Week 16 vs. Tampa Bay

 RE: How hard it is to operate under a two-quarterback system in terms of rhythm:

It’s not difficult, just do your job and that’s what it comes down to. 

 RE: Seeming reflective on the sideline and what he was thinking as the game was coming to an end:

When it goes without saying, you know the humanistic side of this football game, football has been good to me. I was able to walk away unscathed, but I don’t want to sound like I am retiring but, it has some great memories. As you thing about, as you move forward it takes more than one guy, it takes more than one talent, it takes more than a couple of guys, it takes unanimously everybody under center what their role is and what you have to do. When I look at my situation, was it ideal? I’m talking big picture, I’m talking over the years, not today, I’m just talking. Was it ideal? No, but I think the thing that I can pride myself on is being able to say I never blinked, I never bitched, I never complained, I never pointed the figure, I never wanted it any easier than what it is. Man, we play this game as alpha males, as lions going against each other. One lion taking over another safari or whatever and you will be damned so to speak. So, it takes guys to really understand their role and their responsibility in being able to execute it every play. So on the sideline, I had a moment where you look back over the years and guys who taught you, the Steve Smiths, Jordan Gross, Ryan Kalil, Michael Ohers, Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechlys, Josh Norman for what it’s worth, Charles Johnson, Julius Peppers, KK Short, and they understood what “Keep Pounding” meant. Was it ideal? No. Was it something that you know you had to just succumb to the philosophy at times? Yeah, but the team got the glory. Nobody looked for somebody else to make a play, they just went out there and upheld their end of the bargain and did it. You know, I say that in all confidence knowing that I don’t know what the future holds but I’m just so let down because the City of Charlotte has been good to me. You know when I first got here, there was a lot of uncertainty how long I would be here and this second go around is just unfortunate because you put so much work into trying to find ways to win, trying to find ways to win, you know building relationships along the way; and when it doesn’t happen, like right now, you feel empty, you feel like, damn are you good enough? My message to the offense before the game was it’s about you equating to me. It’s about me. And that may sound individualistic, but when you really think about it, it’s about us and how our outlook is and before you can get to us you have to hold yourself accountable and that’s why it’s about you being me. So when I’m up here speaking at you guys, its necessarily, I’m not going to complain about getting into a rhythm, I’m not going to complain about what this person didn’t do, what that person didn’t do, I’m going to be a man and I’m going to take responsibility because I know if I just keep doing what I am supposed to do, in the long run it will pay off. I take pride in saying that I was able to be a part of probably the best season to date that this city has ever seen and I wasn’t a part of the 2-14 team, but its not pretty. So, the level of appreciation that I have for Mecklenburg County and its connecting counties and cities around, it hit a little different. I don’t necessarily know what the future holds but I’m going to look that lion eyeball to eyeball, you know as Kobe once said, and I’m not going to blink. I take pride in my performance, I take pride in knowing that you can’t bully me, I’m as alpha as they come. So, when you take pride in certain things, your preparation is a certain type of way, the way you practice is a certain type of way, the way you play in hopes is a certain type of way, but you still need other guys to do that. And that’s the frustrating part, it’s just like, you know you got guys in that locker room that you can win with and for me you got coaches in there that you can win with, they’ve won, but being able to sustain it, week in and week out, day in and day out, hour by hour, that’s what I always question myself in being able to do that. I know that’s a lot but…  

 RE: What he would like his future to look like:

 RE: In Arizona, you spoke a lot about how purposeful your return here has been, do you have any sense of clarity on what that purpose may be?

Of course, of course. You know I just hate that the circumstances were what they were. I’m still learning the offense, let’s be honest. But at the same time, being able to roll with the punches. As old coach Mike Shula use to always tell me, “You’ve got be like the water on the duck’s back,” just keep what’s next mentality. The person that I am today, its so much that races through your mind, but, I’m just grateful to have the platform that I do have. I see a lot of guys that come up on the stage or the podium and take the cowards way, directly or indirectly. You know, the truth is that I wasn’t good enough today, I knew that. There were opportunities for us to move the ball. Was that a good defense? Was that a good team? Absolutely. But if you are looking in the mirror and you see Simba in the early part of the movie and you don’t see Mufasa, you know that’s what it comes down to. So, you know for me, I just appreciate Coach Rhule for challenging me and allowing me to challenge him. I appreciate how Sam [Darnold] went out there and competed and battled, I appreciate my teammates for doing the best that they could. That best wasn’t good enough, including myself. We, and I’m saying the whole Charlotte community, we deserve better. Hell, I want better and if you don’t want that, if you don’t feel disgusted inside, then it is what it is. I mean, Coach Rhule is a great coach. I heard the boos, I heard the chants and stuff like that, but last time I checked Coach Rhule wasn’t out there playing. It was told to me early on this week about playing two quarterbacks. Did I approve of it? That’s not even a thought. As a player, you play. A coach, he coaches. If he deems that that was the best for this team to win, then its for me to swallow my pride and get on board, and I did that. Yet, at the end of the day it’s about being realistic, but at the same time being optimistic of knowing like I said what I said about being a part of a team that brought the best season here and I’m a part of something that’s not accepted to the masses. Just to see the different dynamics, hopefully there will be a brighter day. 

 RE: This feels like you are saying goodbye. I’m wondering when you hugged Brady and ran through the tunnel ahead of everyone else, what did it feel like?

Part of me right now, man wants to just keep it a buck with ya’ll. If it wasn’t for my children watching this, I could keep it a buck. As far as this being my last go round, naw, I don’t I feel like that; for more reasons than one. But yet, it’s nothing to belabor the fact. You are looking at a man, and I say that pridefully because I can say this and I can say that, yeah you know what you right, yeah you know, but what does that do besides be the front of the Charlotte Observer, ESPN.com, you know the news. This city done seen too many cowards, let’s just be honest. We need real people to step up to the opportunity, players, coaches, front office, owners and take it personal, take it personal because I do. I want to be a part of this for the future but at the end of the day, you know as a man you’ve just got to accept whatever role that you get. I take pride in it and I take today’s performance very personal and the performances in the past very personal. 

 RE: Your moment with Greg Olsen’s son TJ Olsen before the Keep Pounding Drum:

Yeah man I forgot about Greg [Olsen] on the list players, man. You know I call him “Cheeks.” When he was a little kid, man he had just the puffiest cheeks. When I look at my son, my youngest, Cashmere Saint, I call him Pumba for short, you know, you don’t know that feeling, I don’t know that feeling to be able to look at your child and hope that the doctors do their job. I witnessed Greg and I’ve seen what him and Kara were able to do along that time, and it was just admirable, it was just so honorable to just see from afar the true definition of “Keep Pounding.” No matter what the circumstances were and are, you know you just stay optimistic and you just keep moving forward. TJ today was able to do something that a lot of people probably don’t care to know, but you know he’s a walking testimony, he’s a walking blessing to be able to endure a lot that he has endured. I just remember, I will forever be grateful to Greg Olsen, man, just what he was able to do. Was one of those guys that always had my ear, still has my ear with being a professional. Watching guys like that over years, see how they move, see how they are men, see how they are great husbands, see how they are great fathers, that’s the reason why I am who I am, having guys like that that you can kind of see from a far and say man look, I was there when his son was going through those surgeries, prayer after prayer after prayer, and hope after hope after hope. He never came to practice and said, “you know what this is just too much for me.” He never came to any team meetings late. And just to see him persevere through that and to see a walking testimony like I said today, it just is what it is. I’m grateful for that, I’m grateful for this and it is going to be what it’s going to be. I just know that we’re a good football team, it may not look like that all of the time but I know what I see in practice and I know what I’ve seen over this last couple of weeks that I have been here. We are a good football team and we can win. It’s just about us believing we can win and not taking the easy route and being able to grunt games away. As I was watching games yesterday, not to bring anybody else in, you know the NFL is set up to be a one-touchdown, one-score league. That’s just how its setup. You can’t look for the blowout wins, even though today was, but you’ve just got to be able to lick your wounds, throw dirt on any type of scabs and just be able to tell yourself, by all means I’m going to do my job to win. Man, I know we came up short today, but it’s some things that we can go back and watch and say to yourselves that we’ve got to keep building; and I can tell you right now, it wasn’t because of the coaching. It wasn’t because of what a person may have said or done, because the truth of the matter is we all are playing for jobs. If you don’t think as a coach, you wouldn’t do the right thing to want to win or to endure your tenure here, then you wouldn’t do it. Everything he was bringing to the forefront was for one thing and one thing and that’s to win. We didn’t do it today, so you get the brunt of the blow and that’s just what you sign up for.