Packers-Jaguars Post-Game Quotes

HEAD COACH MIKE McCARTHY

*(on if Aaron Rodgers was to blame for the offensive struggles in the fourth quarter) * "I think it's on the whole offense. Quarterback is a big part of it. Two-minute drive there at the end, and without seeing the film on the throw and the catch, they were attacking the seams and got movement on the outside. I couldn't really answer that without seeing the film."

• (on if the same problems are occurring late in the last few games) * "This game has a lot of similarities from the games we have played as of late. There's no doubt about it. The bottom line is the outcome and we didn't make enough plays to win the game. There were some different situations along with some communication problems in the first half and the ability to score or keep them from scoring which are some of the things that we are not doing in important spots of the game."

• (on missing five times on third down with a yard to go) * "Without seeing the film and the breakdown on each play, I'm not going to be able to answer that. Second-and-one, third-and-one and fourth-and-one was not here for whatever reason in the second half. It was a factor in the game."

• (on how disappointed the team is about the season right now) * "No one is happy where we are. We had high expectations and those expectations have changed. We are the Green Bay Packers. We have a big game coming up against Chicago. We are going to shift gears and get in there tomorrow to get ready to play that game."

• (on the game) * "We fully expected to win this game and we didn't get that done. We didn't make enough plays. That's why I'm standing here 5-9."

QB AARON RODGERS

• (on frustration of losing close games) * "It's extremely frustrating. We had an opportunity to win the game down the stretch and couldn't do it. I felt good about the drive – the second-to-last drive. A touchdown there and a two-point conversion would have made things a lot better. We couldn't get it done. We had a chance with two timeouts left, so it's disappointing."

• (on taking responsibility) * "I get paid to make plays and I need to make plays. I haven't been doing that as often as I want to be or should be. I take it upon myself. I've got to make the throws. I've haven't been making them and I take that right on my shoulders. You have to really look into the mirror and realize we're given a gift to be able to play a kid's game. We're paid like a king to do it as well. You should have a lot of pride in yourself and who you are to bring everything with the same intensity for the next two weeks."

• (on losing close games) * "It goes back to the same stuff – third down conversions, red zone, etc. We haven't executed when we needed to. We got down to the red zone four times and got three field goals. We left 12 points out there."

• (on wide receiver James Jones) * "He made some big plays. He's a talented guy that hasn't been healthy for part of the season. The first one was sort of a broken play and he put his hand up and made a great play. The late catch down the sidelines on a stop and go was big, and then late in the game when we needed a big play, he made another double-move and made a great catch. James did some great things for us and we unfortunately couldn't finish it off."

RB RYAN GRANT

• (on being eliminated from playoffs) * "We need to find a way to get a win right now. We still have two weeks left and we have to get it done."

• (on adjustments in second half) * "We wanted to come out fast. We wanted to take control of that momentum, leading the game and getting the football to start second half. That was a good opportunity for us."

• (on losing games in fourth quarter) * "We're just not finishing. We shouldn't be in that type of situation. We should have come away with touchdowns instead of field goals and are not completing the drives the way we need to be. It's frustrating that we're not stepping up."

WR JAMES JONES

• (on the disappointment) * "None of us did what we had to do, including myself. We lost the game. The main thing coming down here is to get a win. We just have to go back and finish the season strong."

• (on failing to make playoffs) * "It's tough. We have a lot of players on this team that work so hard. When you get to this point and know for sure you're not going to the playoffs, then it hurts. There's a lot of pride in this room. You can't put your finger on one thing. The main thing is to keep working and build some momentum going into next year."

LB A.J. HAWK

• (on adjustments made by Jaguars) * "Their fullback went on injured reserve this week so we knew they might make some adjustments. They used the tight end a lot. We tried to adjust when we needed to."

• (on staying positive) * "We want to compete and win the last two games. We're not going to lay down for the next two. We've put ourselves in a bad spot but I think we feel like we can win every game we go into. We haven't done it lately though. Anytime we're put in a position that we're ahead and we don't finish, that's on us. However we need to fix that, we have to do it!"

JAGUARS HEAD COACH JACK DEL RIO

"A nice way to have the day end. I thought we did a nice job coming out starting fast. Offensively took the ball, wanted the ball, wanted to give our offense a chance to go down and score. We were able to do that to start the game; that was big. It's sure nice to jump out and get a lead. I thought once again, I think all year now, seven home games during the regular season our fans have been terrific, and I just want to thank all the people that showed up and supported us the way they did today. It's been a rough year, we understand that, and to have our core base show up like that, be that supportive, I'm very appreciative. I thought it was outstanding. Our football team was hungry. We wanted to win badly. It took a team effort. We had a play at the end there. Dennis Northcutt shakes Al Harris, who is a terrific press corner and shook him at the line and got deep and we're able to ignite that last score to go down there and put it in with Maurice (Jones-Drew) on the touchdown. Anyway, it was good. It was nice, a good day. We didn't want to be cute down there when we talked about, 'Should we just take the air out of it and take a field goal?' And we just elected to go ahead and power that thing in and then play defense and force them to have to score a touchdown. Again, Reggie (Nelson) finishes up with a nice interception. Gerald (Sensabaugh) had one earlier. I'm sure the guys will give him a bad time about… but all in all a good effort and we certainly needed it. It's been awhile. It was a happy locker room. We've got a short night. It's really Sunday night, Monday and it's Tuesday and tomorrow we wake up, it's already Wednesday in terms of our game week preparation. So it'll be a quick week and we'll get on to the Colts for Thursday night."

*(what do you think the difference today was with David Garrard?) * "I think he just was sharper today. We had some things we worked on that we thought we could be good at. I thought the plan came together nicely and we adjusted some things from a two-back sets into one-back sets and multiple tight ends to make up for some of the lack of fullbacks and wide receivers we were going to be faced with. I think he just came out and played well, and we needed that. We needed him to play well and we needed to play well as a team and certainly to open a game with a touchdown is always good. To bring us back in the fourth quarter and to go down there and score when we had to have it, it was great to see."

*(on the offensive line's play) * "I thought they played well. We had some opportunity to throw the ball, some opportunity to run the ball and that all starts with the front. I thought they did a solid job for us. That's what we talked about last night was hey, we've been together now, I know we've lost some starters, we've been together long enough. Let's put this thing together. You guys communicate. Let's give David some time, let's give our backs some room and let's put this thing together. It starts up front. So I thought they did."

• (on whether the plan was to use Dennis Northcutt more today, or is that just the way it turned out?) * "I think both. He played more. He started. He and Reggie (Williams) started and Dennis is a good solid veteran. He was where he was supposed to be. I think if he just had the one that just out of his fingertips there, it would have been an even bigger day. But he worked hard, he's a pro and so it was good to see because we certainly needed it."

• (on how gratifying it was getting stops on defense at the end?) * "Really, I thought defensively all day we played well except third downs, especially early. I think the first, six, seven third downs we struggled to get off the field. And then we did buck up and played well in the red zone and fortunately limit them to field goals and that was important. It was an important part of the game to not let them in there. But we just broke down on third down a little too often today to have it be a great effort. I think it was showing signs of being close. They're good offensively. They move the ball well. They score a lot of points. I believe we held them quite a bit below their average for the year and we needed it so it was good to see."

• (ESPN reported that Gregg Williams will not return next year. Is there anything to that?) * "No, that's people getting ahead of the story. Gregg does have a one year deal. He's got a lot of options. He's a very popular coach. He's a very good coach. He's got a lot of options. We have not visited on that. When he came in, I was lucky enough to hire him this year. He knew that we would get to the offseason and discuss. He's going to be a popular guy, very much in demand, not only for other coordinator jobs but for possible head (coach) jobs. So, he's earned that ability to take a good look around and decide what he wants to do. But people making things up like that… It hadn't come from me and anything that doesn't come from is just people speculating."

JAGUARS QB DAVID GARRARD

• (on almost losing the fumble on the last drive) * "You know I should have been thinking about what my wife tells me all the time, 'There's always somebody behind you.' I guess she's saying I'm just not fast enough to outrun guys…which is true…and that was a prime example right there. Luckily some angels kept the ball close enough and I was able to corral it and not give up a terrible play."

• (on the play of the offensive line) * "They definitely jelled today. They definitely played as one unit and kept guys off of me most of the day so I could get the ball out of my hands. Other than that, we can get those chunks (of yardage) when I have time to survey the whole field."

• (on Dennis Northcutt) * "Dennis hasn't been lost. He has been here the whole time. He just hasn't had the chance to be on the field on first and second downs, so he did a great job today just being Dennis. We had that rapport last year and I knew he would step up."

• (on what was said at halftime) * "The word at halftime really was offense. Let's just stop beating ourselves. We were doing a great job moving the ball, we just had to make the plays we are supposed to make, not Superman plays or plays where you reach behind you with one hand, but just make the plays when the ball is in your hands. Just settle down in the second half and start making those plays. If you're a professional athlete, you supposed to make plays that are there for you to make."

• (on motivation for continuing to play hard) * "It's definitely been a tough season, emotionally, physically, spiritually, everything. But I know as a professional, we have to persevere and do our job. As long as we just go out and do the things that are expected of us, nothing more, nothing less, we can have success. We have a lot of motivation. I've gotten some texts lately from my friends who say just to continue to work hard and to play for the guys who don't have a chance to play. That right there was a great motivator for me because there's a lot of people who would love to be in our position win or lose who would love to have a chance to play. We can't ever take it for granted because it happens so fast. It could be an injury or just the end of your career, so we have to appreciate every time we get a chance to play this game."

• (on the last defensive stop) * "It was great to stop them. This was an offense that has been playing lights out the whole season. I was just praying that the defense would come up with a stop. I was just praying the whole time, 'Let's do something and make a play right here so we can win this ballgame.' We needed the win in the worst way."

• (on running the quarterback draw) * "It's just a great play. When you have a quarterback that is 238 pounds or so and you only need one yard, unless it's a stalemate at the line, I should be able to stumble forward for a yard. They should expect that play, but usually we spread people out, so there's still not enough guys in the box and I'm bigger than most of the linebackers, so I should be able to generate enough inertia to fall forward."

• (on completing a crucial pass over Al Harris) * "It was funny because during one of the breaks, he was trying to pick my head a little and asking why I was trying to throw the ball over the top of him. First, it was wide open. Second, when we watched him on film we noticed he would try to steal down on the out pass. He thought I was going to the shorter guy, but when I saw the leverage Dennis (Northcutt) had, striding, taking off, I thought I had to put it up there and give him a chance to make the catch."

JAGUARS RB MAURICE JONES-DREW

• (were you the primary target on the touchdown pass?) * "The play was designed to get me one-on-one with a linebacker or a defensive end and I got one-on-one with the end and David (Garrard) made a great pass. I caught the pass and got in."

• (were you surprised that the Jaguars were passing the ball so much?) * "They were loading the box and playing heavy so we passed it a couple of times and got them. They had a great scheme but we adjusted and made some plays and that's what the game is all about."

• (on your first start of the season) * "I did okay. There were some things that I wanted to do better but we just stayed patient. We ran the ball well towards the end. Obviously they were doing a good job of stopping it earlier in the game. We were just able to keep it going and broke off a big run at the end."

• (on the Packers attempting to stop the run) * "We knew that they were going to play man coverage and put eight men in the box, which is how you try to stop the run. We had some good things that we wanted to use and some guys did some good things."

• (on the atmosphere feeling like last year) * "Definitely going down and scoring at the beginning...guys were making plays. I think we got a holding penalty and guys fought hard to get things going. That was all we needed to execute to get things going. We still need to work on a few things but we kept playing hard and it worked for us."

• (on the confidence during the losing streak) * "I don't think we lacked confidence. I just think we weren't executing that well and by showing everyone on the same page today showed that we can still do it. We went out and played hard. The defense did a good job of getting us the ball back, special teams did a good job, and on offense, we held up our end of the bargain scoring points. We pulled out a victory and had fun."

JAGUARS WR DENNIS NORTHCUTT

• (on getting more chances in today's game) * "It felt good. It's all about the chances that you get in life and on the football field, making the best out of the opportunities that you get. I'm not a complainer. I'm a professional. I've learned and I've been around for a while to understand how the business goes. As athletes and competitors, we all want more. More touches, more catches, more money in life, more of this and that but you can't have everything. I'm blessed and fortunate to have what I have. I accept what I get and make the best of it. I had the opportunity today to start, try to do the best that I can to help our team win. "

• (on thinking that they would be able to have the time to throw down field against Green Bay's lack of a pass rush) * "Yeah, when you look at our style of play, we've been hurting here as far as taking eight and a half (seconds) to throw the ball and you look at a team that has been struggling a little bit. Our O-line did a great job. Each game, the one thing that you can do is go out and do the best that you can, and our O-line did a great job to help us with a victory today. "

• (on what he was thinking after he dropped the pass early off his finger tips) * "Well number one, I should have had that of course and I know that more than anybody else, and (you) just got to move on and get the next one. Stay focused, eyes on the ball, follow it all the way in. At the end, I just didn't follow it all the way in. It was a drop by me and I just kept telling myself 'stay focused, stay focused, the quarterback is counting on me.' It feels so good to have a quarterback like Dave [Garrard] because for the first time in my career, I have the best quarterback possible. We stay after, we work and work and the chemistry that we have, there is no way that I can do what I do without him staying with me everyday, and that's definitely the chemistry that we have."

JAGUARS TE MARCEDES LEWIS

• (on getting the monkey off their back) * "We set out to get a win every week. That is what we set out to do. Finally we were able to come out here and get a win and stick together and it paid dividends at the end of the game. We have lost a lot of close ones this year and it felt good to get a win."

• (on the team having a good rhythm) * "We were able to move the ball, defense was able to get some stops, special teams. It was our first team effort."

• (on getting the win today) * "Everyone was focused on getting a win. We were able to do that. It is a quick turn around. We are going to get ready for the Colts and try to get another one."

JAGUARS DE REGGIE HAYWARD

• (on moving on to the next game to face Peyton Manning after a short week) * "He's a tough guy to get pressure on and he doesn't get rattled very much and he's so quick to get rid of the ball. So it's going to be a great challenge and we're going to have to come in with a great game plan. If you mess up their timing, they can't run their offense smoothly so that's our job as defensive linemen to mess up their timing. Hopefully, we can get in their faces."

JAGUARS CB BRIAN WILLIAMS

• (on making the Packers offense kick field goals after a long drive) * "Well they still got points but once they got down there, we wanted to hold them to three points. We don't want to give them any points but we stopped them with a field goal and got off the field."

• (on the defense closing the game with a turnover) * "It was good to finally close out a game on defense. I don't think we've done that all year long but we got it done today."

JAGUARS DE DERRICK HARVEY

• (on forcing Green Bay to settle for field goals) * "We had to keep them out of the end zone. It was on us. We had to play hard and get the ball back to our offense."

• (on success of forcing the quarterback out of the pocket) * "Just working hard and trying to get after the quarterback."

JAGUARS DE PAUL SPICER

• (4th down stop) * "That was a turning point in the game. It came at a point where the momentum could swing either way. We brought out five defensive linemen and got low and just came off the ball and made a new line of scrimmage."

• (on being lower than Green Bay's offensive line) * "It starts off the low man wins. You have heard that football term going around whether you play Pop Warner or NFL."