Coach Dan Quinn:
Opening Statement:
"I thought we started strong in terms of building up to a 14-0 lead. (We had) a nice explosive play by (Collin) Mooney to set it off. (Then we had) a big time return by Devin (Hester) that was 59 yards. There was some pressure early. From a special teams standpoint, I thought (Matt) Boscher had a big night. As the punter tonight, he had some huge ones. The real story of the game came down to minus three (in turnovers). That's a hard way to go. No turnovers for the defense, and three give-aways offensively. (It's) a hard way to go about it. We're built on finishing. Starting off to a 14-0 lead and then geting outscored by 30 points was hard for us. (We have) a long way to go. (We had a) tough night on protection and a tough night on tackling. So, (it will be) a good week ahead of us to see how we can improve. "
On the quick start by the offense:
"I think it was Collin (Mooney) who really set it off with the long play, the 60-yarder. Those guys were able to finish. Then, Hank (Leonard Hankerson) got in there with a nice score. I was pleased with that in terms of the style and the attitude that we wanted to go attack."
On knocking people back at the line of scrimmage:
"No doubt. It's a continued point of emphasis for us in terms of the way we want to come off the ball. In terms of the style and the attitude we want in the running game, we've got a long way to go. We're committed to doing that. We know the balance and the attack that we're looking for, but we've got a long way to go in that area."
On Matt Ryan's efficiency:
"I think right now, it's that competitive fire he has. He's always looking to improve. He's just wanting to come and attack in all phases. He's like that in practice with his mindset of going and wanting to attack. He's really feeling it in terms of his familiarity with the offense where he has ownership of it, and he certainly does."
On how close he was in his decision to not play RBs Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, and Antone Smith:
"It was close. We took them through the pregame to see where we could get with them. They're getting close, but they're not there yet. We're not going to put them back out there with the hamstring injuries until they're really ready to go. They're getting close to doing it, but they're not there yet."
On if he'll treat the third preseason game as a dress rehearsal for the season:
"We will (treat it as a) mock week in terms of the game planning and preparation that goes into it. The most important point is we want to get a function of how our week is going to go. It's new for some of the guys here in terms of how we're going to approach the week (and) what happens on which day. We're really wanting to get that process down. It's the first time going through that as a team."
On if the starters will play into the third quarter:
"I think that will be on a case-by-case basis of who needs more work and who needs less. It won't be a group decision, much like we've done it tonight where some guys will go longer than others."
On the defense after the starters left the game:
"I thought there were some tackling issues that we can really get together on. I know as an area of emphasis for us, it's certainly something we can improve on. I can't wait to watch that as well and see how we can improve on that. A second thing, for us to leave a game without any takeaways is hard. It's hard for us to live by the ball and not be able to get any. We'll see where our shots were and we'll take it from there."
On how Brooks Reed played in his first game:
"I thought the edge setting and physicality he brought to it, it was great to see him out there. I know he was excited too. For him to have the chance to play the style he plays, he was certainly ready to go. It was great to have him out there."
On rotating the quarterback after Ryan came out of the game:
"I really wanted to get the competition for both the guys. I thought Sean (Renfree) did a good job last week. We wanted him to continue the battle with TJ (Yates) and see if we could get some opportunities that you want them to have. (We wanted) to see if we'll get a two minute opportunity (on offense). We went into the game knowing that both the guys would get opportunities with the offensive line still in the game."
Quarterback Matt Ryan: On the flow of the offense:
"We talk a lot about coming into each game with a fast start. That first drive was really solid for us. Anytime you have a big play the way we did, your chances of scoring increases. We were able to extend that drive, make a couple plays in the redzone, and punch it in. The second drive really came down to special teams and the punt return unit. As an offense, we had a short field and were able to punch it in. It was a good start for us tonight, but across the board, we got a lot of areas to improve. We will get back onto the practice field this week and correct some of those things."
On the big opening play to FB Collin Mooney:
"It was a good design play. Julio (Jones) kind of cleared things out, and we were able to get the football to Collin. He was able to sneak outside of the linebacker. It was a good design."
On the team's ability to run the football:
"Obviously we would like to run the football better than we have up to this point. We have some time before our next preseason game to get that moving. At the end of the day, we will need to find ways to score points, and be effective as an offense."
Guard Chris Chester: On whether it is rare for the first-team offense to click so well this early in the preseason:
"We've got a group of guys that have really locked in or are on the same page in that regard, executing, and understanding the flow of the game. That's half the battle in preseason, because in preseason, you're working on kinks, you're trying to really get in the flow of the game. So, we've done a good job in that regard."
On whether the offensive line will use the talented Jets front seven as a measuring stick to see where they stand:
"It helps. It's an indicator of what we can be. [There is] still a lot of ball left to be played and there's a lot in front of us, but it's definitely a good group over there with the Jets, and it's encouraging. It's a springboard. Like I said, nothing's set in stone yet, but it kind of lets us know where we're at on the path of where we'd like to be."
Linebacker Brooks Reed
On shaking off the rust:
"It's very minimal stuff I've done today, because I had such few reps. I can improve on everything."
On whether he wants to open things up next week in preparation for the regular season:
"Right, that's kind of our game work. All of the starters and guys will get most of the reps in more of a game-like situation. So, hopefully I'll feel a lot better and this week of practice will really help."
On watching the game last week and whether the team's intensity today matched last week's:
"Yeah, the guys were pretty hyped up and ready to go. Everybody's playing at a pretty high level right now and it's fun to watch. That brings my level of play up, because I feel like I've got to match that. It's a good thing. That's kind of what this program has all been about. [Coach Dan Quinn] has been trying to get it out of us, so I think it's a good precursor to the season, just kind of a little taste of what we can do during the season."
