BUCCANEERS HEAD COACH GREG SCHIANO
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
September 22, 2013
GS: OK, guys, tough one today.
Q: Greg, six shots inside the 40 and just three points. Your quarterback, third straight game under 50 percent completion percentage. What are you seeing are the problems on offense?
GS: Well, I would have to look at the tape before I give you precise reasons. We certainly had our opportunities. I think we had something like 14 plays in their territory in the beginning of the game and came away with three points. I know the results, as you do, but to get to the bottom of the cause and why it's not working the way we believe it should, we have to study the tape. And it starts with me and we have to work through everything. And we have got to get better. There is no magic pill, we've just got to keep working and hopefully start to get into a little bit of a groove. We did some things at times, offensively, but then were unable to finish drives and you aren't going to win this league that way.
Q: Does Josh Freedman still give you the best chance to win? And was there any consideration to pull him?
GS: He does. And no, there wasn't.
Q: How much was it New England's defense and how much was it you doing or not doing?
GS: I think New England's defense has played well all season. They played well today. They would pressure at times on our quarterback, [I] thought they covered well, schematically they were sound in the run game and didn't give up big runs.
Q: Your decision to try to push it there with 11 seconds in the first half, can you talk about that? And that it resulted in a field goal for them.
GS: Well, as you saw at the end of the half, they were inside our…they were goal-to-go…so it was 57…52 seconds to go. So, we were going to use our timeouts and get the ball back somewhere in the 35 [seconds] area. We feel good about our two-minute drill. We get going, we get a little bit of a gain and it's something that we run all the time. And we didn't do it well and they came away with three points. I thought the guys were doing a good job, back and forth, and we had to go back on defense and then the quarterback sneak got it into range. It was a good call by them.
*Q: You've scored three points on offense, like the last seven quarters, and you've had some dropped passes, but is there anything you can do to get more out of some of the other guys or is this who you have to play with in terms of receivers? I know, Vincent Jackson went out with the ribs there in the first half, but what's not happening? What changes can you make on offense to get it going? *
GS: Like I said, before you walked in, we are going to evaluate the tape and start with me, work through with our staff and our players and get feedback, figure it out, and…you know, there is no magic pill. We have done it before as a group; we are not doing it now. So, we need to figure out why. And that's what we will do.
Q: Greg, the offense got off to a fast start, 128 yards in the first two possessions, to just come away with the three [points]. How deflating is that? And did that have an effect on the team and just kind of letting the air out a little bit?
GS: Whether it did or it didn't, you can't let it. I know they are human beings, but you are on the road, you are in a hostile environment and you just got to keep fighting. Certainly it helps if you go in there with moving the ball and scoring points, it helps you get off to a good start, but games are going to play out different every week and when you are on the road especially, you know, the previous plays can have an effect on the future plays. But, you have got to be able to put it behind you and go to the next one. That's competition. Maybe it did have an effect, I'm not sure.
Q: Greg, are you at a point where you start thinking about changing kickers?
GS: You know, I want to look and see what the cause was there. I guess, in a kicking situation, that's all they do, so we do have to examine that. I say that, not in light, that's a big 'all', it's very hard to do, but that is all he does. He plays kicks. But I like Rian [Lindell], I think he is a good kicker. I think he is going to be our kicker.
Q: You talked about catching the ball, making sure you catch them, you said that the other day. Today, at least four balls go through your hands. How frustrating was that to let opportunities slip away like that?
GS: Well, it is all part of winning. You know, the plays you have control over, you have to make, because some of them you don't. Only your opponent has control over some, so when you have a situation that you have control over and you don't make it, then you are living on borrowed time. And you know, I thought we hung in there early, it was a good football game and then as time went on and we didn't make plays, and we didn't convert. It wasn't an explosion; it was a gradual tipping of the scales. When you stop making plays, it just goes like that.
Q: Tom Brady was obviously frustrated last week in the Jets game. What you saw on film coming in – obviously he is still a Hall of Fame quarterback – but, studying film, what do you think is different this year from last year when they led the league in points?
GS: I think Brady is a great quarterback. That's not a profound statement, but they have new people that are getting worked in. But, he did some great things today, I'll tell you.
Q: Is it that simple, just getting new guys into the system?
GS: I don't know what that is. I know they did enough today to beat us and they did enough to beat the first two teams they played. So, at the end of the day, it's about winning, it's not about numbers. They are 3-0.
Q: Greg, you said you did not consider a change in quarterback. Is that because you guys are not ready or you still have faith in the old guy? What goes into the decision whether to give a young guy a try to see if he has a spark versus sticking with you veteran guy?
GS: Well, I think the way the question was posed was probably 'Does that give you the best chance to win?' and I mean, there is only one goal at the end of this thing and that's why we do it.
Q: Greg, how do you keep this team together and focused on winning at 0-3 and keep outside distractions from tearing this team apart?
GS: Well, it is definitely a choice. It is their choice. I have great confidence this team will stick together. This team will win. I said it earlier in the week, I haven't changed my feelings on the staff or team because of a game. I believe they believe that. So, it's back to work. It is a long season, we have a lot of football to play and I am confident that we will improve and we will win. So, thanks guys.
