S Kenny Vaccaro
On if they were trying different schemes on defense today:
"Yeah, things were a little bit different today, but the plan of attack has been different every game."
On his overall reaction to the loss:
"It has happened before to other teams, but hey, that is why you praise defense, offense and special teams. It all works together. You need the perfect snap, the perfect protection and the perfect kick every time, and it works the same way on offense and defense. That is why Coach Payton works so hard. When we take a special teams rep, we take it very seriously."
On the personal foul penalty for hitting Trevor Siemian out of bounds:
"We held them to a field goal that drive, so it didn't bother me that much to have that penalty. He didn't step out of bounds, and I launched before he had reached the sideline. We're taught to not let quarterbacks just run out of bounds. I don't think I'm a dirty player. I rarely get any personal foul penalties; you can check my track record. We are taught that if the guy is on the sideline, but not out of bounds, to launch. It was a bang bang play, and one that ended up not determining the outcome of the game."
On his interception:
"They [Denver] lined Demaryius [Thomas] up in the slot. I have watched tape, and I know they like the inside cuts with him, so I kind of baited the quarterback a little bit and stepped right into the hole. Fortunately, [Trevor] Siemian threw it right to where I was standing. That was just film study, and Sterling [Moore] did a good job by playing outside leverage, knowing that I was going to cut under that defense."
DE Cameron Jordan
On taking over the game today in the run game and pass rush:
"At some point, your job's to disrupt the quarterback and make him uncomfortable. I really took that to heart this game. We knew that we weren't dealing with a quarterback who was going to blaze us with his feet, so that makes your rushing job (defending the run) a little bit easier. That being said, we clearly didn't do enough to get the win and that's what we have to focus on."
On having short turnaround before playing Carolina:
"That's a great thing. It's a blessing, so we can get this bad taste out of our mouth, go to Carolina, and hopefully get a win."
On confidence of the defense:
"It's all about the team. We may have played well today, but the team wants a win and that team needs a win. We have to find that resolve."
LB Craig Robertson
On whether he thought Will Parks stepped out of bounds on the run back:
"That's above my pay grade. I let the people in New York decide that."
On a tough loss after things seem to finally be clicking for the team:
"It's the league. You aren't going to win every game, but it's how you come back the next week that shows who you are as a team. It's rare when a team goes undefeated; it's special, it's history, but the way a team battles after a loss is the definition of a team."
On if it helps to have a short week after a game like this:
"No matter whether this one was a win or a loss, we know going in that we were playing Carolina next. The chips fell, we got a loss, and now we have to go back and earn ourselves a win to get back on track on the route that we were going."
CB Sterling Moore
On his interception before the end of the half:
"It was a three-step drop. He ran a slant route right into the second window of the coverage that we were in. I tried to show like I was in man coverage, and when he looked out, I knew what was coming. I saw the receiver go in, read his eyes, and jumped it."
On if that interception led to a momentum shift:
"Definitely. That was huge for us. They were definitely in field goal range at that time. It was big to make it 10-3 and make it a one score game was huge for us. The fans were definitely into it at that point, and the offense goes out there and does their job. That's a big momentum shift, especially when, as a defense, we have to go out there to start the second half. That was big for us."
On improvement of defense reflecting today:
"We are so resilient. Everyone is out there for each other right now. Everyone on the defensive group is back and healthy, and it just shows what we can do. Obviously, we have to eliminate some mistakes, as we do in every game, but I think we are all coming together and we are playing as the defense that we are supposed to be."
K Wil Lutz
On what he saw on the last extra point:
"I'm not really sure. I know there was a jumper. It was a blocked kick that got returned back for two points."
On if he has seen a game decided like that:
"I don't really know. I'm just trying to take it all in right now."
On if it's a tough loss:
"It's tough."
LS Justin Drescher
On the blocked extra point late in the fourth quarter:
"I will have to watch it on film, but we have a jumper call. I don't really know what happened. I know we had a good snap, hold and kick. He just timed that perfect and got up on top of me. It is what it is. More power to them. They had a good scheme in tying me up. I should have tried to knock him down, flip him or whatever I could do."
On if they held him down:
"I'm going to have to watch it on film, but it felt like their defensive tackles kind of pulled me forward and down, so I really couldn't pop up as fast. That is what I felt in the time and the moment. I do not know what exactly happened, but I will watch it on film tomorrow and understand better so I can get that guy."
On if he saw him coming:
"I didn't. When I first looked up I didn't see him line up over the snapper. He must have moved over when I got my target line in my snap and I put my head between my legs. More power to them. They had a great scheme. It's frustrating because it is a hard way to lose."
WR Brandin Cooks
On his catches during the final drive:
"It's one of those things where you have to keep your head in the game. You never know when it is going to come your way. You need to take advantage of opportunities. Drew (Brees) 0threw two great balls at the end. It's frustrating to get into that position and see the way things happen. We just have to come back to work now."
On the game's emotions:
"It's one of those things that happened so fast. I didn't even get to see it from the standpoint of seeing it live. It just shows you that we all need to be on point. We all have to connect."
On advice to Michael Thomas:
"The great ones put it behind them. Michael Jordan says that he missed way more shots than he made. That's something that I talked to him about. I'm his big brother. I'll probably have him over today to chill out and get his mind right. He's a great player."
WR Willie Snead
On how having a short week coming up affects the team's mindset after the loss today:
"It depends upon what kind of guys we have in the locker room. We need to have a strong mindset to where we have to be able to look past this. We need to answer the questions and move on. It's going to hurt for 24 hours, but I think once Tuesday comes, then we'll be ready to go."
On the difficult emotions of the game:
"Absolutely, most of the games have been like that this season. We are battle-tested for sure. We hate to lose like this, but I know that it is going to make us stronger. We are going to come out Thursday ready to go."
RB Mark Ingram
On his thoughts after the last turnover:
"I thought the defense would stop them. They would get a field goal. Then, we were going to go down the field and score a touchdown. I didn't get the extra point right."
On combatting their pass rush:
"We've known all along that they have two elite pass rushers. We wanted to make sure that we protected and helped out these tackles. They did a great job. It's just great to drop back and have some added protection when you have elite rushers like that."
On their second half adjustments:
"We just had to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. We had to get some drives going. We had to get some first downs. We had to get some momentum."
On Michael Thomas's two fumbles and how he will help him as a teammate move beyond it:
"I will tell him to keep his head up and don't worry about it. It sucks. It sucks bad. He is a great player. He's a great, great player. We need him. He just has to bounce back and work hard at it. It just sucks. When you play offense in this league and you carry the ball enough times, it's bound to happen eventually. It sucks. It's the worst. You never want to put the ball on the ground because you feel bad and you feel bad that you let your teammates down. That dude is a young talent. He is mentally strong. We got his back. Despite the two fumbles, we had a chance to win the game. It's not on him. This is a team game. We overcame that and had a chance to win the game."
T Zach Strief
On if he thought they had the win:
"Yes."
On how hard it will be to bounce back:
"We'll be fine. We'll get back in there tomorrow. We'll get back on it."
On Michael Thomas:
"Guys make mistakes. Mike will come back. We have a lot of faith in Mike."
