Coach Kellen Moore

Opening statement:

"Great game. Obviously a really good game of back-and-forth football. I loved our guys' resiliency, the way they battled and keep sticking into it. I thought all three phases came up with some plays as the game went on. And so ultimately we didn't do enough, didn't get it done at the very end. Loved the way our guys battled and it was an unfortunate ending, but there's stuff to learn from and grow from during that game so we'll continue to grow."

Do you feel Tyler really got some rhythm when you guys went into that hurry-up in the second half, kind of playing with that pace?

"Yeah, I think once we were able to get some first downs and get some efficient runs on first and second down and playing some positive-yardage situations, the tempo obviously is a byproduct of that and you're able to play with more tempo."

And just overall, how Tyler was able to respond from that first half where you guys couldn't get anything going offensively, and then being able to get things going in the second half.

"Yeah, I thought, credit to our guys, the way they battled. The second half, I thought our guys responded really well in all three phases. There's a lot of positives there. Obviously we didn't start the game the way we needed to to put ourselves in better position."

On the pick-two, can you just take us through that play? What kind of led Tyler to, did Devaughn Vele fall or was it the wrong read? What did you make of that play?

"Two-point play. False start. So now it's a two-point play from the 7. Obviously your play kind of has to change there. Obviously 'Ve' (Devaughn Vele) is trying to run a shallow cross, build as we go and get into the end zone. I thought the defender, Minkah, made a phenomenal play, kind of jumped underneath on the route and was able to pick it off. We were close. Obviously it's a challenging two-point play when you're going from the 7. I thought the DB made a phenomenal play. Obviously we'll look at it in detail and see if we can give ourselves any other cleaner opportunities, but the guy made a really good play."

What were your thoughts on that play call on fourth-and-1 at the end?

"Obviously it didn't work, so obviously going to evaluate it just like any other play. So it's frustrating. Didn't get it done. We kind of got the second-and-1, took a shot. Third down, took a pass. Fourth down, just tried to get our first down because we still had our timeout in our pocket. We weren't able to advance it and get it done."

What did you make of Charlie Smyth's debut, and just for him to have the moment that he had?

"Charlie, I thought, kicked really well. Big-time field goal. The onside kick obviously was really well-kicked. Phenomenal kick there and put us in a position to have a chance at the end."

What led you to go with him over Cade York?

"Just let the week play itself out. Evaluate those guys. Obviously he's got time on task with the whole operation. And he was ready to go. He did a really nice job"

We've been kind of waiting for that Devaughn Vele daily breakout game, and it felt like it happened today. Just watching him being able to make those plays, was that kind of one of those where it was like, finally we get to see him kind of operate and do his thing?

"He's played a ton of snaps obviously for the last few weeks. The ball just hasn't gone to him necessarily. He's had a few targets here and there, so I thought that's what we've seen of him throughout this entire year, and that's what we're excited about and what we're going to build with him. So I thought he made some really big-time, contested catches in some challenging situations. He had a really good day."

What do you think changed for the offense in the second half? Was it the tempo primarily? What got you guys into a rhythm?

"I think it's getting positive plays on first and second down that allow you to play in tempo. Obviously we all want to play in tempo but you can't play tempo going three-and-out. It doesn't provide that opportunity. I thought we got physical runs in that first drive coming out of the half. We got some 4-, 5-yard positive runs that led into some situations where we earned first downs. Played with tempo, that drive progressed well. There's certainly a path there that we need to try and replicate more consistently."

You mentioned the three phases playing well. Defensively after giving up the opening drive touchdown, you were able to hold them to field goals, like almost felt like it was a bend but don't break approach for what the defense did, right?
"I thought the defense did a really good job of hanging in there. I thought, yeah, that first drive, obviously they made some plays. The response was really good and they made a few
plays here and there and obviously were able to force them into field goals, which I think was the key to giving us a chance."

Does seeing Charlie's leg strength throughout camp and all this time, his first kick was a 56-yarder, just having that confidence in him to actually try that, was it something you saw based on his time with you guys?

"Yeah, Charlie's earned this opportunity. We have a lot of confidence in him. He's worked at this thing for a number of years now. He's prepared himself really well. We have a lot of confidence in him. He obviously has the leg to make some big-time kicks. That was a challenging situation, but it was a situation we needed to get some points there and he drilled it, and it was a phenomenal kick by him."

What did you make of Tyler today overall?

"Obviously, like any day, like our entire team, we're going to have good plays. We're going to have plays we want to have back. I love and appreciate the way he battled and responded all game long, as far as facing some adversity early. And made some big-time plays, made some big-time plays. The two touchdowns were really a little bit off-schedule plays, and those happened in this game. That's what happens in football. I thought he made some big plays there."

How concerned are you over the slow starts on offense?

"Yeah, we've got to start faster. Yeah, that's the bottom line."

I know we always talk about moral victories and obviously the ultimate goal is to win, but to see what your team was able to do and stay in this, is there something you can take and move forward from what happened in this game?

"Every game has things we can take from it, both good and bad. The way our guys responded, the way our guys battled, I love and appreciate that. It's not easy being down at halftime like that and not having any points on the board and feeling like you're not quite clicking. I thought our guys responded in all three phases. I loved the energy and the juice. We came up short in the end, but there's going to be plenty of things to learn from this."

I think Cam Jordan either is tied or leads you guys in sacks. What do you make of the season he's having and for him to be in this position at kind of his age and everything that's happened the last few years?

"Cam's done a really nice job. He made big-time plays in this game. He's made obviously a number of plays the last few games. He's just been a very consistent player. I love the presence he's brought to us."

Was Justin Reid's (injury) anything serious?

"It was a knee and we'll see how it progresses. We'll get more of an update tomorrow."

What made you guys go with, you started Jordan (Howden) there, then moved Terrell (Burgess) in? Did he provide a calming presence or anything?

"Both those guys we feel good about. They're both veteran guys. They know what they're doing. Both those guys will play in there and earn opportunities."

Quarterback Tyler Shough

What did you take out of a game like that and what did you make of it?

"I was just really proud of our resiliency throughout it. We started off too slow. Just got to shore up some of that execution-wise. I was just kind of proud how we battled the whole way. It just sucks losing and we have to find little ways to keep getting better. I think we're progressing well. Just got to shore it up."

What are the emotions like where you guys are down after the touchdown, the two-point attempt, and then the onside kick? How do you kind of keep calm in that situation or were you not calm and how were you at the time?

"I was good. I think everybody had the same mindset. We get an opportunity, we're going to go out there and attack. I think defense, special teams-wise, they did a really good job and we've got to find a way as an offense to be complementary that way. Just like I said, I was proud how we stayed even keeled and battled the whole way. It sucks whenever you're not starting the way you want to, but I think we had a good mindset. That was kind of the attitude -- it's going to pop; It's going to break open. We're executing not well, but I think everything was there and we saw it and knew we were going to get our chances."

Do you think the tempo helped in the second half?

"For sure. For sure. I think being able to attack and kind of get them on their heels. Obviously I think we were moving it well, operating well. And just kind of find how we can duplicate it. To be able to play fast but also change the tempo sometimes, I think it's stuff to build off of for sure."

Talking to Devaughn Vele about the big day he's had and just the connection that you two have had to build since he's got here. Just assess how he played today and how he was one of the big targets for you?

" He came up big. He came up big. For him, he's super smart. I think he has a great feel with his routes. I think he does a really good job. He's catching everything -- some of the ball placements I would have liked to have been better and he's making big-time catches. I was really proud of him. I think there's stuff to continue to grow off with all those guys. I think a lot of guys stepped up -- Mason Tipton, Dante Pettis, Kevin (Austin Jr.), Evan (Hull) and Audric (Estime) have kind of been thrust into a new role and I think everybody responded that way and we just kind of have to figure out how we can be more dialed in on some of those scenarios. But I was really proud of Devaughn (Vele) just because I think he's such a key player for us."

Walk me through that two-point conversion.

"I mean, it just sucks because I had everything we wanted there and he made a really good play, just kind of undercutting it. I would have liked to, maybe put it out in front a little bit more, but had to get it out of my hands. Just a really good play. Obviously a roller coaster of emotions there, but it's part of it so yeah, it sucks and we'll find a way to kind of get it in there."

How about the other interception?

"Yeah, it was just miscommunication. Was going in the whole way. Broke out, and I thought he was going to take one more step or keep going. It just sucks. We were driving the ball and just had a miscommunication with him but proud of how he continued to fight back."

Is it a choice kind of thing? Either you hadn't worked on that specific scenario enough or you had two different thoughts on it?

"No, it's just kind of a miscommunication. I'm reading his body language and throwing it to the spot and he made a good play and jumped. It just sucks. I think there's nothing -- obviously you want it back, but it's kind of part of it and we've got to find a way to put it on him, but at the end of the day, you're going out there, playing and we'll learn from it."

You guys have had a lot of games this season that you point to the way you finished or the way you guys stuck in there. But you've also had a lot of games that you've said I wish we could start faster. How do you square those things individually?

"That's the goal. That's the battle. I think just starting off being better on those first downs and then just kind of finding that rhythm. And I think for me, just seeing it well but finding a way to just get it done on those key third downs and we're going to do that. I promise you that. We're going to do that. I think there's a lot of stuff to progress and build off of. But just learning from it and kind of continuing to really emphasize that, that's all we can do. And when those opportunities come, we'll take advantage of them."

Saw you on the sideline earlier in the game, I don't want to say kind of hyping people up but obviously talking to a lot of them. What was your message at that point? What were you trying to convey?

"It's going to happen. It's going to pop. I think we were seeing it fine. We knew what we were getting. We just had to be able to just -- we're that close on like some of them. And I think you just can't get down mentally. That was my whole thing -- just stay even keeled. Shoot, the last couple of minutes it's like this. You've just got to be able to operate. And I think we did a really good job of staying focused and just going out there and attacking. So stuff like that's going to happen. Maybe you're not starting the way you want to, or there's going to be some things here and there. But that was my message and kind of continue to do that. Just we're doing some really good things. How can we just be consistent that way? How can I relay that message to all the guys and that was what I was trying to focus on."

That last series before the fourth-and-1 keeper, on third down, did you go into that thinking, I'm looking for one option and throw it away if not?

"Where we kicked the field goal?"

No, the final fourth down stop. On third-and-1, you rolled right and chose to throw it away, when I think Chris (Olave) wasn't open?

"Yeah, I would like to just pop it on him. I think he did a really good job there and they kind of collapsed on him from the outside, but my mindset was, third-and-1, okay, I know I'm in fourth down, the last thing I want to do is take a sack and end up in a really tough situation. So knowing that we had that opportunity was just kind of put it on him or throw it away. So obviously looking back at it, I think we can get it there. So that's on me, but I think at the end of the day, we'll get it done."

With second down, was shot play the first read on that play, that's the first thing you were hoping for or it was if they reacted a certain way, you decided to go to the end zone to Chris Olave?

"Yes, just shot play, for sure. Just trying to attack and take advantage of it. And obviously super close, but, yeah, that was a mindset, especially down there and when we're kind of getting them on their heels. We'll figure out a way to get it done. It just sucks thinking back right now, obviously."

What did you think about Charlie's kick there?

"It was ice cold, ice cold in his veins. I think that's tough, whenever you're sitting around the whole game, you're trying to stay warm. I think he did a really good job just coming in. I think the team saw that, just his neutrality, even in the kicking competition throughout the whole week. He came in there and made a really tough kick because we've got to be able to convert on that. We knew we had to get points. I was really proud of him stepping up there."

For him to have the onside, too, what does that say about him?

"I see him practicing every single day, him and Grupe, all those guys, they were dialed in on their craft. I just give credit to them and the whole special teams just stepping up really big there because that's a huge play, like I said. Defense did a really good job all day. We've got to find a way to complement on top of that, but Charlie was a huge deal for us."

He seems to be a very popular guy in the dressing room as of late. Is that accurate or just based off the players' body language, especially when he obviously made a 56-yard in the rain, pretty tough stuff and then executed like an inch-perfect onside kick?

"I think just who he is as a person, I think that's why we love him. I think how he operates every single day, just coming to work, I think you've got to respect that and who he is. You never know what he's saying sometimes. You might have to hear him say it twice, but he's got a great attitude. I think he's coming in there, he's got that dawg in him, for sure. I was proud of him. Like I said, we've got to get some more PATs for him, get some more PATs."

Defensive End Cameron Jordan

Take me through those two sacks that you had in that first quarter?

"In that first quarter, I think Bryan Bresee had a middle interior push pressure, I thought he was going to get it. I was playing tight end screen because it felt like the tight end was light through him. Really it was a cleanup. First was cleanup. If one's for free, you've got to go earn one, so the second one I had to go earn. Rushed from the interior spot on a rookie guard and you've got to take advantage of them when you can. You knew he was going to bite, already playing for it, so then it was all about just collecting, making sure you don't trick it off."

After that opening series, what as a defense did you guys kind of focus on and figure out to kind of just hold them to a point where they're just kicking field goals and this game is still manageable where you guys can still get back into it?

"For whatever reason the last 12 games, our first or second series is the one that we have to worry about, and then we sort of settle in as a defense and play really well for the entire game. You'd like to say that we've got to start off strong the first drive, they end up with a touchdown after that, it was field goals, field goals, and you look up and you're like, 'Damn, I wish we could take some of those back. I wish we could've got the interception from 'Q. Riley' (Quincy Riley), wish it led to points, that would've been a big swing right there. I keep saying it's got to be on our defense."

You talked a lot about how fast QB Tua Tagovailoa gets the ball out, but it seems like you guys were able to make him hold it today. What were you guys doing well in that regard?

"The first half, yeah he was trying to look for those deep field threats, of course you've got Waddle, Cedrick Wilson is over there now with a couple of trick plays that they've got. Darren Waller had a big catch. You knew he was going to take some shots and we had to take advantage. Then he got back to doing what he's been doing the second half and that's getting the ball out quick and after that they sort of had a lead and were able to rely on (De'Von) Achane."

You lead the team now in sacks. What do you kind of make of that after the last few years you've had?

"Hard work and effort, the ability to mesh well with my d-line as well as knowing who you're rushing with. I've said it now for now two years, God has blessed me with immense talent and I'm overly grateful for everything he's given me and I'm blessed enough to play on a talented d-line and then we have a coach that gives you opportunity, you've got to take advantage."

What does it mean to you if anything to earn the incentives in your contract?

"I'm not going to lie to you, that's not my goal. My goal is to win. Sitting at 2-10, the team has always incentivized some part of my contract. I've never once played for those incentives, although they'll be great I'll say without getting into the politics of the contract. Give me what I've got for services rendered and let me continue to ball, and accordingly I think we've got young guys that are doing just that, whether that's Chase (Young) in pass rush, (Carl) Granderson is excelling at dropping and he's not getting enough recognition for how he's been able to take a lot of his drops and he's the best dropper out of all of us, as well as the way he's going in between the tackles at times in our third down package and rushed at a high level. You've got Nate Shepherd who's been playing his butt off this year. There's a lot of guys on our d-line that make you want to elevate your play, so the fact that if you say sack leader, well I've been the New Orleans Saints sack leader for a couple years now, so just continuing to push the envelope."

Obviously you've been here forever and you know what it takes for a group to win, how close is this current edition…

"The fact that I've come up and say we're a tenacious team, we're a team that keeps fighting. When you're fighting an uphill battle, you have to eventually reach the top of the
hill. We're taking shots, we're swinging and you just wish they would fall in our favor and they haven't for whatever reason this year. A game like this game, a game like last game hurts because you've seen guys make these plays. You've seen it be fourth-and-1 and get the first down or you've seen '12' (Chris Olave) go up and get the ball – once he went up in the air, I was like, 'That's a touchdown.' Surprised that he didn't but that's the type of player that he is. He's made 50-50 balls not 50-50 as he's fighting two guys off of him, that's just how impressive '12' has been this year. You've seen (Devaughn) Vele come alive. I mean for whatever it is, we have talented spots, we just have to be more consistent. I keep saying we have to start fast and yet we haven't had one game where it's like OK, we blitzkrieg somebody, we put two or three touchdowns up then we're looking back. It's always been all right, we've got the lead. The only time we've won was when we had a lead early. We've yet to have a lead and lose it."

Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry

Take me through that fourth down, the tackle from behind the line of scrimmage, just kind of what you saw and kind of how that play unfolded?

"I kind of let the edge split on that play. I kind of just trust my instincts and kind of just ran up the edge and hoped that I could get the guy before he could get to the line of scrimmage, just try to trust my speed to make the play."

Did you feel that urgency? It was a stop you guys needed and you saw kind of what unfolded afterwards.

"Yeah, I knew it was a play that we needed. We knew if they got the first down, it was going to be very hard to win the game. Coach made a good call and we executed."

Defensively, I know after that opening series where they kind of marched down the field and scored, you guys were able to all but just hold them to field goals, kind of keep them in it. What did it say after that first series how that defense as a whole responded after that?

"After the first drive, like you said, we gave up seven, I feel like we settled in. I feel like we do a good job of being connected on defense. We talk about connection, we talk about being there for each other, we talk about playing for each other and that's what we relied on. We didn't let that touchdown just break us apart, we let that touchdown bring us together."

Did you kind of see for your interception that play develop the entire time?

"Yeah, I'd kind of seen it based off the call we were in. I kind of had my eyes on the backfield so I kind of seen him lunging from the start of the play."

You guys were down 16-0 at half and to get it to a point where you're a 2-point conversion away from tying it up, what does that say about the kind of fight and character that this team is able to show?

"Just know we're coming, man. Just know we're growing, we're working every day. Every day we're in the lab, every day we talk about who we want to be and that's the team we want to be. Of course we want to win, of course we want to jump out in front, but we want to have that chemistry and that connection to be able to fight. We pride ourselves on not giving up. We pride ourselves on not giving up, we pride ourself on finishing and being tough."

Kicker Charlie Smyth

How did it feel to wait as long as you did and then the first [field goal] is a 56-yarder?

"I suppose you're kind of waiting all game and then the way the game was going, we needed two two-point conversions if we scored a touchdown, so we were curious if the opportunity was going to come up. Ultimately, you just have to stay ready and then they kicked a field goal to up 11 so we knew that we might have needed one at some stage. The boys did a great operation and I was just happy to be able to knock it down."

Was your family able to make it up [from Ireland] for the game?

"Yeah, so I found out on Friday. I think if we had to wait three or four more hours, I don't think it would have been possible. I think they traveled 23 hours because they flew to Chicago and the flight got delayed because of snow and then they flew down into Miami. It was awesome to see them. I've got more people here, my coach, my girlfriend and her family, and Connor here as well. I have a really good support network."

Just to get to the field goal, a 56-piece field goal, is there any range where you don't feel uncomfortable from? Rumors are you had a big leg in camp and you have been hyped up quite a bit and you looked completely relaxed and comfortable going in there.

"Whenever you are in that situation, those juices flow, you just can't replicate that when you're kicking on your own. It's all about feeling out into something that is going to be a positive impact on you, so I use that to swing harder."

Speaking of positive impact, you may have hit the most accurate onside kick of the season so far. How did that feel, what made you prompt to set the ball up the way you did?

"We did a scouting report on the Dolphins today and we saw Riley (Patterson) doing that and we practiced it during the week. We caught our own hands team off guard. Me and (Devaughn) Vele had a discussion about it and we went for it and Vele did a great job, everyone did a great job. It was nice to be able to recover that."

What did it mean for you to get the opportunity? You came over to the states to play ball and it took you 18 months to get there

"It took a long time and it obviously means 'I feel ready, I feel ready.' But the coaches, they know what they're doing. They're really, really good. Obviously we didn't envision it being like this because Blake (Grupe) has been so good and I have learned so much from him. Tuesday was strange emotions because you saw your opportunity potentially coming up but then seeing him out was tough because we're friends. At the end of the day, you get your head right and I was buzzing and then on Thursday, it was kind of a big day and I kicked really well. I was just excited to get the opportunity and to be honest, I'm kind of hiding it a little bit, I was absolutely buzzing."

Wide Receiver Devaughn Vele

What'd you make of your day today and what kind of worked really well for you?

"I feel like there's a lot of ups and downs. Early on I gave up a strip-sack, obviously that killed momentum to the offense but we fought our way back. I give credit to a lot of the guys fighting through. Obviously we didn't get the result we wanted, but there's definitely a lot of things that we can build off of and learn from this."

Walk me through the touchdown in the back of the end zone there and just kind of what you saw, how it unfolded just from your perspective?

"We were in two-minute mode. Obviously guys are getting pretty tired, but we kept playing, kept fighting. Tyler (Shough) made a hell of a throw, he put it up there, gave me an opportunity to make a play and came out on the positive end. Those are the kind of things that we can definitely build off of. We've got guys in that offense that once we get our bearings down and limit the mistakes that we're making, we can definitely take strides forward."

What do you think was the contributing factor of why the offense kind of got it going after the first half where nothing kind of was happening?

"You hate to say it but we started rallying once we realized we've got to step it up. Defense was making plays and we weren't capitalizing on those. Obviously we want to start fast, start early, not have to get it going and be fighting our way back. Like I said, I appreciate the grit of a lot of these guys on the offensive side for us fighting back, we're going to keep building off of this."

Can you just take us through the two-point attempt? What did you see and how was that play supposed to develop?

"Obviously that's devastating, that could have been a big play, big swing, lead it to a tie game. The defense just made a great play. Obviously, I could've done something more. That's all we can think about, we're going to watch the film and see what really happened but I put that on me. I can definitely help Tyler (Shough) out and help the offense and help everyone making those kind of plays."

On the onside kick there, did you feel like you were fine, it was clean or were you kind of surprised when there was a review and how close it was in the review?

"Yeah, I was surprised, I thought I was already passed the 10 (yards) when I touched it and when we watched the review, I was kind of hurting a little bit when I saw it was short but luckily it touched the guy so we got lucky on that one, but I've got to make sure I'm past 10 yards next time."

Is that how the play is kind of designed to go, where you get up the sideline and kind of field it there? Is that the idea?

"Yeah obviously we gameplan depending on how teams block it. We knew that the one, which is the position I was playing, they don't block him so we knew we had an opportunity. All the guys on the inside were going to hold up their guys and credit to Charlie (Smyth), he came in and stepped in in a big way, put the ball right where it needed to be and we were able to make a play off of it."

K Charlie Smyth said you'd only practiced that play a handful of times. What was your confidence level going in there?

"Like I said, I was still relatively new when I got here so I didn't know too much about Charlie but one thing about him he's always been working hard, you see him behind the scenes always practicing. I'm so happy for a guy like that that's been working that hard to finally get his moment on a big stage and be able to convert like that. It's awesome."

What are the emotional swings like of you guys are down, you score a touchdown, two-point return then you have an onside kick. Are you freaking out inside as that's going on? How do you process that emotionally as a player?

"There's a lot of emotions that are processed in the game, but at the end of the day, like I said I've got to give it to these guys, these kind of games you can really tell a lot about a team. Obviously our record is what it is, but one thing I will give credit to is we've got some dudes on this team. Most guys would quit, give in, kind of cave in and don't even try, but one thing about this team is that we're going to keep fighting. It's a pride thing and I've got a lot of respect for the guys in this locker room."

How did you see QB Tyler Shough in the second half take control of the game a little bit after obviously just weren't going well in the first half?

"I would say from the get he was like that the whole time. It wasn't like one of those things of, 'Oh, we need to get going.' He was on us from the get, even when we were making mistakes. He was telling us that we've got to get things going, trust in each other and keep building. That's a credit to his leadership and how he's stepped into that role, I've got a lot of respect for that guy."

Your chemistry as quarterback-wide receiver, how has that grown over the past 10 weeks or so? Because obviously you came in late after camp, didn't have a lot of time on task.

"It's been good. Obviously we talk on the side and in practices when we see things, we communicate with each other what works, what doesn't work, how we feel, how I run routes, how he sees it, so there's a lot of communication going on and we understand that's what we have to do if we want to get to where we want to get."

Is it rewarding to have a day like you had today given kind of your slower start to the season?

"I bring this up a lot, I'm a very competitive guy and at the end of the day I want to win games. I'm grateful today I had a career day for myself, but at the end of the day I want to win games. I see those stats as a team effort rather than individual effort, so I'll always give credit to the o-line and Tyler (Shough) and everybody making the plays that we did make today. But at the end of the day, we want to win games and that's the purpose of us being here."

Is there a level you need to convince the quarterback trust you in those tight window throws where it's like yeah, I'm going to throw you the ball, you've got to win it – do you have to earn that as a receiver?

"I see it as that's his job, I'm not going to tell a guy – I don't play quarterback in the NFL so I'm not going to tell him how to do his job. I've just got to make sure I'm doing what I've got to do and if he sees the opportunity and he takes it, I've got to make sure I capitalize on that."