Falcons coach Raheem Morris was celebrating on the sidelines after the 36-30 win over the Bucs in overtime.
But by the time he got to the podium, he was composed. Here’s what the understated Morris had to say after the game:
On Kirk Cousins play: “Outstanding.”
On Kirk Cousins play in overtime: “Outstanding.”
On KhaDarel Hodge’s game-winning touchdown and the team’s celebration: ”The guys went out there and played together, and that was the most important thing. These guys go out there and play well together, for each other. I can’t say enough about the coordinators. I can’t say enough about the players. I can’t say enough about the offensive staff, I can’t say enough good things about our organization and what they do for us, our culture we’ve built around here. It didn’t start with me. It’s been going on for a long time, and I’m extremely excited to be a part of it.”
On Kirk Cousins throwing for 500 yards: ”It’s okay. We’re just scratching the surface with him.”
On what he saw from Kirk Cousins: ”Just confidence, going out there, and his game is getting better every single week. That’s what he’s been doing since he came back. He’s coming off a significant injury, and I’ve watched him get better every single week. Every single week it’s been better, whether it’s been explosive, execution, whether it’s just a rhythm and routine with him and Zac (Robinson) and our offensive staff. It’s just getting better and better. That is what happened today.”
On what he said to Kirk Cousins after the final drive in regulation: ”None of your business, to be honest.”
On KhaDarel Hodge catching the game-winning touchdown: ”Yeah, it’s not just about him. We talk about this thing, and let me tell you, when we got here, we said this team was created with our whole team, organization, our 53-man roster, all the 16 practice squad guys. We are all one big team and we’re all together. He’s no different. When his number is called two weeks in a row, scoring a touchdown, whether it’s on special teams, whether it’s on offense, I’m really excited about who he is and what he’s made of and what he’s about. He’s made of everything that our cloth is here in Atlanta. He’s about our community. He’s about people first. He’s about supporting others. He’s just all the things. He’s everything we’re about.”
On how difficult the decision was on whether to punt in the fourth quarter: ”They’re all iffy, you know what I mean? It was a difficult decision, but it was made by us, it was made together. Obviously, it was the right choice.”
On staying poised after a crazy game: ”Yeah, I don’t ride the emotional roller coaster, unless I’m with my guys. Not with you guys. You know, I won’t do that, that emotional roller coaster with you guys, be upset when we lose or be overly excited when we win. I just like to stay even keel for these guys, be poised for our organization, be able to go out here and really put our best foot forward. Today, we got the desired result and that makes it a little bit easier to do that. "
On the explanation for the delay of game before the fourth-quarter field goal: ”I have no idea. I am still confused. I’ll find out. I’ll ask the guys.”
On how David Onyemata played: ”He’s been playing all year. He’s been doing good. He has been doing really great for us. Obviously, today, made a couple big plays. I’ve got to go look at the tape and see exactly what happened. There were a lot of things going on there, especially with the overtime. He played really well for us, and he is a guy that I lean on every single day for his leadership and his command. It was awesome to see.”
On if the team is a team of destiny: ”I don’t want to have to call yourself a team of destiny. There is only one team of destiny every single year, and we’ll figure that out when we get there. Hopefully it goes down to New Orleans and you can ask me the same question.”
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