Transcript: DE Mathias Kiwanuka

DE Mathias Kiwanuka

Conference Call -- November 24, 2014



Q: How tough was it to go through that last drive when the Cowboys scored the winning touchdown?

A: That is about as tough as it gets, especially being out there and feeling personally responsible for the outcome of the game. That is a tough one to swallow.



Q: With the lack of a pass rush on that final drive, was that a product of the plays that were called and the coverages or was there a fatigue factor? What do you attribute that to?

A: It was a combination. I think the bottom line is I didn’t make the play that was there to be made and that is the outcome. You can always go above Xs and Os. You can always play through fatigue. They made the plays. We can’t take anything away from them. They came in and executed. They played hard and they got the win. I would have liked to have something better on that last play.



Q: Could the front group have used more help in the form of more pressure?

A: Hindsight is 20/20. I’m a defensive lineman, [so] I always feel like it is on us to get there and we obviously have to play the call that is called. If you have a four-man rush, you should be able to get there.



Q: You guys are in the bottom half of the league in sacks… Why do you think this year you have not had success in that regard?

A: There is obviously a lot that goes into it. The way that the games play out and the condition that we find and put ourselves in. The opportunities when they are there, we are not taking advantage of them. We have to find a way to create them. We have to find a way to make plays and create them for whatever the reason is. On a positive note, there is a lot of football left to be played and we could still change the story of this season before it is over.



Q: How important is it going forward to get back to .500 and finish the season 8-8?

A: The record right now is not the most important thing. The most important thing is playing every game lights out and winning every game that we have. Taking advantage of every opportunity to go out there and get a win because that will salvage or change what we have done in the fact of what we already put out there. It is not about getting to a certain number. It is not about changing or doing anything out of the ordinary. It is about playing hard and just getting wins.



Q: It seemed like DeMarco Murray was able to get to that second level quite a bit last night… Do you attribute that to some of his own greatness or his skillset or is there something you guys could have done to prevent him from getting to that second level?

A: Obviously he is a tremendous runner. We’ve seen it personally. We have seen it on film. We’ve played against it. We knew he had that kind of potential and that was something that we had to stop. You have to give him credit for everything he did, but there obviously were some mistakes and that is what we are focused on today; correcting whatever mistakes that allowed those kind of plays to happen.



Q: Given the set of circumstances last night, the way you guys played getting the lead back… National television and the great catch by [Odell] Beckham Jr… Is that the most frustrating loss in your mind from all of these?

A: Right now it is the only one I can think about. I’ll go back and reflect later, but for right now, it is definitely the most frustrating. It was a divisional game. It was an opponent that we know very well. It was a game that we needed. It was a game we wanted. It was a game we prepared for and worked for. We let it get away. It is very frustrating.



Q: The past two weeks have been very close and arguably you could have won... Is that encouraging to you that you are a play or two away from winning or does it become that much more painful to be on the losing side?

A: I can speak for myself. Personally, it is painful and inspiring at the same time. It makes you want to work harder. It makes you want to focus more. It makes you want to run faster and play harder so that you can get that win and make that play that enables our team to win, and not put ourselves in that situation ever again.



Q: You have been around awhile… You know the ultimate goal is to win a championship. At some point as a veteran, do you start to expect the team to start looking at ways to build toward the future and look at younger players? How do you as a veteran handle that?

A: That is the nature of this business. There is a large scouting department. There are people who are constantly looking and evaluating the team. We are evaluated every practice and every game, so by the time you get to this point, it is not something you worry about. What I worry about is what I can control, which is going out there and taking care of my body and going out every day in practice and getting myself prepared and then just fighting and playing hard and getting the win. You never know when it is going to be your last play. That is the bottom line. It doesn’t have to be something that everybody oversaw. It could be something as simple as falling down a flight of stairs, knock on wood, so no, I don’t worry about any of that stuff. Going forward, [I am] just focusing on getting a win. It is frustrating and it hurts and all those things, but we have another game coming up this week and we have another opportunity.



Q: How many times did you replay that final play in your mind and do you look at it film-wise and say, ‘Here is what I should have done and here is what I could have done?’

A: You are watching every single play. This one was obviously tougher than the rest, but just as in every other loss, you go through it over, over and over again and comb through it to see what changes you could make, what you did well and then by the time the new film starts coming around, you have to put it behind you. For tonight I’ll still watch it and try to figure out in the entire game where I could have done better, where we could have done better, what I can do to help the team and then I’ll have to get behind it and get on to the next week.



Q: What specifically have you seen from that last play when you go back and look at it?

A: There is a lot of stuff. Like I said, bottom line, there is a play there to be made. There was too much time and we put that on the [defensive] line. We have to get to the quarterback.