Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
- 1,969
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CB Rasul Douglas
RE: The last time you played Tampa you had a team meeting, is there anything you can do this time around to help considering what happened today?
I think Shaq (Thompson) did a good job of talking after the game, saying what he got off his chest. I think that should help. But if we are being honest, this loss right here is on me. I didn't play well enough and usually I'm the voice of the defense, not the voice but the energy of the defense and when I was having a terrible night, I didn't bring the energy and I think it kind of was a ripple effect to everybody else and that's just how we played as a defense.
RE: What do you feel like was different for you in this game?
There were a couple of plays that I could have made that I didn't make, and I was just thinking about the plays. Usually as a cornerback you have a next-play mentality because things are going to happen. That's the hard part about playing the toughest position, but usually you just have to bounce back, and I let those plays dwell on me and I wasn't the energy for the defense.
RE: Ronald Jones' 98-yard touchdown run
We knew what play they were running. Shaq only screamed it to us 30 times while we were in the huddle. I think everyone, all the coaches, everybody on our team knew what play they were running, we just have to stay in our gap and get him down and live to see another down.
RE: The long run being similar to the long run in the Week 2 game against Tampa Bay
I believe they did pop one on us in Tampa and they got one here. Like I said, we all knew what play they were running. A couple of guys, we just missed. We didn't tackle him.
RE: Carolina's struggles on third downs
Yes, I definitely think it is correctable but like you said, we suck in that department. We haven't been able to do it, while we as a defense have to find a [expletive] way to do it, I think the coaches are putting us in positions to get off the field and we're not doing it, myself included. I put that on me as well. I blame myself again for that because I had a few chances to get us off the field on third down, and even a chance on fourth down, to do it and I didn't do it.
RE: If they could've switched up some calls and had a better outcome
I don't know. I think (Phil) Snow does a could job of calling what he calls, but I think at the end of the day we just have to execute. It can't be about what the call was. It's a guy in front of you, you line up against him and you have to make sure he doesn't make the play. You have to pick yourself over him, so I think that's just what we have to do.
RE: Was the 98-yard touchdown the back-breaker in the game?
Yeah, I think that play is up there. I watched the momentum kind of like shift for us. Then we get a great punt and then touchdown, and it's just like, [expletive]. Kind of looking at everybody, it was like damn, like we knew what play was coming, so I think that kind of like sucked the energy out of us again. We can't let that happen, not on the first play.
RE: What LB Shaq Thompson said to the team postgame
I'm not going to curse every other word on the media, but he said some things. He basically told everybody to look in the mirror. Like the coaches have been preaching all week – details, leverage, assignment and winning your one-on-ones and none of us did any of that. The whole team, we all did bad. He basically cursed everybody out and said we didn't fight hard enough, we didn't want it more. It's a lot of stuff he said but he basically just told everybody about themselves.
RE: Why this is such a tough loss
Divisional game and it was the next game. Every loss hurts, no one wants to lose, everyone wants to win, that's the mindset that we have. We know we are a good enough team to win and I think that's what kills us the most, when we know we can win, and we just don't put it on film.
RE: Is there anything in particular that you can point to that didn't work this week?
Yeah, me. I point to myself. It's all me, I know it's me. I have to play better. Even if I give up a play, I have to be able to clear it out of my memory bank. I still have to be able to be the energy for the guys and you know, hype them up, because usually I am hyping everybody else. But when plays are going bad for me and I'm having a bad day, it's like, I can't hype myself up because I know I'm better than that. So then I'm not hyping myself up and I'm not hyping them up as well. I just think it was my fault.
RE: What goes through his head on third downs after the team's struggles
I mean we put emphasis on it every week that that's the down. I think we do play well enough on first and second down to get off the field on third down. And then, we just don't. We don't find a way. I don't know what goes through everybody's head, but we try to just say this is the down. We have to do a better of that.