Quotes from the Colts coaches and players following their 46-18 loss to the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on Sunday Night Football.
Head Coach Chuck Pagano
(Thoughts on the game…) "Obviously it was disappointing the way that we played in the first half. In the first half we did what we needed to do to start the game but you have to play 60 minutes. You can't come out in the second half and do the things to hurt yourself that we did. We had turnovers, penalties, communication breakdowns and gave up big plays with protection issues. They just out played us big time in the second half. We did not do a good job of adjusting, it's on me. We are a lot better than that."
(On Seattle's third quarter drive that had all the penalties…) It killed us, it killed us, it killed us. They tried to keep us in it. They were throwing flag, after flag, after flag. We had the P.I. (pass interference) down the field that was off-setting. Then we had a late hit or whatever. Otherwise you have a good chance of starting the third quarter and going out and getting a stop. Your up 15-10 at the half and you get outscored 36-3, that's bad football."
(Is there a common theme to the offensive struggles in the second half…) "We will take a look at it and we shall see from an adjustment standpoint. We go out and give up a 99, 98 or whatever it was yard drive. We hurt ourselves a bunch on that one. We gave up big plays and penalties. It was bam, bam, bam, three quick scores. We will look at it and get it figured out. We have to get it figured out in a hurry."
(How did the guys feel at halftime with the lead…) "Guys felt great, the guys felt good and played good. This is a tough place to play. Credit them, they have a hell of a football team. We knew that. They have got good football players on both sides of the ball and on special teams. They are well coached and all that stuff. We were able to come up here and start the way we started. But you have to play 60 minutes and we didn't do that."
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett
(On if he saw the same things in the eyes of his teammates in the first and second halves…) "Definitely. Nobody's flinching. Nobody's not focused on the task at hand. It takes a lot of guys who are still out there fighting, no matter, to the last whistle. So you know you've got committed guys in the huddle. They really take to heart playing to the last play."
(On at what point this game got away from the Colts…) "I just think I've got to do a better job of taking care of the ball. I think I put us at risk in them scoring 14 points off turnovers because of my turnovers. I just have to do better."
(On if he could sense Seattle's defense gaining momentum in the second half…) "They've got a lot of good players, don't get me wrong, but I think we had our plays there where we missed opportunities of; I think we've got to play better in the second half, control our emotions and just play better."
(On what adjustments were needed after losing his starting center early…) "I think [Adam] Redman did a good job. I commend him for doing what he did. He came in in a tough situation, a tough environment against a good team, and he played his butt off. We didn't lose a beat. I appreciate what he did tonight, and I know that's not easy. He really stepped up to the challenge."
Wide Receiver Donte Moncrief
(On what adjustments Seattle made at halftime that proved troublesome…) "It wasn't them, it was us. It was a lot of small things. We can't have all the penalties that we had. We can't let them score on defense."
(On the difficulty accepting a loss determined largely my self-inflicted mistakes…) "We lost, and a lot of it depended on us. We did a lot of good things and a lot of bad things. We've got to continue to grow as a unit, and everything has to be better."
(On what the team can take from this game in preparation for the 49ers…)"Start the second half like we started the first. Finish things, continue to make plays. Everything else will be good."
Defensive Tackle Jonathan Hankins
(On the defensive breakdown in the second half...)"We just gave up big plays, a lot of penalties, just kept making a lot of mistakes. Compared to the first half, it was not what we should have done."
(On mistakes that opened the game up…) "You can't give up that many penalties in one drive. Personal fouls - that was a bad play on me. We can't do that, can't have that. Our goal is to keep teams under 17 points and we didn't do that."
(On what the Seahawks did to change the game in the second half…)"It wasn't really them, it's on us. We were the problem. We gave them the game. We just have to move on from it, learn from it."
Safety Darius Butler
(On how he feels the team has performed through one quarter of the season…) "We are playing good football in spurts, but we have to figure out how to play four quarters of football. Look at the Arizona game or even the Cleveland game, this game we just have to put four quarters together."
(On how frustrating of a loss this is considering where the game was at half…) "It kind of snowballed on us and got out of hand. That's what happens in these games against special teams like this in hostile environments. We have to learn how to find a way to finish."
Safety Malik Hooker
(On the frustration of hanging with Seattle until the second half…) "Every time you lose it is frustrating because you know what your team is capable of. We know what we are capable of, we are one of the better teams, but until we prove it on the field, the win and loss columns are just words."
(On why they were not able to frustrate the Seahawks' offense in the second half…) "Obviously in half-time you go in and make adjustments, they made a lot of great adjustments. You know, that's a great football team. We have to get back in the lab, fix a lot of mistakes. Like I said, just put four quarters together."
(On his interception and what his development is focused on…) "Just taking in a lot coaching during the week. Watching a lot of film and trying to make plays before they happen. That's the thing for me, not having played in the off-season, not having as many reps as everyone else. The vets do a great job out there of just communicating plays before they happen, too."
Cornerback Vontae Davis
(On how the environment affected the outcome…) "We knew we were coming into a hostile environment and we gave them our best punch but we knew that was a good football team. They aren't going to lay down, they are going to play four quarters. It is something to learn from, to grow from, to reach our potential."
(On what he would tell his teammates after a loss such as this…) "Just keep working. It's a very long season. We're fortunate right now that it's early in the season and we have time to correct these errors, and we'll get back to work tomorrow."
Linebacker John Simon
(On what adjustments made at halftime hurt the Colts…) "They just came out . . . you have to give props to them. They're a great team, and we didn't execute in the second half, and it definitely cost us."
(On what went wrong in the third quarter…) "We just weren't executing the defense. Every once in a while one guy wouldn't do his job, and when one guy doesn't do his job it usually costs him, especially against a good team like this who will make you pay for that."
(On being unable to finish games…) "It's something we really have to look hard at tomorrow or the next day when we get back to work and we're going to have to move on. It's a long season. Fortunately for us, this is happening early, but it can't continue to happen."
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The Seahawks come out victorious at CenturyLink Field 46-18 against the Colts.
