Here’s the transcript of Alex Smith’s postgame press conference in Philadelphia.
Q: What was the offense’s mindset at halftime?
ALEX SMITH: I think everyone on offense was frustrated to say the least, but not down, if that makes sense. Frustrated because we know how much better we are than that. I think there was a lot of life in there. We all knew what we were capable of. It was just a matter of executing better, playing better football, putting some plays together. Knew we were getting the ball. Wanted to come out and put a drive together. That was it. That’s what the mindset was.
Q: What opened up for you guys?
ALEX SMITH: I really don’t think there’s one thing to point to. I don’t think they were playing any differently. We played better football in the second half. We were determined to play a little better. When you’re down 20 points you can’t get it all back at once. All we talked about was executing better. All of us, all eleven.
Q: You guys had two drives where the ball didn’t hit the ground. What did that do for you and for your unit on the field?
ALEX SMITH: I think for the perimeter unit, we’ve had our moments in three games but haven’t done that, haven’t executed at that level that consistently. Especially when we knew it was on us. We weren’t going to be able to run the ball back into the game until late, until we made it a one-score game. So, knew it was going to be on us. So it was big. It was big for us to finally do it. First time really being in this situation in this offense, guys responded great. I thought the guys outside played great all day. Michael had some great catches in the first half, really helping me out. Missed my target there in the first half a few times and he really made some great plays. But the entire perimeter unit. All those guys. Josh played great, Ted, all those guys are so selfless, so team-oriented. And obviously Vernon and Delanie and Frank and Kendall all stepped up. As a quarterback you rely on so many people.
Q: When the play comes in on the third and seven on the touchdown drive and it’s a sweep to Kendall Hunter, what’s your reaction?
ALEX SMITH: It’s a gutsy call, a really gutsy call. We talked about it all week potentially that we could run for some third downs. The way they played on third down, we felt there was an opportunity there maybe, and I think it really got set up well. We hadn’t really shown that and then all of a sudden you save that until the fourth quarter when the game’s on the line and it gets dialed up and the guys up front blocked really well. Kendall made a great run. It’s a gutsy call, the guys executed it.
Q: And could you talk about the compliment between Gore and Hunter today?
ALEX SMITH: Yeah, it’s a great, you know, as much as Frank hates being off the field – he’s such a competitor – I think it helps. I think when he was in there, even coming off the ankle, and just seeing how fresh he was, how much energy and life he had. I think there’s something to that, maybe.
Q: What does Kendall Hunter do so well?
ALEX SMITH: Besides how talented he is, I think that separates a lot of rookie players is the mindset. Just his attitude towards the game of football. Quiet kid. Just absorbs everything. Loves the game of football. Competitor. Gets in there and does what he’s told. Does what you ask him. And then obviously I think, a lot of ability.
Q: Big picture, what does this win mean for you guys?
ALEX SMITH: I think for us, since I’ve been here, playing on the road has been a big test and something that we haven’t done well on, and to come out on two back-to-back east coast games, to find a way to get two W’s late, there’s something about that. Backs up against the wall, you’re facing a lot of adversity and to find a way to get two wins is something that since I’ve been here we’ve never done.
Q: Is this easily the biggest win you’ve had?
ALEX SMITH: They all feel like the biggest win when you win them, so yeah, this is for sure the biggest win.
Q: How fitting was it that David Akers got the game-winning point?
ALEX SMITH: That was great, great for him. I know he was excited, I was talking to him in the locker room. To pull it out the way we did, coming back here – he played virtually his whole career here, and obviously a lot of success. It meant a lot for him. I’m happy for him to have it go down like that.
Q: What can you point to that spurred you guys to play so well in the second half?
ALEX SMITH: Halftime is what I point to, and even there in the third quarter. Just a different mentality. Not the finger-pointing, not the here-we-go-again, not the it’s-not-me, it was kind of a everyone-rallying-around-each-other. Just so much a better team atmosphere, team attitude, that collective whatever-you-want-to-call-it, I guess. Definitely different than a lot of the teams I’ve been a part of in the past.
Q: Did the stay in Youngstown help you guys?
ALEX SMITH: I thought it was great. I thought it helped us a lot. Got to focus on football. You’re not flying across the country twice. But really it was like a small training camp. We got to focus on football, be around each other. Spend a lot of time with your teammates. I think those things mean something.
Q: Did you get a good sense in that third quarter what the identity of this offense is?
ALEX SMITH: I think it’s still a work in progress. You can have an identity but it’s the NFL – good defenses can take away things when they want to, especially a defense like we played today. And I think the real identity is being resilient, finding a way, being good enough at enough things that you can find a way to win and move the football and score points.
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