Ron Rivera Transcript - Titans Game

[Jeremy Igo]

Head Coach Ron Rivera

RE: Team’s ability to move on from last week with win today
We did some really good things. I was a little disappointed at the end with some of the things we did defensively. Again, it will start with me. We will take an opportunity to take a look at the things that we did, things that we should have done better. But the guys played hard. They did a lot of good things. They made plays when they had to which is probably the most important thing and it was a big tribute to their resilience. I was very pleased with that.

RE: Fake punt
I just wanted to make sure the guys know that, ‘hey, I believe in who we are as a football team and I believe we can make plays. When we get the opportunity, we have to go out and do it.’ Chase [Blackburn] and them have been on me about that faith that we have. I have always felt that I’m looking for this type of an opportunity that just felt would give us some momentum. We had a ten-point lead so if we messed it up, it wouldn’t be that bad. But, I was really looking for something to give us an edge and I thought the moment was good. I talked with Norv [Turner] about it all week, a couple days and we talked about it twice and wanting to do it early. Do it early in the game, early in the half. It just came that this is what I thought was a really good opportunity for us.

RE: Did Colin Jones ever play running back in high school?
Back in high school, back in the day and he reminds me of it every day. He says, I have the ability Coach. So, we said, “You’re going to get a chance eventually.” Today, like I said, I just thought the opportunity was right.

RE: What adjustments helped Kyle Allen settle in today?
I think more so than anything else, it was just really him settling in. Because he had some guys open, he missed some opportunities. The very first play, we much rather see him throw the ball out as opposed to right through the middle. I know he wanted to get Greg [Olsen]. Greg had a really good week at practice and we tried to feature him a little bit. Again, I just thought that he was a little anxious early on and then as he settled in and got to the second quarter, you could really start to see him make good decisions.

RE: Decision to go for it on 4th and 3 when only up 3-0
Just some of the things we have done at practice, you feel good about some of the plays. You just think this is a really good play for the situation. We got the coverage we were anticipating and the execution was there.

RE: How did team get to 5-3 without Cam Newton?
I think it is about the team more so than anything else. Cam has been an integral part of who we are. We have a lot of good football players. Now we have a young man that has come in and did some things for us last year. He is showing us that he can do it again this year. I really do think it is about the team more than it is about the individual. I think our guys have a done great job at doing their jobs. One of the things that we have done consciously a couple of years ago is that we wanted to put playmakers around the quarterback. We went out and drafted Christian [McCaffrey]. Then we added Curtis [Samuel] and DJ [Moore]. Greg Olsen is having a solid year. When you have those kind of playmakers around the quarterback, really there is a point where you really want to make sure he can distribute it. There are some things that Kyle does and there are some things Cam does. But individually as a team, I think we are doing some really good things. Defensively, I think the thing we see out here has been our team’s speed. The team’s speed on defense has gotten better. We have made plays on the ball. We have pressured the quarterback. We haven’t stopped the run as well as I would have liked to but it’s something we have to get back to because it’s been something we have done very well. You aren’t going to go very far if you don’t do that better. We have some work still to do. I think our kicker, punter and our return teams are starting to round out. Again, to that point its more about what the team has done more so than missing individuals.

RE: Were you surprised they didn’t run Derrick Henry more in the first half?
I will say this – there were some things that we were doing really well and I think they saw it. They came in and made a great halftime adjustment. They came out in that first series and then ran the ball very effectively. They made a great adjustment. When we got back to the sideline, listening to what the coaches were telling me. This is what Perry [Fewell] saw from upstairs and then Steve [Russ] looking at it in the pictures and talking to Eric [Washington], we saw what they were doing so we tried to eliminate some of that and we were able to have some success. But then they hit us on a couple big throws and then a screen. So again, there was a little bit of give and take, here and there. But again, he is a terrific back and he had a solid afternoon. Sometimes you can stop them early and sometimes you can stop them late. I don’t know if you can stop them all day.

RE: Thoughts on crowd’s MVP chants for Christian McCaffrey?
I tell you what, he is most certainly in the conversation but it is still early. This is only half way and you don’t get awards for half the season. We will see what happens. Like I said, we are playing really good team football. Last week was a tough one but this week I thought our guys bounced back well.
RE: Did you get any clarity on Cam Newton and are you preparing for being without him for remainder of season?
I’m not sure as far as anything else other than he went up and saw Dr. Anderson. Dr. Anderson talked about what our doctors are doing is exactly what he needs to be doing. It’s one of those things that is a gradual process and he is still in the process of where he is. At the end of the day, until we are told anything different from the doctors, we will continue just like what we have been doing.

RE: Was the game plan for Kyle Allen to throw mostly throw down field?
It was part of the game plan. Again, a lot of things is what he reads and what he sees. We have always done that. Coach Norv [Turner] has always done that with the quarterbacks in terms of they are decision
makers. They have options. They have the progression they have to go through. They do things based on certain looks the defense is giving and then they make decisions.

RE: Did you see your young wide receivers, especially Curtis Samuel and DJ Moore, playing with a little fire today?
No. Again, I thought these are young guys who are developing and growing and they are going to have good days, they are going to have tough days and they are going to have great days. Today was a pretty solid day to look at some of the plays they made the way they went after the football. Again, it is all about the process. Probably the biggest thing again, is that these are young guys who are learning to be consistent football players week in and week out. It’s tough. It’s a tough business. Again, guys that are in their second or third year, they are going to continue to learn and grow.

RE: Did you see the defense playing a little bit for Mario Addison?
Yes, they did. It was kind of a nice thing just listening to the guys pregame and postgame. It’s a very difficult time that one of our guys is going through and a lot of these guys wanted to be there for him. We will see him hopefully this week. It has been a very difficult time you know. Shaq [Thompson] went through it with his own situation. We have a group of guys who want to be here for each other and rally around one and other. Mario is a guy who has been with us for a long time.

RE: Christian McCaffrey being evaluated for a concussion
He is fine. It was an abundance of caution. We had a pretty secure lead. It got a little hairy at the end but we felt pretty strongly about being smart. There was no reason to put him out there in my estimation and I would rather be careful than be dumb.

RE: Did injury happen when Christian [McCaffrey] was sliding?
I assume so. I was just told what happened. I saw the play. I saw the touchdown run. I’ll be honest with you, when I saw the replay I saw him turn his ankle. That’s what I thought it was. They came up to me later and told me he wants to go back in. I said, ‘Well, we will rethink that and we need to relax a little bit.’ That was an abundance of caution on my side.

RE: Update on James Bradberry’s groin
We will see. Again, they were trying to get him warmed up to get him back into the game. Again, where we were with that, I told them let’s just relax and I think we will be fine.

RE: How nice was it to immediately come back after this week’s references to the 2018 Pittsburgh game?
Well I think that’s great. I really do. That really was one of the first questions. But to Greg Olsen’s point, guys we can talk about it all I want but we have to go out and do it and I thought our guys went out and handled it pretty good. I was very happy for them today. I really was. Again, in light of the fact this is our first home game in five weeks. It was great to have the fans. It was great to hear Sweet Caroline at the end of the day.

RE: Shaq Thompson looked really fast today
He did. It’s one of those things. Again, him coming off his situation with his mother, that was very difficult. We probably put a lot on his plate. I probably put too much on. But again, today we really simplified a lot of things that we did. He made a couple of really good decisions, a couple of big time plays for us. Really, it was good to have him back and his focus. Again, these are young men dealing with some very difficult situations.

RE: Were you able to give players any advice on handling resuming quickly after a loss of a family member?
The biggest thing and I haven’t had the chance to talk with Mario [Addison] but I’ve had a couple opportunities to talk with Shaq [Thompson] and Shaq is just a solid young man. It’s good to have him back.

RE: What offensive line adjustments did you make this week?
I think the biggest thing that happened more so than anything is Dennis [Daley] had the opportunity to have a whole week’s worth of practice. He wasn’t battling the groin that he had had to battle a little bit. Again, that’s part of it. You’ve got a guy who came in and worked every day with the rest of the group. I think they got a little bit of the cohesion going and I just thought he played very well today as a rookie.

RE: Tre Boston’s demeanor in the locker room after his interception
He is fired up. He really is. It’s good to see that. He is a young man that has really done a lot of good things for us and is a big part of our resurgence, especially in the secondary. He has stepped up, become somewhat of a locker room leader, he really is. He is one of those guys you can gauge the attitude of the team just by watching him. He has really done a nice job in terms of bring the energy and keeping things light hearted.

RE: Thieves Avenue
Most certainly. They’ve brought that back. He is one of the original members. It’s good to see him back and doing those things.

RE: Is placing Cam Newton on IR a realistic option?
Again, I would be assuming. Based on what I said about what Dr. Anderson talked about our guys are doing their jobs and things that they need for him. Again, the biggest thing that we will see is how he is progressing. He is doing everything that we have asked. He has been great. But, we will see.

RE: What did you see in Kyle Allen after the 90-yard drive?
I just thought the biggest thing is that he settled down. A lot of the guys talked about the energy of being back in the building for the first time in five weeks. They really did. It was kind of neat. When I first got here today, just listening to the guys talk about, ‘man, it is good to be home.’ It was really great to hear. I didn’t realize it but five weeks on the road was an awful lot to ask of our guys and unfortunately it culminated in a disaster as far as I’m concerned. But, getting the opportunity to come back home and have them step up and play the way that they did, I was very pleased with their effort and their attitude.

RE: Did the meeting with Dr. Anderson take surgery off the table?
Guys, I can’t go any further into that other than what I just told you. I’ve pretty much heard and read the same thing you have. To get into any deeper than that would be all guessing and wouldn’t be fair to anybody. So at the end of the day guys Kyle [Allen] is our starter and we are going to continue to go forward with that.

[NAS]

Great read. Rivera saying what most of us say and are called Allen haters. These wins are a team performance.  We want them to keep winning and we want Allen to do well, it’s just ridiculous to proclaim him our franchise quarterback at this point.

[raz]

15 minutes ago, NAS said:

Great read. Rivera saying what most of us say and are called Allen haters. These wins are a team performance.  We want them to keep winning and we want Allen to do well, it’s just ridiculous to proclaim him our franchise quarterback at this point.

[panthers55]

1 hour ago, NAS said:

Great read. Rivera saying what most of us say and are called Allen haters. These wins are a team performance.  We want them to keep winning and we want Allen to do well, it’s just ridiculous to proclaim him our franchise quarterback at this point.

Allen is our franchise quarterback untill Cam comes back or we get someone better. The questions are whether he will continue to improve especially as the schedule gets harder and if he is good enough to get us to the playoffs. It is week 10 coming up in a 17 week season. The chances of Cam returning grow dimmer each week. He might not end up being a great franchise quarterback but at 5-1 he is a huge reason we are still in the hunt. Up to this point he has done just about everything we have asked of him.

[Snake]

35 minutes ago, panthers55 said:

Allen is our franchise quarterback untill Cam comes back or we get someone better. The questions are whether he will continue to improve especially as the schedule gets harder and if he is good enough to get us to the playoffs. It is week 10 coming up in a 17 week season. The chances of Cam returning grow dimmer each week. He might not end up being a great franchise quarterback but at 5-1 he is a huge reason we are still in the hunt. Up to this point he has done just about everything we have asked of him.

Exactly, Cam will have to PROVE he can play better than Allen when he comes back. Allen is still improving with limited time and is still doing what needs to be done. Everytime Rivera doesn't throw Cam under the Bus Cam Huggers assume he's just a backup. 

[panthers55]

8 minutes ago, Snake said:

Exactly, Cam will have to PROVE he can play better than Allen when he comes back. Allen is still improving with limited time and is still doing what needs to be done. Everytime Rivera doesn't throw Cam under the Bus Cam Huggers assume he's just a backup. 

He was the backup, now he is the starter. Until Cam is 100% the question of who should start is irrelevant. He is the best we got and so far he has been pretty good for having played a half dozen games in his career 

[Snake]

Just now, panthers55 said:

He was the backup, now he is the starter. Until Cam is 100% the question of who should start is irrelevant. He is the best we got and so far he has been pretty good for having played a half dozen games in his career 

It's not even about healthy. He hasn't even played healthy football since a year and half. We still have the question if his shoulder can hold up more than 6 games. It's been over two years since Cam has even had full practices. He's a huge question beyond his new injury. At least we know we have a guy who can win though. 

[NAS]

4 minutes ago, Snake said:

Exactly, Cam will have to PROVE he can play better than Allen when he comes back. Allen is still improving with limited time and is still doing what needs to be done. Everytime Rivera doesn't throw Cam under the Bus Cam Huggers assume he's just a backup. 

That's unfair.  Most of us hope Allen can become a legitimate starting QB, but tired of folks bashing Cam or claiming Allen is the second coming of Brady.  

[Navy_football]

I'm impressed that Rivera is still learning. Taking CMC out and protecting him from himself has not always been his M.O. 

Being aggressive with a lead has not always been his M.O.

Thumbs up from me - for this week. 

[LinvilleGorge]

Oh wow, who could've predicted this would turn into a Cam vs. Kyle thread?

[panthers55]

2 hours ago, NAS said:

That's unfair.  Most of us hope Allen can become a legitimate starting QB, but tired of folks bashing Cam or claiming Allen is the second coming of Brady.  

Who is saying Allen is the second coming except a few folks who do it to troll Cam nut huggers.

[MHS831]

In reference to CMC:  "I would rather be cautious than dumb."

 

[Snake]

4 hours ago, NAS said:

That's unfair.  Most of us hope Allen can become a legitimate starting QB, but tired of folks bashing Cam or claiming Allen is the second coming of Brady.  

Who is saying that and he is a starting QB. Is 5-1 not good enough? Does he need to be 6-0 to be a starter? Or is that still not enough? Playoffs? Super Bowl? 

[Snake]

2 hours ago, panthers55 said:

Who is saying Allen is the second coming except a few folks who do it to troll Cam nut huggers.

Exactly, yet the huggers can't except he's good enough to start for this team and many more. It's not like Ron has made being QB easy like in NO or KC with loads of weapons and top 10 lines.