H m hmm. On a fun day, Dog said that he felt not every player a gainful effort. As a leader of this team, how did you interpret day? How do you fix that? Um? Uh? You know he never put any specific names on it, UM, So I'm guessing you know, he feels like as a team, we probably need to play harder. But you know, I know that the intent of the guys UM that I practice with and play with every day, and and and I didn't see effort um being an issue from from my standpoint.
So I think how I address it on a from a leader's standpoint is just to make sure that you know, I show up every day, that I get the guys to show up every day in practice, which we which we already do um, but just continue to to push the things that that win games, and and focus on the game planes, the mistakes and the things that we aren't doing well. UM. As far as performance, guys, you know they love this game and lay it on the line. So I don't have to coach anybody up on energy
or showing up. It's just really the performance that we got to get back to the game. On Sunday, all the players kind of stuck together saying you were all trying and giving effort. UM. You just wanted to see to say that through the media instead of maybe only to you guys. I mean, you know, he didn't put anybody's name on it, UM, So you know, it's one of those if the shoe fits, wear it, UM. And personally, I feel like I played, you know, hard throughout the game.
I know most guys, if not all guys, probably felt like they gave one hundred percent effort and if and if they didn't, like I said, they're word that shoe. So I think it puts us in a little bit of a tough position as players because now everybody wants to know what, who are you talking about? UM? But that's not something that that that we're worried about. UM. I think everybody in this room UM understands that UM our effort is never something that that that'll be the
last thing to go, and we don't. We understand that in ourselves we're not quitters, and we trust that the guys next to us aren't quit either. So our focus this week is just simply on the game plan and fixing what we need to do to get a win. Disappointed that a team of an issue that you know, it was even brought up and everything. Um, it's not an issue. It's only the only reason we're dealing with is because I have to answer the questions what happened
in terms of the looking back of the game. Um, in terms of third success, crong age, you guys, you guys try pretty much of everything. Again, Um, it's a combination that we just got beat at a lot of them. They had some throws down the field. Um, you know, it's it's just a tough day. Third down wasn't wasn't good. Again, we didn't really have much pressure on the quarterback. Just wasn't. Wasn't a good day overall. You guys are again to find yourself where you were last year leading the league
and plays of twenty plus yards given up? Why don't the coverages work? What? What's what's going on? I mean some of them, Uh, you just getting beat at the point of attack. Um, you schemed up or you blow coverage here there, But most of them have been blowing coverages. But I mean you just get beat and you give up plays, especially big plays. Then you know that's what
that's what happens. We ask a lot from our corners m. We put them one on one um a lot, you know, and that's you know, you say you're gonna have some of those plays short. The front Sham swing was energy and effort. They thought different, more energy music, that energy. It's hard to have energy and you're down three school, you know. So, I mean, I think guys still play hard. But you know it's it's you know, from just being
a human being. It's hard to celebrate a play when you know you're trying to fight out of a whole um. But I think you know, guys still um played hard, play with effort um. You know, everybody always talks about going out and having fun, where you're only having fun when you win in and so we got to find a way to get some of the the momentum on our side, get uh some of the the plays and things to swing in our favor, and then we can
have some fun as a team. But it's it's really hard to to to have that enthusiasm that that you want to see um when when you're got your backs against wall. There's so many games this year that you guys have been in a hole early for whatever reason. Fourteen nothing, you know, ten nothing, seventeen early second quarter. Uh does that wear on guys? Is to have like a cumulatve effect, like you know, here we go again.
You know, um, no, I think you know, especially for us defensively, if a team comes out and they drive the field, we understand that the team's game plan. They have a plan, and really what we try to do is adjust to how they're trying to attack us. And then you know, we can we can tighten up UM. And so if we give up a score in the first first drive, we're not in any kind of panic. You know, we don't face as we go back, look at the cards, see what we need to adjust and tweak,
and then go back out and play um. And that was kind of the case early in the season. It's still a case. Now. The difference has been, you know, the response the next couple drives. We hadn't gotten off the field, um, hadn't got got any takeaways. And and so all of a sudden, now that that opening drive now turns into the opening two drives three, and now you got a game that that kind of gets away from you. Do you agree with the premise that these last four games, Yeah, how you guys to play will
be a reflection upon your supportive Doug. No, I don't I mean, um me personally. You know, although I love Doug, Doug is not the reason I get up and play and go to work every day. Um. You know, it's about the guys in the room and and so you know, I don't think our effort or how we play, how we perform is a direct reflection of um Doug. You know it is his his job obviously to lead us and and and get us prepared to play. But a lot of that onus is on us as players. You know,
we're the ones. I gotta go perform, we gotta make the plays, we gotta show up, we gotta get our bodies ready, to get our minds ready. Um. And there's only so much a coach can do. Um. So no I think, I think whatever is put out on that tape, Um, it's gonna be a direct reflection of the guys on the films often have clods up the lock. Where's the
lot of gram? Um? Well, I think everybody's obviously frustrate where we're at right now, but we also understand that all we can control is is this week, and you know, we want to get this win. We're back in the division,
back at home, and we want this win back. And so the biggest thing is trying and from a leadership standpoint, is trying to continue to motivate the younger players, keep them dialed into the process and the plan um, but also reinvigorate, you know what we're doing, bring some juice and try some things that um that maybe we hadn't done over over the course of the season to get this trending back in the direction that we wanted to.
He's on the other side of the ball. But if you notice if Carson has become more vocal as a leader for the whole team through the season, I mean he's I think as he gets more and more comfortable, he takes on a bigger role. But he's not in a situation where he he's a running team. You know, he's he's still a rookie and we've got a lot
of veterans on the team. But he has um he has kind of taken on a little bit more when it comes to to that leadership, but he's still not somebody that's standing up in front of the room or talking in and I think it's good, you know, he doesn't have to worry about that. He can just prepare for the games. But I think as time moves on he gets more and more comfortable, that's something that that he'll naturally do, no problem,