Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson
Q. What did you say to the team in the locker room after a game like this? (Sal Paolantonio)
It was very disappointing. I thought defensively, I told the defense they played outstanding again, outside of a couple plays. Offense obviously just not good enough with the mistakes, the turnovers, the execution. Just not good enough to win.
Q. Carson started out so inaccurate, and then he was turning the ball over. In your view what's going on with that? (Sal Paolantonio)
Well, it's hard sometimes. You know, playing that position is tough anyway. Obviously a lot of pressure and a lot of -- we ask a lot of our quarterback and a lot of Carson, and the one thing you can't do in that position is just put pressure on yourself to perform. You've just got to let things unfold, and sometimes you can do that. I think sometimes you feel like the offense is struggling, you feel like you have to make a play, and you've just got to let kind of the game unfold, let the offense unfold, just let everybody work for you and don't feel like you've got to make every play.
Q. Was there anything you said to him during the game or at halftime to try to correct some things specifically? (Sal Paolantonio)
Again, just those same things. Just let everything kind of unfold. And listen, we've always said this, that it's not about one guy. But obviously our quarterback is a big part of our success and the things we do. Sometimes, even as a play caller, you've just got to get back to some of the basic plays, some of the things you have a lot of time invested on and get back to that and try to get something going.
Q. Did you bench T Andre Dillard? (Sal Paolantonio)
At halftime we made a switch, went with [T/G Halapoulivaati Vaitai], just felt like at the time just needed to switch it up, make something happen there, and we went with Big V in the second half.
Q. What was Brandon Brooks' illness? (Jeff McLane)
He just got sick and just had an illness, and we had to make a sudden change.
Q. Was it anything related to his previous battles with anxiety? (Jeff McLane)
I haven't talked to the doctors yet.
Q. Carson was obviously favoring his hand when he came back from the locker room. Did he communicate to you how bad it was hurting? (John Clark)
No, he tried a glove early in the game, pulled it off in the rain, the rain stopped, and everything was okay with his hand.
Q. As the play caller on offense, do you feel like the offense is letting the other side of the ball down right now? (Dave Zangaro)
You know what, we don't point fingers like that. We're a team, and when we win, we win as a team and when we lose, we lose as a team, and today we lost as a team.
Q. Did you realize Carson had hurt his hand in the third quarter? (Marcus Hayes)
Yeah.
Q. Was there any consideration of replacing him with Josh? Looked like he came back in and maybe some X-rays or got examined. (Marcus Hayes)
No, everything -- the information I got in game was positive with Carson, so we kept playing.
Q. Did he get an X-ray done? (Tim McManus)
He did, and it was negative.
Q. On the 3rd-and-3, the handoff to Miles, what happened on that play? (Zach Berman)
Yeah, it was unfortunate. You know, Big V obviously just overset the guy or really kind of set -- pass set the guy, and the D-end disrupted the timing of the play, which we've got to do a better job there. We've got to coach a little better on that play, and just our failed execution.
Q. What do you make of this opportunity when your defense plays so well against an MVP candidate and a pretty good offense at home, your defense has produced the last couple weeks and your offense hasn't. Is it frustrating seeing that side of the ball play well and not the other side? (Marcus Hayes)
Yes.
Q. Why did you want to run that play on that 3rd down? (Les Bowen)
Just the style of the defense. You know, the defense, the structure during the game, the way it was. We had some success, not necessarily on that play, but the little shovel pass to Dallas in the game, very similar play, and we just didn't execute. We've got to -- again, that's on me. I've got to coach that play better.
Q. Will Carson go for further testing on his hand? (Jeff McLane)
I'm sure he will, yes.
Q. WR Greg Ward had a big role for somebody who was just elevated from the practice squad. Is that something you work on all week, getting him involved? (Ed Kracz)
He's been working with our starters just because of the injuries we've had at the receiver position, so he's been getting a lot of time in practice with our starters. His role was about what it should have been had he -- if he was more of an active player for us on the active [roster]. I thought he did some really nice things for us and something to evaluate tomorrow when we look at the tape.
Q. On the 3rd-and-1 late in the game, you had a hand-off and stop for a loss. Why not a quarterback sneak there? (Jeff McLane)
Well, actually a couple things. I thought the spot was a little bit closer and then when we lined up it was a little bit further away. The play -- we had just run that play about two, three plays before and had some success, Miles had a nice run. Came right back to it. Again, we'll coach it better next time.
Q. Some of the throws where Carson was a little off to some of the younger receivers, to see him talking with them on the sidelines afterwards, were there situations where they weren't on the same page or anything like that? (John Clark)
Not really. I know it can be a little bit different when you're working with different guys, but you know, listen, this is the National Football League and we spend a lot of time working with all our players, and these guys spend a lot of time even off to the side or during practice to get some of these throws. You know, whatever they were talking about, either a route or maybe the next time a route like that's called, the type of adjustment that they could make in game.
Q. How did the week of practice go? Did you have any indication or fear that you'd come out and the team would be as sloppy as it was? (Mike Sielski)
I didn't. I thought we had a good week of preparation. The guys were focused. You know, so that was no indication, obviously, of the performance today.
Q. When you're as limited as you are on offense right now, does it limit you as a play caller? (Dave Zangaro)
I think I'm more aware of certain things that we can or can't do. But for the most part as we game plan, put things together, we're still thinking of the same guys and putting -- even in the run game. And then once you get into the game, too, you've got to make your own adjustments as you see fit.
Q. On Friday, you said Nelson and Alshon were trending in the right direction and you said sometimes guys have to play a little beat up in the NFL. How come they didn't play? (John Clark)
They just weren't there yet, and again, we're not going to risk anything further with either one of those guys. We still have -- after this game obviously five left, and we can still make a push and didn't want to set them back any further.
Q. As far as Carson, how do you distinguish the difference between a bad game and reason to be concerned? (Zach Berman)
Our issues on offense today were not about Carson Wentz. Obviously he's a part of it. This is an offensive issue, so it starts with me. I've got to look at it. I've got to make my own assessment of my performance and then we'll coach the players this week and we'll get better.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz
On his hand and whether it affected him:
"[It's] just my hand. Everything was negative, so I should be good. I don't think it did. It was something I was just making sure was good, but that's by no means an excuse for how we performed whatsoever."
On whether it happened while making a tackle on a fumble:
"Yeah."
On his performance today:
"Not well enough at all. I have to be better. I have to lead this team better. I have to protect the football better. We can't put it on the ground the way we did. It starts with me. It starts with me and I'm frustrated. I know everyone is frustrated with this loss offensively. Like I said, turning the ball over. It starts with me. I have to be better and we will be."
On missing short throws:
"I just have to own those. I missed a few and there's no excuses. I just missed them."
On whether he feels like they are trying to do too much:
"I didn't feel that necessarily today. I thought we did an okay job. There were plays there to be made and every time we got something going, we turned it over and a handful of those were on me. It starts with me. I have to protect the football. You can't win many games with five turnovers like that. Our defense played great, and gave us a fighting chance again and offensively we let them down."
On missing the throws to TE Zach Ertz on a crossing route and RB Miles Sanders short:
"I missed them. I missed the throw. I have to do better. There's no excuses. It wasn't the wind, it wasn't the – it was nothing. I have to do better."
On whether he can diagnose why he missed a particular throw:
"You could say sometimes that might be the case and you can tell, but today, I don't know. I'm not going to stand up here and make excuses for missed throws. That's not what I am going to do. I have to make those throws and I will next time."
On whether he studies and works on mechanics leading up to a game:
"We always kind of study that throughout the week. Obviously, as the season goes, it can be harder to focus on those, but we always talk about them and work through them, so again, there's no excuse with that either."
On where he is mentally:
"I felt good mentally. Mentally, I think that everything was good. We were right there. Physically, I just missed some throws."
On the fumbled exchange with RB Miles Sanders:
"That one was tough. There's no excuse on that either. It's something that we have to work on and be better at. I think it was kind of a new play and Miles and I just probably didn't communicate enough on it and I have to be better for him and give him a chance on that one."
On whether he can pinpoint one issue:
"Not really. I think the turnovers. I think everything else will – we missed a few throws and things like that, but the turnovers really kill us and that's something I have to take a hard look at and see where I can be better and end the drive with a kick one way or another and not put our defense in bad situations. I can be better. I will be better and we will get this thing going."
On the injuries to the offense:
"Obviously, that's part of football. Every year, every game there are a handful of injuries, there's this and that and since the day I got here we've always had a 'next man up' mentality. I have a lot of confidence in the guys that do get in there and I thought a lot of those guys played a good game today. We just didn't make the plays. I didn't make the plays, but by no means is that an excuse or anything."
On a reason for the sloppiness:
"Tough to say. Like you said, it was sloppy. Plan and simple, it was sloppy. I was a little careless with the football today and that's frustrating. I'll be the first to say I'm not happy about it and I have to fix it. I have to look in the mirror and there's really no excuse. There are really no other big issues so-to-speak. We just have to take care of the football."
On the instability of the offensive line and playing outside of the pocket and away from the pass rush:
"That's a gameplan thing every week depending on how they play us and what they want to do and what they show on tape. You could always second guess and say maybe we could've done this more or that more; that's football. But I thought the guys upfront fought their butts off and did what they could. I let them down."
On in-game changes with the offensive line and with RT Lane Johnson being out and there being a lot of moving parts:
"I mean, I think it was tough for those guys, but at the same time, they're always ready. That's the mindset – be ready. Obviously with Lane and [RG] Brandon [Brooks] [being out and leaving game early], two of the best at their position – but I thought those guys, again I have to look at the tape, but I thought they stepped in and did their thing and did well. So that's not an excuse. We believe in every guy that dresses out there, whether they play no snaps or play the game. We can be better and we will be."
On how to respond to tough games in the days after:
"First of all, not make it a giant thing. For one, you've got six days and you're back on; six days to get ready. Try not to really change your routine or do anything crazy. Just stay with what you know. Take a hard look in the mirror and say, 'Where can I be better?' We realize that there is going to be a lot of outside noise and guys looking at us. And as a leader I have to be better, I have to lead these guys better and keep this thing going."
On whether getting booed makes him frustrated and affect him:
"I mean, you never want to hear it, but it is what it is. That's this city, that's the fan base. I'm frustrated too when we're playing like that, so they have every right – how when we are playing poorly – to let us know."
On the offense's role in complimentary football and if both sides of the football complimented each other the last five games:
"For us offensively every week we want to stay on the field, we want to convert third downs, [and] we want to have ball control. At the end of the day I think our time of possession was still okay, we just put it on the ground or put it in the defense's hands. I have to be better with that. I think that's kind of our MO is to just sustain the drive, stay on the field, not put our defense in bad situations, and we did that a few times today, and they stepped up and played well. Yeah, it's tough. These last two weeks when the defense plays good football, and complimentary wise we didn't help them out."
On whether there is anything to be concerned about with his hand:
"I don't think so, but obviously we'll wait and see."
On whether there is a tendency for the offense to try too hard and press to get back into the game:
"You could say that, but I think we've done a good job this year of not letting that be the case. I don't think us pressing is the reason we turn the ball over. It was sloppy. Fundamentally I have to be better. It was just sloppy. But pressing-wise, I thought we did a good job of handling that and just taking what was there and trying to just stay on the field."
On how this is going to get better and what he looks at to make it better:
"I get the question, I do. Especially after the last two weeks' performances offensively. The same thing stays the same for me; I have a lot of confidence, a lot of confidence in myself to fix things I can correct. Each guy is going to do their part and get it fixed. We're going to turn the page real quick. We're going to learn from this, turn the page. We have six days to go out and practice, work our tails off, and go get a W on the road."
Eagles RB Miles Sanders
On the fourth quarter, failed two-point conversion attempt:
"I think it was just a bad exchange between me and [Eagles QB] Carson [Wentz]. I take the whole blame for it, I don't think I had the ball the whole time, so [I'll] take the blame for that."
On the third quarter turnover in the backfield:
"I think we ran the play into a bad look. Nothing really went wrong, it's just that the [Seahawks] defense executed."
On the offense's inability to get in a rhythm:
"Like I said, [it was] self-inflicted wounds. We went out there and shot ourselves in the foot and it's hard to win against a team like that. We just have to be more disciplined, overall, starting with myself. I think that's the problem – pre-snap penalties and post-snap penalties."
On the post-game message in the locker room:
"I don't talk about anything that goes on – or what was said – in [the locker room]. We just have to pick it up. We have five games left, that's five more opportunities, so we have to keep going."
On the offensive struggles despite the defense's performance in recent weeks:
"It's a team sport, so we can't just be good defensively and win certain games. That's not going to win us games. We have to keep working fluently in all phases of the game – special teams, defense and offense – but it starts with myself. We have a lot of stuff to get better at."
Eagles T Jason Peters
On the offense's poor play and if he is frustrated:
"It is very frustrating. The last two weeks the defense has stepped up and we have done nothing to help them. We have to dig down and finish strong. We didn't do anything today and we didn't do anything last week. We have to be tough on ourselves and get ready for next week."
On how he keeps guys from finger pointing in these tough situations:
"There won't be any of that. Not in our locker room. Not while I am here. We'll keep all the guys together, rally around each other and just go forward."
On how the team needs to approach the last five games of the season considering the division standings:
"We have to win out. No ifs, ands or buts, we've got to win out. That's the bottom line. We've got to win out, point blank. We can't be saying, 'Well if this happens,' we have to win out. Point blank."
On Head Coach Doug Pederson's message after this game:
"We have to do more on offense. Our defense has been balling out the last two weeks. We have to do more on offense. That's point blank. We have to self-evaluate; myself included. I have to play better and everyone has to look at themselves also."
Eagles TE Zach Ertz
On the performance of Eagles QB Carson Wentz lately
"I think that the whole offense isn't playing well enough right now. Obviously Carson puts a lot of pressure on himself and he's obviously disappointed in this game, but we rely on him. It's tough sledding right now, just got to find a way to make plays around him, make his job easier. Obviously it's not easy right now for him. Dealing with a lot of adversity, just got to find a way to improve, man. That's frustrating, I mean obviously this isn't exactly where we thought we would be and yeah, we've just got to make plays around him. That's the bottom line, man. Every person on offense can play better right now. I can play better, everyone feels that they can play better, everyone feels like the offense is letting the team down. It's not on the coaches, it's not on the scheme, it's not on the plays that are called. Our job is to execute the plays at a high level and no one is doing that right now and that's just the bottom line. [We] Played a good team, that team is talented but at the same time, we're a talented offense in my opinion and we've just got to find a way and that's the bottom line."
On whether the loss is on anyone in particular:
"The game is not won or lost by one person. Obviously when you win, the quarterback gets a lot of praise and when you lose, the quarterback gets a lot of blame. It's part of this league and playing in this city in particular. He's a great player and I've got to play better, the o-line, the leaders of this offense, we've got a lot of veterans on offense, we've been together for a long time and it's never going to be on the quarterback, not everything and that's just the bottom line. Carson is obviously very hard on himself, very critical of himself and he's going to take it the toughest but we have to get back to work and that's the bottom line."
On overcoming the turnovers in today's game:
"The turnovers are inexcusable. You have no chance of winning a football game when there are five turnovers. Doesn't matter if you were playing a college team. If you have five turnovers you are not going to win. Just got to find a way to protect the football, that's the most important thing. The football is our lives on offense, if you don't have possession of that, you are not going to be successful. Five turnovers is just inexcusable and that's why I said it's not on the coaches, it's not on the scheme. It's on us to execute better and if you have five turnovers in a game it doesn't matter how well you play, you're going to lose the football game."
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox
On whether he thought the defense kept the team in the game today:
"That's a team thing, that's a team thing. No matter how good we played, that's one unit. I think all three units have to play well to win a football game. And you know it's just the truth."
On the team's overall performance today:
"I'm sure there are frustrations but you know, when we're in that locker room together, we're one family. We've got to stick together. We're not pointing the fingers at nobody. You know, if we get a win, we're not even having this conversation."
Eagles DE Brandon Graham
On what he meant when he said 'We got five more left and that's all I'm going to say':
"It means we have five opportunities [left in the regular season]. We know health has not been a good part of this team right now. We're doing all we can, but at the end of the day, all we can do is continue to keep building. We have five opportunities left. You know like I know we have seen things happen. And you know, just know we aren't quitting on ourselves. I don't care about what other people talk about, but you know, I know the real fans aren't quitting on us. We've been here 10 years. I've seen this thing get crazy down the line and all we have to do is continue to keep working hard, getting stronger on defense, and then the offense is going to get right. We get [Eagles T] Lane [Johnson] back, we get the boy back in the front, and we get a couple of guys, you know, back out there. Everything will start to come together. We have five opportunities that we can really realistically make happen."
On how frustrating it is to play well on defense and the offense doesn't reciprocate:
"Well, you know, we try not to get too frustrated because that can take you out of your game a little bit. All we can control is what we do. As a defense I'm happy for the guys in the back end. We still have some stuff to clean up. I'm happy that we all stuck together despite some of the stuff. We got a couple of guys back like [Eagles LB] Nigel [Bradham] today. He got a little more game-time action than he had in a minute. I think he played well. All we have to do is keep staying strong as a defense and the offense will get it together. We got these next five games as winnable games. All we have to do is take care of our job and what we do."
On whether everyone is as focused as they should be:
"I think so. You know, I just think that the obvious is that we haven't been healthy. A lot of guys left the game. If you can stay healthy during the season you will come out victorious most of the time. We are just in the fight. We gave up one big play on the trick play. Then the one up the middle. It just sucks because we go down and score and it would've been 10-10. We go into overtime. Who knows what would've happened, but all I know is we can control what we can and that's it. As a defense I love the way [Eagles defensive coordinator] Jim [Schwartz] - like I said Jim is a good coordinator. You know we got some good coaches. We just have a lot of guys that have each other's back. As long as we stay strong, you know because defense wins championships, offense is going to pick it up right when we need them. These next five games, all I can say is, we have Miami next and I'm loving our opportunities right now."
Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins
On what head coach Doug Pederson's message to the team was after the game:
"At the end of the day, we've got to stick together. We have five more opportunities together. We still have a chance. We've got to obviously clean up all our mistakes, we have to start playing better as a team – not just offense, not just defense, not just special teams – as a team we've got to get it together."
On whether, as a captain, he says something to another position group that is struggling:
"Yeah, I think our offense doesn't have to be frustrated by punting or kicking field goals. As long we end up with a kick, I think we're good because it's been one score games and tight games. We've got to get comfortable as a team to win those games that are 12-9 or 9-6 without getting frustrated, obviously being short-handed as far as injuries on offense. We try to keep them encouraged and keep them in it. Obviously with the fans kind of being upset and all of the frustrations mount. We've got to keep them focused on the game. At every point in this game we were in it, so regardless of what's happening, you just have to slow it down and take care of the football and play that slow game."
On whether he sees a turn-around happening for this football team:
"I think obviously getting healthy on offense will help us. At the end of the day, I think we'll get these things figured out. As we get healthier on offense, defense hopefully continues to get better week in and week out. When we start playing complimentary football and get all units playing together, I think we'll give ourselves a better chance."
Eagles S Rodney McLeod
On the defense's performance today:
"[We have to] continue to figure out ways to create more turnovers and get the ball back for our team. Put them in a good position and continue to fight."
On what went through his mind after his interception in the third quarter:
"Yeah, I mean oddly enough in practice we do kind of rep it in practice a few times. There have been a few times where I would pitch it to [Eagles S] Malcolm Jenkins and it presented itself in the game today. Where I was able to get the ball back to [Eagles CB] Avonte [Maddox] who is a little faster than myself. And you know just trying to make a play man, and flip the field position or get into the end zone. At that point in the game, how the game is going, they're making plays on defense, we're making plays. So anytime we can get our hands on the ball, the mentality is to try to score."
On whether there is any frustration with the offensive performance:
"No, at the end of the day, we can control what we can control and our job is to stop touchdowns. We got to find a way to, you know eliminate a couple of plays today. They had the trick play and another explosive run, so you know, our focus is on our jobs and that's how we can get better, that's how we can help this team out. Eliminate that, create more turnovers, we did that today but that wasn't good enough. So we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard and continue to work and we got Miami next week on the road. So we're going to need to do the same thing or better."
Game action photos from the Seattle Seahawks' Week 12 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
