We Have to Be More Consistent | Press Conference

We Have to Be More Consistent | Press Conference

And uh Hooker came out of the game with ribs there. They’re being evaluated now and I’ll have more answers for you tomorrow. Uh but just looking over at the game, you know, sloppy all around. Too many too many mistakes throughout the game against a good team. Um you know, a couple turnovers offensively uh that hurt us. You know, any game against a good team, you can’t have turnovers. Um you know, I was very aggressive there at the end of the half on fourth and one going for it. It did not work out. And then, you know, we had a, you know, delay a game going into that and then after that when they get the ball, uh, penalties to give them the opportunity to get points. So, instead of us getting points at the end, uh, they get it. So, that kind of turned things around. So, uh, we got to do a better job there. And, um, so that’s that. Seemed like you guys making strides last few. What was what changed today? Yeah, it was just it’s it’s sloppy. You look at the whole thing. you have 10 penalties, you know, uh, two turnovers. Um, some big plays were given up. Uh, you know, so it’s we weren’t very good on third down offensively where that’s where we had been better the past couple. What were we two of something? I think it was two of 12, whatever. So that that’s never going to be good enough. So there’s a lot of things. It was it was a sloppy game all around. You guys feel like you had them ready considering all those factors? Yeah, we were ready. Yes. That first drive it was like 70 yards. I think it was ended up with 88. What What changed after that? The the fumble by DK? Well, you have the Yeah, you have a fumble and then you have three three and outs. And I think I’ll say this, I think Tony Pard did a great job running the football today. Very physical. It was blocked well up front. Uh but then you have the, you know, a couple three and outs there. So, you don’t get as many touches. You like the way we’re running the football there. So, um we got we got to be more consistent. You know, that that was a great start. You know, you if you look at our games, I think we’ve been doing a nice job starting the games with the drives offensively and then but you can’t have three three and outs. That that really hurts. Last week, last week, Cam was able to kind of get some momentum going with some roll outs and throw it on the move and and also with his legs. Why wasn’t there much of that involved? Well, I think if you look at, you know, like I just talked about, there’s there’s four three and outs during the game. So, you can’t get in rhythm there as you go. Oh, you know, 11 play drive to start the game and then obviously there was the turnover and then three three and outs and then we moved the ball down there at the end of the half to get an opportunity when we go for it in fourth and one and then after that we didn’t really get anything going. You know, we finished the game on a couple downs going for it and then it seemed like too that there settled for a lot of short passes, check downs and things like that where there just not open options down the field. Yeah, I think they took certain things away. Um I think we probably we missed a couple opportunities there. I think we dropped a couple balls throughout the game. Um, so it was just, you know, we got to do a better job all around. It was, it was sloppy. How frustrating are the penalties, especially the ones that keep alive? Yeah, that’s that’s critical. You know, penalties that get them points. I think there’s uh two scores they have at the end of the half and then the beginning of the second half. Uh, that penalties, extended drives, certain things like that. And you understand, you know, when you got a kicker like that too, uh, we can’t have that. You have more personal fouls than points. What do you think about the discipline part of the penalties, particularly after after the whistle? We can’t have we can’t have those penalties. It’s it’s unacceptable. We can’t be doing it. It’s hard enough to win and to stop teams defensively and move the ball offensively. Uh we’ve had the past couple weeks, I’d say, way too many penalties. Did you get an explanation? Did you get an explanation from Julius about what kind of started that fight there in the No, I I did not. No, I did not. I’ll look it on tape and see what I I I do not know that. In your experience, do you choose to discipline players after something like that happens or you kind of just let things take No, we’ll look at it and see what happened. Um, we’ll go from there. Mike, what happened at the end of the first half when you guys take the delay again, but you got all three timeouts on the board? Well, we got we that’s unacceptable. I thought he was going to snap the ball. Thought he was going to snap it and you know, I’ve got to have more awareness myself, too. So, I got to call timeout if I see that. And uh there’s been a couple times even last week that exact same thing came up and he snapped it right at the last second. So, that’s what I thought he was going to do. Uh but that’s on me. I I I can’t let that happen. So, I got to be do a better job there and just call timeout if whether it’s even if it’s at 1 second, two seconds. I don’t think he’s going to get it off. I got to do a better job there. What was the thought process, Mike? I guess on the first drive, you get down to the three or close fourth and three. What What did you balance there? Yeah, we we said if if we got down there and the conversation was if it’s this if it was fourth and two, we’re going for it. If it’s fourth and three, we’re going to kick it. The first drive, get points. And that’s what we said uh before the play was even snapped. And that’s what it was there. And then I was very aggressive going down there uh at the end of the half saying it’s fourth and one with, you know, the time that was left there. Get the first down, call timeout if it’s inbounds, uh and then take a couple shots then go for a touchdown. And that that that did not work. So that that’s on me. That’s my I I made the decision. It did not work. So, I take full responsibility for that. Coach, was the play calling was the play was the play calling this week um were you guys seeing something on tape during the week that caused you to throw more of the whole shots instead of attacking the middle of the field like you did the previous two weeks? No, I I think there’s um you design a game plan. You put a game plan together and you go execute it. And there’s certain coverage that are going to be run that take you to maybe one of those whole shots or not. It may not be designed initially to throw that, but then all of a sudden they take a route away underneath or something. So you see it, you throw it. Um, so it’s you’re going to go through a progression. I’m not going to say it’s always this or that. It’s defensively sometimes change your progression. You got to move on uh in the progression. You feel like the players are completely interested in this game today? Yes, they are. What tells you that based on the effort? Well, I know I know the players that we have and the type of people we have in that room, so I know they’re going out there and playing. You talk a lot about inconsistency this season and you talk a lot about knowing the players in the room. At this point in the year at 1 and 11, what gives you the belief that this is inconsistency and it’s not just who the team is and that these are what these players Well, I know what kind of players they are, what kind of people they are. They’re true professionals. Uh they come in week in and week out, work their tails off. They fight to the bitter end of every single game. Um and when I talk about the consistency part of that, that’s the game of football. You want to, you know, be more consistent. You always look at that and you know you’re you’re making progress certain times and then all of a sudden something comes up. You got to get out of that and continue to keep going. Would you not say the results have been consistent though? Well, it’s you’re trying to win football games and that that’s the most important thing. You’re trying to go out there and win and play your best football and we got to do a better job so we can win these games. Get things back on track offensively. Um the same stuff that’s been happening the whole season. Just self-inflicted wounds. Um myself on the on the first three and out. when I need to progress, throw, you know, throw right over the ball, then the second one probably just step up and run for it. So, everything is just self-inflicted. Um, it’s been like that the whole year and it was like that today. I know there’s a million things happening around you, but were you less comfortable today than you have been in previous weeks. You looked like you were moving around a little more in the pocket out of necessity. Um, no, just how I felt the pocket at the time. Um, I just think that’s just something I got to continue to harp on myself, get better at each and every day. Um, and then just distribute the ball to my playmakers. frustrating Jim I guess as a team you guys have maybe made some strides in recent weeks been competitive today would seem like a step back how come you think it was um I mean I’m big on results so win loss is the only thing I care about strides we haven’t made any strides we’ve got the same outcome for the last couple weeks so um it’s more about just winning a football game now no matter how it gets done whether one side of the ball is playing good and the other side isn’t um or special teams wins the game for us, but it comes down to just winning games. Do you think that teams today was as interested as it’s been in other weeks? Guys have more personal fouls than points. Seemed like a lot of guys weren’t that into it. Uh you saying us? Um no, we into it every week. Um it’s just the the way, you know, football goes. Um, and I mean at the end of the day, the the personal fouls, you know, we had the the penalties, the bad plays that we had on offense, it all, you know, supported the reason why we lost the game. Um, and and that’s just something that unacceptable from just us as a organization and that’s just something that we got to improve on. You guys have talked about some unacceptable stuff and you just said like you don’t necessarily see the the improvement you want in wins or loss. So, like when does the unacceptable stuff get to be too much? Um, it’s already too much, honestly. Uh, throughout the whole year, from week one all the way to now, it’s always been something every game, penalty, um, a self-inflicted wound um, by myself or someone else. And then it came to the result of us not winning the game. That’s what happened today. Did you Did you sense more frustration in this one from the team than you had before? U, I’m frustrated every time I lose a game. Um, I mean, at the at the end of the day, you know, I try to do, you know, what I can, you know, to help put the offense and the team, you know, in the best situation to be successful. Um, I I didn’t do that enough. And just as a whole, we just got to continue to come together, um, as a as the last parts of the season, try to, you know, pull some wins out. Things that keep happening, why do you feel like that does keep happening? Um, that’s a good question. I don’t know why it keep happening. Um, but the only thing that we can do is continue to harp on it until it doesn’t happen. We got to continue to emphasize it and we just got to, you know, continue to pour to one each other cuz at the end of the day, um, it’s only going to be us in that locker room. It’s the only people who can physically go out there and make plays to win the game. And, you know, we just got to, you know, try to do that for the last couple weeks. I think you guys settled for a lot of short passes, short of the sticks and things like that. Did they take the deeper chunk plays away or just didn’t have time to get it off? What was behind that? Uh, a lot goes into it. Um, progression wise, whether that if the short throws the first read or not? Um, there sometimes could be me having to move to the pocket and getting off a read. Um, then could be just sometimes where scramble drill, that’s where I throw the ball. So, really a lot goes into it. Um, I just think we just got to continue to try to be more explosive. We got to find a way to get explosive plays and, you know, just try to go from there. First drive, Cam, uh, did you try to make a case for going for it there on the fourth and three uh, at the the goal line there? Yeah, we need to go for it, I believe. Um, what do we have to lose? Did you kind of make that point clear to to coach? Did you guys talk about it or I talk about it really all the time? Um, he knows my mindset as a quarterback. I want to go for it every chance, especially now with the, you know, just what our record displays. Um, and we just got to continue to be the aggressive team. What did you say to Z before he got carded off how much you hate seeing him go off that way? Um, just God’s got him. Um, he has a plan for all of us. Um, and, you know, losing him, you know, he’s a he’s a real, you know, key piece, not just him being elevated, but just to the team, the energy he brings every day. Um, and and that’s sad, you know, to see that, you know, when your homeboy is to go out like that. But um you you see the guys who came over there um and held him up. You see the guys, you know, just on on you know, on the knee on the sideline praying for him. Um so, you know, we going to all continue to rally each other. Um but that’s something that you never want to see. What do you think led into the the after the play stuff today? You know, some of the special teams scrums and then Ardan’s thing on the sideline. What do you think led into that? Um players being themselves. That’s what we want. You know, I support it. you know, if they do it on the field, you know, with the, you know, late penalties, but, you know, we got to be able to offensively to back them up and overcome those penalties. So, at the end of the day, I’m always support my teammates. If that’s how they feeling in the moment, I’m going to be with them. Oh, go ahead. Thanks. In terms of the self-inflicted wounds continuing that you’ve mentioned, do you think there’s anything the team or you specifically could do that is not being done internally or behind the scenes a different way to address guys or or or I don’t know if you speak up or hold some kind of of meeting and address the players in a certain way? Um, no. I I think no meeting or you know could address that situation. has to only be addressed on the field and it’s something that, you know, starts in practice. It’s something that we got to emphasize in practice. Um, but I mean, it’s just unacceptable to be NFL and continue to, you know, have these bad plays, you know, from just all of us as a whole. Um, and that’s why, you know, our record is what it is. But on the bright side, I mean, there’s really nothing, you know, that can get worse. We just got to continue to be better each and every day. Um, and continue to pull each other along and, you know, try to get wins. You’re the most sad quarterback in the league right now. How much is that starting to wear on you maybe physically or or mentally? Um I I live the life of a quarterback. I play the next play, I live the next day. Um I like to live my my life one day at a time. So how how I’m feeling um it really, you know, doesn’t bother me. Someone in the world has it a lot worse, you know, than I have. So that’s just how I put in perspective. I’m I’m very blessed. God’s blessed me with the ability to do what I love for a living. Um, not a lot of people get say get the chance to say that. Um, he’s given me the ability to, you know, play football. Um, so, you know, every time, you know, whether I’m hurt, whether I’m sore, whether I’m healthy, you know, I just try to, you know, go play through him, you know, play for my teammates as well. Do you feel like all of the things that you’re going through, do you feel like it’s testing your your strength, your your your faith, your your love for football, your ability to keep going? Oh, for sure. It’s for sure testing it. Um but you know to win you got to lose. So um at the end of the day just continue to get better. Try not to make the the same mistakes each and every day. Um but you know eventually the storm going to end. And you know all of us in the locker room will remember all this moment. We’ll remember the guys who was on the team of this year and you know we’ll we’ll be excited for the future. It’s not often that that a team gets four straight home games as you guys did this season. How how disappointing is it to kind of go for during that that four game stretch here at home? Uh it’s very disappointing. Um the fans are a big reason why, you know, we we a lot of us play this game. Uh the excitement they bring, the the joy they bring, you know, even the negativity they can bring, that’s all part of the all part of the job. So, um I, you know, it’s just hard for me to, you know, not be able to do all I can do um to put my best performance, you know, for the fans and, you know, for the city. Um but that’s just something that, you know, we all got to go through together. You know, at the end of the day, you know, the storm going to end and everybody going to be the bright side of it. You played seven you played seven games with Mike, five with Brian before that. What have these experiences with those two kind of taught you about what qualities you want in the next head coach as the team kind of turns toward that search? Um, I think really just the the biggest thing that they both taught me is that you just got to have someone who’s who’s, you know, just a strong leader, you know, within the locker room, outside the locker room. Uh, and both of both of those coaches, you know, they they did that for us. Um, but they got to continue to connect with the players on all three phases, not just one side of the ball. Um, then we just want a coach who’s going to come in and be himself, you know, hold the team to the standard that he holds himself and we all going to rally behind him.

Titans Interim Head Coach Mike McCoy and QB Cam Ward address reporters at Nissan Stadium after Week 13 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars.

00:00 – 06:45 Interim HC Mike McCoy
06:46 – 15:38 QB Cam Ward

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