The Tennessee Titans beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, winning 17-10 thank to a great defense effort that included four sacks. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair talked about the win, and the importance of the defense stepping up down the stretch,
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00:00 And lastly, of course you're going up against the Colts in the next game,
00:05 a divisional game.
00:08 Of course, what are your thoughts going into that game?
00:11 >> Obviously, they got us last time, so we'll be back at home again.
00:18 Hopefully, whatever booty we're going on to where we've won every home game,
00:22 keep that same thing going.
00:24 But we know it's gonna be a dogfight.
00:25 I wanna say, I don't know how that game ended, but
00:28 regardless of what happened to them this week or last week or any week,
00:31 it's gonna be a dogfight when you play this divisional opponent.
00:35 >> Will said that he felt like you guys needed to just get your swagger back as
00:39 a team, get your mojo back.
00:41 How does a win, get back in the win column do that for a team?
00:44 >> I think it's like National Football League is literally about wins and
00:48 losses.
00:49 So regardless of all the good you might do on a weekly basis,
00:53 when you're losing a game, it makes you harder to see the positive.
00:56 And if you really just take a deeper dive, and
00:58 then the day everything's not bad, everything's not good.
01:01 But when you win, it's easier to correct the bad and feel good about the good.
01:07 Cuz I know anybody that's a competitor in this league and
01:10 all the guys that are in here are, even if you play great and lose a game,
01:14 all you're thinking about is maybe the two plays that you didn't do so
01:16 good that maybe could have won you the game.
01:18 So I think that's where that swagger comes from and just that energy.
01:22 Cuz when you start to win games, you try to stack these things going,
01:25 it just builds that momentum for everybody.
01:27 >> You guys had four chances to put this in a way, couldn't do it.
01:30 You guys get to slam it in there.
01:31 How satisfying is it to put your stand by this?
01:33 >> It was a good job.
01:34 I think everybody did a good job.
01:36 Offensively, really the whole game,
01:38 I felt like I wasn't gonna be feeling that much.
01:41 I'm not sure how the possessions and everything balanced out.
01:44 But it was our opportunity to end the game and that's what we were able to do.
01:49 So I think that it was just good complementing football.
01:52 And the times that we gave up plays and they had our back.
01:55 And it's just one of those things that we gotta have their back as well.
01:58 >> How big of a moment you guys give them a ball in the 11th,
02:00 in the offensive meet, if you turn to do the seven?
02:02 I mean, that's something to be missing.
02:04 >> Yeah, it's huge.
02:05 Obviously, one of the big keys is about getting the ball,
02:07 finding a way to disrupt the quarterback, and get takeaways.
02:10 And I think we've done a lot of good things.
02:13 But hitting the ball was something that we lacked at.
02:16 So obviously, key in that strip sack, Jeff recovering, it was huge.
02:20 Well, maybe I'm saying that we're already doing a good job, but
02:23 it was kind of like this shift back and forth.
02:25 And I think that was really one of the defining moments that helped me.
02:28 >> How do you explain 4-0 at home?
02:29 >> I think that we look at all the things that can win you and lose you a game.
02:35 It's just been obvious that we've done it at home.
02:39 I don't think it has so much to do with the atmosphere and stuff like that.
02:42 Even though it's a great atmosphere, obviously,
02:44 I just want to stand down and execute it.
02:45 And that's what we've been able to do better at home than we have on the road.
02:50 >> So the 4-6 to go at home, does it give you some added hope though?
02:54 >> I think every week is its own individual week.
02:59 So if you want to use that as something, why not?
03:03 But at the same time, you gotta have faith and
03:06 you gotta trust that nobody is a mind reader, nobody knows the future.
03:10 And I have something I brought up earlier this week.
03:14 It was 7-3, and Ryan got hurt last year, and
03:18 then moved 7 straight, and I'm sure there's nobody who thought they were gonna do that.
03:23 So why can't you flip it the other way?
03:25 Nobody thinks we have a chance to go win 7 straight, so
03:28 why can't we just take it one game at a time, one week at a time, and just trust the process?
03:32 >> Harden said that he thinks a lot of the L's success today came from keeping things
03:35 simple.
03:36 Do you agree that things were kind of simplified?
03:38 >> Yeah, for sure.
03:39 I think we just knew we were gonna play fast, play aggressive.
03:44 Just kind of get rid of all the things that, making somebody hesitate,
03:49 making somebody think too much, you have to scrap it.
03:51 And I think that's what coaches did a good job of,
03:53 is keeping it simple for everybody involved in this going to play.
03:57 Obviously, certain plays have their own things.
03:59 >> You thought it would be nobody?
04:00 >> No, everybody did a good job.
04:02 >> Have things been too complicated for you to think, or is this just kind of a natural?
04:05 >> I think it's just natural.
04:06 You obviously start the season from a coach's perspective,
04:10 you have all these things you might wanna do, new things you might wanna try.
04:13 And then as the season starts to go, you see what's working, what's not,
04:17 what's helping you, what's not.
04:18 And so I just think it just came down to self-evaluation from a coaching
04:22 perspective, just realizing, hey, we do good when we're able to do these few things.
04:26 And these other things, if it's too much, it's not so good.
04:29 So I think they just did a good job of adjusting the coaching staff and
04:32 helping us be in the best position we can.
04:34 >> Kind of in line with that, when you kind of tend to complicate things for
04:37 yourself when things aren't going well.
04:39 Do you think any degree of doubt crept in, maybe cuz it's natural when things
04:44 aren't going well to start kind of self-examining on that level?
04:48 >> I think that's why I said it's so, the NFL is so
04:51 weird because it's all about winning or losing.
04:54 You can literally play one of the worst games, but
04:57 if you end up winning the game, the whole perspective, excuse me, I'm sorry.
05:01 The whole perspective might be different.
05:02 So I think you just gotta kinda take the win or the loss for what it is.
05:08 But really take a deeper dive and be like, okay, what?
05:11 Have we been doing well?
05:12 What have we not been doing well?
05:13 Build off of your strengths and also build up your weaknesses as well.
05:17 So it's just so week to week, this league, it's just so challenging.
05:22 >> Psychologically, you think some of that doubt creeps in,
05:24 even though you might be sure you've been through it?
05:26 >> I'm sure it happens, without a doubt, to the best of us.
05:30 But you just gotta stay the course, take it one day at a time.
05:33 Keep building your confidence up, keep believing in each other,
05:35 keep believing in all the guys involved in our room and in our locker room.
05:39 We'll take care of ourselves.
05:40 >> How much relief can you get out of something like today?
05:43 How much relief from that can you get out of something like today,
05:47 even if it's not terrific?
05:48 >> I don't really think it's like relief, cuz relief comes with,
05:51 almost like it's just relax.
05:53 >> Confidence.
05:54 >> Yeah, I think it's more so from a confidence perspective of saying that,
05:57 hey, we can execute, we can do all these things, and we can win games.
05:59 So that's what we're able to do, and just keep building off of that.
06:03 >> You guys had four sacks today, and you kinda kept Bryce on the move a little bit.
06:07 Did you feel like you guys did a good job of keeping him uncomfortable?
06:10 >> 100%, they did a good job of covering on the back end.
06:15 D-line rushing, and when he was trying to find guys, there was nobody there, so
06:19 we had to scramble.
06:20 It led to some of the sacks, some of the plays we had, and vice versa.
06:23 There was times where they're getting pressure, he makes a quick throw,
06:26 it's a pass break up, or it's a catch tackle.
06:29 So I think the rushing coverage today was really well.
06:32 Talk to you after a lot of frustration.