Here’s what Falcons coach Dan Quinn had to say after the Wild Card playoff win over the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday:
Opening statement: "As we're getting started tonight, I just felt what a total team effort it came from our group of guys. This is certainly a battle-tested brotherhood for us, and I thought that paid off tonight. We finished plus two with the ball in our turnover margin and we had talked to our team quite a bit about that. We knew the ball-hawks that the Rams defense had and the success they had doing that. So to finish plus-two tonight, both created by special teams and then the old man (K Matt Bryant) was at it again – 4-for-4 with some big kicks by Bryant.
“I thought defensively, a really solid game. I thought (defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel) and the guys, the staff and the players really through a good week in preparation to make sure they had the right plan of how to attack and play. It’s an excellent offense on the other side, so I really want to tip our hat to the defense today for coming up with that performance.
“Then offensively, to end with a time of possession over 37 minutes, that’s hard to do in our league. As I thought it especially starting off when there’s a nine-minute drive to start the second half. I thought that really set the tone for the second half. Last part, we certainly heard our fans at the end of the game. What an awesome feeling that is being on the road and hearing that crowd right behind you. I’m sure they were tuned up and nice and loud back home in the city as well. We’re really pumped on tonight’s performance. I thought the guys displayed a lot of toughness and resiliency. We’ve got a shift happened for us, and we got a lot to prove. We’re certainly looking forward to our next game.”
On the keys to the defense on holding the No. 1 offense to 13 points: "We came in talking about tackling, because although they're prolific throwing it, the run game has been a factor for them as well. We thought the tackling and the yards after the catch led would be a real factor. I believe they're No. 1 in the league in yards after catch. So, the small catches that can turn into catch-and-run plays, we tried to make the biggest emphasis on that. Past that, it was about the communication, the execution, can we play at our speed that we wanted to. I thought the guys did a really good job of owning their responsibilities."
On the play of the offensive line in the second half: "We had to stay committed to that. Their rushers are that talented where we didn't want to make it into a drop-back game. We thought there would be some more space early on in the run game, but there wasn't. But, we knew we were going to stay committed to it as part of our plan, and it certainly came through in the second half. I thought offensively, (offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian) and (offensive line coach) Chris Morgan and the guys really had a good plan of how to go about it. There were some really physical runs by our backs. Although, the third-down numbers may not look like what we're accustomed to, I thought there were some significant third downs gained on some of those drives."
On the 13-10 lead heading into halftime: "We just talk about what's going to be next. There's nothing that we can do without not scoring and kicking some field goals in those spots. However, we knew what was ahead. Offensively, we were about to go and get it started on a drive. We just wanted to go about how we'd attack next. We always want to finish drives with scores. But at the end of the day, we knew points were going to be a factor in this game – it certainly felt that way where it wasn't a big explosive scoring game. So in those moments, you'd better take advantage of the points when you can get them."
On the biggest adjustment for the offense based on the pressure they faced in the first half: "We really wanted to create some space in the run game and we thought that would be a real factor for us, so not only can we advance and play on some of the third downs and short yardage, but that would also open up some of the play action for us. So, we were going to be really committed to it, to stay with it and we thought as long as we stay in that way and gain some yards on our runs, third downs wouldn't be quite as long. I thought, just a gutsy performance by a lot of guys. I think the team, especially offensive line, really showed a lot of toughness through the second half."
On his vantage point of Mohamed Sanu's touchdown that changed the momentum of the game: "Well, we thought he had a chance, I thought maybe he'd score. He is such an aggressive playmaker and catcher. When he gets his hands on the ball, even if a guy has a chance at him, he's really physical and can finish and that's one of the things I really admire about his game."
On if he thought there were things they could exploit after watching the Rams on film: "I don't know if there was anything that we thought differently. We just went into the mindset, in terms of the things that we can feature our guys in the best way against how they want to deploy the receivers. We had a lot of respect for their run game, in terms of how they used it and the screen game that went with it. We made a huge emphasis for us on tackling. Their yards after the catch was so high that we knew we had to mix some man-to-man, mix in our pressure, and challenge the guys at the line of scrimmage, so they didn't have free access to run and catch against a zone defense all night. I thought Marquand and the staff really were the ones behind that to make sure that there wouldn't be any free grass and free yards and was really going to make them work for it."
On if he likes that his team is defined by defense being a defensive guy: "I wouldn't say we're suddenly defined by that. But, I think in tonight's performance it was certainly a good one. What I love about our team is that it's all three phases and that's when I think a team can be at our best. I said nothing beats teamwork and that's when all three groups are working together. Not having to rely on this score or a high percentage to score and hang in there is a good feeling. But more importantly, I love what this teams stands for because all three phases are really connected and knowing they have a responsibility to each other."
