Defensive Lineman Leonard Williams
Q: It looked like you started and you had a good pass rush and by the second quarter, it wasn't as effective and things opened up for them. What happened?
A: Like you said, we started fast like we wanted. The defense was getting off the field. We were getting pressure up the middle, making them hold the ball a little bit. I have to watch film to further assess exactly what happened, but it seemed like he was getting the ball out a little faster in the second half. Their tempo started going a little bit quicker as well. Overall, they were doing a little better than our defense.
Q: It seemed like at one point you were shooing off the boos. Did the boos bother you?
A: They do bother me honestly. Obviously, we're in our own home stadium. I don't want to be hearing boos from my own fans. I understand that they have a right to be upset as well because they're coming to see us put good football on the field. We haven't been winning up to date. But at the same time, I don't know, I don't like that.
Q: What do you say to the idea that when you don't play well, you kind of deserve it?
A: I don't think anyone deserves to be put down no matter who you are. I'm not going to go to a salesman and tell him that he's not a good person or 'boo' this person because he's not doing his job or something like that.
Q: With all due respect, that's kind of a laughable analogy. It's a sports venue. You guys are getting pounded 28-3. Can you understand why fans are angry?
A: I just said I understood why fans would be upset.
Q: But you don't think they should boo?
A: It doesn't matter what I think. I go out there to play football. I don't sit in the stands, so I can't see it from their perspective.
Q: Last week, (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Pat) Graham described the effort by the defense as unacceptable. How do you categorize the effort by the defense this week?
A: The same. We obviously gave up too many points no matter what the situation was. We allowed them in the end zone too many times. No matter how we started off, we didn't finish the way we wanted to. I think guys on this team have a lot of fight in them. I think it goes to show that we play until the last second. Obviously, it wasn't enough, and we need to pick it up. But I think no one in this locker room is going to give up on each other. We have the same group of guys that we did last year, and we were in a similar situation. We were one game off from going to the playoffs last year. We're not obviously trying to compare it to last year or anything like that, but it goes to show that guys in this locker are going to lean on each other and keep fighting.
Q: What do you take out of (Head Coach) Joe (Judge)'s challenge to you guys at halftime?
A: I think it's more of him trying to create an identity. He knew that we were down. He wanted to see who's going to go out there and keep fighting and represent for the guy next to them. You know, don't hang your heads, don't drop your shoulders, don't look like a quitter out there on the field and keep playing.
Q: How do you get the execution to match the preparation? All week, Joe was saying how you guys prepare hard, but you're not seeing it on the field.
A: I think that's the question we're all trying to answer right now, is executing. Everybody has been grinding since camp. I don't question anyone on this team's work ethic or how they approach the work every day. We just have to find a way to execute it, like you said.
Q: From a personal standpoint, your career record in games you've played in is now 34-67. Obviously, it's a team game. But you've experienced a lot of losing. From a personal standpoint, how sick are you of losing and how ready are you to finally turn the corner and win some games?
A: As a competitor, it's really upsetting that in year seven I've been having a lot of losing seasons, I haven't been to the playoffs yet in my career. That's pretty tough. A long career in this league is 10 to 12, to 13 years, and I'm already close to half of that at least. I want to obviously start to see the tables turn and start winning. But obviously I'm not pointing any fingers and blaming anyone. I look at myself first in the mirror and ask, 'How much more can I do?' and obviously lean on each other. I do love this team though. I love how much fight this team has. At the end of the day, even when we're losing, you can look at a guy in his eyes and you can tell he's still ready to fight for you. So, I like that.
