Quotes (12/9): Coach Brian Daboll, ILB Micah McFadden, WR Darius Slayton

Inside Linebacker Micah McFadden

Q: What were your impressions just of the young defensive linemen who had to step up with injuries? Guys like (defensive tackle) Elijah (Chatman), (defensive tackle Jordon) Riley and those guys. What did you think about their performance?

MICAH MCFADDEN: Yeah, I thought they played hard. Some of those guys playing their first regular season in the NFL Snaps, really happy for them and proud of the way they played. They were playing with knockback and physicality up front, and they kind of let the guys on the back end run and flow to the football. So, something we can build off of for sure. We’re going to need those guys moving forward for the rest of the year. But yeah, really happy for them and proud of the way they played.

Q: I know last week you told us just about kind of how you said it’s tough to deal with this losing streak because you have to deal with some of it in college. So, I guess for you guys now, this is now eight games of a losing streak. How do you try to just try to keep focused and get ready for this game next week when obviously there’s new ways to lose, it seems as guys have said already?

MICAH MCFADDEN: Yeah, just stay motivated, stay focused on our goal and the task at hand each week. Obviously, we got a big one coming up here. But this is our job, and we got to go out and perform on Sunday and play for each other. I think that’s kind of the ultimate message at this point in the year. Play for the guy next to you and do your job as best you can so they can play faster.

Q: How did (inside linebacker Darius Muasau) Moose do yesterday? Looked like he had eight tackles. He fit in pretty well.

MICAH MCFADDEN: Yeah, I thought Darius (Muasau) played great. He was playing fast. He was in the right spot. And he was physical at the point of attack for sure. Played up to the standard and something we know he’s been doing all year long. And he’s just continued to get better with each game and the more experience he’s got this season. So really happy for him as well. And like I said, something to build off of for sure.

Q: The other thing I noticed is you guys seemed to have a lot of tackles for loss. Did you change anything up to create those opportunities?

MICAH MCFADDEN: Yeah, we definitely had some new fronts in, some different looks that they hadn’t really seen from us or something we hadn’t put on tape. So, just kind of changing the picture. Obviously, they were in some heavier personnels with who they got out and what they were trying to do. So yeah, definitely a big run defense against that team and something we knew we had to do well. And I think everybody executed as best they could.

Q: There’s obviously when a season goes like this, there’s a lot of speculation about the head coach and the general manager coming back and all that kind of stuff. And you guys don’t have any say in that. But I’m curious what your impression is of (Head Coach) Brian Daboll and the job he does? What kind of case do you make for him for sticking around?

MICAH MCFADDEN: Yeah, I love Dabs. I appreciate what he’s done for me. Him and (Senior Vice President and General Manager) Joe (Schoen) both, bringing me here, believing in me and trusting me to play within the scheme and the defense. Obviously, everybody, this year hasn’t been what we wanted and what we expect of ourselves. But there’s been a lot of close games, a lot of opportunity out there to flip the script. And we just got to stay the course and believe in the process. And I think guys are still focused on that.

Q: What do you think are some of the strengths that Daboll is showing in the face of the difficult season you’re dealing with?

MICAH MCFADDEN: I think the team’s playing hard. Everybody’s still focused and preparing each week. Whether they’re starters or not, everybody’s focused on the task at hand and the opponent for each week. And we got to continue to do that. But it’s on the players, obviously, at the end of the day, executing on Sundays. But, yeah, I think everybody’s playing hard and still believing in what we’re doing here.

Q: Have you ever had a game where you’ve had double-digit tackles and almost half of them were for loss?

MICAH MCFADDEN: Yeah, I don’t think so. I think the closest I had was maybe last year against the 49ers. I think I had four TFLs. But yeah, this was definitely the most TFLs I’ve had in one game in my career.

Q: I saw one play where you’re running horizontal across the whole line free to be able to make a tackle behind a line of scrimmage. I guess that’s equivalent to a sack for a defensive end when you get a guy like (Saints running back) Alvin Kamara a couple of yards behind a line of scrimmage.

MICAH MCFADDEN: Yeah, I mean I give credit to the defensive line, the guys who played with knockback up front and did their job, stayed in their gaps and built the wall so we could rip and run on the back end. And they opened up the seams for us to go make those plays in the backfield. So, appreciate those guys and the way they worked and the preparation they did to get ready to play that game.

Q: Do you feel, you’re a young veteran, established but young, do you feel that you and a lot of your guys in your similar situation that there’s a lot of eyes on you for how hard you play down the stretch, how well you play down the stretch? And 2025 is coming sooner than you guys want, probably because of the way the season’s going, that there’s always someone looking at you and in a bad season, a lot of times guys just get wiped out. You need to prove it and these guys around you need to prove it that you deserve to come back?

MICAH MCFADDEN: Yeah, I think that’s the standard every game. This is the NFL, and everybody watches every game. Regardless of the circumstances, they’re not going to ask what the record was. They’re going to ask, ‘why didn’t you make this play or where were you fitting here?’ So yeah, I think just staying focused, staying connected, making sure we’re talking and we’re communicating on the field so we can all play fast. Yeah, it’s part of the game and like I said, this is the NFL. So, we all want to keep playing hard and finish out the season the right way.