Quarterback
How fun was tonight?
"Man, it's a lot of fun. And obviously, it's a lot of fun toward the end of the game when you're getting ready to go, but yeah, this is what we do it for, is games like that. It came down to the wire. We know it's going to, and really, really happy about how the guys just stayed with it for the full 60 minutes. And, man, our offensive line was going today, you know? We're running the football, protecting — doing a lot of things that we wanted to do."
What is going through your mind when they take the lead late and you're getting the ball back with essentially the last two minutes in the game to go?
"Listen, you gotta — this is such an emotional game — but sometimes, especially as a quarterback, you gotta take the emotions and the want-to, like looking ahead of the results, you gotta just take that out of play and just go play football. And, hey, we've got Ja'Marr (Chase) on an out route and they're off of him — just throw it. (It's) just the simple thing — it just goes back to the basics and not worrying about the result in the moment. Just playing the play getting our guys in position to go win it."
How much fun was tonight?
"That was a lot of fun, but your mind's not necessarily thinking that way for the full 60 minutes. But obviously the last seven seconds — but even that, there's three seconds they got a Hail Mary off. I've been through all of these to wait until that clock hits zero to be excited. Listen, I love doing this. I've been doing this for such a long time. When you're out there with the guys and you're doing what you want to do and you're having success, and you're looking in each other's eyes — you get that feeling of just bonding with somebody else. It's a lot of fun. It's a lot more fun when that clock hits zero and you've gotten the job done."
Did a game like the one you had tonight open your eyes as to just what Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins can do?
"Last week, it opened my eyes, just with the simple things. Not the fact that they went for a hundred yards, obviously. But you could see it. Then today, what I got to see was just how a defense has to treat those guys, and if you don't treat them a certain way, they can hurt you, and if you do treat him a certain way, well, maybe we have some other guys that can get the job done. Today, I think I got to see just the problems they create in general. Last week — I said it earlier this week — last week, we didn't do anything crazy, but you could see it. Those guys are different, and it's pretty cool to be able to throw to them."
Have you ever targeted a guy 23 times in a game before?
"You tell me. I don't think so. We threw the ball 47 times and probably dropped back a couple more. At the end of the first half, we just (repeatedly called an) out route. I don't think it was anything crazy. Pretty simple stuff. Underneath, getting them one-on-one. That's how we drew it up and it worked out."
Have you ever run the ball on a read-option play like that?
"Yeah, well that really was kind of a broken play. We just didn't line up right. It wasn't really a true read option. But I've done a few of those. Probably in my first three years, I did a few of those in certain situations. But it's been a while. It kind of just happened, so I was like, 'Alright, now how can I find somewhere to get down and not get taken out by one of these guys?'
In your 11 days here, when did you realize you could have this type of success in a game this quickly?
"You're not thinking about it in that sense. I think you're always wanting to go do that, but I think what being here in this situation has done for me, is it allows you to recalibrate and not worry about those things. It allows you to just focus on the basics, and it's a good reminder that doing that is what leads to success and consistency, so I think the bigger thing going forward is just continuing to remind myself of that."
Zac Taylor said there were some communication issues with maybe his accent?
"Well, yeah. Some of these words are so new to me, and when you don't get a chance — I honestly felt like this week was probably a little bit harder than last week just because it's such a short week. You're still putting in a full game plan. You don't get to hear the play as much, so there were certain things like that (where) I could picture everything, but there were certain things with the formations and things like that that you're hearing it for the first couple of times. And even though you've read the play million times, when you hear it, it just wasn't hitting my brain right. So, there were a few of those, and we were joking on the sideline — anytime that happened and we broke the huddle, and it was like, 'I don't know if we're right here,' that play hit. So, we got lucky tonight in that sense."
What did you see on the last pass to Tee Higgins in the fourth quarter?
"Like one-on-one, the safety didn't really — maybe he was cheating his way a little bit, but not really. I knew I had a conversion to him and there was a chance to basically end the game. I feel like they were kind of playing back-shoulder (coverage), so the one adjustment he made there with me and just (threw) it up a little bit more and let him kind of bend into it. I think he got a good release so I could kind of see that throw happening as I was doing it."
Following the four-game losing streak, could you sense what this win meant tonight?
"Oh, for sure. That was an awesome sideline, an awesome locker after the game. But at the same time, you've got to give those guys a lot of credit. It's not easy to lose four straight games and keep your head into it, so the fact that they've been able to do this and get to the point where we got tonight and beat a good football team is also impressive."
Given that the win came against that team in this environment, can you see the potential of this team in full?
"Yeah, you sure hope so. You hope you can come in here and play well and you always want to, especially when you get guys that are good at playing football. You want to go show them like, 'Hey man, we're going to do some good things.' You hope that they feel that way, but now to go out there and have done it for like the last six quarters, I think it's going to give us a lot of confidence and hopefully we can carry that over and use it to our advantage."
What gives you such trust in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in big situations?
"I told you early on when I got here, if you can't get on the same page with those kind of guys, then you know, what are you doing? They're pretty special. You can kind of read their body language. They get open, so it's easier to throw to them."
Has Zac Taylor done anything to get you up to speed so quickly? What is your impression of the work he's done with you?
"The biggest thing is he's been patient, so even things like tonight where maybe I wasn't hearing it right, wasn't calling it completely right for a handful of plays, it wasn't like he was getting bothered by it. He worked with me, he was patient with me and he allowed me to just go play football. I think he saw that even though maybe this one little thing was off, then I was able to just forget about it once the ball is snapped. So, I would say just that, patience. Coaches that have done it like he has, they call really good games (and) put great game plays together. They want to put all kinds of good stuff in there. He's tried to fight that urge a little bit and then been patient with me."
Did you ever expect to have this feeling again 11 days ago before being traded here?
"It's a good question. It felt like I might not, to be honest with you, so it's pretty special."
Does that sink in when it's a night like tonight?
"Yeah, for sure. When I talk to my family and we're laughing about this, yeah, that'll be a reminder because I've got so many people at home. My kids, obviously, my wife has been doing this with me for so long now, my wife and my siblings and my dad and my mom. We're all still so invested in this. When you talk to those people, probably one of their biggest emotions is probably relief, like, 'Oh, my gosh, the game's over. We don't have to watch that anymore and hang on the edge of our seat,' and all that. Also, that turned into excitement. I can't wait to talk to my wife tonight and just hearing her voice and all those things, and talking to those people reminds you of how special this is."
What do you hope this 11-day stretch teaches your kids?
"Well, I think one of the biggest things is that hopefully they'll be willing to take on challenges. I think it would have been easy to maybe say, 'I don't want to do that, but you want me to start this week, I don't know'. That's the thing (with) taking some challenges, you can't worry about the outcome. I see myself as a competitor. I see myself as a football player. That's what I do. That's the challenge — 'OK, fine, let me take it on.' I see myself as a football player first. No hesitation. 'Let's go. Let's go do this.' Whatever you see yourself as, there's a reason for that and you shouldn't hesitate when you think something may look a little scary or anything like that. You should jump in and do it."
You've played Mike Tomlin the Steelers so many times over the years, but what was this experience like?
"Listen, I have so much respect for Mike and the battles that we've had in Pittsburgh and Baltimore. I played him last year in Indianapolis. I love playing them. I didn't really feel that way to begin with. I didn't love going into Heinz Field. And you know, they did that my rookie year. They beat us three times. But those games against those guys, in my career, those games have been different than others and just the physicality and the energy. Mike has been doing it so long and has those guys ready to play every single week for so long now. Nothing but respect for him. He gets those guys ready, and I love going against them. It's the wins and the losses — I love all the games. Honestly, when I tell stories, a lot of the great (ones) come from some of the losses in the bad games you had and with him and them. There's plenty of those."
Was there a different feel to this one?
"For sure. I mean, yeah, but at the same time it felt familiar, like I've played so many night games against Pittsburgh. Very rarely would I go to Pittsburgh and play a day game. I was actually saying that the guys today — I don't know if I've ever played a night game here. You guys could probably check that, but I feel like every time we came here it was during the day. Maybe I've played a couple of night games. I don't know if I've ever played in a night game against Cincinnati in this stadium."
These used to be hostile confines and now there are people cheering your name during the final drive. How did that feel, for them to embrace you like that so quickly?
"Yeah, I turn it quickly. They turn it quickly. You're in it. I feel like that's what fans do. They want their football team to win, and it just so happens that I'm the guy right now that's behind the center. (It's) the same thing with players. Like, yeah, you're loyal to the guys that you're in the locker room with and you're loyal to the game of football. And you really enjoy playing in these cities. I feel so fortunate to have been able to now play in so many different cities and just see the different people and how they react. It gives you a new appreciation for these fans. I honestly never really loved coming here and playing. That was unbelievable tonight. (In the past), Cincinnati would kind of put it on us, I feel like, most of my career — especially when we came here. I didn't necessarily love here, but now I get to have a new perspective, at least for tonight. And the fans — even just around town, they've been great, saying, 'What's up,' or whatever. So, they're obviously very quick to forget and happy that we're going through this, and so am I."