What Falcons players said after win over Bucs

Kazee: ‘I’ve been depressed the past three-four weeks’

The Falcons defensive back discusses the much-needed victory.

JULIO JONES, wide receiver 

On the third quarter: "They slowed us down a little bit in the third quarter."

On practice: "I starts with the preparation. We have to figure out how we wanted to practice and that carried over and helped us in the game. We were competing against one another in practice. We got into it a little bit with some of the guys. It's got chippy. We are just trying to make each other better all around the board."

On moving forward: "We got the win, but we have to do better. We still have to continue to keep working."

On the bench: "Russell Gage, a couple of guys made some plays. Hooper. Everybody just stepped up and make some plays."

On Ryan's scramble: "That was a great play by Matt. I though he was going to float it to me. I went in. I had a slant and went back out. It was a heck of a play by Matt. He lowered his shoulder and got the ball down the field."

On turning it around: "You always have to start somewhere. First of all, it was a great win. We have to get in there tomorrow and there are going to be some things we have to clean up. Everybody is patting you on the back saying 'good job. Good job.' But we have some things we have to fix, too."

On the practice fights: "We were just competing. It was one those things where I can give you a look or I can really give you a look. That's what we needed for the game."

On moving forward: "The things about where we are now, we are always into the Brotherhood. When I'm tired, I'm not going to the sidelines because I need to be in there for everybody else. We got to that point today and we just have to keep building on it."

On Justin Hardy and Russell Gage: "They made some great players for us."

DEVONDRE CAMPBELL, linebacker 

On practice: "I wouldn't say chippy, but there was an increased sense of urgency."

ROBERT ALFORD, cornerback 

On the win: "We knew adversity was going to hit us. Just to get this victory, it's going to push us to even greater things. All we have to do is keep our heads on straight and keep going."

On the two interceptions: "Those were real big. If they get into the red zone we wanted to make sure they came away with a field goal or a takeaway. The guys on our defense took that to heart."

DUKE RILEY, linebacker

On the scramble play: "Find the ball. Go get the ball. Smell blood and go get it. That's what was going through my mind, go get the ball."

On the win: "I was good to get the win especially with all of the work that we put in. The Brotherhood and all of that stuff. It was just good to get the win. It shows the fans and everybody that we are not giving up. We are not going out like that. Just because people are out doesn't mean we can't still win. We've got the right guys in the room and the right coaches and we've got the right attitude."

JAKE MATTHEWS, left tackle

On Matt Ryan's performance: "It's really to be expected at this point. He's such a gutsy player and baller, and as an offensive line, we always say let's make these option plays, and he's going to prove that, and he did that today; so awesome game by him."

On adjustments made during halftime: "We were pretty excited by how the first half went, and in the third quarter, we didn't do enough. I think what was awesome was how we responded in the 4th quarter, and we were able to put a drive together, score and take that nine-point lead, and at the end getting the field goal. We feel good; it's exciting to go about the month with some stuff you want to take back and have been struggling with, but it's awesome. Any time you win in the NFL, it's hard to do."

On dealing with injuries offensively:  "DQ (Dan Quinn) always says 'trust the process.' We have the players that we need, we have the depth; our guys came in and made plays and we stuck to the plan. That is the way it should be every week when we execute. It's exciting, it feels good to do."

On dealing with past losses building up: "It was frustrating. We expect a lot out of ourselves as a team. We have a lot of talent on this team, we pulled it out with high regards. It feels good to stick with what we know how to do, and train all week, prepare and come out and get it done. It builds a lot of confidence for us and we're going to carry that into next week."

DAMONTAE KAZEE, free safety

On what he saw during the final play of the game: "We knew that they were going to lateral it at the end. Once we saw him run he had to lateral it, as soon as it went out of bounds there was a lot of stress released."

On what was going through his mind when he saw Jameis Winston running toward him: "What's going on in my mind is pull up on the quarterback, don't get a fine. Don't hit him."

On how it felt to snap their three-game losing streak: "We needed that win. It made me very happy, I've been depressed the past three-four weeks, man."

On what the defense was thinking during the final drive:

“We knew we needed a stop. Enough is enough, the past few weeks we’ve been getting punched in the face and I can’t take it anymore. We can’t take it anymore. We have to fight back, and that’s what we did today.”

DESMOND TRUFANT, cornerback

On today's game: "It was a close one. Division game, division rivalry so what else did you expect?"

On whether he has ever seen a team attempt a lateral like Tampa did at the end of the game: "It was definitely different, but they had to do what they had to do in order to try and win. They gave it their best shot and we gave it our best shot, and I'm happy we were able to finish the game."

On how the defense contained Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson: "They called some short routes, some hot routes, but the main thing with them is they're an explosive team. We didn't give them anything deep/over the top and that's what usually gets them rolling, but today we won that battle."