Here’s what the Falcons had to say after the 30-26 loss to the Bears:
Todd Gurley, running back
On the mood in the locker room: “It is definitely a lot of pain. Everybody has been on different teams whether it is little league, college, or high school. It is not the end of the world. We are not one-fourth of the season done. It is only week three. Week four is coming up with a great opponent in the Packers. Going up there for a Monday night game, there is no better way to show what this team is about. Yeah we lost two games, close games, teams came back. We have to step it up whether it is offense, defense or special teams. Everybody has to take accountability and keep swinging. It is not the end of the world. We have a good team. We just have to come together right now. There is no better time.”
On the offensive struggles in the fourth quarter: “We just did not get it done. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. We have to do better. The offensive line has got to do better. The runners have got to do better. Matt has got to do better. The receivers have got to do better. I did not lose the game. Matt did not lose the game. The Falcons lost the game. We got to be able to step up. We got to not put the defense in certain situations and vice versa. Everybody has got to take accountability and be able to step up. We have to overcome it. If you do not, it will keep looking like this each week. This is not who we are. We know what type of team we got. It is going to be tough. Everybody is going to have something to say after this game. There is a lot of football left. Everybody has been on different teams. There is a lot to improve on. I am glad we are going through this. I like to see who people are in these types of situations, see who you can play with.”
On head coach Dan Quinn’s message to the team: “It sucks, but we had some great guys in the locker room speak up and stand up. They showed that we are together at the end of the day. We have a brotherhood for a reason. Whether I have been on this team for two months or not, I am part of it. I am part of the losing we are doing right now. I got to take accountability to be able to step up and help the team do better on my end. That is what I am going to do going forward.”
On people placing the blame on head coach Dan Quinn: “That is the head guy. He is the type of coach that will take the blame himself, but we are always going to be behind coach Quinn. We know what he means to us. We did not finish for him. We did not finish for each other. We did not finish for the Falcons. We did not finish for the brotherhood. This has nothing to do with him. Each one of us on this team needs to be able to step up and go out there and finish the game like he said before the game.”
Calvin Ridley, wide receiver
On what to do when the message is the same from week to week: “Only thing you can do. Go prepare next week. Come back and win the game. There is nothing else you can do.”
On how Chicago’s defense was able to slow down the Falcons offense in the fourth quarter: “Yeah, it is a good defense. A good defensive line, it is a complete defense. We got to be a team. We got to play team ball and win the game.”
On how to bounce back from two tough losses: “Practice, get the plays in, and prepare well. Go to Green Bay. Start the game strong. Finish the game strong. Get the win.”
On how tough it was missing several players due to injury: “It is always tough. It is next man up. If you are out there, I have all the faith in you. We have to get the win. It is on us.”
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Dante Fowler, defensive end
On the mood in the locker room: “It definitely was not a good thing. Lot of emotions were put out. We know we lost this game. I told them at the end of the day we are facing adversity and our backs are against the wall. These times are here to see how are built, what kind of team we are and what kind of players we are. Are we going to go into the gutter and just quit or are we going to keep fighting? All I know what to do is fight. With my back against the wall, all I know how to do is keep swinging. We know it is 0-3, but it is a long season. We have 13 games left. A lot can happen in 13 games. We just got to look like that and keep moving onto the next week.”
On what made him speak up in the locker room: “I lead when the times are right. I felt like something was telling me to speak up at that time. When I talk people usually listen because I am always a happy, fun guy to play with. I wanted to let them know I have been on teams in these types of positions before and we have been able to come out of this and be successful. We are a good physical team, but I want us to be a good mental team as well.”
On whether he can explain the past two weeks in the fourth quarter: “I do not know how to explain it. All I can say is that we have basically found the ways to lose these games. It gets no worse than this. We found probably the two worst ways to lose a football game. I feel like it can only come up from here. It can only be better from here.”
On what it will take to get out of this hole: “We have to win on Monday night and get the first win. If we can do that the momentum will start rolling. It just sucks everybody wants to get their first win in the beginning of the season. It is just the first half. We have not finished the first half of the season. We have three more quarters to go. I mean this right now is no time to get down. I can understand being a fan and seeing how we lost I would be pissed too, but It is not time to panic right now.”
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Darqueze Dennard, cornerback
On the mood of the locker room: “We’re all disappointed. We played a good game and fought hard, just didn’t get the results that we wanted.”
On Dante Fowler’s postgame message to the team: “He said what was needed. It was well-received by everybody and it’s the truth. It’s a long season. Like I said earlier this week, we have a great team. Very talented all the way around. We just have to somehow put the game together all the way through.”
On how to explain the team giving up fourth quarter leads in back-to-back games: “Can’t really explain it. We just have to go back to the drawing board, continue to work, continue to learn from the things that happened and continue to push forward and continue to get better each week. That should be our focus. Just take the learning part — obviously, you saw it in the first half — how we were playing and how we were competing. So, we have to continue to do it and play all the way through.”
On whether the team has head coach Dan Quinn’s back after starting 0-3: “Yeah, definitely. DQ is a great coach. I love him. I know the rest of the guys in the locker room love him. It’s just kind of disappointing for me anyway. I’m new here. He does a great job with everything. We just aren’t getting the results that we all want, but he’s a great coach and I think we all — we love him and we’re still fighting for him, for sure — 100%.”
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