HEAD COACH GREG SCHIANO
(On overall impressions of the game)
"We got licked. My hat's off to Carolina. They played better than we did. They coached better than we did. That was the result today."

(On the crowd)
"It doesn't affect me. People are certainly entitled to their opinion. Here's the thing: My whole career – player and coach – you get up in the morning, you work as hard and as smart as you can, it usually puts you to bed tired, and you get up and you do it again. That's the way I do it. [We] do it the best we can – our coaches, our players – [and] stick together. Sometimes it doesn't go your way. We've just got to keep doing it, look for new ways to make us better, and hopefully go get a win in Seattle. You can sit there and cry about it and feel sorry for yourself, but that isn't going to help anything. You just get back to work, get on this tape, get better."

(On if he has seen any improvement)
"Well, tonight we made some critical mistakes, so it is hard to see any signs when you don't give yourself a chance to. [There were] some critical third-down things. When you snap the ball low twice on third downs, we lose contain a few times. With this guy, that's certainly – [Carolina quarterback] Cam Newton did a heck of a job, took care of the football and broke contain. When we didn't stay disciplined and gave up contain, he found it. We cleaned up some things, we played a cleaner game as far as penalties go, but we just made some errors that are going to keep you from winning games. Those are the things you get paid to do as a coach is to get your team to perform those things. Certainly, it falls on me, because, as the head coach, I've got to make sure that all the assistant coaches are getting it across to our players and our players are understanding it and then executing it on the game field. That's what matters."

(On quarterback Mike Glennon throwing the ball 51 times)
"That's totally attributed to when you look up and it's 14:56 [remaining] in the fourth quarter, and you say, 'Well, we're in T-4 mode, we're in end-of-game mode with a whole quarter to play.' But it's a three-score game. I don't think you have a choice but to do that if you think you're going to win. We certainly could've handed the ball off. We don't do that. The entire time, we're looking at best-case scenarios that we can score, and do we go for two, one – going through it, going through the scenarios. Anything less, and I wouldn't be able to look our team in the eye. That's what we did, and they fought. It wasn't good enough – our coaching wasn't good enough and our playing wasn't good enough – but they fought. We made mistakes."

(On the mood of the players)
"We've got a great group in that locker room – people who care about each other – and right down to the finish, they were fighting, tonight, for each other. At practices, it's not where there's malcontents or guys that aren't doing what you ask them to do. That's one thing that I'm really pleased with. But I think it's about relationships, it's about you and your players and your coaches. Contrary to some reports, there's not an issue with that. We've got to win, we've got to play better football, but that's not an issue."

(On if the billboards around Tampa have an effect on the players)
"I don't know. I think our players – they've all been involved in competitive athletics for a long time, so I don't think that that really concerns them. Quite frankly, I didn't know there were [billboards], so that's how dialed-in I am I guess."

(On what needs to change)
"What needs to change is we have to execute better on the game field. So, how that happens: we have to coach better. We have to come up with different ways or better ways to communicate to get the end result. To me, coaching is presenting a vision, holding people accountable to that, the steps to get there. We've just got to do it better. We've done it before, so it's not where I don't think that this group of men can do it. We just need to do it better."

(On how difficult a task it is to turn things around with rookies at quarterback and running back)
"That's the order we get, so it doesn't matter how tall it is. We've got to figure out a way to get it worked out. As was pointed out, when you throw it that many times with a rookie quarterback – but, quite frankly, I thought [quarterback] Mike [Glennon] did a good job. We had too many drops tonight in critical situations. You look at our third downs – we dropped it on third down, we missed snaps on third down. We're not good enough to have manageable third downs and just let them go because we snap it low, we drop a pass. We can't do that. When we have a manageable or makeable situation, we've got to make it. Then, when we do that, we're going to be in every game."

(On communication with ownership)
"I visit with our owners all the time. There's open lines of communication. We're all trying to just get better and do the things that are going to make the organization better."

(On evaluating personnel and scheme)
"I think, with a little bit of a stretch here, we're going to get some guys back. We'll get [safety] Dashon [Goldson] back, we'll get [cornerback] Danny Gorrer back. We'll get some guys back that haven't been with us. I don't know if we'll get [running back] Doug [Martin] back. That'll change, a little bit, the personnel mix. We're definitely going to examine things like we do every week. How can we be better? What you do is you evaluate what you did and why there was a breakdown. Bad idea? Was it bad scheme? Did we drop the ball? If you dropped the ball, then we've got to catch the ball. Do we have to change things? That has to be evaluated, and we do that every week. It's an ever-evolving process, everything – offense, defense, and kicking game."

QUARTERBACK MIKE GLENNON
(On tonight's game)
"Tough loss. They're a good team. They're one of the best defenses in the league and as an offense we need to do a better job of finishing drives. Once we got down, against that defense, it's tough to get back. Hats off to them for a good game."

(On what the team is playing for)
"We're playing for a win. I still haven't experienced a win in the NFL and it's pretty tough. That's what we're going for right now. We want to win a game. Once we win one, then we'll move on to the next one."

(On if the outside distractions are getting to the team)
"We're just going to stay the course. Our goal right now is to learn from this tape and go up to Seattle and get a win. All we can focus on right now is what's going on right now. We didn't win this game, but we have a great opportunity to win the next one. That's the approach we're going to take – keep preparing hard, keep working hard and have the mentality to take one game at a time and get our first win."

(On if the team has confidence in Head Coach Greg Schiano)
"Yes we do. Coach [Greg] Schiano is a great coach. He stands for the right things and we're behind him."

(On what needs to change)
"We just need to play better, offense, defense, special teams. We're the ones out there playing. We have to play better, execute better and win games."

(On if the team is still fighting)
"Yeah, we are. Every week we come in, the facts of our approach [are] the coaches are working hard, players are working hard and that's the way it's going to continue."

WIDE RECEIVER VINCENT JACKSON
(On the Carolina defense)
"They did a good job being physical up front and trying to put pressure on the quarterback. It makes it tough for us to get the ball down the field."

(On how he keeps the team motivated being a team captain)
"You just focus on one day at a time. We still got a lot of football season left. We're having fun out there playing for each other. We're just a few plays away and we can continue to get better. Just keep the energy up and lead by example. We've all got a job to do, but it's still football – let's have fun. Let's work hard for each other and you never know what will happen."

LINEBACKER LAVONTE DAVID
(On the performance of Carolina quarterback Cam Newton)
"He's a scrambling quarterback, it's always going to be hard to play against a scrambling quarterback."

(On his team's struggles despite his performance)
"It isn't about me, it's about the team. I'd give all that up [personal successes] to get some victories. I wouldn't be doing that if it wasn't for my teammates. All that individual accolade stuff don't mean [anything] to me. I'd give all that up for victories."

(On the confidence of the team entering each game)
"We're confident for sure. That's why we play the game. If you're not confident, then you shouldn't be playing the game. I wouldn't question anybody's confidence at all. Every time we step on the field, we expect to win."

(On the performance of the Carolina offense)
"They just executed, you just got to take your hat off to them. They controlled the football. They just capitalized on their plays."

CORNERBACK LEONARD JOHNSON
(On Carolina's offensive performance)
"They came out and ran their plays. They connected on some stuff [after] we had broken down in the secondary and upfront. They just came out and executed better than we did and made more plays than we did."

(On the performance of Carolina quarterback Cam Newton)
"[He's] just a great quarterback, we face them every week in this league. It's a plus that he can run; he is more mobile than a lot of other quarterbacks. We just got to come out against him next time and be more consistent and stick to the game plan."

(On getting pressure on the quarterback)
"We've got to get pressure. I think we do a good job with the guys up front. The biggest thing is putting it all together and finishing strong."

*RUNNING BACK MIKE JAMES *
(On his first start)
"I felt like it was all right. [We] didn't do enough to win the game. I'm a competitor, that's my main focus. Since we didn't get a 'W,' it didn't go as well as I'd like."

(On how the offense can improve)
"[We] just want to finish the games, finish drives and put ourselves in a position to win. That's what we want to do."

(On the pressure of starting in place of running back Doug Martin)
"Of course, it's a lot of pressure. Doug's a Pro Bowl running back and he's a great guy on top of everything. It's a lot of pressure, but I'm taking it in stride and trying to make sure I'm doing my job. "

GUARD DAVIN JOSEPH
(On how the offense needs to improve)
"We just need to be able to execute plays better, plain and simple we have to be able to execute better, win our one on one battles –myself included. We have to give Mike [Glennon] a chance to be a great quarterback."

(On offensive line chemistry)
"We have a lot of chemistry on the O-line, but like I said – starting with myself – we have to do a better job up front."

(On Carolina defense)
"You get down by some points and they're good at rushing the pass and they're good on third down. We weren't the better team tonight."

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CAROLINA PANTHERS POSTGAME QUOTES
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013

*HEAD COACH RON RIVERA *
(On the game overall)
"I'm really pleased with the way we played. I thought we had our moments. [I'm a] little disappointed in some of the things that went on in the first half as far as missed opportunities: we dropped a couple of passes, we missed a couple blocks, defensively we missed some tackles, we had a couple third downs we should've stopped them on that we didn't. Again, we have to get better at that. We came out in the second half [and] I thought we did things we needed to do up until the last drive, but, for the most part, I really thought the guys gave it their all, they worked hard, and they came out on top tonight."

(On the significance of being over .500)
"We got a winning record. It's great for these guys. A lot of these guys haven't had one. For these guys it's great and we're excited for these players."

(On the severity of defensive end Charles Johnson's injury)
"Well, there's concern. We'll see and we're going to have to care of it. Ice him down, check tomorrow and we'll know from there. It's disappointing that it happened. It was a groin injury and we'll see as far as the extent of it. We're not quite sure."

(On the injury to running back DeAngelo Williams)
"He's got a bruised quad. It's a deep bruise. The nice thing is we got ten days [before the next game]; hopefully it'll get loosened up. The other nice thing is we got another guy named Jonathan Stewart who will be out on the practice field on Monday, so I'll be excited to see him out there. Hopefully, DeAngelo's [injury] will not be long and we'll get him back on the field. He's playing really well right now and he's doing a lot of good things for us."

(On if he was pleased with the team)
"Very pleased. That's the thing that we talked about that we have to get better at and that's finishing football games. We have to continue to do that. When we're called upon to do things whether it's a third-and-short or fourth-and-short, we have to get those first downs. We have to score touchdowns in the redzone. We were 4-for-5. I'd love to get 5-for-5, but unfortunately we didn't. But, again, we're going to continue to work on that and reiterate that."

(On quarterback Cam Newton)
"He's just got to continue to work hard at it. He did a great job of protecting the football, doing things that he needed to, making good decisions. The guys around him are making plays. Unfortunately, like I said, we had a few drops and that's disappointing. Our guys did a great job of putting themselves in position, now we just got to finish those plays."

(On the team's turnaround from 1-3 to 4-3)
"I think the players [are] playing hard and giving it their all. Their approach to it is very professional; the guys work really hard. They do the things that they need to do. I think that when we continue to work and grow and develop as a football team, I think that's important. I think the big thing also is our quarterback has done a great job. He's really developing and doing things that we need to have done. Our defense is playing well. Our offensive line is very solid. There are a lot of reasons. Special teams has been outstanding. So I'd like to believe that it's because we're coming together, but the guys are working very hard."

(On if he had faith in the team when they were 1-3)
"At no point did I ever doubt this group of guys, maybe because I'm an optimist. I just really do believe that it was a matter of time. We got a big one coming up next week against Atlanta, so we're going to start getting ready for that and start preparing."

(On if he's pleased with the offense's third-down efficiency)
"Very pleased. I'll tell you, the things they're doing are great and there's a lot of pride. These guys are doing the things they need to do. I'm very excited for what's coming and we need to continue to work hard at it. Like you said, we don't want to be good, we want to be better than that."

(On the play of fullback Mike Tolbert)
"I think Mike did a great job. He was a very physical force when we had to run the ball. He caught the ball well out of the backfield. He did a nice job with protections although he did miss one, but Mike is a solid football player for us and he's done a great job. One of those things, too, is that Mike is a very special special teams player for us who does a lot of positive things. He's constantly professional."

(On the key block given by wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr.)
"We just teach 'get in the way' and Ted did a nice job. Hats off to Ted. He was pretty excited he did that, he really was. Guys doing whatever they can to help the football team and that's probably the most important thing."

(On the game plan against Tampa Bay quarterback Mike Glennon)
"I think the big thing was to give him different looks, trying to confuse him as much as possible. Our safeties did a nice job of rolling down and I thought our front mixed it up pretty well. I think the young man has a solid arm. He makes quick decisions. He has a bright future in this league."

(On saying his team was "close" and if the team proved that tonight)
"I think so, but when we look at this tape, we're going to sit down and say we could've done a few more other things. Are we where we want to be? Yes, we're above .500, but we can be better. You got to continue to work that way and we can expect to win."

QUARTERBACK CAM NEWTON
(Opening statement)
"Very excited today. Great game, team effort, from defense, special teams, as well as the offense. Execution was the key to this game. We came out on fire as the offense put up 14 points, [then] hit a lull point. But at times, we felt like we were clicking and at times we felt like it was kind of a dull period. We finished the game, but I still think we can be a little bit more thorough going into the upcoming weeks."

(On his success the past three weeks)
"Well, it's a combination of a lot of things. When you've got an offensive line that's protecting the way they protect, when you have a running back that's running, you've got receivers that are making plays after the catch, it's really not hard. It's just up to me to make the right decision and get the ball in the people's hands that it needs to be."

(On being above .500 for the first time)
"It's a relief on numerous reasons, but being .500 is just a small percentage of it. We just have to continue to keep meshing as a team, keep building off and keep getting momentum in these upcoming weeks because we are about to hit the meat of our schedule and we are going to need every single ounce of energy that we will have. We have Atlanta coming up. We will celebrate and feel good about this win for just about a day, mend and heal right and come back on Monday and get prepared for Atlanta."

(On if this is the best he has played in the NFL)
"Honestly, I just feel as if my production is off; a lot of other people's production [is off] as well. If you want to solely say I'm playing great, it also means that a lot of other guys are playing great behind the scenes. This is not a one-man show, I understand that, and I will not have that type of attitude. We have an offensive line that's playing light's out, we are running the ball when we want to and when we have to, and [we have] receivers that are making plays."

(On the attitude of the team)
"We have a lot of relentless guys, and we just continue to keep pushing. Coach has always talked and harped on finishing. A lot of times in multiple games that I have played in here, we had a lack thereof of finishing – offensively, defensively and special teams. We just want to continue to have that mentality to go into the game, execute, be accountable of our particular assignments and finish at the end of the games."

(On Head Coach Ron Rivera)
"He's the backbone of this team, rightfully so – by default and by popular demand. Him being our head coach, we have full faith in everything that he stands for and everything that he does. It means a lot for a player for him to go for it on fourth and one in a hostile environment and having the chance to go up extra points. Him keeping our offense out there meant a lot for us. Not only that, but it's the things that he does that people don't really see; the team meetings that he calls, the constant reminders of players. There's a lot of egos on a particular team, and he handles them extremely well in my opinion."

(On having pride)
"As players, you take a lot of pride on leaving your mark. A lot of guys have been playing extremely well. This is the NFL; we have one job and one job only, to win football games. We know that, that's what we would expect, our fans expect that, and that's what we prepare for. Anything other than that is not acceptable."

(On how he could improve)
"It just takes me going back and watching it. I feel like we could have been a little bit more thorough on the last couple of drives. We were in a hammer package, which means we had to take off as much clock as possible – it was kind of sloppy. It just takes me going back. I'm not going to dwell on the negatives, especially with our guys playing the way we played tonight. We just have to continue to get better, keep getting better and getting healed as well."

*RUNNING BACK DEANGELO WILLIAMS  *
(On playing well)
"Got to keep playing that way. [We] got to continue playing that way. With the things the coaches have put in place and executing our game plan throughout the week, we continue to fight and never give up."

(On not having doubts about turning around the season)
"Absolutely, because I believe in the system that is put in place, I believe in the coaches and I believe in my teammates. That's like asking me 'Why do I breathe?'"

(On the 4-3 record)
"It feels great. To put three wins together and come back and show people that we're relevant."

(On scoring a touchdown)
"It felt good, man. It wasn't the first time in my career getting in there, so it's nothing different. As long as we win football games I don't have to touch the end zone at all."

(On passing the ball)
"That was the game plan. That was the game plan. I respect the game plan. If we have to throw it 70 times, if we have to throw it 80 times, if that's what it takes to win a football game, I'm all for it. I can say this, when we do get in the end zone I have to fight Cam [Newton] off for the ball."

(On looking ahead)
"I can look ahead to the Atlanta Falcons. Anything after that I can't see."

TIGHT END GREG OLSEN

(On scoring a touchdown of the first offense drive)
"Our defense went three-and-out and then we get the ball, it's kind of how you drew it up. When teams differ, it's kind of what you're looking for. We took that opening offense drive down, we were able to capitalize and score there and I think that was big and set the tone for the rest of the game. We were able to get one more touch in before the half. We kind of sputtered there in the end of the first half, in the second quarter. I think we came out after one stalled drive in the third quarter and we were able to get another nice touchdown to blow it open a little bit. And then we got the turnover on downs in the red zone, so we kind of steamrolled from there."

(On the offense game plan)
"I don't know what we ran or passed for, but I imagine it was pretty balanced, at least attempt-wise. I think we were pretty efficient. I don't think our numbers were overly flashy, but pretty efficient. We spread the ball around a lot in the passing game. A lot of guys contributed. And then, the running game as usual, [Mike] Tolbert and DeAngelo [Williams] did a great job against a talented front seven. We knew it was going to be a challenge to block those guys and I think we did a good job."

(On the passing game)
"We were very efficient. I think our completion percentage was very high. You're going to win a lot of football games with your quarterback playing like that. We didn't turn the ball over. Our running game was consistent. Those are ingredients that, when you  have a defense like ours, those are ingredients that make you very hard to beat. When you don't put the defense in bad positions with turnovers - we have the big play capabilities with Ted [Ginn Jr.], Steve [Smith], [Brandon] LaFell and them, but also the high passing efficiency to move to first down and get first downs and move the ball. When you can add all those different aspects into an offense that's pretty hard to stop over time."

(On starting the season 1-3 and having doubts)
"No. If you look at those games - I know you don't get points for being competitive - we took Seattle down to the wire and hard our chances at the end. We obviously lost a heartbreaker to Buffalo, but every week we've continued to fight. That's one thing about this team that we've seen over the last couple of years. Even when things don't seem to be going our way as far as results on the field, every week we come out and play. There's never a guy that lays it down and says 'We play for next year'. Eventually, having those kinds of guys on your team, it pays off and I think this is an example of that. That sense of continuing to fight and just press forward. Our results are starting to show."

*DEFENSIVE END GREG HARDY *
(On what the team has changed since after the 1-3 start)
"It's the same process. Instead of a thousand things to fix, it's only like 10 or 11 things to fix. It's not a different problem. It's more problems being solved. Once you start being comfortable and satisfied in the progress and the forward motion, you stop focusing on one step at a time and I feel like we've got to take those individual steps and fix one problem at a time. We feel like we are headed towards a serious playoff defense. I feel like we're playing up to our potential, but there is so much potential in the room and in the building. We're not even close."

(On tonight's win)
"I feel like you got to see it in these guys or the coaches, they'll tell you we can play better. We won, yeah, I'm excited we won, I'm proud of the guys. We beat a good team. They are an NFL team, I don't care what the record says. There is more to do. It starts Wednesday."

WIDE RECEIVER TED GINN, JR.
(On what it does for the offense when he plays well)
"It does a lot. You know, just like the go [route], [it] backed everybody off of us for a while, even though I didn't come up with the catch. But it backed us up to give us more light [for] underneath stuff and things like that. Sometimes, when I play inside, it will open up for different people and different things like that. You know, it's great when we all get involved. I just enjoy it and go with the flow."

(On quarterback Cam Newton spreading the ball around)
"We're a team. In this league you can't just stand back and throw the ball to one person. You can't stand back there and just hand the ball to one person. The more that you spread it around, the more the team gets together. The more the team plays harder and just has fun doing it. If you see our sideline, it was excited. Everybody had a touch. Everybody had some type of big play in the game. That's all you can ask for."

CENTER RYAN KALIL
(On if he could envision this type of play from the team)
"I could, and I could in the last few seasons as well. It's nice to get a lead and keep a lead. That's been the difference for us. We've done a really good job of managing the game, not getting too content with scoring a lot and not getting down when we're behind. I think that's in all phases, but especially offensively. There's more confidence with that and it's just becoming more consistent."

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