Head Coach Mike McCoy
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(general statement) "Obviously a tough loss, unfortunately, we didn't make enough plays at a critical time to get over that hump within one time where you can pull away or separate to get to two scores or a big stop somewhere in there. I give our players a ton of credit for the effort. The way certain players stepped up for four quarters with a number of guys going down throughout the game. I had a number of guys that came up and made plays for us and that's what it's about. I wouldn't expect anything less from the players either; a tough one to take."
(on injuries) "I give the coaches credit for making the adjustments they did. I think 12 guys at some point came out. It was just one thing after another, so you just have to keep on adjusting. With special teams, all the substitutions you have to do and then changing people around, we did the best we could there. I've never been in anything like it with that many guys going down in the game."
(on crucial penalties) "That's something that contributes to the cause in games like this that are close. Penalties at certain times, and there's certain penalties you accept as a coach. There are certain things that players try to do with certain things and we can't make those penalties and it hurt us today."
(on capability to win) "We had an opportunity to do it and we didn't get it done. Give them credit, they're in a very similar position as us and it's another one of those games that comes to the bitter end. That's what you talk about in this league, the parody and the competition is so good and the balance of teams. Give both teams credit for fighting their tails off until the bitter end and they made one more play in the end then we did. So they won the football game and we didn't."
(on play calling in run game) "We'll do whatever we think is best for our football team and what we think is the game plan. Certain plays are checked to certain coverages. We have to figure to do those things as we go along and certain things go into the plan with the way we've been playing. You always look at it, as a coach, as what to do, as what personnel groups you're playing in. Certain personnel groups you might have more runs out of, but then you get up tempo and you might not be in those personnel groups that have those types of runs in there, but yes you always look at that."
(on the running backs playing) "That's something we're going to do from week-to-week. We have certain plans going in against certain teams and they're going to play more. All of the backs are going to play. We've always said from day one. I think the majority of the games that we've played here in the past couple of years; they've all played at some point and time. Depends on how you start the game with certain personnel group or there's certain things that you want certain players to do in your game plan. Certain players are going to play on first or second down. Certain guys are playing third down and certain guys are playing in the red area if the play is specific for certain things you want to do."
(on having a go-to play) "Every play on the paper is a positive play. That's the truh. As a coach you look at every play we have in the playbook and it should work. It comes down to we have to keep plugging away. We have to do a few things better here and there, but there are certain things that are our bread and butter. If you look at the average of those plays, they're pretty good. Some aren't as good as the others are. We're going to keep plugging away and I think we're moving the ball and had good balance today going up and down the field."
(on the games being similar each week) "Just keep fighting. The heart of a football team and the way they fought today, they kept on plugging. You have to make one play somewhere in the game and you can look all the way from the first quarter all the way on; could that have been the difference maker. A conversion on third down, a third down stop, throwing a block on a certain play, there's so many things and that's the game. You always talk about those things as a team. We didn't convert on third-and-one. Then all of a sudden we come up with a third-and-one stop on defense. It's all three phases doing their job better and trying to make a player so our team can put themselves in a position to win the game."
(on Ravens defense) "I think they have an outstanding staff. From offense to defense to special teams, they're really well coached starting with their head coach. Having played against coach [John Harbaugh], knowing his scheme defensively, playing against him a number of times wherever he's been, he's an outstanding football coach and he's always done a lot of different things. Like any staff that you're on, or you're playing against, you have to make those adjustments as the season goes on. With guys coming down, or if they're injured, or if they come out of the game in the middle of the game, guys get hurt. When you're playing a certain team and you want players to take something away, so things change on a week-to-week basis. That's all part of game planning. But they're very well coached as a football team."
(on Steve Smith Sr.) "It's unfortunate. I don't know exactly what his injury was, but I wish him all the best. He's a special person."
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QB Philip Rivers
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(on the game) "Our last four games have been very tough. I don't have a lot to say tonight because I don't have a lot of answers. We made plays,* *and the Ravens answered. The only thing we can do is keep playing."
(on their injuries) "The injuries are crazy. I've never seen anything like it, but every team in the league has injuries. Every team in the league has penalties. You can't blame them for a loss. I thought our offense was pretty efficient today. We didn't turn the ball over, and I think we only punted twice. I think your problems get over-magnified when you lose. For instance, if we converted that third down late in the game, the Ravens may never have gotten the ball back."
(on playing* the Ravens) "After the game, I said to [QB] Joe [Flacco*], 'It's been a crazy year for both of us.' That's not a 2-6 team over there. I know the Ravens can say the same things we're saying about penalties and injuries. Every team in the NFL can probably say that. There's just no easy solution."
(on whether the Chargers are playing for pride now) "I don't look at it that way at all. Until we are mathematically eliminated, we're playing to make the playoffs. However, this is a first for me, being 2-6. We've been very successful the last few years, and this is uncharted territory."
(on facing the Ravens without OLB Terrell Suggs) "This is still a very good defense, built on the same principles they've used. They may not have Suggs, but Dumervil requires a lot of attention. We needed to use our running backs to help out with him all game."
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TE Antonio Gates
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(on when he decided he could play in this game) "It was probably Friday or early Saturday. I wanted to be out there with my teammates, if I could contribute. In this league, you can make a thousand excuses for reasons not to play. I wanted to be out there if I could help."
(on the team's injury situation) "It is so crazy where you're losing players left and right, but I give a lot of credit to the guys who've had to step in and replace them. They've gone out there and fought and given us all they have. You can't ask for any more than that."
(on the team's 2-6 record) "We've let some games slip away, but we still have to stay with the same fundamentals. We have to knock on the door until it opens and turn this thing around. You can't plan for what the future holds. We have eight games to play. Who knows what can happen in eight games? Some crazy things have happened in the past, and I've seen several 8-8 teams make the playoffs in the past. Our mindset is very important, and we need to keep going forward."
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WR Malcom Floyd
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(on his big performance in this game) "I'm just trying to do my part. I'm a veteran on this team, and we need to keep fighting. We've got to move past this game and get ready for the next one against Chicago."
(on his 70-yard touchdown catch) "That was a cover zero. The whole middle of the field was open. It was a happy moment for me, but I'd trade it for a win any day. For me, a loss offsets any personal achievements."
S Jahleel Addae
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(on his two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties) "The first one, I just needed to keep my cool and not talk smack. It's a judgmental call by the ref and I guess it was too much. The second was a judgmental call. I felt like I hit him shoulder to shoulder. It's a bang-bang play and they're going to make their best judgment. After the replay, it was a shoulder to shoulder hit. It is what it is. I just need to come back next game and be smarter."
(on missing Eric Weddle) "He's a very vital part of the defense, but it's the 'next man up' mentality. He's doing his best to help us off the field coaching us up, being a leader, watching extra film with us. When he gets back, it'll be a plus for our defense."
(on lack of turnovers in the last three games) "That's tough and sometimes that's the way the cookie crumbles. We have to be more aggressive in our coverage and hopefully with the pass rush getting to the quarterback, we might be able to jump something or get some strips and it'll come."
LB Melvin Ingram
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(on turning around the season) "We lost. It's a team sport. We need to keep working. We signed up for all 16 games. We're going to keep grinding. This thing will turn around at some point in time, but until then we'll keep working. When it does turn, we'll continue to keep working. No matter what the outcome of the game, you have to build on it to be a good team."
(on finding the winning formula) "It's always frustrating when you lose, but getting blown out is not something you want. We're a good team. Those little plays won't always go to the other team, so we're just going to keep working."
(on play of front seven) "We felt OK getting the pressure, but it wasn't good enough. We've got faith in our defense, and we've got faith in our offense. We just have to keep working."
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WR Keenan Allen
(on his touchdown) "It was a cover-2 look. I out-leveraged the safety. Philip [Rivers] threw it up high, and I was able to catch the ball."
(on the game) "It was a well-fought game by both teams. I feel like we fought real hard, and we just didn't come out with the victory."
RB Melvin Gordon
(on the loss) "We expected it to be a tough game, but we expected to come out on top, and that's a goal we fell short of today. We need to regroup. It's tough for all of us right now. Losing is never easy. We can't quit. We're not quitters. There's still time. It's not over until the last game of the season, and we're going to fight until the end."
(on the running game) "It wasn't bad. We had some guys get hurt up front, but we were moving the ball. It wasn't big runs, but we were getting three, four, five yards on a run. I kind of liked the way we looked. We were pretty balanced out there. We kept the defense on their toes a little bit. We just have to keep getting better."
(on his performance) "I did OK. I was trying to be patient. At times I was a little too patient when I should have hit it. I just have to come to practice and run like I usually run, but today I wanted to be a little more patient, and it just didn't work out the way I wanted it to."
CB Brandon Flowers
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(on playing through injury) "I basically had to play because there weren't any defensive backs left, but that's the game because guys get banged up here and there. I definitely had to go back in."
(on the Steve Smith Sr. injury) "It was hard to see, because I respect Steve [Smith] so much. What he means to this league and the fire he plays with, you don't want to see a guy like that go down for the season at all. That's tough. That's why the whole defense huddled around him, because we have so much respect for what he's put into the game."
(on losing at the end of the game) "It's tough because that's three of the last four. At the end of the day, we have to find a way to win. That's our job. As a defense, we have to get off the field at the end, just like the last three out of four weeks. We can't hang our heads about it, we just need to go back to work and figure out a way to fix it."
(on Joe Flacco) "He bought time and made some great throws out of the pocket. [Joe] Flacco's a cool guy. You don't see him rattled. I don't pay attention to what kind of season he's had to know what type of player he is. He made some clutch throws today, so I can tell you that."
