Joe Flacco on Cincinnati Bengals' Loss to New York Jets

Cincinnati Bengals On SI

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00:00Yeah, just, you know, had something happen a little bit.

00:03Wasn't feeling probably 100%, so just trying to make sure I was right.

00:07All right, what did you go on?

00:09Good. Yeah, it felt good coming out.

00:11Did you get hurt on the sack?

00:13Yeah, it just kind of landed a little bit awkward.

00:16How do you feel right now?

00:17I feel good right now.

00:19What kind of change there in the fourth quarter?

00:21You know, we're doing well pretty well, all of a sudden they got no stops.

00:23What do you feel like?

00:24Well, I mean, we still kind of went down and got the touchdown in the fourth quarter,

00:27but, you know, they had two stops come up late, you know.

00:33You put yourself in third and longs and, you know,

00:36one or two plays don't kind of hit like they did early

00:38and you don't convert a third down and that's how it goes.

00:41I think the drives that we were scoring well on, you know,

00:44there was some conversions big time that we had,

00:47but, you know, the drive that we did score in the fourth quarter,

00:50we were kind of just rolling through a little bit.

00:53You know, you got to expect at some point they're going to come up and play tough

00:56and you're going to have to make some plays

00:57and we just weren't able to do it.

00:58Too much that there was a couple times during the game

01:01that you guys should have closed it out.

01:03What do you think prevented you guys from doing that?

01:07Well, you guys watched it.

01:08I mean, listen, you know, this league is most of the time

01:12it's going to come down to those last, you know, that last minute or two.

01:16And, you know, obviously we had a drive before that two minute

01:20where if we go put points on the board then it's a different game

01:23and we just weren't able to do it.

01:24Can you take us through the final three plays or so?

01:27You guys pick up a first down.

01:29It feels like you're going to move the ball to the east front.

01:31I think it's close to midfield.

01:32You know, things kind of stall out a bit.

01:34Yeah.

01:36Sometimes it's part of the game.

01:37You know, you don't make the play down the stretch.

01:39That gets you over the hop and puts you in field goal range.

01:42What were the years – well, actually, let me just bring you on here.

01:47Was there a conversation with you and Zach on the game?

01:50Like, what was that like when you were the agent

01:52whether you wanted to – were you able to go back in or not?

01:55What was that process like?

01:56It was so quick.

01:57I mean, it was just kind of like there was not much conversating, you know.

02:02It was like it just all happened so quick

02:03and next thing you know we're out there and we're going, so.

02:06Was there a thought that you would – I mean, let's say they got to stop

02:09and Jim come back out and what happened there at the end?

02:12I wasn't really thinking about that.

02:14I was just thinking about getting back out there.

02:16Is there any concern?

02:17I know it's early.

02:18Yeah, I don't think so.

02:19We'll have to wait and see, you know, what we talk about.

02:23You've been in the game a long time.

02:24What makes young guys kind of turn into leaders in a locker room

02:27over the course of time?

02:28Like, what enables guys to go in and kind of take those roles

02:32the longer they're in a locker room?

02:35Well, I think the biggest thing is proving it day in and day out

02:38that you're the type of guy that's going to show up and work hard

02:41and give it your all and give it 100% every day.

02:44I think, you know, I think those things kind of start with just your actions.

02:48You know, how you show up.

02:50You show up with intention every day.

02:51And I think the more you can do that, then it just slowly happens.

02:55Is that something you think guys can learn over time?

02:58Can they – or is that something that you kind of have to do?

02:59Guys can definitely learn from looking at other guys

03:01and seeing how they show up and when they show up

03:04and, you know, kind of the process they go through.

03:06I think you can definitely learn how to, you know,

03:09how to become somebody that comes in and works with intention

03:12and has, you know, and has detail in what they do

03:15and has passion for what they do.

03:17And I think you can definitely feed off of that and learn yourself

03:21and then become the guy that, you know, that other guys are looking to.

03:25Zach said the message to the team after the game,

03:27someone needs to step up.

03:28In an NFL locker room of adult men,

03:30how is that typically received when a coach is saying

03:33someone needs to step up?

03:35Yeah, I mean, we're all men.

03:37Coaches included and prideful.

03:44But at the same time, like, I think what makes, you know,

03:49a good football player a tough, grown man is the ability to look inward

03:54and, you know, maybe acknowledge some of the things that he can get better at.

04:01So I think that's where it starts in a good locker room is when you get that message

04:06from your coach, you take it to heart because you have pride in what you do

04:11and you look at yourself and how you can improve

04:15and how you can take that next step and help everybody around you do the same thing.

04:19You know, it's a big place in the run game.

04:20What enabled you on to really find that success that hadn't been there?

04:23Yeah, I think, listen, I think the fact that we were able to start well in the passing game

04:26and then they've got to worry about that, it opens up a little bit inside

04:31and then you've got to give credit to the offensive line and the running backs

04:33just for kind of doing their thing.

04:37That last series, I guess Jamal was saying the last couple of plays,

04:41they were just doubling them, right?

04:42Yeah, yeah, yeah.

04:43We were trying to get a double move on them one time, you know,

04:46just because sometimes when they come and double you, you know,

04:48they've got one guy outside, one guy comes inside, he gets a little low,

04:52and maybe you can kind of get over the top.

04:55But, you know, I think we expect that a little bit.

04:58You know that they're going to have to do something like that.

05:00There was a few third downs throughout the course of the game

05:03where they made sure they doubled him, and, you know, that's a credit to them.

05:07But at the same time, like, we know those things are going to happen with those guys

05:10and you've got to find ways to overcome it a little bit.

05:13And for most of the day, we did.

05:14It was just, you know, in crunch time we weren't able to make it happen.

05:19As a quarterback, do you feel extra-pressive game kind of goes on

05:21and you feel like you're going to have to keep scoring?

05:24Does that feel added pressure as the game goes on?

05:26Will that next career all be able to let it execute?

05:28What's that like?

05:28I think if you let it, then you can.

05:30But ultimately, you've just got to focus on your process

05:33and going out there and executing.

05:36And I think when you can take your mind off of being a fan on the sideline

05:41or, like, putting yourself in that mode of watching the game,

05:44just wanting your team to win, then you can focus on your job at hand

05:48and give yourself the best chance of success.

05:51I think when you kind of remove yourself and you become that fan

05:54and you just want to win, that's when you can get caught up in all the wrong things

05:58and feel the pressure more than you want to,

06:01and then you're not going to play the way you want to.

06:02So it's such a tough thing because we all want to win the football game.

06:06But during those 60 minutes, you really have to remove yourself from those thoughts,

06:13you know, from having those thoughts

06:14and just kind of try to stay even and go out there and play the play.

06:19That being said, do you feel like you'll maybe drop the gas in the fourth quarter?

06:23Did you set it off?

06:23I don't think so.

06:24No, I really don't think so.

06:26I mean, we went down and scored, and then they scored, and we got the ball,

06:29and our mindset was go down and score again, and we didn't.

06:31I mean, I don't think there was any stepping off the gas.

06:36I really don't.

06:37Maybe we just didn't execute.

06:38I would assume we just didn't execute as well as maybe we wanted to

06:41on some of those last six, seven, eight plays, you know.

06:46I think it's the only time offensively you guys got going for most of the game,

06:50but is there one or two plays for you personally that stand out

06:53that you wish you could have back,

06:55especially maybe in the fourth quarter when things kind of start to go?

06:59I'd have to look at the film late.

07:02I'm trying to think.

07:03There was definitely a play early on.

07:04I was probably – I threw an incompletion at Jamar on my right side

07:10going the same way we were going in the fourth quarter,

07:12so I think that was probably the first quarter,

07:15and I was a little bit ahead of him on a one-on-one route that he had backside,

07:19and I probably could have waited a little bit longer,

07:21and maybe we would have had a big play out of it,

07:23and instead we ended up punting.

07:25I think that was one play I can think of.

07:27So you played on plenty of teams where probably defenses have carried offenses,

07:29offenses have carried defenses for stretches.

07:31How do you keep it from devolving into we're doing our part

07:34and they're not doing theirs?

07:36I think everybody – I think that slips into people's heads.

07:39You know, like it's hard not to – and I think it more slips into the side's heads

07:45who feels like they're not necessarily, you know, living up to their standard.

07:49But this is a team sport, and we're all in this together.

07:56It's not offense, defense, special teams.

07:58I mean, at the end of the – like they're out there doing their job,

08:00but we are one.

08:02We feel this as one.

08:04So, I think it's hard to maybe not be in your head

08:12when maybe you're that side of the ball for a given stretch.

08:16But, man, like I always try to tell people, like I'm not –

08:21I'm so consumed with doing my job,

08:24and everybody should be so consumed with doing their job

08:26that they're not worried about what other guys are doing

08:29and how a guy – you know, put the blinders on and go do your job.

08:33And I think when everybody can do that, that's when you turn –

08:36that's when you get out of those things.

08:38There's no judging, you know, your brothers

08:42for not playing up to their expectations.

08:46Their support and trying to give those guys confidence –

08:50because that's what it is a lot of times.

08:52You know, you need to play this game with confidence,

08:54and if you lose a little bit of that

08:56because you think your brothers are kind of looking at you like,

08:58oh, come on, like can't you just do this?

09:01That's not a good feeling to have,

09:03and hopefully we can all get across

09:06that that's not how we should be feeling towards our teammates.

09:10Did the Jets do anything different with T

09:13after the touchdown you hit him on?

09:15Because it seemed like the ball wasn't going his way.

09:17Did they take something away from him,

09:18or was it just kind of there were other players going?

09:21Yeah, you have to go back – we have to go back and look.

09:23I don't really think that we threw the ball a ton in the second half.

09:26I mean, to be honest with you, I could be wrong in that.

09:29But I feel like we more kind of got the run game going

09:31and, you know, had to throw it in like little situations here and there.

09:36But I just feel like it was just the way the game went.

09:40I don't think it was –

09:41obviously they're going to do things to double those guys at times,

09:45but overall I don't think it was like this huge,

09:48this vastly different plan.

09:49and I think –

09:50thank you.

09:50Okay.

09:51.

09:52I think –

09:53how much?

09:54Yeah.

09:54What's the teeth?

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