Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury – Media Availability – January 17, 2022
Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury – Media Availability – January 17, 2022
(On how he explains what happened)
“You come out against a really good team and don’t do anything right for the first two quarters, that’s what’s going to happen. We got to give them credit. They played a great game and we didn’t do much right coaching or playing the first half.”
(On why he feels like the team performed the way they did tonight)
“I’m not sure. That’s something we got to figure out. That’s what those guys are talking about in the locker room. (We) got to use this as motivation and come back stronger from it because that’s not indicative a of who we want to be. And unfortunately, that showed up tonight.”
(On what kind of message he tells his team after a game like this)
“Obviously, it starts with just appreciation for the season. It’s a great group in that locker room that worked really hard and made some steps in this organization, but we’re all just disappointed that we didn’t play up to our potential. And once again, you got to give L.A. a lot of credit. They handled that game well and the atmosphere – you take your hat off to them.”
(On what he tried to do to get the offense moving forward)
“Early on, we missed a couple things that were close and just got out of rhythm. When you’re dropping back against that group, it’s not a good recipe. And that’s where we found ourselves in. So, it just made it for a tough night.”
(On what he thinks went wrong not just tonight, but in the last several weeks)
“Just crucial mistakes at the wrong time. I’m not sure if we were pressing or not accustomed in that position. Whatever it was, we’ve got to look at it this offseason and figure out how we can get better down the stretch.”
(On how he feels Cardinals QB Kyler Murray was in the moment)
“I just think overall as an offense we were just out sync. (We were) close on a couple things early that that could have changed it, but never got into a rhythm and they made some big plays.”
(On how S Budda Baker is)
“(He) had feeling in everything. He is at the hospital being examined now, but seems to be positive news that I’ve got so far.”
(On if Baker is going to fly home with the team or stay)
“I’m not sure yet.”
(On how he feels about Cardinals DE J.J. Watt’s performance in his first game back from injury)
“I’ll have to watch the tape to see exactly, but anytime you have him around the guys and on the sideline, it’s definitely good energy. Just, my hats off to him – how hard he worked to be able to come back. Everybody said they’d never seen anybody do that. So, it’s a credit to the type of athlete he is, the type of person he is.”
(On if he can recall a game where Murray was contained to the degree he was today)
“They did a tremendous job. I’m not sure off the top of my head if I can think of an instance. I thought they flew around and did a great job of taking stuff away and containing us that entire first half.”
(On how he gets over the hump of what’s happened in the second halves of his seasons as Head Coach)
“We just got to keep looking at it, keep trying to find new ways to improve later on in the season – whatever that may be. That’s definitely a priority of this offseason.”
(On how hard was it to stop things when it started to spiral)
“It’s tough against a really good team. There’s no doubt. I thought (QB Matthew) Stafford, once again, was efficient, didn’t make any mistakes. (Head Coach) Sean (McVay) did a great job mixing up the play calling. And so, when you get behind and we were kind of playing on our heels at times – offensively and defensively – it just makes it tough to right the ship.”
(On what this team needs to go further)
“I think experience is a big part of it. There’s only one way to experience playoff football and that’s to go through it. And unfortunately, we didn’t play our best game and I thought L.A. played a great game, had a great plan, and out played us, and out coached us. But I think you just got to go through these moments and learn from it and grow from it and use it as motivation.”
(On if he finds the Rams to be legit contenders for the Super Bowl)
“I do, yeah. I think they can play with anybody when they’re hot – protecting the football, running it, throwing it. They have some great weapons and a great defense.”
(On how this game in particular affects how he looks at the season as a whole)
“I’ll have to look back and kind of digest it. I hate that it comes to an end with this group of guys. Like I said, I appreciate all their hard work, that they showed up week in, week out – through injuries, through COVID, through all that. Always businesslike and handled their business. So, I hate that I won’t get to work with this group again.”