ATLANTA --Quotes from Dolphins players and coaches after the season opening game.
Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano
Q: Coach, offensively it seemed like you weren't able to get continuity or anything going. It seemed like defensively they were able to take advantage of the offensive line a little bit.
A: "I thought we had a couple drives that started movement and then we would turn the ball over. If that's continuity, then I guess that's true. At the end of the day, if you turn the ball over four times in this League, your percentage of winning is going to be about 10 percent. You can't overcome those things in this League. Offensive line wise, we need to protect the quarterback better."
Q: What do you think went wrong?
A: "I can't tell you what went wrong. We don't think that turning the ball over is a good thing, that's for sure. But we will work hard at it and we will get better at it."
Q: How do you feel about the fumbles throughout the game?
A: "All three of them were fumbles. I don't know what you want me to say about it. They were all fumbles. That means they hit you and the ball comes out. They weren't close. In other words, from a reviewable- non reviewable point, we felt like they were fumbles. So we have to hold onto the ball. We have to take care of the football. That's our job. If you're a ball carrier in this offense you've got to be able to keep the ball and there is no excuse for losing it."
Q: Can you talk about the Falcons rushing game on your line?
A: "I give credit to the Atlanta Falcons, they have very good rushers. We knew that. A couple times they got off on the snap count really well and ended up in a bull rush kind of pressure situation. There was one time when there was a technical error on the inside that led to one of those. That was a problem."
Q: How do you feel about your defense?
A: "I felt our defense was outstanding. You put the defense in that kind of situation on a short field, and I feel they worked their tail off. At the end of the day, that team is a very good rushing team. They averaged 2.2 yards per carry during the course of this game and I know from our standpoint we did a good job against the run."
Q: What is your message to the team?
A: "Stay committed. We have talked about staying committed. Our mentality was tested today. I thought we fought real hard, the team played hard, but we didn't do smart things. That's one of the things this football team prides itself on and I don't think a person in that locker room right now would tell you anything different. We know how to win and lose in this League, and tonight we did things that will not force you to win in this League."
Q: Can you talk about Pat White a little bit. How do you think he did?
A: "There were some things we were trying to get to, but the bottom line is we didn't for some reason or another. I thought Pat White did fine."
Q: Has there been a loss of confidence?
A: There is no loss of confidence. If I remember correctly, there was a team in the Super Bowl last year who went 9-7 in the regular season. We've got a long way to go."
Offensive Tackle Jake Long
Q: Not what you expected today, Jake?A: "Well, last year we started 0-2, and we got a spark This is just a bump in the road. We will come back strong."
Q: John Abraham had a tremendous day. What were your impressions of him?
A: "We had some great battles today. He's a great athlete. He's got power and he's herky jerky. He's super quick so he can go inside, outside or around the edge. It was fun playing against him. He's a great player."
Offensive Guard Justin Smiley
Q: On your expectations for the rest of the season...
A: "We have 15 more games. We started 0-2 last year. Someone has to win and someone has to lose. We came into a really hostile environment and we knew Atlanta was a really good team. They gave us their best shot and the sad thing is that we didn't give them ours. We shot ourselves in the foot. Who knows what the game would've been like had we scored. We got down in the red zone twice and that's where we had the turnovers. We can't win football games like that especially on the road in a place like this against a team like Atlanta. They are really talented."
Wide Receiver Brian Hartline
Q: On his first NFL game and his first career reception...
A: "I really didn't think about it (first game) a whole lot on the field. Looking back on it would've felt better with a win. I really don't care about anything else except a win. I hate losing and that's all that's really in my head right now. Hopefully it's the first on many (catches) that I have.
Q: On his expectations for the rest of the year...A: "My expectations are still super high for me personally and as a team. We got that loss out of the way and we hate it. We'll move forward."
Tight End Anthony Fasano
Q: On what happened today
A: "It's not how you want to begin the season. We have to go in and learn form this and take the good from the bad. It's a long season but definitely not how we wanted to start off."
Running Back Ronnie Brown
Q: On the offensive performance today...
A: "We had sacks and we turned the ball over so you can't expect to win on this level when you do that."
Q: On the Falcons defense...
A: "They played decent, but at the same time we can't do what we did. We were in the red zone turning the ball over and you can't expect to give yourself a chance when you keep turning the ball over. We had four turnovers and a few of them were in critical situations when we were going down to score."
Quarterback Pat White
Q: On his play today...
A: "I'm just excited I got a chance to play today. Miami brought me here and gave me a chance. I just have to keep working and make plays when called upon."
Quarterback Chad Pennington
Q: Did the Falcons defense surprise you?
A: "I don't think they surprised us, I just think they out executed us. Anytime we got a drive going we did something to shoot ourselves in the foot and end the drive. They didn't do anything we weren't expecting. If anything they were more simple than we thought they would be. I think they respected our passing game because they were playing deep and not giving us shots. They had two safeties back or three deep. It kept us from hitting the seems and the out routes. They respected our speed and the things we were trying to do."
Q: Did the wildcat throw rhythm off?A: "Hindsight is twenty-twenty. When the wildcat works everyone is for it, when it doesn't no one is for it. The wildcat is part of what we do. As a QB you have to adjust. I don't really have an opinion one way or the other."
Q: Talk about the four turnovers...
A: "Yeah you can't win football games that way. Four turnovers and putting our defense in a bad situation is not a good way to start and we have to make sure we get better."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-DOLPHINS GAME:
- GAMEDAY LIVE:Complete game coverage from AF.com
- GAME CENTER:Stats and more from NFL.com
- GAME FEATURE:Falcons defense steps up in Week 1 win
- FROM THE BLOG:Notes from the game in J. Michael Moore's blog
- FIRST TAKE:Head Coach Mike Smith | Ryan | Gonzalez | Biermann | Peterson
- NFL NETWORK:Highlights and interviews from NFL Network
- INTERVIEWS:Locker room interviews and more Falcons-Dolphins video
- GAME NOTES:Offcial game notes from the Georgia Dome press box
- PHOTOS:Images from the Falcons season-opening win
- QUOTABLE:Quotes from Falcons coaches and players | Dolphins
- INACTIVES:Inactive players and starters from Sunday's game
- BOARDS:Talk about the game with other fans on FalconsLIFE
