I'll start with the injuries. Mark Tauscher had a knee, did not return, a knee sprain. It is the same knee as last year. Aaron Kampman got hit in the head and did not return. With that, I'll take your questions.
(What is wrong with your team?)
We didn't win today. We're 4-4. We had a lot of ups and downs in today's contest. I think consistency, you have to first look at yourself. The preparation of the football team leading up to this game I thought was very good. We did not take the team lightly at all because of the record. I was very concerned coming into this game. Any time with a team coming off a bye week, if anything we may have overworked them. That's something I have to look at. This is my responsibility. We were not prepared to the level that we should have been. I thought we had opportunities to get the game to a two-score lead time and time again, and we gave the momentum right back to the Buccaneers. You have to give them credit. That was a hard-fought victory for them, but I'm disappointed in the way we played today.
(How much of a setback is this to your season?)
Well it's not where we wanted to be. We wanted to be 5-3 coming into this one obviously at the halfway point. We're 4-4 and we have to make up some ground, but the reality and the focus will be one game at a time. We have two of the next three at home, good timing for us. We need to rebound. I've been asked about the rebound from Minnesota, hell we have to rebound from Tampa Bay. We've had two tough losses in a row here, and we need to handle the adversity that's in front of us. We didn't handle the adversity of the way the game went up and down as a team, and that starts with me. We've got to get to work as soon as possible on Dallas.
(Is this a low point in your coaching career?)
Low point? It doesn't feel good. It never feels good when you lose. This one definitely hurts. It'll definitely rank up in there, but it's still one loss. I'm not trying to downplay it. I'm disappointed in the way we played today, disappointed in the way we didn't sustain momentum in the game because that's something we've done now two weeks in a row. That's something we need to look at. We've got some re-occurring problems that we have not cleaned up yet, so that's definitely cause for concern as we move forward.
(Are you worried about the team's confidence?)
I'm sure they don't feel very confident right now, but this is pro football. We were concerned as a team coming in here. I don't care who you play, what the record is, especially when you play a team on the road after a bye, it's a little bit more of a challenge. I'm not trying to make excuses. We did not play at the level that we needed to play for four quarters today, and that starts with me.
(They scored a lot of points off of big plays on special teams or turnovers. How much do the special teams plays bother you?)
It bothers me. That's two weeks where we've been on the wrong side of a lopsided special teams performance. Last week it was 154 yards of field position in the Vikings game, and now the big plays time and time again today. We definitely need to get that going in the right direction because the momentum swings are really holding us back.
(What happened on Rodgers' interceptions today?)
The first one, he clearly didn't see the corner. It was their base coverage on that particular play, and I think the other two, I would consider them contested. I didn't see the one to Greg, don't know if he got his hands on it, and the one here to Donald late was a little high. If you want to classify them, he had one or two on the throw or drop, but he had one minus decision.
(Did he throw into too much coverage on the second one?)
Second one? I didn't have a clear picture of it to be honest with you.
(How do you address the sacks?)
It has to stop. You can't sit here and keep taking sacks. I'm sure you're tired of asking the question; I'm tired of talking about it. That's a reflection of coaching and playing. It's something that's been coached, something that's been trained, and it keeps showing up on Sundays. You look at Tampa Bay's quotes all week, that's all they talked about was sacking the quarterback, and it happened again today. It has to end. We cannot continue to have the numbers that we have in the sacks. The other part of it too, I thought he had plenty of time to throw. I'm real curious to see the film because either they're doing a hell of a job covering us. There is time and time again that our receivers, on crossing routes versus that coverage, I'll be curious to see what the film looks like.
(What is the state of the offensive line?)
I don't know if we've started the same five yet this year. That's where we are. There's no answer for it. You're trying to find continuity. Injuries keep plaguing us in that area, and guys are battling through it, playing a number of positions. Injuries are a part of the game.
(Did you get enough pressure on Freeman?)
I thought the times when we did get a hit on him, he bounced off us a few times. He's a big man, and you always want to take advantage of a young quarterback. The turnover opportunities...I'll have to look at the film. I don't have a clear opinion on that.
(Was it just a missed assignment on the blocked punt?)
Missed assignment, correct.
(Did it seem like the offense was out of sync in the second half?)
It's right in line with your former question. When you get sacks, especially sacked on first down to start a drive, it's tough.
