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POSTGAME QUOTES
DECEMBER 24, 2011
Opening remarks:
“We got off to a good start today. We played very well defensively on third downs, and made some turnovers. Offensively we got stalled a little bit particularly in the red zone, but I think we had a good finish to the half. I tell the guys we can’t have turnovers and penalties in the fourth quarter.
“I knew we would come out today and make plays to win the game. I had no doubt in my mind, and the defense showed that kind of resiliency. It was a great week of practice. Unfortunately, we lost a game two weeks ago, but you have to live and learn from that. We came into the game with a great focus this week and showed it out there on the field.
“Last week we were able to work on some fundamental things in practice, we’ll have another good week on it this week, and we’re playing for something special now. It’s all out in front of us.”
How much of a concern is 
“It’s something that we’ve got to get fixed. It’s not good. You can’t win football games putting the ball on the ground. We learned from that last year.”
How did you know they were going to make plays today?
“I felt like we were doing things right. They had a confidence about them whether it was a sack or a tipped ball or an interception, that they would make a play to win the game.”
You said composure is a key component, do you feel like the team lost some composure?
“I don’t know what the penalty was on defense in that last drive, but we kind of lost it there. If they (Cardinals) are in there pushing and shoving, we can’t go in there doing the same thing. It doesn’t make any sense. “
What did you think about
“I saw the crossing route, he came wide open and did a nice job running with it afterwards and that was great.”
You didn’t see the flip?
“No, I heard about it. He’s got that kind of athleticism.”
On crowd support:
“It was a big day today. The crowd really affected the game with the noise, and I’m sure they’ll be anxious to get here next Sunday as we play for something special. We started this quite a while ago, seems like just yesterday, but now we’re right where we want to be at the end.”
If somebody told you on June 15, 2011 you’d be playing Baltimore at home for a chance to play in the playoffs, what would you have said?
“I thought it might come down to that, and here we are.”
For this team another milestone down. Either way you have a winning record:
“This club has a chance to keep building and becoming a perennial playoff team. This is another step in the process.”
Has the team been in playoff mode the last four to five weeks?
“I think we have been. There’s no question about that. From the time we played Cleveland on we’ve had that mindset.”
Is it the same focus and message for next week?
“Same focus and an even more determined message.”
How do you feel your defensive line played? There were some sacks from guys that don’t usually get them:
“We felt like we were going to have to defend more and run early. We made the sacks at opportune times, which put them out of sync a little bit. Our timing for pressure was good, and we dictated where we wanted the ball thrown.
“Sometimes you get in the season and you get away from some of the fundamental things because you get so focused on scheme and defending this guy. We had to take a step back. The last two weeks I reminded the coaches to go back to doing the things that we knew were important when we first started at the beginning of the year.
“Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you. Today, we got the bear.”
Everyone is talking about the Jerome Simpson play and what he did to get to the end zone. What are your thoughts on seeing that?
“I had a great shot at it. You could see he kind of slowed down. I knew he was going to jump. To see him jump and land on his feet shows his athletic ability. He’s got a lot of talent. That was an unbelievable play.”
I guess now it’s a matter of consistency with Simpson. Doing it like that for one play is one thing, but to make plays like that over and over again, that would take him to another level:
“I think so. He’s done a good job for us this year. For him and for everyone we have to be more consistent and put a full game together, and find a way to do that. But we’re very happy with the win today.”
Did Arizona do anything different defensively in the second half?
“With them being down, they had to put some more guys in the box, and things like that. But it was nothing that we weren’t expecting.”
You came into today hoping to get a win and hoping the Jets would lose. You get what you need and now you’re back in control. How big is that for this football team?
“It’s big. That’s the way you want it. You want to be in control of your destiny, and we’re to that point. It’s going to be a big week and we’re going to need everyone to come out and support us. Everyone in Cincinnati needs to come out for this big game.”
In the second half, why the stalls and inconsistency?
“I don’t know. We weren’t able to get it done in the second half. The first half we were rolling and the second half it didn’t seem that way. We never got drives going. I’ll have to look at the film to see exactly what it was. When we needed to, we found a way to win.”
I don’t know if you were you aware of the promotion going on for season ticket holders next week? You buy one they get one free. Hopefully the stadium will be filled. You know how big a factor that was in Baltimore to have the stadium full. How big of a factor could that be in next week’s game?
“We’d love to have the home field advantage. To get everyone here and to have the place rocking it definitely is an advantage for us. It’s going to be big. Hopefully, everyone will come out and support us.”
You were able to connect with Jerome Gresham there a couple times in the first half, including the touchdown:
“He’s done a good job. We were trying to get him the ball — he was doing some good things. That’s kind of how it is. A guy gets going and we try to get them the ball. It’s kind of the nature. Different guys have been stepping up each week.”
Workouts in June and then going into training camp in July, could you imagine going into the last week of the season you would be playing Baltimore for a spot in the playoffs?
“It’s been a big year, for me and for this team. We’ve got to find a way to get the preparation and get ready for them, because they’re going to come out fighting. It’s something this team believed we had a chance to do but we weren’t getting much credit from the outside. Inside this locker room, the coaches and everybody here knew we had a chance — we just had to put it all together. We’ll find out next week.”
When you think about the Baltimore Ravens defense, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
“They’ve a lot of good players out there, and they’ve done a really good job. It’s come to come down to a good week of preparation and going out and executing on Sunday. You can’t ask for it any other way. This is where we want to be, with a chance for the playoffs. And, we’re in control of that.”
Have you ever seen anybody on a football field do a flip like that before?
“Nope — that was the first time. It’s a play that I think people will be talking about for a long time.”
At the end of the game, when Arizona was coming back, were you thinking how does this possibly happen?
“Why does it have to end like this again. We got the win. We stepped up and played when we needed to and got it done.”
A couple things happened in this game that we hadn’t seen before with, Cedric Benson losing two fumbles and Mike Nuggent missing two field goals, but you go the win. What does that say about where you are as a team?
“We’re able to overcome those things. Stuff like that hasn’t happened very much this year. Offensively, we have to find a way to put it in and get touchdowns. Ced hasn’t fumbled much this year, so there will be some extra focus with him and making sure he’s got the ball security.”
Was it tough playing through that injury today?
“Definitely. I just tried to go out there and play through it. My team needed me and it feels good now. I have a couple of days off to rest it and then I’m back at it.”
What are your thoughts on Jerome Simpson’s acrobatic touchdown catch?
“Jerome is one of the most athletic guys we have on this team. We’ve seen that a lot. It’s crazy.”
You guys have a pretty tough trio with yourself, Jerome Simpson and
“It’s anybody’s game out there. One day, Jerome might have a good game. Another day, Jermaine might have a good game. You never know. You just have to be ready when your number is called.”
You guys ran some end-arounds today and had a pretty good day rushing the football:
“We like to switch it up sometimes and give them some different looks.”
Did you hear what happened with Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson?
“I think he just pulled his hamstring.”
Was there much talking going on between you two?
“No. We’re good friends. I’ve known Patrick for a while and he’s a great player.”
Was that about as crazy an ending as you have seen?
“No, because it’s been crazy the whole year. It always comes down to the wire. Somehow we always find a way to make it interesting.”
What was the difference between the first half and the second half?
“Everybody is going to have their struggles. We just have to continue to worry about the next play — you can’t worry about the last play — and focus on the next one to make up for it. You just have to keep your head down and keep shoveling until the end.”
What happened at the end when WR Early Doucet fell down in the end zone?
“I saw it the whole way. We just need to focus and be more disciplined like we have been. If we had made the big play, we wouldn’t have been in that situation. We need to get back to how we’ve been playing. We have Baltimore this week and we’re focusing on them. They are in our way, and we just need to get ready for them now.”
What does it mean to be able to control your own destiny in terms of making the playoffs?
“It just tells you how much work we’ve put in during camp and how much camaraderie that we have. No one but us believed that we would be where we’re at right now. We need to continue to stay close and finish things off the same way we started.”
For every season ticket holder, the Bengals are going to offer a buy-one-get-one free deal. Do you guys think that the stadium will be packed next week?
“I just want to thank the fans who were out there today. We really felt you guys out there, and that helped us out big time. I really want to encourage all of the Cincinnati fans to come out and cheer us on as we try to make the playoffs.”
What was different from the first half and second half?
“We started off really strong but they really came on there at the end. They were on a five-game win streak, so they know how to finish games. But we have some guys here that are hungry for the playoffs, and we were able to settle down and stop them at the end. It’s a great win for us and for the city. I encourage everyone to come out next week. We need you guys.”
What are you expecting next week’s Baltimore game to be like?
“It should be a hell of a game. They got us the first time, but revenge is big. We are going to get our game plan down, and it should be a rumble in the jungle next week.”
You had the first of five Bengals sacks today:
“It was a big one. Playing nose tackle, sacks are hard to come by, so you have to take advantage of them. I was really happy to get one. Everyone started feeding off of that so it was a good feeling.”
You had an interception early in the game — do you think that set the tone for the game?
“No, I wouldn’t say ‘set the tone,’ but it put a spark (with) us at home, and it made the fans get into it, you know? When we’re on our first series and we get a turnover, it’s always a positive to start the game. The offense answered the call — went down and scored some points.”
What do you think is the key to maintaining that type of momentum throughout the game?
“Our offense just has to go and put up three points or a touchdown, and it’s the defense’s job to go out there and make sure the other team doesn’t score, so it works both ways. We’ve got a rookie quarterback, (a rookie wide receiver in) A.J. (Green) and (another young guy in) Jerome Simpson on the offense — (we’ve also got) Cedric (Benson) — and they’ve been doing a great job making plays this year. Hopefully it carries on to next week.”
Next week, you have the ability to control your own destiny as a team with regard to the playoffs:
“The feel and the vibe in the locker room is that everyone wants to get there. This city is bound to have a winning team and a team that’s playoff bound every year. We have a chance to paint our picture, execute and do what we need to do. We just have to come out next week and let our play speak for itself. The fans did a good job today getting into the game, and we’re going to need them to get into it extra next week and get the momentum flowing.”
Did you plan on making the jump and flip on your touchdown catch, or was it just one of things that just happened?
“It was one of things that just came (on) instinct. I just wanted to make a play for my team and get in the end zone.”
Everybody’s talking about the landing — you stuck the landing. How much do you think that accentuated the play?
“Yeah, that was one of the key points (of the play), me sticking the landing. I don’t think if I stuck the landing, it wouldn’t have been as exciting. But you know, I stuck the landing like a gymnast. A lot of the guys gave me a (perfect) “10” on it. I think it was like a 9 maybe, because I touched the ground (with my hand) a little bit. But I just wanted to make a great play for my team — you know, have a Merry Christmas and just be happy.”
So if you don’t touch the ground, it’s a perfect 10 then?
“Yeah. If I didn’t touch the ground, it’s a perfect 10.”
Going into this game, the talk was that the offense needed some more help for
“We just wanted to go in and do our part. Jermaine — he made some awesome plays today. And whenever I go in, I just try to play my part. (I had no) drops today and just finished playing hard and getting a win for the Cincinnati fans.”
Everyone talks about how athletic you are — your teammates talk about it, you talk about it … Do you sometimes surprise yourself?
“Yeah, that one was one of the most surprising to me out of all the plays in (my) career because it was pretty awesome, I think.
“To tell you the truth, it was just instinct. I just saw the guy (Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington), it seemed like he was going to hit me and I didn’t want to get hit, and I used my athletic ability and my jumping ability (to score, which is something) my mom and my dad and family blessed me with.
“I’ve jumped over a guy before, but never did a flip and landed it ... I just made a play, man. It was instinct. It helped my team, and I just want to do anything possible to win games for this team.”
You know that highlight is going to be played everywhere for six or seven days, right? Are you looking forward to going home and watching yourself on the highlights?
“The best thing I’m going to go see is ‘Bengals won.’ You know, it’s not all about me. The Bengals won, and I did my part to help us win … I was glad I got to the end zone to help us win.”
What did Washington say to you after the play?
“He said, ‘Don’t jump on me like that again.’ But back to what I said before, I just want to do anything possible to help my team win.”
Talk about today’s win:
“This is a group effort. It’s not just one person putting in work around here. We enjoy playing with each other. We work hard during the week and we’re talking out there. It helps to have (No.) 22 (
“I’m just happy for the team and the city of Cincinnati. The fans did a great job getting behind us and we need all of you this week. We need the fans this week — Who Dey! Please come support us ... I’m
Head coach Marvin Lewis said you guys learned from the Texans game. What did you learn?
“We’re just taking it one play at a time. That guy Marvin, he’s done a great job keeping us on the same page and making sure we have no doubts. I’m ready for Baltimore.”
If you win next week, you go to the playoffs. How do you feel?
“We’re excited. You always want your future ahead of you, and we have an opportunity, so I think guys are extremely excited.”
What are your thoughts on Jerome Simpson’s play?
“He’s not normal. The guy’s got freakish, freakish talent and ability, and he gets to show it from time to time. When he locks in and puts his head down, he’s going to be special. I thought the landing was the best. I’m not really surprised he did it because I’ve seen him leap. I thought he really would just vertically jump over the guy and land it, but the flip was a nice added touch.”
After three quarters — there were some moments in the red zone where I know you guys wanted to score touchdowns — but after three quarters, is that about as good as this team can play offensively and defensively?
“I thought we played great team football for a while there, but we’ve got to finish it. That’s another thing to learn. You want to learn from every single game. But I think we did. The defense got put in a bad situation by us (the offense) two weeks ago against Houston and weren’t able to win it, but this week, they were. So hats off to those guys. They did an amazing job.”
This team is 9-6 right now and no one predicted that:
“We predicted that. We know as an offense that we’re good if we execute the way we’re supposed to execute. We feel we like we can beat anyone any time.”
It seemed like things were real easy between the 30-to-30 yard lines, but there were struggles inside them:
“We’ve just got to execute better. We had a couple mistakes down there in the red zone, and we just have to get better as an offensive unit, and everything will take care of itself.”
How do you feel about being back on the field?
“It felt great being back out there with my teammates after missing the last three weeks. Just being out there competing with those guys, it feels great.”
You’re going into the Baltimore game next week and you know it means something. How significant is that?
“It’s very significant. It’s big for us. We just need to prepare the way we know we’re supposed to prepare and execute every opportunity.”
It seemed like you guys were ready for this game in every aspect mentally and physically:
“We knew what we had to do. We felt like the Cardinals were in our way, and we had to beat them to give ourselves an opportunity to be in the playoffs in two weeks.”
What did you think of Jerome Simpson’s forward vault?
“I give him a 10 out of 10. I like the landing. It was pretty neat. He’s just a very athletic young man, and it just showed everyone watching the game that Jerome is a football player. He’s exciting.”
How nerve-wracking were the last two minutes?
“Aw, man — we started having a flashback to a couple of weeks ago, and this time at least we learned one thing — to finish it.”
Talk about those tackles you had in punt coverage:
“Aw, man — it was pretty much me and the returner one-on-one. Some guys miss tackles in those situations, but I know my team is depending on me, and I just want to make a play in that situation. I just thank the other guys out there for doing their jobs. It’s a team effort.”
Give your review of Jerome Simpson’s forward-flip TD:
“It might be one of the most athletic plays I’ve ever seen in my life, man. I didn’t think he was going to land on his feet, but when he did, it just summed up the day for us — spectacular plays, spectacular moments.”
Initial comments:
“Obviously we’re disappointed. We had a chance there at the end. We just dug ourselves too deep of a hole today. I credit our guys for fighting and having a chance there at the end to tie it up. We had too many mistakes early; too many turnovers. The defense didn’t play especially great in the first half, and then they played really well in the second half. We started executing. The quarterback didn’t play very well in the first half. He missed some throws and obviously turned the ball over, but did make some plays at the end.
“It’s tough, it’s not any fun when it starts like that. But I do have a lot of respect for our players for the way they didn’t quit. It didn’t look good there in the fourth quarter. We fought all the way back. We had chances to make plays, we just didn’t get it done. So it’s disappointing from that aspect, especially as hard as we fought this year to get back to where we were.”
What happened on the incomplete fourth-down pass to WR Early Doucet in the end zone?
“It was a zero blitz; they brought the pressure. He’s got a turn route. He’s supposed to sit down. He started to back out of it to catch it, and he tripped. If he hadn’t have tripped, he would’ve caught the ball. So it’s just unfortunate.”
What happened on the fumble down in the red zone in the fourth quarter?
“It looked like the guard hit the ball. We had the guard pulling and we were going back into the backside of the hole with the full back. John (Skelton) said the guard hit him on the hand. That happens every once in a while. Unfortunately it happened at the worst time.”
Do you think the defense came out flat to start the game?
“That would be the natural thing to say when we go to the Eastern Time zone, but we just didn’t make our plays. I don’t know what it was, but they played like the defense we’ve seen the last few weeks in the second half and really made plays. It’s tough when you’re not doing anything on offense, when you have opportunities and you turn the ball over in critical situations, it can be frustrating. But they didn’t get frustrated. They still fought, kept them out of the end zone, made them miss two field goals. They kept us in the game, but I think maybe our standard of what we expect from those guys is probably what colors your perception thinking they didn’t play as well in the first half. Giving up 200-something yards is too much. But boy, they really did a good job in the second half.”
Did you give any though about taking QB John Skelton out of the game?
“Yes I did, but then he made some plays.”
It’s got to be difficult to remove him from the game knowing how well he plays in late situations:
“The guy makes so many plays at the end of games and at so many times during the game, but you get so frustrated because he misses things early in the game that would’ve given you a chance to get going. You’ve just got to understand that he’s a young quarterback. He hasn’t had an offseason, hasn’t had a tremendous amount of reps in camp. You’ve got to know that you’re going to go through some of those struggles. You seem him make some of those plays in the last couple of games and you think he’s arrived. You forget that he’s, essentially, a rookie, a young player. Even some of these young quarterbacks that are playing have their bad games. They have their games off. But he’s made a number of plays for us during the stretch where he’s played well and you can’t forget about that.”
How are your emotions after almost making the comeback?
“It’s frustrating when you start a game with turnovers and can’t get things going offensively. But we have a great group of guys who just kept battling. There was a belief there that we would come back and win.”
It looked like the Bengals were playing at a different speed than you guys were in the second half:
“Yeah we’re a second-half team. That’s how it has been all year. But in the end, it was too little, too late. We made some adjustments in the second half that we were able to take advantage of.”
Take us through the play where Early Doucet seemed to fall down on a wide-open pass:
“They got mixed up in coverage downfield and Early was wide open. That’s just something where both he and I have to be on the same page.”
Did you think he was going to keep running?
“Yeah, but that’s a situation where I just have to get the ball to him.”
Did you think it was going to be a rough day after the slow start?
“It was frustrating. The early interception kind of deflated us. We have to find a way to battle back, and ultimately, we can’t let that happen in the first place.”
What happened on the fumbled snap?
“Someone knocked it out my hands. I think it was a defender, but I’m not really sure.”
You haven’t lost in almost a month. This one must be demoralizing:
“This one hurts. We poured our hearts out, but we dug too deep of a hole to get out of. We had opportunities. It’s a tough loss.”
You started slowly in the first half, but it seemed like everyone turned it on for the second half. What were the adjustments?
“Simple things. We really wanted to win the game, so we played better. We came out with a better effort and regrouped. By making sure everyone was in the right place and doing their job, we gave ourselves a chance to win the game. Lately, the breaks have been going our way, but this time we couldn’t finish it out.”
What was it like playing a tough Cincinnati team?
“They’re a good team. They have a lot of young players and some veteran leadership. They play hard and scrappy. They needed to win too. It was a like a playoff game in a sense. I tip my hat to them.”
Playing from behind and coming back is nothing new for you. You guys have been doing it all year:
“I give a lot of credit to the Bengals. It was definitely a playoff atmosphere, and we fell short.”
It looked like you had good coverage on the Jermaine Gresham touchdown catch, but he seemed to make an excellent play:
“Yeah. It was a great throw. I actually thought I could have intercepted the ball, but
What happened with the Jerome Simpson flip? Were you expecting it to go like that?
“It seemed like he was going to jump, but you don’t know what to expect in the open field. He made a great catch and kind of laughed, so I said, ‘Don’t be jumpin’ on me like that.’ He made a great play.”
You fought hard to get back. It just didn’t seem to be enough. What’s the mood right now?
“We would’ve liked to have started fast and not have to come-back like that, but we played our butts off at the end. You have to give a lot of credit to the Bengals. They fought hard and came away with the victory.”
What happened in the fourth quarter when you seemed to trip on a wide open pass?
“I kind of hooked my feet up. It’s a play I should’ve made. You can’t fall down no matter up. No excuse will justify the fact that I fell. It was a play we needed to win the game. That’s a play I’ll make nine times out of 10. It would have put us in a better position to win. I have to move on and stay positive. My teammates believe in me and I’ll continue to believe in myself. I’m going to go home and spend Christmas with the family and get ready to play Seattle.”
It feels like the air has been let out a little:
“I don’t feel that way. We’ve been through a lot this year — good and bad. We, as a team, have great character. We’re not going to let a situation like that stop us from playing hard and being a team. I had a bunch of guys come up to me on the sideline and tell me they believe in me, and that’s what you need. I’ve grown a lot through tough times, so I won’t let a situation like this bring me down. It was unfortunate, but you have to move on. It’s a part of life.”
When did you realize you were going to be wide open?
“Nate Clements was acting like he was going to press me, but then he just shot out and I started looking for John (Skelton). It was a play that I should’ve made. I didn’t make the play, and we didn’t win the game. We’re going to move on and have a great week of practice and get ready to play Seattle at home.”
What happened out there in the first half? Did you just dig too deep a hole or what?
“Yeah, we definitely dug ourselves too deep a hole. The first three quarters were forgettable to say the least, but our defense kept us in the game. We had our opportunities. We lost to a team that was hungry and is still fighting for a position in the Wild Card race, so you have to tip your hat to them. We’re going to come back next week and try to finish the season on a good note.”
Do you feel encouraged when you start playing well like that offensively in the fourth quarter, or does it just frustrate you that the first three quarters went like that?
“It has been a frustrating season. We started off 1-6, and then have played well that last (few) weeks. It makes you even more upset because we know what we are capable of. We had the six-game losing streak, but then we played well enough to get some wins. However, we have to put a complete game together offensively. It always leaves you optimistic, though, when you see what we can do with the game on the line. That just shows you that the guys in this room have a lot of character and our will to win is very high.”
What do you say to John Skelton when you see him struggle like that?
“Well, you just get him to the fourth quarter and he will be fine. I try not to say too much to him because the coaches are always in his ear and I don’t want to overload him with information. I just want to let him play football. He is at his best when he is playing care-free and letting it all hang out. I think we saw that this afternoon.”
