You know, Um, just the ebb and flow of a game. Um, and uh, you know they they got some breaks in there. We know we we were moving the ball again. I mean I think you know we had that. We had the turnover that throwed a zacher it's up a sideline there, that got got intercepted, and just kind of momentum change. They went down and scored on that, and UM, so
nothing nothing that they did obviously. UM, we just uh, we just didn't make no place to either stay on the field or you know, continue drives, execute and score. Seem some were holding back here to see when you were holding back tears, can you describe. Yeah, it's tough. It's tough because it's so final. You know, you're you're here at the end of the season. There's no more,
no more football, you know, for for twenty eighteen. And UM just told the guys, you know, just keep their heads up and we we set out on a journey way back in OTAs and we keep talking about and having no regrets, you know, and leave everything out on the field. And they did that tonight. You know, they did that this afternoon and um, they battled right to
the end. We had we had opportunities. So um, proud of them, proud of the season, proud of the adversity that we faced all season long, and um, you know, found our way to get it into the postseason and uh, um you know, just wish wish the Saints. Uh, you know, good luck going forward. It's hard. I mean it's really hard because he's so he's so down. But you know, for me, it's about staying positive. And uh, listen, he's made many many big catches for us this season and
continue he will continue to do that. And I just told him he's gotta you know, he's got to keep his head up and and don't let one play to find you. You know, it's it's not who he is. He's he's too good of a player, and um, uh he needs to he needs to. He'll embrace it, you know, obviously, but uh you know, and he'll be better for it. But I told him just to keep his head up and keep keep playing. Um. Yeah, but so is that
why you lay at that point? Plenty of time to get to the line of scrimmage and uh and get the playoff. I wanted to stay aggressive. Um just ran to play like two plays before and when we tried to stick it there and hurts, and um we got the rough in the pastor play. So it's a simple play got lined up, and I had plenty of time to think about. Yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, it's I'm sure we'll look at the tape and and and
uh you know, evaluate that. But there's always throws you'd like to have back, uh in every game, you know. But I thought the way he hung in there and battled and gave up gave our offense a chance to go down and you know, possibly win this football game. So I thought overall, he played played pretty well. Yeah you felt you felt it a little bit, um, you know, but but we listen, we we had a lot of confidence. Even at that point. We felt like we're moving the ball.
We stayed and stayed in rhythm and um no I know, but but we felt even even on that drive, we felt like we we could have um could have scored have we hit that play. But kind of changed after that point. And um, you know, again credit the Saints for for uh, you know, executing stretch stretch. Yeah, I mean it's and it's you know, it's just it's hard. It's tough. Um, you know, those guys are uh, solid players or starters, and and uh, it's unfortunate we lose.
We lose those guys for you know, Brandon for the rest of the game, but those guys for periods of time. It's it's disruptive a little bit, but you know, it's kind of been our season a little bit, you know, fighting, fighting through that adversity. And um, you know we did get them back, but but credit them too for for playing through a little injury or anything. Now that Yeah, I mean that's it's you know, you kind of expect it in that situations. Fourth and one, Um, you know,
you just gotta be prepared for that. And and um, you know again just a great play by then in the game. You were ready. We've had our defense, our defense, defense stay um calling, so our our our defense was on the field sixteen. That was the one over the middle. Yeah, um yeah, we're dropping his own and just uh again you know, um, Drew did a good job just hanging on the football and letting his guys get down the field.
I mean, it was just it was just just a window right there, you know, in the middle of the field, and and uh got it and got the first down. Sea what brought you back to relevant. Um, the guys in that locker room, Um, you know, got a lot of trust, a lot of faith in those guys. My coaches just um, you know, I'm just believing that we could we could get ourselves in this position, you know, and be in the postseason being you know it is it is one of our goals obviously, is to be
playing in January. And um, it's as you know, I've set all season a resilient group that you know, doesn't um waiver a whole lot you know, through adversity, um makes you tougher, makes you uh, um, you know, battle that much harder. So those guys in the locker room really, um, you know, fought through that and and gave us the opportunity to be in this positions. I mean I thought that we were we were, we were on our way.
You know, we got that we got to you know, Um, it just felt like the momentum at that point, I mean it was it was in our in our favor, kind of in our hands, and and uh it's been that way all season, you know, and it felt like that, uh, that sort of that magic was going to continue. Specials
after after the games, it just possible. I just told him I appreciate everything, everything he's done, you know, and everything that uh uh he's done this season, and and you know, for him to come in and step in the way he has I mean, um, you know, just just told him I loved him, and and uh, you know, we'll we'll probably visit the next couple of days. But well, I'm gonna you know, obviously, you know, I'm gonna punt
that question and talk about that later. Know that some of these guys has to be in the back of your mind decision, and it's tough. I mean it's tough because these guys are going you build relationship with these guys, you spent so much time together and and um, you know your your roster. Every year, your roster is gonna change. I mean that's just the way it is. There's there's people are gonna come, people are gonna go, and you know, um, obviously we'll we'll talk more about it, you know, in
the next next few days. But um, when you build relationship like that and you know these guys personally, makes it that much harder. Well that's the thing is, you know, we've we've we've won a Super Bowl with these guys and and uh, um, you know, we'll see, we'll see where we go at the end. We can rest. No, I'll tell you a credit the defense. I mean they got after drew, which we had to do. Um, you know, I think, uh, the one the one, one statistical thing
I think was the third down. I think they were eight of fifteen on first on third down. That was kind of the big statistic that kind of uh stood out, you know. And then conversely, I think we were two or seven. So that that to me kind of is the tail tale right there. We just couldn't get off the field enough defensively with fifteen third downs. I mean, that's a credit to get to fifteen, but then we
got to get off the field. Um. Conversely, seven for third downs is great, but you should at least convert four or five of those. Obviously a lot of guys down in the game. What was I going to say about you made the divisional round? But what was that going to say about going forward? Um? Well, and I tell you got to have a lot of confidence, uh in in in the in the guys and the coaches. I mean, to get to this position, to be in
the divisional round two games away from the super Bowl. Again, I mean is is uh, it's it's it's tough in this league. It's tough to win games. And even back when when a lot of people were you know counting us out, you know, in mid season and after the Dallas game things like that. Um, it's why you played sixteen games, you know, to give yourself a position, you know,
shot to be in this position. And um, you know it's a credit, you know looking forward, Um, you know it's a good football team, good football team, and uh you know we're gonna learn from this. We'll be better for him now. I just think they just played a little bit better. They controlled the line of scrimmage a
little a little better. Um, you know, our run game just kind of I don't say disappeared, but it was it wasn't very good you know there, and and tried to continue to run it, and um it just felt like that uh you know, Um they and we had some we had some formation issues and some things like that to kind of had to burn a couple of time outs there. But um, other than that, I think just uh, you know, credit them for their effort and and uh you know making the place. Thank you