Running Back Saquon Barkley
Q: (Tight End) Chris (Myarick) was saying you grabbed his touchdown ball for him.
A: Yeah. I was first telling him to spike that, but it was a big play. We've got to continue to get creative and find ways to get in the end zone. Obviously, can't be satisfied with 13 points, but happy for him.
Q: What were some of the things that (Senior Offensive Assistant) Freddie Kitchens did that were a little different?
A: First of all, all the offensive coaches did a great job collectively, but there was a lot of stuff that was carried over, like I said on Friday. In Week 12 or Week 13, there's not really much more you can add and switch up. The terminology is the same, so obviously we had a few new wrinkles in there, but we did a better job right there on that possession to find a way to get in the end zone.
Q: That 30-something-yard run you had off to the left, was that important to you to show yourself that you can do that physically in a game again coming off the injury?
A: I know I can do it. I already know I can do it. A win is a win, but I know I'm going to continue to get better and better each week and each day. Continue to trust myself, trust my body, but I know it's not like – what's the Space Jam monster's name – it's not like something came and just took everything away from him. I've still got it. I've just got to do it more. I've got to be more productive in the run game for us. We've got to be more productive in the run game as a whole. Just on the other side of the ball, obviously we got the win, but can't be satisfied with 13 points. We've got a really good defense, everyone knows that, so we've got to do a better job on our side of the ball of finishing and scoring points. We're going to continue to do that. We're going to take that upon ourselves and get better.
Q: (Head Coach) Joe (Judge) said the emphasis throughout this week was with players 'We're going to get you guys, the playmakers, the ball in space. That's what their job is to do.' What does that mean for you as a player knowing that that's what they're going to focus on here in the latter part of the season?
A: It means a lot as a player, especially when your head coach is coming out saying that. It makes you be like, 'I've got to take accountability and make the plays.' I think collectively they did a really good job today of calling the game. Like I said against Tampa, it's easy to point the finger, but we've got to point the thumb. As players, we made some plays here and there, made some key plays on drives, but we've got to have a sense of urgency when we're driving and find a way to get in the end zone, and try to put it in our hands and don't rely on the defense to finish a game for us.
Q: Were you guys disappointed as an offense that you couldn't finish on that last drive?
A: Yes, definitely. Obviously, it was third-and-two. I'm not pointing fingers at nobody or nothing. As a whole, we've got to do better. We have to have a sense of urgency there. That's something that we've got to continue to preach, continue to focus on and it starts this week, it starts when we come in, when we get the game plan. Just look each other in the eyes and get better every single day. Obviously, those things happened before and they happen, but you've got to learn from it. Just got to take it and roll with it. The great thing is it's a team sport and our defense and special teams came alive. At the end of the day, we got a win and, obviously, beat Philly, so there's a lot more to it.
Q: Do you think as an offense you could've been more aggressive on that last series? Obviously, you're trying to get them to use their timeouts, but you guys lost yards there.
A: No. At the end of the day, I don't think people fully realize that – and I'm not coming at you guys or fans or anything, I'm just saying – that this is the NFL. They know that if we're lining up and we're probably going to run the ball here, they're going to load the box. They did a really good job of penetrating. We have to do a better job of that as a whole, as a team, especially when a loaded box is coming and they're bringing pressure. They take a risk there. If we block it off and we block it off right, there's a chance it could be a big play. But they made a play there. We had another play where they were aggressive, we read it right and they made another big play. We've just got to be better. I don't think we've got to be more aggressive. If we call the play that we call and they bring the pressure here, we block it off and we cut it off and they stunt wrong, and I gash it 80, 90 yards, everyone would say, 'Oh, that's an amazing play call.' We can't go too far into it. I think as a whole, all the coaches did a great job collectively, especially this week with (Jason Garrett) JG losing his job, of doing a great job of keeping us together and getting better this week.
Q: What's your feeling walking off the field there? What was your mindset knowing your defense had to go win it again?
A: We know the defense is going to do it. We have one of the best defenses in the league. Special players. We have some young guys stepping up and making big plays – (Cornerback Darnay Holmes) Nay, (Cornerback Aaron Robinson) A-Rob, (Safety Xavier McKinney) Zay, who's a superstar who's only going to get better throughout this league. Were we upset? Yes, and I think that's a good thing. I haven't seen that, I guess you could say, in the past. We had a mistake right there where we put ourselves in a position where we had to rely on our defense. It wasn't just only me, it wasn't just only (Tight End) Evan (Engram). It was us a whole as an offense. We were really upset and frustrated with ourselves because we know what we have and we know what we're capable of, and we've just got to get back to practice this week, get better and show it next week.
