That was a hard fought battle. I thought our second half was outstanding and our guys came back. At the half, we talked about the fact that our first half wasn't good enough, we came back in the second half, did some very good things and I take my hat off to the coaches and players for the way they competed and played in the second half and we found a way to win the game and that's what we planned on doing coming in - somehow, some way, we'd find a way to win.
Q: What do you attribute the change in the second half to?
A: Well, we made a few adjustments at halftime and we got a couple of things straightened out - we didn't see the option in the second half. They hurt us with that early on. We had to work on that at halftime and make sure we were okay on that. They did a good job - they moved the ball around on us, they used a variety of people, they ran the ball in the first half and we came out in the second half and did a better job of that and got after the quarterback a little bit. I think that on the last drive, there's the ball sitting at midfield and we kept coming and we had some big hits there and set them back, but David Garrard played a heck of a game and we were able to find a way there at the end to win it.
Q: Are you surprised that they were able to run the ball on you so easily in the first half?
A: Well, that probably isn't the right word, but that was our primary thing - to win the physical battle and stop the run and they did hurt us on the run and everyone in that locker room knew it at halftime, so I don't know if surprised is the right word, but disappointed...yeah, that'll work.
Q: Talk about not getting a touchdown on the first drive and having to settle for three.
A: Well, we're disappointed only getting three. We did that a couple of times and it looked like it might be a factor. The two-point play - we went for it at that time. I usually wait for the fourth quarter to do something like that, there was a lot of time, but we calculated that that was the time we needed it. It did give us a little boost. It was a great play by Ahmad, obviously. They had some people over there, plus the safety, and he still found a way to get into the end zone, but that was a momentum changing play for us as well.
Q: Boss' touchdown - was that a hot read?
A: Sight adjust. Yeah. Twinkle toes. Sight adjust. He did a nice job, he caught the ball, he saw it, Eli got the ball out of his hand quickly - it was third and ten and he avoided a tackler and was able to not only make a first down, but score.
Q: Eli's throw to Manningham was like that too.
A: That was an incredible play there. He threw the ball, the DB had his back to the quarterback, Mario turned around and he got himself in position, caught the ball, and we came up and ran a play quickly, but it was right in front of me and I knew it wasn't a challenge play, but the running play that we used in that situation also gained a big chunk.
Q: To see the guys on both sides of the ball play so well with the game on the line - just talk about that.
A: That was something that we needed - we needed to rise up and have a finish like that. We're well aware of the circumstance that we're in, that the division is in, that the conference is in and we needed to keep pace. Our guys were - I was really pleased with our second half and the way that they came back and fought. I was a little surprised we didn't seem to have that in the first half, but we sure realized it quickly in the second half.
Q: Kevin Boss is a clutch player.
A: When you look at it, that play at that point...certainly we didn't take as much time off the clock as we would have liked to, but nevertheless it was a big play by a guy that gives us those kinds of plays and it was a really, really outstanding time for him to that.
Q: Can you talk about the spark that Brandon Jacobs gave you?
A: He did and I thought Bradshaw did, too, and I liked the third down pickup that Danny Ware came in and made for us on the option route and Danny was used on kickoff return as Blackmon was inactive and he did a nice job of that as well, so I think that all three guys really contributed.
Q: You had Coe and Jackson in on the last drive...
A: Aaron Ross got nicked and came out and then eventually went back in. Even then, we got the penalty on Aaron Ross and then we got the consecutive sacks that knocked them back.
Q: Who saw the Hagan challenge?
A: Well, we communicated. They had a TV timeout and we were able to talk about it. To be honest with you, it wasn't absolutely clear and we didn't get an awful lot of looks at it, but finally I made the decision to go ahead and challenge and it worked out for us. We would have liked to have seven though. That's what the idea was. We put the ball inside the five with that play.
Q: Do you need to bring pressure more like you did at the end?
A: Well, we felt like that because of the circumstance. They started right out on the two-minute and the pocket presence of the quarterback was obvious. The other significant parts of their offense were probably put to rest for a while and the quarterback hurt us coming out of the pocket today. He's frustrating.
Q: What concerns do you have after this game?
A: I'm going to enjoy this game. This was a game that we felt like we needed to win. We needed to be 7-4. We have a six-game schedule, we're 1-0 in that schedule, so my concerns are going to wait a little while.
Q: Did the officials explain to you the Reynaud fair catch call?
A: No.
Q: No turnovers and you got two.
A: I was going to get on my knees in the locker room. Probably shouldn't say that - I want to make sure it stays that way for a while.