What happened on that first interception?
I talked to Hakeem (Nicks) about it and we've worked it out, but you can't have that happen. At the worst you take a field goal and best is a touchdown so that is a 10 point swing there at the least and it is hard to overcome those things. We did a good job fighting back; we just made too many mistakes.
Did he break off the route?
We have worked it out.
On the bad snap when you tried to pick it up, what was your thought process?
It is a tough situation. A bad snap and when it goes off to the side like that and that defensive end to that side sees it and he just runs right up field. I guess I have to jump on it and take maybe two more downs or something, that would be third down, I was trying to pick it up and maybe try to throw it away. We had a screen called and maybe there's a running back near me and I could just throw it at his feet or something. Live and learn. Sometimes you are kind of in these desperate situations. If it was the first quarter you just jump on it and you punt, no problem. When it is the fourth quarter and you are down a couple scores it is a tough situation.
After the touchdown was called back what was your reaction?
You try to go up and try to do it again. We can't afford to take points off the board and even before the interception for a touchdown we had the ball at the two yard-line, we had a good goal line play on, we are about to walk in, and we jump offsides to get in that situation. It shouldn't get to there anyway. It shouldn't have gotten there. It is those things that kill you. It is the penalties, the drops here or there, just doing a lot of things wrong. Running routes too short on third and seven, running routes too long when it is not there. We have some new receivers in there, they did a lot of really good things, but we have to clean some stuff up. We are going to have more new receivers, guys playing new positions and we just have to get a lot of practice, keep working, and get everybody tuned-in.
How fast can you get this game out of your system and refocus on Philadelphia?
Tomorrow we have to come in and we have to fix some things. There are definitely some things that we have to fix. Maybe a few things that we have gotten away with in the past that you kind of know eventually are going to bite you and today they definitely bit us. You can't afford to play mistake football. We have kind of gotten away with it some other games because we are explosive and we are going down and scoring points. This game the mistakes backfired and cost you points and gave the other team points.
You and Ramses Barden had some connections in the first half and then he got hurt. How much did that hamper what you were trying to do in the second half?
Ramses had a good week of practice, but I don't think it affected us too badly. We just kind of moved Mario (Manningham) around to different spots depending on where the ball might go. Duke Calhoun came in there. He didn't get a catch, but he has some talent, but he is young and we have to get him tuned in on what is going on.
Did it affect you in four-receiver sets not having Barden?
We just had a few; we just had a few four receiver sets. Kind of for third down. Maybe just two or three plays so it didn't affect us too badly not having the fourth receiver. Kevin Boss made some great catches for us.
Do you think this loss has opened the division race back up?
We have only played two division games and we have a lot of football left. We have to definitely learn and get it through our heads. We can't keep making mistakes. We have to fix some things and if we can do that we can play some great football, we really can. You are going to have some penalties, you are going to have some bad drives and mistakes here or there and it is about overcoming them. When you just keep doing some things over again and when you have too many good plays taken out we are putting ourselves in too many bad situations.
How much did not having Steve Smith out there impact what you could do?
I thought guys did well. They filled in and it wasn't a case of guys running wrong routes. When you have new guys at different spots and things we haven't asked them to do a whole lot prior they are being asked to do. When you have a guy like Steve, who is so good in the slot, you have great confidence with him reading his body in game situations and you have a new guy there it is going to be a little off here or there with some things. But we have to learn. We have some young guys. I thought Mario played really well playing a new spot and did some really good things, but we can definitely learn a few things and get better.
What were your thoughts when the lights went out?
You just kind of huddle up with the guys and make sure no cheap shots or anything get thrown out there. I kind of got with Hakeem and Mario. Luckily it wasn't too long to just kind of keep the guys in close and just wait for them to get turned back on.
Did Dallas do anything different on defense from the last time you played them?
No, nothing that was totally shocking to us. Nothing we couldn't attack. There is always going to be some new stuff every week. They played a lot of two high safety and we didn't run the ball particularly well against that. We had to kind of go to some different passes, but ended up hitting some big plays on those passes. Anything the defense does you have to make adjustments on the sidelines and counteract.
Was it more difficult to prepare for this defense with Wade Phillips being gone?
You prepare for what they have done in the past. That is all you can do. It is not like they can come in and change the complete scheme of the defense. They might throw in a new thing here or there, but we were prepared. I thought we pass protected really well. The one sack was really a coverage sack for as many times as we threw. We moved the ball when we wanted to and we were getting rid of the ball about as well as we could, we just didn't finish.
What were you trying to do on the low snap?
Just trying to pick it up. I was trying to maybe see if I could pick it up and get it in my hand and wheel and throw it. We had a screen called and I thought the running back was going to be somewhere over there and I was hoping that he was going to let me get it for a second and find him and throw it at his feet. Just kind of sometimes you are in desperate measures and you try to do something kind of out of the ordinary. I should have just jumped on it and had a third and long and kind of a two down situation possibly and maybe you can kind of get something going. A bad spot to be in and I made a bad decision.