There’s times you sit up here and after a bad loss, you say, what just happened? And I don’t have to ask that question. I know exactly what happened. And started right from the very beginning. First offensive series, penalty knocked us back out, first defensive series, penalty. That’s how we started and we killed our momentum before we could even get momentum and give Seattle [Seahawks] credit, I thought for a great night. But, you know, for us to have issues that allowed them to have that night are stunning. We couldn’t stop them, and we completely stopped ourself. And so, I’m furious, obviously, and into that emotion, but it’s also hard to have that you see the entire team, you know, on a knee circling up on [QB] Jayden [Daniels] and who’s on the ground after his injury. So, the update on him is he does have a left elbow injury. I’ll update you more once I know more but that’s what I know tonight. But what I can say is I can speak for every coach and player and just an unacceptable performance by us tonight. And told the team, we’re the ones that dug the hole, we the ones that they get out, the solutions are from within. So, we missed it by mile. We missed the out by a mile. Great environment with the fans, great setup, like all the way through. And man, we completely missed that chance and that opportunity tonight. So that stings and we’ll get all of it found out and looked through. I’ll give you updates on injuries once I know them tomorrow. So glad to start.
On considering keeping Daniels out towards the end:
Yeah. Not at that space. I mean, obviously like the hindsight, you don’t want to think that way, where an injury could take place. You know, obviously we’re more conservative in that spot to run and hand off and not have reads to go, but just the end result – obviously, I’m bummed.
On changing course for the rest of the season:
We have to and that’s exactly what I told the team. We’ve got to do that. And when you miss it like we did tonight, man, it’s frustrating in all the emotions that go with that. I also said we’re the same ones that have to dig us out, so we’ll look at it, everything tomorrow and find our ways, but the answers would come from within and we’ve got to be able to do that. But yeah, it was a rough one for us in the locker room, how do we fix, where do we go? Like that’s what the plan calls for. Coaches, players, everybody.
On if there were second thoughts about putting Daniels in towards the end knowing Daniels’ run style:
Yeah, obviously, I’m just gutted by it, just bummed. You know, we didn’t have any replays on it. And the one that he was injured is, you know, usually a runner or a throw to the flat. It’s not a scramble. So, it wasn’t a designed read or play into that spot. If we’ve run it 50 times, it’s either hand off or a throw, you know, I’d say 50 times. So yeah, it’s a bummer, man in a big way.
On how frustrating it is that what he wants for the team hasn’t translated to the field:
It is and just to know that we’ve gone off course and don’t have our football in line like we want, like yeah, it’s frustrating. It’s disappointing. It’s all those emotions. Like I said, we’re going to get to the bottom and dig ourselves out of it. But yeah, it’s all those emotions for sure. Like I said, I have all those, but obviously I’ve got concern with Jayden and some of the other guys that got banged up as well.
On if the team has to take a different approach to maintaining Daniels health:
I think the answer to that is we will give him the support to do that. And I’m certain of that to make sure that we do that in every, every single way. And that’s calls on offense, defense, you know, like the whole way through, man. I absolutely feel that way on the hamstring injury and so tonight with an elbow, yeah, it’s really important we get that part right and we will.
On what Seattle was doing that the team could not stop:
Like I said, I give them the credit, but the breakdowns that we had allowed them to have tonight are obviously disappointing. It’s one thing you get, you know, a call or a player beat man-to-man, but you know, to have a couple breakdowns take place for us. That’s when you beat yourself, man, like you got no shot at it.
On what feels different about team culture this year compared to last year:
Yeah, obviously if I had one, I’d already point to it. I certainly don’t think culturally is where I would look. It’s connected team, it’s performance related, not culturally related. Guys care, they’re working at it, good teammates. So yeah, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree on that space, but you’re not, when we say about the performance. So, I understand the question, but this is performance related, and we’ve got to get it fixed.
On addressing the fundamentals:
I didn’t say miss tackles, I’ll find that out, that could be but let me dig into that. But any error that’s one that’s offensively or defensively that’s not created from technique, a guy beating you, we call those mental errors where you’re not in the right spot or the right alignment. Those are the things as a coach, man, you have to eliminate these. And if that means way less, that means way less. In the NFL you’ll get beat on technique of a player, good guys against good players, that’s normal ball but what we can’t have is things that stop ourselves. And so that’s the goal, that’s what we’ll dig into the hardest to make sure that if there’s a repeat, and I thought we had some of those going into Kansas City last week in a better way. And so, to see those different ones into this take place tonight defensively, will be a big deal. I thought offensively to have two third down penalties, or third-and-longs to start is just, man, you can’t do yourself into a bigger hole.
On moving forward to next week:
Yeah, I try to be really consistent with them. They’re upset, all the normal emotions that go with that. It starts with me as in terms of giving the right plan and then up for them on the performance side to say, you know what, what do we need to do differently? What do we need to do the same? And so, we’ll be very complete in the assessment and then find our ways to dig ourselves out because tonight we couldn’t be more disappointed in the performance we did tonight for our fans and the environment that was set up for us to play well here tonight. And so, when you miss it, you got to go fix it and that’s where we are tonight. No other way to say it.
On Daniels having to be a playmaker with all of the wide receiver injuries:
I think that’s his nature, he wants to be aggressive and make plays to go, but he’s got confidence in the other players. I do know that. So, it’s not like, ‘Okay, I have to do more. I have to do things that are outside of playing.’ In that way we also have to have everybody, injuries and those things happen. You hate it, I’m talking about for [WR] Luke [McCaffrey], but I didn’t sense that for him to say, ‘Okay, now I have to do more into that spot.’ But yeah, I didn’t feel that from him.
On accountability with the coaching staff:
Yeah, everything inward, honestly, players too. That’s what our process is about, telling it, hearing it, and for us not to be squared away at this point obviously is as frustrating as I could honestly answer for you. But I do know from a player standpoint, these are guys that are going to fix it and dig our way through it and find our ways and battle for it. Everybody’s disappointed, surprised, all the emotions that you would have for not performing tonight.
On the reasoning for the defensive struggles:
Yeah, the consistency is what I’m searching for. Last week I thought we took two steps forward and tonight, three steps back. And that’s a terrible recipe. When you move forward, then you move forward again, then you move forward again. And so, when you don’t keep stacking those, it gets harder. But offensively we didn’t hit the marks either. And so, playing together back and forth, that’s how we’ve gotta do it. But yeah, we were definitely disappointed to see the ops that took place tonight because it was there for us. And so, when you beat yourself, man, it is as hard as it gets. In some ways it’s worse than the gut wrenching lost that happens at the end because you missed chances to do your thing. And so, both of them suck, but missing the ops to play well as a coach, that obviously, you gotta find better solutions for the players.