Defensive Back Logan Ryan
Q: Obviously, I know you guys have high standards for yourself, how do you feel like the defense has played through these first two games?
A: Not good enough, obviously. Just not good enough. Not to the standard we want to be, but we want to improve all year anyway. We obviously want to start better, but we want to make strides from week to week. I thought we started the game off well with some three-and-outs. Our rush defense improved. We still have to improve in our two-minute, some of our tempo stuff, so that was a lot of emphasis today is working out the communication. All that stuff needs to get better, and I trust that it will. We've got good players, we've got good coaches and we're working hard, man. I want to let people know that in times of adversity or what not, just double down on yourself. I'm not going to be the type of person to change and start trying something new and trying something I never did before or panic. I think you need to have some poise and (I) try to bring poise to the situation, having some experience in this league. It's not the end all be all, we've just got to make some improvements and that's what we're doing. We have guys that are willing to be coached and willing to improve.
Q: Even when you guys were at your best last year, the scoring right before the half seemed to be a recurring problem. It's been the same problem these first two games, too. Why is that, allowing scores right before the half?
A: I honestly don't remember last year what the problems were or what not. It's just guys fighting hard. (We) had to address our two-minute defense at some point last year and obviously, we're doing that now. It's the same players on the field, so just going out there and executing. I think two-minute – I had a coach once tell me, 'It's two-minute technique time.' Everyone just needs to focus on their technique, do your job a little bit and just do your part of the puzzle. These quarterbacks nowadays, these offensive signal callers, they'll find you if you're not in your right spot and they've been doing a good job of finding that. These quarterbacks have played well. I give credit to them. But I'm excited about our offense. Our offense – that was an exciting game to be a part of and they're putting up a lot of points. They're looking good moving the ball. If they play like that and they're getting us 29 points a game, then we're going to be a good team this year. I firmly believe that. I was watching film and I was watching games, from a football fan, just like everyone else, and I'm watching Kansas City-Baltimore, 30 points. Seattle- Tennessee, 30 points. Every game I watch, I'm seeing guys give up 30 points, 30 points, 30 points. It's just early football and we need to do a better job of it. The rules (aren't) made for us to succeed defensively as early and often anymore. We've just got to do a better job of doing the best we can.
Q: What have you seen from (Cornerback) James (Bradberry) because he was obviously lock-down last year, and it seems like quarterbacks are throwing – the numbers are they completed six-of-seven Week 1 on him. Obviously, he had a couple penalties, any concern there?
A: On James Bradberry? One of the best in the league? I mean, he made a play that honestly, if we get a missed field goal at the end, James Bradberry made the play to win the game. Hey, that's the nature of being a corner. What'd (Ravens Offensive Tackle) Alejandro Villanueva say, 'As a tackle, it's like jumping out of an airplane, not a lot of upside'? That's the same thing as being a corner. Either they don't throw at you and they don't write about you or you give up a play and now you suck. That's the nature of being a DB and that's why you've got to be a different dude and that's why they pay you a lot of money when you're pretty good at it. But James Bradberry made a play to win the game for us at the end of the game. Analytics probably show that we probably could've won the game after that play, and we unfortunately didn't. He made a play to win the game and a lot of corners – I played it for a lot of years – when you're not having a great day, it's really hard to respond. To see some of the top guys, and James is a better corner than I ever was, to see him respond in the way that he did to make the game-winning play, that's like a great basketball – Steph Curry when he's having an off-night and he hits a buzzer- beater three-pointer and we're calling him a hero how he's able to respond with adversity. So that's what James did, to me. He came in and almost hit a buzzer-beater. He hit it with 20 seconds left and they came and hit a buzzer-beater.
Q: You mentioned in your mind the defense isn't playing up to the standards that you guys have. What's the mental state of the defense? Are you approaching it like, 'We're pissed off' or 'Hey, calm, we've got this we just have to do what we're supposed to do'?
A: Yeah, I think we've got to relax, and I think we've just got to do what we do and establish what we do. We haven't proved anything yet this year, and I think we're pretty good on paper. I think we have some good players, some good coaches, and we know that. We've just got to go out there and perform. Defense is not an easy spot to play. The rules are changing. Everything's kind of against you, but we've got to go out there and band together a little bit and it starts with me. There were some game-changing plays I didn't make last game. I don't feel like I made enough of an impact for myself. We all look at that accountability, but there's no pointing fingers. There's no panic on our side, like, 'Oh, we don't have enough. Who's going to play in the secondary? Who's the middle linebacker going to be? There's no this, there's no that.' No, I think we have all those pieces. We've got to calm down and play the game and make improvements from week to week. Nobody has their A-game stuff in Week 2. We need to do a better job of getting to our stuff and need to do a better job this week. I think that's what practice is for. That's what we're out here doing is practicing hard and trying to make those improvements and being coachable.
Q: What kind of challenges does a guy like (Falcons Tight End) Kyle Pitts present for you guys?
A: We all know, he was like the most highly touted draft pick I ever heard of coming out in a long time. He seems like he's a 6-5, 245 (pounds), fast, tight end, receiver. We saw last game, I watched the game, he made some athletic catches. I know (Falcons Head Coach) Arthur Smith and (Falcons Defensive Coordinator) Dean Pees well, they were in Tennessee with me for years and I was battling with Art on the practice field for years talking a lot of trash to him. He knows how to scheme up his guys to get him the ball. So, he's a really smart guy and he's going to find a way to get him the ball. Him and (Falcons Running Back) Cordarrelle Patterson and obviously (Falcons Wide Receiver) Calvin Ridley are guys that they're going to scheme up. They made plays against Tampa last game and Tampa did a good job responding and making plays at the end to win the game. Those guys are going to make some plays and we've got to do a great job of limiting that.
Q: Can a defense consistently stop an offense without an elite pass rush or without a consistent pass rush?
A: As long as you're disrupting the quarterback, it can be anybody on defense. The pass rush can come from anywhere and anything. Yeah, I definitely believe so. I think a defense can, I was on a defense with Tennessee where we had nobody with 10 sacks, and we were in an AFC Championship. We were one of the top three defenses in football. 100 percent, on defense, you've just got to play team ball. Honestly, a lot of times you see teams that lead the league in sacks and they're really not that good on defense. I don't think it's a direct correlation. I think it's third down. I think it's two-minute. I think it's points allowed and I think those are just some situations that we're talking about that we need to be better and keep the points down.
Q: With so many guys seemingly open on receptions, is it a lack of communication or is it breakdowns or what?
A: Guys open on receptions? I don't know. I don't think there's a lot of guys open on receptions. I think guys are making some tough catches. I think (Washington Tight End) Logan Thomas made a tough catch on me in the seam, it was a bang-bang play. I think (Washington Wide Receiver) Terry McLaurin made a tough catch on that touchdown. I don't know, I don't think it's – we've got to check Next Gen (Stats) to see how wide-open guys are. I just think guys are making some good catches and we need to be tighter in those windows. I don't think it's – I can't agree with the question.
Q: You seem to be saying, 'We've just got to do what we got to do, be patient and it's going to happen?'
A: I wouldn't say patient. I'm in early and I stay late every day. I'm not changing who I am, and I think poise is the word that I want to lead with. You got to have some poise. I think we got to have poise. We're not going to panic over being 0-2. We're not going to panic over losing a game by one point.
Q: How damning would 0-3 be, that's where I was getting to? 0-2, the odds are pretty low to make the playoffs, with each win you get –
A: How bad is it being one game out of the division lead? Our whole division is 1-1, right? So, everyone loses, and we win, guess what? We're division leaders next week. I don't know how damaging it is with the playoffs, we're one game behind in the division. So, Dallas won by a field goal, we win by a field goal at the end of this game, then we're division leaders right now, if Dallas loses. That's the nature of this business guys. It's going to be close in the end and we've got to make improvements from week to week. When we get to November, December football, then this stuff will start adding up, but right now, we've got to make improvements and we've got to find a way to close out these games so we can stick with the division leaders.
