HEAD COACH MIKE HOLMGREN

(opening…) My goodness gracious. Wonderful win, great win for us. Give credit to Cincinnati, first of all, they came in, on the road. They are a really good offensive football team, and they played good defense today, as well. So, they are a good football team, and they are a team to be reckoned with during the season. I thought our defense against them, as potent as they are, did a nice job. We didn’t give up quite as many points; they are going to score on people. It was a little bit of bend but don’t break, and we had a couple of big plays that really helped us out as far as turnovers. On offense, if we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot, we can move the ball as well. We didn’t run the ball as well as I would have liked today. That’s a work in progress, we’ll keep working on it. I don’t have anything real definitive until I see the film, but I would have liked to have run the ball better. And, then be more consistent. Special teams, we started the game with a big play and ended the game with a big play, so that’s what you need from your special teams. So, it was a total team effort. I am very proud of the guys in there. Now we roll up our sleeves and get ready for the next opponent…after my granddaughter’s birthday party tonight. [laughter]

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(On the fourth and one play…) The play I had last week, I thought it was a good call last week, we just didn’t do it very well. Today they executed, and Cincinnati kind of bunched in there to stop something I think right up the gut, and we popped it outside, and sometimes that works for you.

(On Nate Burleson dropping a touchdown pass, and then coming back to score the game winning touchdown…) Nate is one of the players we have on our team who is tremendously talented, that will develop more consistency the more he plays. He made great plays today, and he made a couple of things that I wish we could take back and so does he. But, he is a talented young man. Matt obviously has confidence in him, because he went to him on the last throw, when he could have gone…we had the same thing going on both sides, so he could have chosen Deion. But, I was very happy for Nate on the last touchdown, and he just has to develop a little more consistency and he will be the player he wants to be.

(On the last touchdown pass, are you hoping that one side or the other will be open…) I was hoping. Actually, they were in a pretty good coverage for it. Now that I think about it, when I looked out there, I said Matt might have to check the ball down to one of his backs, but the playfake held the safety just enough, and Matt made a beautiful throw into the voided area.

(On the play of the safeties…) I thought they had a pretty good game. They were involved in turnover situations, they hit pretty well, they broke up a couple of passes. That is the safety play that you need in this league. Solid, lining up people properly. I don’t think we had many breakdowns assignment-wise, it was just that they are a good football team, and they get you every once in a while. In fact, they get you often, but they’ll get a lot of people. I think after I look at the film, I’m going to be pleased with how the safeties played.

(On whether the Bengals picked off Trufant on their touchdown pass…) I don’t think it was a pick. I don’t know, but I don’t think it was. I think if you ask Marcus about that play, he didn’t play the defense exactly the way we would like him to, or he should. I think he would tell you that. He’s a pretty up front kid. In fact, he had Chad the whole game, and that’s a big time assignment for any defensive back. Chad Johnson is an excellent football player.

(On the decisions to line up the cornerbacks a certain way…) I think in their meetings, they just said we’ll go best-on-best. Now, Houshmandzadeh is an excellent player. You kind of have to pick your poison. He had a good game too, in my opinion. You try to match it up the best way you can. It is not unprecedented. We’ve done that before. Marcus is off to a very, very good start this year, so we tried it.

(On the resiliency of the defense…) A game like this, if you are fortunte enough to win a game like this, it is a good building block for your season. We’re not operating on all cyllinders yet, but they are trying hard and there is a good team feeling. If we hadn’t of run into each other last week, our record would be a little bit better, maybe. When you win a game, in the end, everyone feels real good. And every phase of our football team contributed. You can build on that. Now we have to keep getting better, keep eliminating the mistakes that are plauging us. Keep being a little sounder, a little more technically good, and improve. I think our best football is still ahead of us, no doubt about that.

(On Shaun Alexander…) I wouldn’t have guessed that he had 100 yards, but I’m happy that he did. We did not run the ball, as I said earlier, as well as I would have liked to. But, we’re going to build on that. Our running game and our rushing attack is going to be very important to us before our season is over, and it will continue to get better.

(On what might be holding the rushing game back…) Anytime you don’t run up to your standard or what you believe you should do, it’s one thing, one play, one thing or another. It’s never just one thing. It’s not like, last year, as an example, we said that we had young lineman, that was kind of our mantra. Well, they’re not young any more. They’re not old, but they’re not young. So now, Shaun has the cast on his hand. It’s not one thing or another. We will continue to work on it, and get better. We have the potential, in my opinion to be a good rushing team. You just can’t give up on it. We have to keep working, and we’ll get better.

(On whether the game unfolded as he expected…) It’s been my experience, whenever people think a game will be a certain way, it’s not. Invariably, it’s not. They had a lot of points scored on them, they scored a lot of points. We have the potential to score some points, but it wasn’t that type of game. There was a lot of yards, but the defenses on both teams, they made good decisions and they made tough plays on third down. There wasn’t a lot of scoring. Every game unfolds just the way it unfolds. Every single one is unique, so I try not to think about it too much, until the end. Then I said that obviously we’re going to have to score a touchdown here, so let’s do this if we can.

(On Kelly Jennings getting nicked up… ) I think he had the wind knocked out of him just a little. He’s really in great shape. He’s a superb athlete and in great shape, but on a play he got the wind knocked out of him, and he got up a little slow.

(On the health of the team…) I should get a couple guys back next week, which is good news.

(On not attempting a 53 yard field goal in the first quarter…) It was a 53 yard field goal, and I always consult with the special teams guys and Josh based on what they do in warm ups, and he said that it was just a little out of his range today. I don’t begin to understand all that, but I have to believe it. Then, the decision is do I go for it on fourth and seven, or do I punt it down there. It wasn’t my favorite call of the day, that’s for sure. We had a little less to go, and then we lost yardage on third down if I’m not mistaken. I didn’t want to punt it, but we did.