do better."
(on losing momentum by not scoring from the goal line) "Any time you are that close and you can't punch it in
it is definitely a loss of momentum. We had chances to bounce back from it, and we just could not capitalize.
We couldn't make enough plays to get back into the game."
(on the Bengals containing him today) "They did a good job. They did a good job of coming off the ball. They
had a good game plan. We are the sixth ranked rush offense, so, obviously, teams are going to come in trying to stop the run. They did a good job of that today."
NT #92 JOHN JENKINS
(on the fans being flat today) "It's just that type of game. It's an emotional game. I know that people tend to act out of emotions. I don't know. I was tuned into the game."
(on what everyone will do to get better) "Me, personally, I am going to go into the weight room and I am going to work out, get stronger, try to get faster, and hit the sled. That's the only thing that can do. I can only control what I can do."
DE #94 CAMERON JORDAN
(on losing tough games this year) "We've lost four close games. This is something that we have to break down the film and learn what we can from this one and get prepared for whoever our next opponent is."
(on struggling to stop the Bengals on third down) "As a D-lineman, I have to look at it from my perspective. I
didn't do enough to make the quarterback uncomfortable. (Andy) Dalton did a good job even when we had
pressure on him, he did a good job of releasing the ball early. They came in there and got done what they
needed to get done. Even on the scrambles, we should have been able to contain him as a D-line. I will take it as my responsibility."
S #32 KENNY VACCARO
(on how frustrating it is to lose) "It's frustrating, but we put in work every week."
(on what the team has to change to correct mistakes) "I know I sound like a broken record. (It's) not change(that is the issue). We just keep doing what we are doing. (We need to) keep preparing. I have not watched the tape. We have to come up with something."
(on Andy Dalton) "He was good. We knew he was going to get the ball out in less than two seconds. They
executed (as a team)."
(on if everything needs to be re-evaluated) "I think everybody individually needs to be critical of themselves.
(Everyone should) look yourself in the mirror and get that corrected. I don't think that it is necessarily that we
need to change the whole scheme or anything like that. Everybody has to start doing their job."
