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Game Vs. Lions: Eagles Defense

LB DeMeco Ryans

On the defense's lack of quarterback pressures and sacks: "We didn't get the sacks, but we had him moving around the pocket. Of course we would like to knock him down, but that didn't happen."

On why he felt the Lions were so much more effective in the 4th quarter: "I wish I knew. They showed up and made plays. They threw it up and made plays."

On whether he thought the Lions completion to TE Tony Scheffler was demoralizing to the Eagles defense: "It wasn't a turning point. We were still right there and still had opportunities to stop them. It was still on us to create a turnover and get off the field. It doesn't matter what kind of play they made; as a defense we still have to find a way to get off."

On whether he felt as though after being up 10 points in the 4th quarter, this was a must win game: "Of course. I felt like we were in position to win and when you're up 10 points, that is a game you have to win. We just didn't get the job done."

On whether he felt as though the Lions wanted it more: "They made plays. We wanted it. I speak for myself, but I am always in the game. I want the game and I feel like it's always on us to get it done. We wanted it. I want to win every time I step out there. I wanted to close it out, but credit the Lions, they made plays."

On how much giving up a lead in the 4th quarter stings: "It stings because it's the second week in a row that we didn't get it done in the 4th quarter. That is our time to go out and shut people out. We didn't get it done."

On why he thinks the defense is not generating many turnovers or sacks: "We need them. We need the sacks and turnovers. Our biggest thing is turnovers. We got one there in the end zone, but we need more of those. If we want to control the game and give our offense a short field, we need more of those."

On why he felt as though Johnson was so effective in the 4th quarter: "Calvin is a good player. We had coverages in to stop him. But he's one of the best players in the league."

On how he feels after this loss: "I am disappointed in this loss. I feel like we have to close this game out. We didn't get that done. We dropped the ball."

CB Nnamdi Asomugha

On why he thinks the game got away from them: "I don't know what the difference was. I think we stuck with a lot of the things we were doing. We started blitzing more. Maybe they could take advantage of that, if they were able to recognize where it was coming from. We were playing one-on-one coverage and they started going after the best matchup for them. They were able to do that effectively."

On how this loss feels: "This is pretty bad. It was a big game for us having lost last week and then heading into a bye week. Our schedule only gets tougher from here, so this was a big loss. This one really hurts. It would have helped us a lot."

On whether he feels as though being up 10 points with six minutes to go is a game that they have to win: "100% we have to win that. If we can't win these games, we have to go back to the drawing board and see what's going wrong. We have to close out games like this. We all feel that way on defense."

On whether the Lions did anything different in the 4th quarter: "Not really, I think we did some different things. We blitzed a lot more in the 4th quarter. We moved guys around a bit more. They kept it the same."

On how much losing Allen hurt the defense: "Not really, losing Nate is a big blow. But we have all the faith in the world in (safety) Colt (Anderson). He came in and did a great job. There were no mistakes and he was playing at good depth. That is what you expect from someone who is coming off the bench. He was in the game."

On whether he thinks the team should blitz more if they are not getting the pressure they want out of the front four: "Well, in the 4th quarter there was a lot of blitzing. They were then able to find the matchups that they wanted. So, you can say we should blitz more, but we did that and it didn't help us in the end."

On whether he knows the identity of this defense after six games: "We had a really good thing going. We were able to close out games and that was starting to be our mantra. That is what we were going by. The last two weeks it got behind us. The Arizona game wasn't good by any means, but that was not something that deflated us. We felt as though we were fine. Last week, we played well and held them under 17 points. This week we played well for so long, but we just couldn't close it out. That is the most disappointing thing."

On how frustrating it is not to be able to cause turnovers: "It can be frustrating. We are trying to go after the ball, get sacks and fumbles. It's in our heads, but it's not coming as much as we would want it to. We need to help out the offense much more by getting those turnovers."

DE Trent Cole

On letting a 10-point fourth quarter lead slip away: "Very disappointing. We fought hard. We did fight hard. The other team fought hard. We have to be a solid team. We have to go out there and execute: Can't have mistakes (and) penalties. It's all of those things. They're small things. I think we need to dig real deep and everyone has to look at themselves and ask 'What can I do to improve?'...That's what we need to do. I'm talking players and coaches. We all just need to come together. We'll look at the film during this break we have to clear our minds and to come back fresh. We still got it. It's early in the season, but we still have a lot of potential to be a great team. It's just that great teams execute, don't commit penalties, (and) don't make mistakes. That's what it's about. That's what it takes to be a winning team. We can do that and we can be that team. Right now, we just have to pan out today. We let one slip by us and we're going to put this one behind us and move on."

On if he's concerned the defensive pressure is not transferring into sacks: "We are going to fight as hard as we can. If the sacks come, they come. They're just not coming right now, but we're going to keep pushing forward. We're not going to stop fighting. We know what kind of team we've got. We're not going to stop. This is Eagles' football. We will never quit."

DT Fletcher Cox

On what Reid said to him on the sideline after he was thrown out: "He said, 'That can't happen in a game like that.' I understand. I'm a rookie and I have to understand that."

On whether the game was hard to watch after he left: "It was real hard to watch the game. Right after that happened, we turned the ball over. I mean, it hurt me. I can't afford to do that."

On being thrown out of the game: "I have to control myself. I have to control my anger, and I have to do better. I can't afford to do that in games like that. I made a mistake and the mistake cost us."

On what led to the penalty: "I was at the bottom of the pile. Like I said earlier, I have to control myself. I have to learn from that mistake and not let it happen again."

On watching the end of the game: "It was bad, real bad. It hurt me. When I went out, (defensive line coach Jim Washburn) told me on the sideline that it was going to be hard with just three guys and to rotate with three guys. I can't do that. I have to be smart about the situation."

On what happened during the play: "On the field goal, I came off the ball and ended up on the bottom of the pile. I felt someone hitting on me and I started punching my way out. The referee threw the flag and ejected me from the game for throwing a punch. I threw a punch. I must admit I did throw a punch and he threw me out of the game."

On being ejected from the game and his thoughts on the loss: "It's hard because knowing that that happened, and me being ejected from the game, I was talking to Coach Washburn before I came in the locker room and he told me that it was going to be hard with just three defensive tackles. I had a bad feeling and it just hurts."

DT Cullen Jenkins

On whether Cox's absence hurt the interior line down the stretch: "(DT Fletcher) Cox is a great player. He's a pretty good player for us. You obviously don't want to lose any of your guys at any point. If somebody is not there, then everyone else has to step it up and fight through it."

On what Reid said to the team after the game: "He just talked about how we have to be better and how that wasn't acceptable at all in more or less words."

On the difference between leading the NFL in sacks last year and not having any in the last three games: "We're being schemed up front. They're throwing us off with what we do. A lot of quick stuff in, a lot of screens, play action, leaving more people in, and bumping players and chipping players. I think we're trying too hard and times when we do get the opportunities, you feel like, 'Okay, I have to make something happen.' I think we have to relax."

CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

On what he attributes Detroit's fourth quarter success to: "They wanted it more. They came out, made all the plays. I can't say anything about it other than they wanted it more…You have to go out and fight. We had to win and once again, we blew it. Point blank, period."

On if he thought there was a letdown after Maclin's touchdown: "No, not at all. We came out and played the same defense, did the same thing—just didn't go out and finish."

On if the loss of Cox and Allen had an effect on the team: "No. There's guys that step in and wear Eagle jerseys just like them, so I believe in them wholeheartedly, so they just got to step in and fill wherever needed."

On the frustration of the loss after being in a position to win, going into the bye week: "It stings hard. Another loss, an NFC loss, a loss at home, a loss when you're up. It's hard."

CB Brandon Hughes

On if there were any miscommunications on defense trying to defend Detroit's receivers later in the game: "I think it's just a combination of things. I think we just need to go back and watch the film and honestly assess the game and see what went wrong and see what we can do better. I know we were in position to make a lot of plays, but they (Detroit) came out making the play."

On the feeling that comes with this type of loss: "You don't expect to lose a game like that—I'll tell you that. I mean, the fact of the matter is that we lost and we have to come back and see what we can do better."

On going into the bye week with a loss: "The game ended, what?—30 minutes ago?—At the end of the day we lost. We can't dwell on it, or else that's going to hinder our ability to have success later on as the season progresses. We just have to put this behind us, be honest with ourselves—I think that's the biggest thing every man in our organization has to be honest with themselves. We'll be alright. This is no need to panic. This is a tough loss also. It's not a good feeling."

DE Darryl Tapp

On if he ever imagined this team would go three straight games without a sack: "I can. Sacks are great, but I'm more concerned about the wins. That's what hurt more."

On what he felt changed in the final six minutes of the game: "They kept using the same offense. Like I said, we need to watch film, break it down and see what happened and then go from there."

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