LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ
Opening statement: “We’re not going to go 16-0. We didn’t play our best in any of the three phases: offense, defense, or special teams. (It) still came down to one play at the end on defense and we fell just short. We have to do a better job in all three phases. We have to protect the quarterback better, have to run the ball better, make more plays down the field; we have to stop the run better. We have to cover our kicks better, we have to convert field goals. Like I said, we didn’t’ play our best in all three phases, and came up short.”
On what happened at the end of the game with Jim Harbaugh: “I don’t know. (I) went to congratulate Coach Harbaugh and got shoved out of the way. (I) didn’t expect an obscenity at that point, so it was a surprise to me at the end of the game.”
On who shoved who and who shouted the obscenity: “I’ll just leave it right there. I’m sure it’s on video.”
On his relationship with Harbaugh over the years: “Like I said, I didn’t expect…After the game, went to shake an opponent coach’s hand. Obviously you win a game like that, you’re excited and things like that, but I think there’s a protocol that goes with this league.”
On if he was upset with the timeout (49ers) on fourth down: “No, not at all; that’s basketball timeout. I’d do the same thing.”
On the long punt return that put the 49ers in position to score the game-winning touchdown: “We’ve haven’t covered kicks our best. We’ve had them hemmed up too many times. We haven’t been able to get off blocks and we’ve fallen off too many tackles. We have to do a better job there.”
On whether QB Matthew Stafford didn’t throw the ball well or didn’t have receivers getting open: “Well, I think it was a combination of both. I mean, when we would get guys free, never really got great run after the catch, which you need to do when you’re playing those kinds of things. And then, the other part of it was Matt didn’t have a whole lot of time today. We had a hard time getting the run game going. When it’s one-dimensional that way, and I think it was, you’re going to have a difficult time, and we did today.”
On the missed field goal at the end of the first half: “It was just a little bit off. It was within Jason’s range and we have a lot of confidence in him making those plays. But, that’s (a) 6-point turnaround right there, us miss, and that set up them up for field goal and they were able to get it.”
On if a loss is part of the process: “I think the biggest thing is we just need to play better in all three phases and if we do that, then we’ll get on the winning side. It has been a long time—December of last year is the last time that we’ve lost a football game. So it hurts right now, but there’s a lot to correct. Like I said, we didn’t play our best in any three phases and (it) still came down to one play.”
On Harbaugh blaming Schwartz: “Well, I mean, I’ll just say this, I’ll just say that, you know, it was a big win for them, and they were excited about it and I think I’ll just leave it there.”
On WR Nate Burleson’s touchdown and whether he completed the process: “I think they got the call right. He caught the ball and gets (his feet) down and he’s not going to the ground as part of the catch and I think that in the end, we got it right. Otherwise, we got to pick up nets and move walls back fifteen yards and things like that if we’re going to include stuff like that into the process of (the catch). I think Nate made a good catch, got his feet down, and we got the right call in that situation.”
