VS.

POSTGAME QUOTES
NOVEMBER 18, 2007

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Q: Opening statement:
"To sum it up today, the penalties hurt us. The holding calls on offense ended up being so significant in the football game. The uncharacteristic turnovers today were difficult to overcome. The defense, other than those two big drives, played pretty well. The penalties and the turnovers really hurt us today."

Q: Was Arizona disguising their coverage on Carson Palmer?
"I'll have to look at the tape. On one of the interceptions, the safety dropped and made a nice play."

Q: Thoughts on having seven losses:
"It feels bad and it should feel bad. We are not in control of our destiny anymore. We would need some help."

Q: It seemed like there was no margin for error and you guys kept hanging around:
"We just kept hanging around and we couldn't make that key play when we needed it. We did a good job of playing on third down."

Q: Was this game a symbol of frustration?
"I'm not sure of what that symbol means. I don't know. The guys invest a lot and when you don't win, it hurts. We fully expected to go down the field on that last drive and win the game. We felt the same way on the drive before that one, too. It just didn't happen today."

Q: Is there any word on T.J. Houshmandzadeh's injury?
"No."

Q: This game has to be one you want to forget after throwing four interceptions:
"It will be tough to forget this one. Any time you throw a pick, it's frustrating. When you throw four and don't give your team a chance to win, it just feels horrible. I can't stop thinking about a number of different plays. The only way to get rid of this feeling is to get a win, and it's going to be a long time until we have a chance to do that."

Q: It looked like they put Antrel Rolle in the middle of the secondary rather than at corner, and let him just roam the middle of the field:
"He was playing the middle on the last interception. On the other two he had, he basically just played where he wasn't supposed to play. We ran plays and he made great plays. On the first interception, he jumped a route and stepped in front of TJ (Houshmandzadeh). I need to see that, pull the ball down, and run with it. He made a couple of good plays, but that last one I just threw right to him. It's frustrating. I feel like I let our team down - our coaches, the organization, and our fans. Anytime you throw four interceptions and give your opponent 14 points, it's going to be almost impossible to win."

Q: You threw the ball 52 times. Was it because the running game couldn't get on track or due to the circumstances of the game?
"It was mainly the circumstances of the game since we were playing from behind. They did a good job. We tried to run the ball against five-man fronts and just couldn't get it done. We also had some nice runs. Our goal is to be above five yards per rush. They did a good job in some circumstances and made some plays."

Q: It seemed as though there were some false starts and holding penalties that got the offense off schedule throughout the game:
"It was a really sloppy game offensively - sloppy mainly on my part. We also had way too many penalties. We would have a positive play, then suddenly would move back because of a penalty. You put yourself in a tough spot when that happens. I thought the defense played great. They kept giving us chances and did a great job on third down all game. Like I said, when I throw four picks, it makes it tough."

Q: At 3-7, can you describe the frustration of this season?
"No, I can't put it into words. If I had to, I would say, 'Frustrating.' It's very frustrating."

Q: Talk about your blocked punt returned for a touchdown:
"We called a return. Coach told me to try and get the ball, and I just went for it."

Q: You almost looked like Dwight Freeney coming off the edge on that play:
"It's just from working on speed every day. In practice, you get out, work on moves off the edge and put them to use. It worked for me today."

Q: The momentum seemed to go your way after that play, but you weren't able to keep it:
"It's a tough game. We're grinding. We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in. Both teams were battling. We needed momentum and a big play to try to get it going our way. Things just didn't work out."

Q: Special teams play was a problem earlier in the season, but now seems to be going better:
"At the beginning, there were people coming in from different teams every week, but now we've got the same core people going together. We can get the feel for each other and play off each other better."

Q: It looked like the Cardinals were caught off guard on your TD reception:
"Yeah, we were in the hurry up and we caught the safety down in the box."

Q: Peyton Manning had six interceptions last week, and Carson Palmer had four this week. It goes to show that the great ones can have bad days:
"It goes like that sometimes. You just have to bounce back and try to get better next week."

Q: There were a couple of balls that you weren't able to hold onto:
"I know what happened. I took my eyes off the ball. You can't afford to do that in this type of game."

Q: Carson threw the ball 52 times today. That's not very good offensive balance:
"If the running game isn't there, you've got to throw the ball. We're going to work on it and try to get better."

Q: What was Marvin Lewis' message to you guys after the game?
"Just keep our heads up and keep grinding. There's always next week, and let's shoot for (a) 9-7 (record)."

Q: How good did it feel to get in the end zone for the first time in a long time?
"It felt good, but we were down at the time, so I just wanted to get back out there and score another one to get us the lead."

Q: Cardinals QB Kurt Warner had a lot of things go right for him today:
"Well, yeah, he's out there flipping the ball through his legs. Whatever prayer he had before the game definitely was answered. He's tough. He stays in the pocket. We had guys around him, he was flipping the ball up and they caught it and it got them out of some tough situations. That's just how the ball bounces."

Q: Was it frustrating the way the Cardinals moved the ball in the first half?
"We gave up a few big pass plays. We started out well. We just gave up a few pass plays and we can't do that. As a team we weren't sharp and we just didn't take advantage of a few opportunities and that's how you get a loss."

Q: Is this game symbolic of the frustration over the whole season?
"Yeah, I think so. We just haven't gotten any momentum. Football's all about momentum. So many teams win football games and you don't understand how in the world they are winning and being so successful and so good. It's because they've developed momentum, and that's the thing we haven't developed. We haven't played two solid games back-to-back. And that's something this team has to have. We've got to develop more consistency and more momentum."

Q: Does this stun you that this team is 3-7?
"Definitely. There's way too much talent in the building for us to be 3-7. Like I said, it's not like it's one guy's fault. It's here or there, or guys messing up. For some reason, we can't get all the guys up front and all the guys on the whole team to be consistent on a week-to-week basis. We've got to get better."

Q: Opening statement:
"Obviously, this is a big win for us on the road against a team that I know is a good football team after having played them a couple of times. They did a good job against us today defensively, but I can't say enough about our offense. I can't say enough for our team defensively and how they stepped up. I think it's part of growing as a team. You learn a lot about yourselves. To win a game like this on the road is a good testament to the progress that we are making."

Q: Talk about the excitement in the locker room after the game:
"Two in a row on the road. Put that combination together - that hasn't happened very much. They are excited, as well they should be. This was a big win for us."

Q: What about he progress CB Antrel Rolle has made:
"It's funny, when you pay attention to detail and technique ... It didn't go quite the way he wanted it to in the beginning of the season, but he didn't lose his focus. He has worked as hard as anybody. We talked about that just a couple of days ago. It's good to see that show up. I am so proud of him, and I am so excited for him."

Q: Kurt Warner made some pretty creative plays today. Can you talk about that?
"They made an effort to stop the run game today, and they opened themselves up to some things in the pass game. They came after us. He (Kurt Warner) did that last week too. Kurt is feeling more comfortable in the pocket, and with what we are doing. He made some good plays for us, especially in the first half when we were having some success and we were moving the ball. That was critical."

Q: Defensively, was the idea to keep everything in front of you?
"We talked about it coming in that we were going to give up some plays to these guys. We wanted to make sure that we didn't give up the big plays, and we were smart about mixing things up. Our defensive football team - and our defensive staff - did an outstanding job with that. I know that this is one of the best offenses, and I know that from going against them a number of times. You are not going to contain them. But for us to be able to compete with them and then be able to make some plays - some big plays ... a couple of fourth-down stops, and obviously the turnovers ... Our guys are believing in what we are doing system-wise, defensively. They are feeling more comfortable, and they are able to make plays."

Q: Is this the most tangible sign of progress for your team?
"Yes it is, but I will tell you what is big for us too. It's that we start off with a horrible series to start the game, and we have a not-so-good punt, and they go right down and score a touchdown. In that situation, down 7-0, we haven't been the best starting off slow like that. To come back and respond the way we did ... Antrel (Rolle) makes a big pick to tie it up, and then we got on track offensively ... To me, that's progress. We have a team that can come back in the second half, and that's evident in the amount of games that were close. For us to do that in the first half, and take the lead, I think that's a good sign. It's our guys believing in each other."

Q: How concerned were you in the third and fourth quarter with the offense not moving the ball?
"It was disappointing, because we had opportunities to make plays. I think we had three drops that were critical drops for us that could have kept drives going. We have talked about that. In order to be efficient offensively, we have to convert some third downs, and we have to make some of those big plays to keep moving. In the second half, we didn't do a good job with that. If you are going to be a good football team, you have to compete for a chance at a playoff spot. Somebody has to step up, and our defense did that. We didn't play our best second half offensively, but we didn't lay down on the field. A blocked punt returned for a touchdown ... the momentum shifted all of a sudden. All of a sudden, it was not going good for us. We found a way to respond. To me, that's a big sign of improvement. It shows a little bit of toughness - a little bit of belief in each other as a team."

Q: Your thoughts on today's game:
"Anytime you get a win on the road, it is a feeling that we have not had too often around here. It was not our best game, but we did get a win on the road. It is not easy to do, no matter where you are at. It was a good win for us, and guys are excited about it."

Q: Could you speak about some of the interesting passes you threw today?
"Sometimes you do what you have to in order to make plays. Whatever the situation, I try to make plays for us. Different players helped me out today, and when things go well, we build confidence. The team feels good about the no-huddle offense that we run. We are playing spread out and attacking different things. We have guys stepping up and making big plays for us. Sometimes what we do isn't pretty. Sometimes it is not how you draw it up, but you have to find ways to make plays, and today we did that offensively."

Q: Your thoughts on the defense coming through this afternoon with turnovers:
"They have been producing for weeks now. It is about time they get rewarded with some wins. They have done some great things for us over the last few weeks. Antrel Rolle's three interceptions today were huge. It seems they all came at critical times. When Cincinnati seemed to be gaining momentum, our defense stepped up and took the ball away, which gave the momentum back to us.

"Antrel took two interceptions back to the end zone for us, and the other gave us great field position. He had a tremendous day and he helped us out a lot."

Q: Your thoughts on the team up to this point in the season?
"This group is a bunch of guys that are rallying together. No one is pointing fingers on either side of the ball. We have to find a way to win. Guys continue to step up on both sides of the ball when plays need to be made. It wasn't our best game, especially offensively. We made some mistakes, but we were able to get the win, and that is the sign of a good team.

"Somebody steps up and makes a play when it needs to be made. Guys are just making plays right now. That has been happening the last couple weeks. We have let some teams hang around in the fourth quarter, but the important thing is that we are ahead in the end. That has been exciting for us this season. Guys on this team truly believe we are going to find a way to win."

Q: Take us through each interception:
"We know that Houshmandzadeh has been their No. 1 go-to guy. He has caught a lot of passes. My defensive back coach was telling me to bait him. When he sat down in his route, I had a gut feeling the ball was coming to him. Carson threw the ball and I made a great break on it. I then took it the distance.

"The second pick was a route that we had seen earlier in the day. I came close to grabbing it the first time, but my reaction was to slow. I reached back and got my glove in on the ball. Fortunately I was able to take that one back for a score also."

Q: How gratifying is it to sit here and describe having a three-interception day after all you have been through these last few years?
"I have personal thoughts on why I haven't started in the past. A game like this shows that character can be your greatest asset. I am not a person that complains. I never rant and raved about why I wasn't playing. I have just tried to work on my game and make myself better.

"I have used the players and coaches around me to make me better. This is a team effort from the top to the bottom."

Q: Was the celebration after the second touchdown impromptu, or was it planned?
"I was caught up in the moment. It wasn't much of a back flip. I knew I had two interceptions at that point, and that was all that mattered."