On the key drive in the fourth quarter when both Terrance Copper and
Is this the most fun day in a Chiefs uniform for you? “You know anytime you win it’s fun. This was a great atmosphere here today. We had a lot of fun, like I said, in the locker room. Coming off last week, having a disappointing loss in Houston, being able to come home and resurrect ourselves and get going again, it was great.”
What happened following the touchdown late in the game when your teammates had to pull you off the pile to keep you from getting hurt? “I don’t really know. It happened so quickly. I was sitting there like, ‘What’s going on?’ I just liked the shoving match. I don’t get to get physical much with those guys. So, I figured I’d throw a little push in there and hopefully I could get out of there before he retaliated on me.”
Were you surprised the coach let you stay out there for fourth-and-three? “Early in that series, actually, as soon as we got that first down, he said we were in four-down territory. So that usually means, if fourth down comes up and we’re in a manageable fourth down situation, then we’ll go for it. I think everybody recognized that he’s probably in that mindset and so it’s our job to get the first down in that situation.”
On the Kansas City Chiefs backfield. “Well we’re just very lucky to have both of those guys [Jones and Charles] and they complement each other well. Thomas [Jones] is a guy that loves to run in between the tackles and gets downhill. He does a great job for us. He’s a tremendous leader. Then, you go to Jamaal [Charles]. Jamaal has been able to do it all. He’s a special player. Those guys continue to work hard. They continue to push each other. It’s great to see the competitiveness between the two of them. Like I said before, we are just lucky to have both of them on our team.”
What’s been the biggest difference these last two weeks, with scoring 73 points? “I think it starts with us playing together, continuing to move the ball, being efficient on third down, and keeping ourselves in manageable third down situations. And, for the most part, we’ve been able to do that.”
Can you talk about your offensive line and them not allowing really any sacks? “They’ve done a great job. I mentioned it earlier today in this interview that it starts with them. Week-in and week-out those guys go out there and put on a tremendous performance. In the run game, I think we had another two hundred yards rushing today. It starts with those guys up front. They sacrifice their bodies, their limbs, everything and it’s all for the betterment of the team. They’ve done a great job for us all year.”
Did you look at this as a must win game? “Absolutely. I felt like coming off two tough losses on the road, to just be able to get back and give ourselves confidence again as we move forward, not dropping to 3-3, but being able to pick up this victory and give us all confidence as we move forward and stay ahead in the division.”
At this point, do you look at the division race? “Not really, to be completely honest [with you]. We don’t pay much attention to it. We’re trying to take it one game at a time. We know there is a lot of football left to be played. I mean we’re six games into the season and we still have 10 games [left], and that seems like an eternity. We’re just going to keep moving forward and try to correct things and make progress.”
There have been a lot of tough days around here for you and a lot of other people last year. Did you realistically think there would come a day, this soon, where you’d be able to have as much fun as you seem to be having today? “You know, I didn’t know. Last year, like you said, was challenging for many people throughout this organization and losing is never fun. But, to be able to turn it around and to be where we’re at right now, it’s exciting. It’s fun. It’s energizing as a player because you put in all of this hard work and effort week-in and week-out. And, to be able to finally see that come about and be here for [it], it’s fun. So, I am excited about where we are.”
On the defensive side, you had a couple of tough pass interference calls go against you. Is there a moment, in the coach’s ear, you’re maybe thinking that we could get one of these back. The refs seem to be calling this a lot. Did you want to ‘air it out’ if you could, maybe even the score on it and see if they get one on you guys? “As a player, you don’t really take that into consideration much, to be completely honest. I mean, you go out there and you compete and try to make plays. If something comes up, then it does.”
You were showing a lot of emotion on the field. Is that part of being a leader or are you just in the moment? “I’m just excited. Winning is fun. You’ve got to enjoy it when it happens. I said this time and time again; it’s tough to win in the NFL. To be out there with a lead and enjoying ourselves and things are going right, you’ve got to enjoy the moment. It was fun today.”
