*
Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt*Opening Statement:
"It kind of goes without saying, [I am] extremely disappointed. This is three games in a row when we had the ball in our hand at the end with a chance to do something and we haven't been able to do it and we have to continue to work and push past this. It's tough lessons, but that's what the NFL is all about. We did a lot of good things today. I liked the way our team responded in the second half coming out and scoring a touchdown and making a defensive play. I really thought we had the momentum right there at the end of the game but we obviously can't let them go down and get points that quickly like we did. There were a lot of things in that game, if we make one play here or there, it changes that game and that's what we have got to continue to work on. A lot of it is our own mistakes and we can just work to clean those up. There's a lot of football left. We can continue to work the way we're working and it will turn for us and I feel like we'll end up being in a good place."On the perceived fumble:
"[The official] just told me I couldn't challenge it. He said that he called him down, he gave himself up. He told me I could not challenge it and there is not much I can say after that. What's the understanding of that rule? I don't know. I'd like to think that it shouldn't have come to that point, that's the way I have to look at it. There were a lot of calls in that game, you can't look at just one. We had a lot of chances. What we have to do is focus on what we're doing, get better at that, not make the mistakes we're making and that will take care of itself."On the sack of QB Kevin Kolb with 1:15 left in the game:
"We tried to throw a screen. We should have just gotten rid of it. That wasn't even pressure, that was just a four man rush. We were in our two-minute thing."On the common theme of sacks over the last three games:
"I'm not pointing the finger at Kevin, we've just got to get better at situational football. When it was first and three at the three for them, you know, with where it was at the end of the game, you've got to expect pass there because they are not trying to burn time off of the clock. There are a lot of those types of situations where we don't get a chance to cover them because we did not have an offseason that you talk about them. It's easy to talk about them, but until you have opportunities to go through them and rep them, it's a painful process. We have never been in these situations with these guys before and you know it's something where we have to grow up quick and not make those mistakes."On the Giants moving the ball with ease on last two drives:
"I think that it's a combination of our mistakes and them making some good plays. That's something that we cannot allow to happen. They are a good football team. They made some plays at the end of the game. You'd like to see us make those plays and that's what we have got to work to do. We have got to work to put us in a better position to make those plays. There were times we did that today. I think that again, this was a good football team. We had our chances, but we have just got to continue to work. We're doing some good things, we've got to continue to work the way we're working and know that it will turn if we do that."On his concern with just six points after three red zone trips:
"Three times and we get six points. We have one turnover and two field goals. I mean, that's the difference in the game right there. Third downs [are bothering us] again. We've got to get better at that. We've just got to continue to work at it. We got better in the second half in the red zone. We made some plays and did some things better, so maybe we've learned our lesson there and gotten better at that."
On Beanie Wells play after limited action last week:
"He was tight at times, kind of like he was last week, but he pushed through it today. He stayed warm. Beanie did a nice job. He made some good runs for us today."
On the third loss in a row:
"We talked about this as a team. Those are three games where we have been in it at the end and it's hard in this league. We've got to continue to push through it. I think a clear indication is looking at the tape and seeing the opportunities for plays that we didn't make and that is because of mistakes by us. If we get those cleaned up, we will be fine. We did better today in a lot of areas against a good football team and now, as hard as it is and as tough as it is, we have got to push forward. I don't think it is going to be a problem based on the response we have gotten from our players in the locker room. I think they know that we're close and that if we continue to work the way that we work, it's going to turn for us." Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb
On all the sacks he has been encountering lately:
"It's tough. It's disappointing. That's not all one guy or the other. It's all of us as a collective group. It has to change, it has to get better. That is the only mentality."
On the late sack that came with 1:15 to go in the game:
"It was a screen. I didn't have a lane and it was one of those bang-bang plays. The screening just has to get better obviously and that was a big play. It was a tough one. We still had a chance there at the end, 4th and 2 and we weren't able to make it happen."On having three straight games with a chance to win the game at the end:
"I know we are learning about ourselves. You get better every time you do it but it is frustrating, especially in this case to see them do it then we didn't back it up. I'm sure you would get every player up here telling you it's our fault, it's our fault, it's our fault. Both sides had a chance to put the nail in the coffin and we missed out."On how you keep from expecting these kind of games to keep happening:
"You just have to be mentally tough. Know that we believe in each other. That's not the case, that is never the case. This group of guys will fight. I think we learned something about each other today. Offensively, we looked each other in the eye and said we need to get seven here and we did it on the fourth quarter drive. The run game was great so it is obviously a negative feeling right now but hopefully we can take something positive out of it when we get up there tomorrow and correct our mistakes."
On if this job is harder than he expected it to be:
"No, I know it is a 16-game NFL season, anybody can beat anybody. I have been around long enough to know that. This is my first full season, I know there are a lot of challenges. This is one of them and I feel like I am a mentally strong person and the rest of those guys in there are too. We will keep rallying, keep working. We get paid to do that so that's what we are going to do."
On if there is any common thread with the last possessions over the last three weeks where the Cardinals failed to score points to win the game:
"There are some things that stand out. We will look at it tomorrow and again we will try to correct those things."
On how DT Darnell Dockett said he is not angry just frustrated because the team is so close:
"I am just disappointed, very disappointed. It's just hard to swallow losing one like that. Wins are hard to come by and when you get it that close you just hate to fall short. To do that three weeks in a row is [tough]. But what option do we have? We have no other option except to hit it tomorrow and go to work. That is how you get better."On what he wants to improve on personally;
"There are a number of things, just working on my drops, getting the ball out of my hand quickly and today I really wanted to focus on managing the game. I made some plays, threw for some yards here and there and I just really wanted to manage the game, know every situation, keep growing as a quarterback. We had the chance today and did it in some cases on offense and in some cases we didn't."On red zone issues:
"It has got to change."
On if he hit his left hand:
"Yeah I think it's okay. We are going to double check it but it feels okay."*
Cardinals DT Darnell DockettOn the loss:*
"They made plays when they were supposed to. We played great all game, and the last five minutes, I don't know. I haven't talked to a lot of my teammates thus far. I'll talk to them tomorrow. In the end, we fell short. We had great energy. We played against a physical team, and I think we won the physical battle. It's very disappointing, but there is a lot of football left. We are not going to point fingers and say we are not good. I'm confident with this team. I'd take this team anywhere, any place, any time. We've just got to find a way to finish it. It's one thing to go into a game when you don't have a clue and you just get beat from the start. That's not the case with this team. We've got to find a way to finish these games and we will do that. We've got some hard-working guys, and we don't do a lot of complaining. We've just got to find a way to finish these games. It's very frustrating, but it's okay. The thing I am excited about is that we do have a team that will fight. If you've got a team that will fight, things will turn. It's a challenge for us. We won't make any excuses. It's just that we beat ourselves.On what the Giants did to have success against them in the fourth quarter
:
"They did what they had to do to make a play. We were flying around. We were much faster than they were, quicker than they were. But they started throwing the ball to their receivers in the fourth quarter. We knew that. That's the thing we looked at with them. We knew they like to throw the ball to their big receivers, get the ball out there and hopefully make a play or get pass interference, and they did that today. Like I said, we beat ourselves. There is no point in dwelling on it. The week will go by fast, we will start preparing for Minnesota, and that's that."*
WR Larry FitzgeraldOn how you feel as an offense right now:*
"Right now it's disappointed. We got things going a lot better in the second half but we have to be able to do that earlier. Our defense played well for us again in the first half. We had some great opportunities to put 7 on the board, but we came away with field goals. We could have gone up 14-0 at that point, but instead we only went up 6-0. At that point, that would have put them in a whole different game plan. They would have had to start throwing the ball more and it would have opened things up for our defense, but we didn't capitalize on those turnovers."
On how the effectiveness of RB Beanie Wells helps the offense:
"We're a whole different team with Beanie in the game. He runs with authority, he finishes runs. He is able to make guys miss and he has the breakaway speed once he gets in the open field. We all saw that on display today and we've seen it over the years. I think it's big for us to be able to get him going and get him back healthy again. We had the long drive coming out of second half and that was a product of him running the football downhill. I think we have a lot to build on with that."On why weren't the Cardinals able to respond to the Giants fourth quarter drives:
"I wish I had the answer for you. We just weren't able to when we needed to. At times we looked good out there. We were in sync, we were moving the ball around, and guys were all getting involved. There were other times when we were just stagnant. It happened to us last week in Seattle and we have to find a way to rectify that."On whether or not there is there an art to finishing games:
"Yes. You see the good teams around the league that when the game is close, they are able to find a way to finish. When you lose three games by 7,8, or 9 points, I don't know what it is, but the margin of error of winning and losing in the NFL is very small. We're not doing enough to get it done at the end of the games. That falls on us as players. We have to do a better job of execute and we're not doing that right now, it's disappoint. There is no one else to blame but ourselves."On the records you attained, franchise record in yards and games over 100 yards receiving (28):
"The only record that I'm considered about right now is 1-3. That leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and I know the guys in the locker room feel the same way. We're not out here for personal accolades, what's important is going out there and winning ball games. That's our job, that's what we're paid to do, and that's what the people who come to watch us play everyday expect from us. We have to do a better job of getting that done."When you threw the block on the edge for RB Beanie Wells, did you think we responded this time:
"Yes. At that point I really thought we had a firm grasp on the game. We were moving the ball in the air and running the ball effectively, we really had them off balance. We went out there and scored. Then we had another opportunity with 2:56 left to go out there and close the game out, but we came up short. That's heartbreaking. We had the same thing happen to us two times last week against Seattle and now again this week. We have to do a better job offensively when we get our opportunities."
On your thoughts on Breast Cancer Awareness:
"The NFL does an amazing job with the Crucial Catch Campaign, raising awareness for women all around the world. The game is so visible in the NFL; it is such a big audience. Seeing the guys out there supporting it and doing there part, it means a lot to the ladies that I know cheering for us today at halftime and for all ladies affected by this horrible disease."On your thoughts on the play in the fourth quarter where Giant's WR Victor Cruz gave himself up and the referees declared it a play that was not challengeable:
"I don't want to put the referees in the position where they have to make a call for us to come out there and get it done. Had we been able to execute offensively before they got the ball, we wouldn't have even got to that play. That's the way I think of it."On whether you knew of the rule prior to the play:
"I don't even think that I've even saw that. I know that a couple years back against Carolina I did the same thing. I got up and fumbled the ball. It just didn't work out for us this time."*
T Jeremy BridgesOn how tough it is to enter the game when it is already underway, is that a challenge:*
"No. With nine years in the NFL, you keep yourself prepared. That's my role on this team right now, to keep my eyes on both of those tackles. If anything happens I have to come in and perform."
On how quite it is in the locker room right now:
"It's disappointing. We poured our heart out and that was nowhere near our best effort. Mistakes will kill you, they're your worst enemy."On whether or not there are areas of focus on both sides of the ball:
"Yes. We laid the foundation in training camp. We know where to start, but we just need to finish. I think that's the key word, we just have to finish. The offense made mistakes and then on the drive where there was 3:35 left, we didn't get the job done and then the defense didn't get the job done. We just shot ourselves in the foot. It wasn't intensity, it wasn't the work ethic, it wasn't the heart, and it wasn't the play of anybody, it was just little mistakes."On what lesson they can take from this game:
"Keep fighting and keep fighting to win. You're not fighting to lose by one point. Just keep fighting, fight to win. You have to make those plays when they need to be made, period. That's what it comes down to. You have to make the plays when they need to be made."On what was working in the running game today:
"It was just our front overbearing their front and Beanie [Wells] making some great cuts. When he's able to stay on his feet, he's a good running back, and he stayed on his feet today. There were a couple of times where he slipped. I think our grass is a little slick. Our field has been said to be a little slick. He's trying to make those cuts and a couple plays he slipped down. But when he gets his foot in the ground, he gets north and south. Nobody wants to hit him. That's basically what it boils down to. He hurts people."
On what the physical presence of the running game means to the rest of the team, especially the defense:
"They love it. They love to see us run the ball because they understand what that does to a defense. It demoralizes them, it makes them tired, and you're punishing them. Like I said, we're falling forward and getting seven to eight yards. The running back is hitting defensive backs and bouncing off of them like it's nothing. He was stiff arming defensive linemen, if they touched him. It's always better to put your hand in the dirt and run the football than it is to be in a two point stance and backing up."*
DT David CarterOn if you felt you had an advantage when the Giants had their backup center in:*
"I took advantage of that. He was a good player too, but I took advantage of that. He hasn't gone up against me yet. The first play I got in there, I got in there and teed off and got in the play. That was great."On whether or not you were thinking that play helped to seal the game:
"This is football. It is a great game. The score was close. You never know what's going to happen. I wish we had strung everything together because the defense was consistent. That was on us the last minute of the game, and we gave it up."
Cardinals RB Beanie WellsOn the game:
"It's so difficult because I know how good of a football team we can be. It's the third week in a row in which it came down to the final minute of the game. We didn't close. We need to just keep working in practice and keep staying together."
On the mood in the locker room:
"We know how good of a football team we can be. It is very evident when we go out there and play. We have to limit our early mistakes and close out the game a lot better. I think guys are going to go into this week and work even harder. We work hard in practice as it is, but we are going turn it up."On having a career-high in rushing yards:
"The offensive linemen were getting a great push, but we can't even really dwell on that because we lost the game."On losing three games early in the year:
"You know you need these games early. We want to be a team that wins the division and goes to the playoffs. We don't want to keep coming up short in games that we have a chance to win."*
Cardinals DE Calais Campbell*On losing another game late:
"It is tough. I felt like we should have won the last three games, and each game we had a chance to win at the end and we didn't. It is very frustrating. We want to win those games and we know we can win those games."
On if he was frustrated by the call that the WR Victor Cruz catch could not be reviewed:
"It hurts because it feels like that was a fumble and it should be our ball, and then we probably win the game. Then you get caught up in the emotion and they line up and throw a deep ball. They took advantage of our emotions."On if the team can turn it around
:
"The talent is here, and the ability is here. You see the first 40 to 50 minutes of the game, we were there and we had the game won. It is not anything crazy or that the talent is not here. We can win these games. Every game we lost we had a chance to win. If we can figure out how to finish, we can be a great team, a hard team to beat."On their early defensive success in this game:
"That was the goal and we did a good job. We just have to finish. We have to figure out how to finish."
Cardinals S Kerry RhodesOn the loss:
"It's very disappointing. To play the way we did for three quarters and not be able to finish the game, it's tough. This one stings."
On not being able to challenge the WR Victor Cruz play:
"It was crazy. He went down and tried to get back up, and I knocked the ball out of his hands. I thought it was a fumble. I guess he gave himself up, I don't know the rule. That's the way it goes in this league. I don't know. It's tough."On if it was strategic that he waited for WR Victor Cruz to get up:
"That is why I didn't touch him down. I wanted to wait and see what he did, and when he tried to get up I knocked the ball out of his hands. Like I said, they said he was down."On the defensive struggles late in the game:
"We have to make plays to get off the field. We played well up until that point and that is the way it has been this year. We play well for periods of time, and at the most inopportune time, we don't get it done. We just have to keep working."On if there is a consistent factor in the three losses:
"No, I just think each game is different. It isn't the same. We played well up until a certain point and just couldn't get it done. Each game is its own entity, so it's different."
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