Steve Wilks' Thoughts Following Panthers Overtime Loss to Falcons
Re: Opening Statement
"We didn't find a way to finish. We had too many opportunities to win this football game, and we didn't find a way to get it done and that falls on me. We've got to make sure we're smart enough, something to learn from, celebration penalty, a big play like that we've got to keep our poise. It was a great job with DJ [Moore] coming up with the big play, great pass by PJ [Walker], but as a team we just got to make sure we're smart and ready to take it to the next level, next step. When you look at the comparisons for us rushing the football, I thought we did a great job, 169, they had 167 which was too much. We've got to stop the run. We knew that coming into the game. Pretty balanced when you look at third down conversions, they were 6-of-12, we were 5-of-13. We've got to find more opportunities to be able to convert and move the chains and keep the drive alive."
Re: His message to DJ Moore after celebration penalty
"I think as a whole, we've got to be better as a team and DJ is smart enough to understand that's something to learn from. Very talented player, glad he's on our team, but moving forward that's something that we'll learn from and won't make that same mistake."
Re: His message to kicker Eddy Pineiro following to missed kicks
"It didn't come down to that, of course it would've given us the opportunity to win, but offense, defense, and special teams, we could've had it way before then. With me, I'm encouraging him and trying to build him up. I told him, 'Hopefully we give you the opportunity to come back and win it for us,' and unfortunately, we didn't."
Re: What made him feel like PJ Walker was going to turn things around after the pick-six
"You've got to get into a rhythm. You've got to have confidence in who you have in there early on, and I wasn't about to pull him that early. I didn't really think about it to be honest, and as coaches we've got to continue to put guys in the best positions to be successful, and I thought upfront what we were doing as far as moving the pile and creating a line of scrimmage, we just had to create some balance."
Re: Whether Eddy Pineiro was in his own head following the missed extra point
"I have no idea as it regards to what was in his head, and to be quite honest I have to look at the tape to look at the whole progression of exactly what happened."
Re: Whether he will look for a new kicker
"I'm not inclined to elaborate on anything like that. Do I want him to make those kicks? Yes. Do I want the guys to make the proper blocks and catches? Of course. We've got to all get better, even me."
Re: How to keep spirits high after a tough loss
"This is the National Football League; I told the guys 'We'll see our true character and who we are as a team in how we come in there and work tomorrow.' It was tough but we got to get ready for Cincinnati, and how we come tomorrow and make the corrections we need to make, build on the things that we did well, and get ready to go on the road and play a real good football team."
Re: Whether he'll do anything different at practice this week
"No, I think our approach has been great. We come to work and work hard each and every week, and we put the pads on, on Wednesday, that's not going to change, and focus the details, and it's all about the little things. At this time of the year, you get so caught up in scheme, and my mindset is always about the fundamentals and technique, and that's what we got to continue to harp on. We've got to find a way to finish the football game."
Re: What caused D'Onta Foreman's success
"I think it's just the mere fact of getting into a rhythm, he's a guy that has to get into a rhythm. I thought the offensive line, once again, did a great job and coming off the ball and creating a new line of scrimmage, and giving him the avenues and opening up the holes where he could see it. I liked his performance; I wish we were able to get a little bit more to the point where it's going to help us win football games early."
Re: What he saw during the 62-yard touchdown near the end of regulation
"It was something we had talked about on the headsets, and really trying to create a scissors concept with the receivers and hopefully we can get one of the receivers to try to split the secondary which he did. PJ did a great job, gave him time to be able to sit back there and see it, I thought it was great route and good ending with DJ coming down with the ball."
Re: Explaining the scissor concept
"What we call a scissors concept, where one receiver runs a corner route and the other runs a post."
Re: Defensive struggles in the second half
"I got to watch the tape and see exactly what happened to see it in detail. I know a couple of times we weren't tackling well, may have gotten out of our gaps, as we sit here and talk about it and see it on the sidelines. In full I've got to look at the tape."
Re: The high stakes for Sunday's game
"As I just told those guys, 'It's a lot of football left.' We missed an opportunity today, could've had an opportunity to win this game and be first place, but the season is not over. The opportunity for us to win this division is still there, we're not going to look ahead towards Thursday night, we're going to still stay the course and continue to do what we do which is taking it one game at a time and trying to win the day and we'll do that tomorrow in preparation getting ready for Cincinnati."
Re: Positives from the game
"I think the guys—we didn't give up; we didn't give up. The guys continued to fight throughout the whole game, particularly same thing in overtime. We, once again, have got to find a way to finish though, that's the key."
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