Coach McCarthy, Warren, Heyward & Rodgers Postgame Press Conference (Week 5 vs Colts)

[0:00] That 80-yard touchdown catch run, was this really open as it was along the sideline? [0:06] I don't want to say surprise, but yeah, it doesn't happen often. [0:09] So when it did, I saw DK on my left blocking. [0:12] I just knew I had to stay on the outside of him and just run fast, make sure I didn't trip. [0:17] Or to see if anybody's chasing? [0:19] No, I didn't look. [0:20] Do you want you to have the success that you did today, both on the ground and on that play? [0:26] On that play? [0:27] Just in general, in your name? [0:29] Just trusting my teammates. [0:30] I mean, I always trust my teammates, but just the camaraderie we've built over the past couple weeks, [0:36] it really shows on Sunday for me. [0:38] What explosion plays do for you and also the offense when you get two like that? [0:43] I would just say it gains momentum. [0:45] It allows the atmosphere and even the team, let them know that we're here, the team. [0:52] So yeah, that's what I like. [0:54] Jalen, do you feel that your offense moved closer to what its identity could be over the course of the season today? [1:02] Yeah, it just shows we've got a bunch of playmakers that are all, you know, both sides of the ball. [1:08] You know, offensively, we, you know, anywhere, you can go anywhere with the ball and get exposed to plays. [1:14] So I think that's what's great about it. [1:15] Going back to this point of view, you speak to the levels of blocking that you got down the field. [1:20] You mentioned DK earlier, but also your run. [1:24] You look like Johnson and Washington, Smith and Washington have big blocks down the field for you, too. [1:30] Yeah, that just goes, you know, that's just credit to our, you know, the way we prepare throughout the week. [1:34] That's how we practice. [1:35] And so when it shows up on Sundays, none of us are surprised. [1:38] Jason, you said that you didn't look at the scoreboard to see if anybody was chasing you on that 80-yard. [1:42] Did you look up on the 50-yard one and see if anybody was trailing you or chasing you? [1:47] Nah, nah, I didn't look, honestly. [1:49] I was just looking towards the end zone. [1:50] Jason, how good was it for you to get 100 yards during this game? [1:55] I know the team wanted you to get that 100 yards. [1:58] I mean, I guess it was good. [2:00] As long as we win, that's all that matters to me. [2:03] 100 yards on the ground, I would say that's a credit to my O-line. [2:07] I just get the ball and run through the open holes. [2:09] What does it mean with Rico out these past few weeks? [2:12] Do you feel any extra added responsibility in the offense to kind of take over that RB1 role there? [2:16] I look at it as like, you know, whenever my name is called, that's just how I always played. [2:20] Whenever my name is called, I got to, you know, seize the moment. [2:24] And with Rico being down, you know, obviously it sucks. [2:27] But, you know, knowing he's one day closer to coming back, you know, [2:31] I feel like I can hold it down until then. [2:33] Jalen, what allows you to be prepared for all the snaps that you've had here in the last three games? [2:38] I guess, like I said, just my preparedness throughout the week, knowing what it could come through. [2:44] I always prepare, like I'm going to get every snap in the game, even if that's not the case. [2:48] Jalen, the other day you talked about wanting to be the best back in the stadium. [2:52] The guy on the other side is really, really, really good. [2:55] Do you think you're starting to work your way into that territory of what you consider being one of the top guys in the league? [3:02] I've always, you know, I've always believed in myself, wherever that put me, whatever tier that put me in. [3:07] Like I said, it's credit to my O-line. [3:10] Actually, we exchanged a couple words after the game, and it meant a lot coming from, you know, someone like him, JT, premier back. [3:18] So, you know, whatever tier somebody wants to put me in, that's what it is. [3:22] But I've always believed in myself. [3:23] So, Jalen, did they tell you about the 40-year, been 40 years since somebody's done that 80-yard touchdown? [3:29] Yeah, yeah, that's unbelievable. [3:31] Yeah, I know. [3:32] Yeah, I was little when, I was very little when he was playing. [3:36] And, you know, it's an honor. [3:38] It's, like I said, it's a credit to my teammates for getting, achieving stats like that, especially at this high level of the game. [3:45] Jalen, does it last a little more to you personally to have the game that you had while, you know, Jonathan Taylor on the other side is held to, you know, averaging less than two yards a carry, knowing you weren't drafted and he's a second-round pick? [3:58] I really don't look into all that. [4:00] I just worry about what we got on our side of the ball. [4:03] You know, whatever it takes to win, that's what I'm willing to do. [4:08] Thank you, guys. [4:09] Thank you. [4:10] Thank you. [4:10] Thank you. [4:11] Jalen, what was with the hot of the goal that you did enough to kind of clean up your house? [4:16] Did you think you were looking to do? [4:19] I think as we were saying, Pittsburgh, I think we read it up. [4:21] We read it up. [4:24] It's a good start. [4:25] I think any time you win a game and it comes off of a, you know, a healthy week of preparation, you know, I think, you know, the newness of how you do things in year one, this was clearly our best week. [4:39] I think taking Tuesday and then focusing on ourselves was the right call, you know, and, you know, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. [4:47] So leading into it, you know, it felt good coming into the game, but obviously it's, you know, it's never perfect. [4:52] I mean, there's things that we'll clean, continue to clean tomorrow and just keep it about ourselves, you know. [5:00] So I thought they did, their offense did a nice job. [5:04] Their big play production was up. [5:06] You know, we were obviously focused on the run, run defense. [5:11] You know, offensively, you know, I thought we had a pretty good mix today. [5:16] Special teams, you know, I think we got to continue to work the fundamentals. [5:20] That was really an emphasis all week and, you know, without seeing the film, I think that's going to be something we need to continue to emphasize. [5:27] I'll ask him specifically, what details did you find the team shored up during this week of practice and how did they come together today? [5:34] Well, I think, like anything, when you teach, you know, conceptually in the offseason, then you have known as you have injuries and so forth. [5:45] The way, you know, I believe the passing game should come together is, you know, discipline through time clocks. [5:53] You know, so I thought our time clocks were better today. [5:56] I thought Aaron did a great job of staying on time. [5:59] I thought his pocket presence was excellent. [6:03] His ability to, you know, move with his feet and make plays out of the pocket was exactly what we needed. [6:10] And I didn't really move him, you know, a whole lot in the passing game. [6:15] So I thought he did a really nice job in the, you know, in the A and B gaps, escapes and things like that. [6:22] So I would say that. [6:24] I thought our time clocks were better. [6:25] How would you describe Jalen Warnson? [6:29] I mean, he's the man. [6:29] I mean, he's hauling it right now for us. [6:33] You know, there's a number you'd like to continue to give him. [6:37] He's produced. [6:38] So it's been heavy. [6:40] It'll be great to get, you know, it'll be great to get Rico back this week, too. [6:43] So I look for Rico to practice this week and, you know, hopefully be up for the game. [6:48] So he was close. [6:50] So, you know, having him as a one-two punch was the vision of this offense. [6:57] But, you know, Jalen's crushing it right now. [6:59] He's been awesome for us. [7:01] Why does he work so well in this offense, your offense? [7:06] Yeah, I think he would, you know, in my opinion, he could work in any offense. [7:10] You know, he's dynamic in the run game. [7:13] You know, he's excellent coming out of the backfield. [7:16] And he's as tough as they come in pass pro. [7:18] You know, our protection adjustment packages are, you know, I would say multiple, you know, [7:25] on the high end of volume. [7:26] And he does a great job with that, too. [7:29] So he's a three-down player. [7:31] And he can beat you inside zone, outside zone. [7:34] So, I mean, there's nothing, you know, run concept-wise we lean against them. [7:39] So, you know, I love his game. [7:41] You guys came into this game with missing one receiver. [7:43] Michael Pittman, Jr. [7:44] Lost two more within the game. [7:46] How did that force you guys to modify your approach at all? [7:49] Yeah, I mean, it's real credit to the young guys because we didn't blink. [7:52] I mean, we didn't change anything. [7:54] You know, Ben's been – he's been excellent for us. [7:56] You know, we've been packaging him. [7:58] And so to lose him in the flow of the game was, you know, was an adjustment. [8:02] But, you know, I thought that, you know, Brandon did a nice job with his opportunities. [8:08] We were focused on Jerm getting more opportunities today. [8:12] So he definitely delivered. [8:14] So, you know, I haven't been – you know, I haven't talked to the trainers yet. [8:18] But hopefully Romans is – hopefully it's not serious. [8:21] But, you know, losing those guys in the flow of the game [8:24] and not having the cross plays off your call sheet, I think it speaks volumes for our guys. [8:31] You know, even our tight ends. [8:32] We obviously want more tight end emphasis personnel there. [8:35] So we were able to just keep staying with the game plan. [8:40] Mike, what went in the decision to put Patrick Graham on the field rather than on the end? [8:44] Well, frankly, you know, back in training camp when, you know, [8:50] when you get to the point where you're getting ready to play preseason games, [8:52] you know, I had really two rosters as far as who's up and who's down. [8:56] And after the Green Bay game, this is – frankly, was my preference [9:00] to have both Patrick and Joe on the field. [9:03] So we gave it a shot the other way. [9:07] So we'll evaluate this. [9:08] You know, we just – you know, I just felt that we needed – it needed to be different. [9:13] But, you know, I think communication on game day is such a critical part to your success. [9:20] I mean, you used to always talk about, you know, the Monday morning quarterback. [9:23] You can't wait until Monday. [9:24] How you can't even – you got to have it – you got to be ready to come in here these days. [9:28] So what I'm talking about, we can't have things that we miss that we're talking about after the fact. [9:35] So, I mean, there's nothing better than, you know, face-to-face communication. [9:38] So I think when your coordinators and your play callers are on the field, it's definitely the best case. [9:44] It's – you can understand why some people would like to call it up there, you know. [9:49] So it's an easier environment to, you know, lay everything out. [9:53] And you could probably do more – manage more things. [9:56] But, you know, the communication component, I think, is the priority. [10:01] And that's why we did it. [10:02] Mike, did the players say they preferred that? [10:04] I'm sorry? [10:05] Did the players say they preferred having Patrick? [10:06] I didn't ask them. [10:07] You just decided that? [10:10] Yes. [10:10] Yeah, I mean, we've been talking about it since preseason. [10:13] Mike, in regards to you saying that this was clearly your best week preparation-wise, [10:17] was there something that stood out to you over those Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday days [10:21] that made you feel that way? [10:22] I mean, there's always little things, indicators. [10:24] You know, I'm not going to sit here and tell you every time we practice fast [10:27] and we finish, you know, plus three over minus five, that, oh, that's a better practice. [10:32] Because, you know, the video obviously tells a story. [10:35] But we had good video this week. [10:36] I thought the corrections were seamless. [10:40] There's, you know, when you get going as a team, you know, your corrections are almost [10:45] like checking boxes. [10:46] You know, everything's not a discussion. [10:48] Not everything's, you know, it's just like when you ask someone what time it is, you don't [10:52] want to hear how the watch was built. [10:53] So, you know, but you have to go through some of those conversations. [10:57] So, I just think we're hopefully, you know, hopefully this, you know, we're starting to hit [11:01] our stride. [11:01] How much did the self, you guys had the self-scalp day earlier this week. [11:06] How much did that contribute to a lot of those changes and those corrections? [11:10] And is this kind of the response that you expected after? [11:12] Well, I think anytime you have a chance to spend more time on self-improvement, you know, [11:16] you hope it definitely shows up in the performance. [11:20] So, yeah, I'd like to think that the fact that we're staying here with a win today, that it's [11:25] part of it. [11:26] But, you know, you're really, that process is really ongoing. [11:30] I just think, you know, having the ability to just say, hey, we're going to take a four-hour [11:34] block and work nothing on just self-scalp and go into it deeper. [11:39] So, you know, I think there's definitely benefits from it. [11:41] And it was great that we came out of this today with a win. [11:45] What are your thoughts on the performance of the offensive line? [11:50] Only gave up one sack and you had a 100-yard runner. [11:54] Yeah, definitely. [11:54] I think our O-line's coming together nicely. [11:57] I love their temperament, their personality. [11:59] You're starting to see that more and more each week. [12:02] I think every time we talk about the O-line, the importance of having five starters play [12:07] together every day is a critical, critical factor to O-line being successful. [12:13] So, we've had three weeks of that now. [12:14] So, we just need to continue, continue working. [12:17] But, I thought those guys played very well today. [12:20] What down call there was six minutes left? [12:24] Was that a sign of confidence in that line, that call specifically? [12:28] I mean, there you kicked, maybe you go up by five and then you touched on it. [12:31] You decided to continue to do the rest. [12:32] Yeah, definitely. [12:33] I mean, I think, like a lot of things, you know, your game plan, you know, you have those [12:37] call options ahead of time. [12:40] The ebb and flow of the game is what I ultimately rely on. [12:43] And you have your analytics, you know, components on, you know, you get that information really [12:48] the prior to every series. [12:50] So, you can anticipate the call. [12:52] But, yeah, I had total confidence in our O-line and Jalen to get that, you know, to get that [12:57] conversion. [12:58] Two more. [12:59] Two more. [12:59] I know you weren't here last year, but how much did you look at what the Steelers did [13:03] against Jonathan Taylor a season ago when they were here and try to replicate that today? [13:08] You know, to be honest with you, I really watched the game. [13:10] I watched their defense. [13:12] And, you know, statistically, I thought it was a very odd game, you know, with the turnovers [13:16] and so forth and so forth. [13:18] But, yeah, the big thing we get out of those games, us being year one, is the matchup for [13:23] the players. [13:24] Last one, their contribution on both sides of the football special team. [13:28] Can we stop? [13:29] Because Cam has children. [13:33] There's not better than a win at one o'clock. [13:34] So, it was great seeing you all. [13:36] See you tomorrow. [13:37] All right, Cam, you got it, bud. [13:38] I didn't know that was how it was going to end. [13:40] All right, I guess we'll open it up. [13:43] Cam, can I ask you, similar to what I just asked Mike there, from your point of view, [13:46] since you played in the game last year, how much was your approach similar to what you [13:50] wanted to do against Taylor today as it was a season ago? [13:53] And how did you carry that forward? [13:55] You know, with that team, it starts with JT. [14:00] And it's an 11-man job, multiple guys to the ball. [14:04] Obviously, you want to replicate that. [14:06] But, you know, it's harder said than done. [14:07] And, you know, that was definitely one of the deciding factors in the game. [14:11] Cam, your ability, the team's ability to bounce back in games after a loss, it's been [14:15] repeated. [14:16] You've done it several times a year. [14:17] What is it about the guys who do that? [14:19] We hate losing. [14:21] We try to learn from our mistakes. [14:23] Got good leadership in a guy like Aaron. [14:26] And, you know, the offense played very well. [14:29] And then on defense, we just, we understand that we got to clean up our mistakes, whether [14:33] it's, you know, tackling or execution. [14:37] And you can always be better at that. [14:38] Cam, your thoughts on just the team's ability, your unit's ability to only allow one touchdown [14:44] and along with the turnover on downs as well. [14:48] I think that's the deciding thing in the game. [14:51] I think being able to have multiple hats to the ball, surrender three instead of seven [14:58] was huge for us. [14:59] And our offense was scoring at a high rate. [15:02] So you put that together and it definitely makes us to be a tougher opponent. [15:07] And, you know, we got to continue to keep doing that. [15:09] I know they got one touchdown, of course, but it was seven plays inside of four or so. [15:14] You generally, I mean, they got one through. [15:16] But are you proud of the way they run defense and the way you guys stood up in this scenario? [15:20] I would have been more proud if we didn't surrender it. [15:23] But hats off to a lot of our guys. [15:27] You know, when you have these long drives, we get other guys to step up. [15:31] Gabriel Rubio, Keanu Benton, YA Black. [15:35] There's just a multitude of guys who stepped up in those instances. [15:38] And, you know, I think, you know, just really hitting home, getting off the field when we [15:44] can, and especially in the red zone and only surrounding one touchdown was huge. [15:48] Two more. [15:49] Mike Warren's had a couple big games, right, in a row. [15:51] You see him in practice every day. [15:53] What's the most impressive thing about what he does in practice and how that translates? [15:58] I think there's a lot of things that stand out. [16:02] He's able to catch out of the backfield. [16:03] He's able to run. [16:04] And his contact balance is just unreal. [16:08] And he finishes every play. [16:11] That dude does not have a bad day. [16:13] And, you know, we put a lot on his shoulders, but he's able to deliver. [16:18] You guys, you felt the preparation. [16:23] Is that something that you guys felt too? [16:25] Was there anything noticeable that stuck out? [16:26] I think it's only good preparation when we win. [16:30] You know, I've had plenty of weeks where we prepared well and didn't get the job done. [16:33] So, we were able to execute and get off the field and get a W. [16:38] But, we got to keep doing that and keep stacking. [16:41] Thanks, Cam. [16:42] B2, coming to the stage. [16:56] Keep it moving. [17:01] Keep it moving. [17:07] Fast and furious, huh? [17:09] All right, welcome it up. [17:10] Eric, what's the most kind of gratifying thing today? [17:13] The continued point production, the explosion plays? [17:16] Oh, yeah, I mean, I felt like we moved the ball pretty good. [17:22] But, we also had some splash plays. [17:24] Obviously, you throw in the flat and go 80. [17:26] That's a big boost. [17:29] Also, I had a 50-yard run. [17:31] First guy since Herschel Walker in 1986, I just found out. [17:36] 80-yard catch and a 50-yard run. [17:38] That's pretty incredible. [17:39] See, it's been, what, 40 years? [17:43] Yeah, pretty outstanding. [17:44] Have you thrown too many one-yard passes that turned into an 80-yard run? [17:48] No, I've definitely thrown a few of those where I did absolutely nothing now. [17:51] Although, I did take a shot on that play. [17:53] So, I feel like I kind of earned a little bit. [17:55] Maybe not 80 yards in the touchdown, but, yeah. [17:58] A few weeks ago, you talked about Jaylen's top net. [18:02] What's it like, from your perspective, seeing the type of day that he was able to do? [18:08] No, you're just not really surprised. [18:10] He's just such a slippery player. [18:13] First guy rarely brings him down. [18:15] He's good inside the tackles, good outside the tackles. [18:18] Always moving forward, always, you know, spinning, slipping out of plays, finishing runs. [18:26] You know, he's just, he's one of the most liked players on the team. [18:29] And so, guys want to block for him on the offensive line and the tight ends and the receivers. [18:34] And just really enjoy his energy from start to finish every day of the week and enjoy what he does for us. [18:42] For recognition nationally, Jaylen Warren. [18:48] Yeah. [18:49] But, I mean, they have their favorites and people they want to talk about. [18:52] So, it's what it is. [18:55] Aaron, what did you see in the fourth quarter, that 17-yard touchdown pass that prime move? [19:01] How dependable is he as well? [19:05] Blair, those are gimme touchdowns that you want there. [19:09] They played, you know, a form of two-man, so they're kind of doubling DK week. [19:14] And the backer has the back, and somebody's got to win in one-on-one situations. [19:18] And we haven't done that, you know, as much as we would have liked this season. [19:22] But I like the matchup. [19:24] I like the call. [19:25] And I love the route. [19:27] When you go back and watch it, which I will tonight, you know, be pretty happy about the route. [19:33] You don't just miss Guy White open in front of you, and Pat does the rest. [19:38] Bill was saying, off of that play, you guys were setting up earlier in the game that Pat sort of threw a pick for him. [19:47] And you guys were like, hey, we're going to come back to that and do it in reverse. [19:50] How long went into that? [19:52] Yeah, those two plays aren't really related. [19:54] So, yeah, they're not really related. [19:57] But, no, I'm proud of the way Pat played and proud of the way Jerm played. [20:02] Like I said, you're very much on time today. [20:05] The clock worked well once the ball was snapped. [20:07] Did you feel that in the moment? [20:08] And how much did the pass protection help in that regard for you up front? [20:13] Yeah, pass pro was phenomenal. [20:15] Barely got in touch other than Grover hitting me early in the game in a sack when we didn't pass off a twist. [20:22] I thought the line blocked really well. [20:24] I thought we run blocked well. [20:26] I thought we finished the game in the four-minute nicely. [20:29] And the pocket was nice. [20:31] And the guys were getting open. [20:34] Jalen, what was your initial thought when you see that guy coming free? [20:37] When he was coming free? [20:40] Well, I knew that we were sliding to the left, which meant we should have been, you know, kind of squeezing on the right side. [20:46] And I was just hot off with a backer on the line of scrimmage because they had six on the line. [20:49] So he dropped off. [20:50] So I'm like, oh, we're free. [20:51] But he didn't drop off to the flat. [20:53] He dropped off straight back. [20:54] So we had a slant and a slant on the outside. [20:58] So I just threw it to Jalen right as I'm throwing it. [21:00] I'm feeling somebody about to just destroy me. [21:05] And it's fun to watch him just go down the sideline. [21:08] You think, oh, it's going to be a big play. [21:09] Oh, now 20, now it's 30, now it's 40. [21:11] Oh, he might score. [21:11] Oh, that's cool. [21:12] Yeah, didn't really have to do anything other than take a shot. [21:15] Playing on the ground like that? [21:17] Yes. [21:18] And I saw four over there. [21:20] So any time four is in the mix, downfield, you feel pretty good about him blocking for somebody. [21:25] Jalen should start to get really wide scale. [21:30] I don't, I mean, I'm not really on the social media checking out what the scuttlebutt is [21:34] about, you know, the great players in the league. [21:37] So he should. [21:39] Yeah, he should. [21:39] From that priming touchdown, you guys come out with three tight ends and spread them out. [21:43] What does that do for you as a quarterback going, hey, I have this many sides? [21:46] Well, both guys on the right were actually open. [21:49] The guy guarding, I think it was Akeem was guarding. [21:54] Darnell slipped. [21:55] But the guy on Pat was so far off and inside, I was just trying not to get it knocked down [22:00] on the line of scrimmage. [22:02] Did the offense get closer to who you hoped would be its identity for the course of the [22:07] season? [22:08] Did some of that happen today? [22:09] No, I don't know. [22:10] I mean, I'd like to get DK going every single week. [22:13] And, you know, today was, you know, he had sauce on him and a lot of help at times, too. [22:19] So they weren't giving him really any one-on-ones. [22:21] And when that happens, we got to have, Pat's got to win, Jalen's got to win. [22:24] Jeremy's got to win. [22:26] Those guys got to make the plays. [22:28] And today, they didn't. [22:29] Two more. [22:29] Don't get beat to the flat shirt. [22:31] Is that just a coincidence? [22:33] Or is that a warning to the Colts defense? [22:35] Jalen did that a couple times. [22:37] No, it's not a warning. [22:38] I mean, it's an ode to Mike T. You know, he used to always say, don't get beat to the [22:42] flat. [22:43] So I wore this underneath my sweatshirt. [22:45] I'm kind of hot after the shower. [22:46] So I decided not to wear the sweatshirt. [22:49] Last one. [22:50] How did you like the response to your receiver room after Roman and Ben exited? [22:54] And how did that maybe affect the offense when you guys went a little heavier on tight [22:58] defense? [22:59] Well, B. Smith hasn't taken a ton of offensive reps. [23:03] Now, I've been around him for a few years. [23:05] He was with us in New York. [23:06] And I always enjoy him being on the field, his ability. [23:09] I think he's a talented guy. [23:11] But we can play in 12 all day long. [23:15] And if we need to, we will. [23:17] But I was really proud of Jerm, the way he stepped in. [23:20] There were a couple of plays with B. Smith. [23:21] Like, we had this play, you know, we're running inside zone. [23:24] And we have this, like, short motion to block the safety. [23:26] And we just, by the end of the week, it was just assumed, that motion. [23:28] So I wasn't even calling it. [23:30] And I looked over and I was like, oh, B's probably never done this. [23:32] So I was kind of like, hey. [23:34] And he didn't know what I was thinking. [23:36] So we were kind of making it up a little bit as we went there. [23:39] But I'm proud of B. Smith. [23:40] He's a smart guy. [23:41] He knows his stuff. [23:41] And he'll be ready to take on a bigger role this week, I'm sure. [23:45] Thanks. [23:45] Thanks, sir.