SUPER BOWL XLIV - COLTS TE DALLAS CLARK - Ingles

COLTS TE DALLAS CLARK

(on how big the onside kick was) “It was a good momentum swing coming out of the half. We kind of had a feeling something was kind of going to…they were going to try to do something. They just really weren’t getting anything going offensively and things like that, so they had to get a spark somehow and we just didn’t execute and came up short. It was a big play either way. If we would have gotten it, it would have been nice field position. They executed it and went down and scored, but it was good execution.”

(on whether it’s shocking that they only managed 17 points after moving the ball so well) “Yes, it’s disturbing. We just couldn’t finish some of the drives. We had our opportunities down there, but when you get that close, you’ve got to take advantage of those situations and we didn’t. The Saints did a great job and they played good red zone defense, we just weren’t able to make plays.”

(on whether the Saints threw some different coverages at them after the team scored) “Yes, they adjusted after that series. We were able to get them caught in a certain defense and didn’t really give them a chance to sub. We were able to take advantage of some of the things that they were doing and they adjusted for the next series and were able to change things up a little bit. We were able to move the ball, we just weren’t able to move the put points on the board.”

(on whether the onside kick was the turning point of the game) “It was a big part of the game, a turning point, I don’t know anything about that. We were able to get the lead back after that. It was just a big momentum shift for them and something they needed. Our defense did a phenomenal job in the first half at keeping them out of the game. When they needed a spark offensively that was the way to do it.”

(on whether there was any area where they were better than advertised) “No, we knew where their strengths were and they did a good job. Their players made plays, but no it was kind of what we expected.”

(on whether he was surprised that [Former Colts Head] Coach [Tony] Dungy said they were going to win running away) “I didn’t listen to him before the game. Everyone had their opinions and we felt very confident with what we had coming into the game and what we were doing. We just didn’t execute and you have to give them credit.”

(on the interception following the touchdown considering the Colts ability to come back) “Yes, I didn’t see that play, I was on the back side, but it we’ve been able to do a lot of good things in the fourth quarter. We’ve been able to do a lot of things all season from behind and we just weren’t able to capitalize and we weren’t able to execute and you’ve got to give them credit for making the plays.”

(on the locker room after a Super Bowl loss) “It’s miserable. It’s not the way you want to end your season. It’s still a little early to comment to feel the true feeling, but it’s not good.”

(on whether it was hard to get it going offensively after having the ball for about two minutes) “We’ve been in situations like that before. Some teams try and do a good job running the ball and try to eat the clock up and put together a long drive. We’ve had that happen to us before. We just realize that we have to take advantage of every opportunity that we get and there’s a premium on not making mental mistakes, not dropping balls, not just doing things that are shoot ourselves in the foot and keep drives going. So it was just a high premium to execute and do your job when the flow of the game is going like that. We had our opportunities we just weren’t able to take advantage of them.”

(on whether they were playing with fire coming from behind in so many games this season) “We are always trying to just score more points than the other team. It’s not anything about putting us in a position. That’s how the game goes. We put ourselves in a position where we had to come back tonight and we feel very confident with the people that we have with everything going on. We don’t panic or anything like that. We felt very confident in that situation, we just weren’t able to make plays.”

(on whether he was surprised with the three running plays after stopping the Saints on fourth and one) “You have to get a first down there, no matter what you call. Everyone’s got to step up and make the play. You don’t leave it short like that and give them great field position and put our defense in a bind like that after they just did a great job of holding them. That’s tough and we have to give our defense credit for just holding them to three with that kind of field position and time left. As an offensive unit, we have to get a first down, we have to move the ball, we have to either kill the clock or try to score, either one, whatever presents itself, but either way, we have to eat that clock up. Going into halftime with no points exchanged, that was an unfortunate opportunity for us.”