CAROLINA PANTHERS
Head Coach Ron Rivera
(on QB Cam Newton's play) "I was very pleased with what the first unit did coming out with their rhythm. We put ourselves in a good position getting down to the red zone with a chance to score. I was also pleased with what the guys did with Derek Anderson. They kept the rhythm and got in position to score. That was a huge plus."
(on the backup offensive line) "There was a lot of pressure up the middle. We just have to look at it and make sure the right guys are in the right positions."
(on the sideline penalties) "It is a point of emphasis and deservedly so. I think we got a little carried away with ourselves, and it cost us points. We can't have that, especially if it was in the regular season and it really counts. To have that happen now, I think we will learn from that. It is my responsibility. I am accountable for keeping those guys off the field. We will talk about it."
(on assistant coach penalty) "I understand the rule, and now it's even clearer for me, as far as the timeout situation. We called the timeout and thinking we were allowed to [have an assistant coach on the field], but apparently not. It was a lesson learned."
(on QB Cam Newton's penalty) "It's a good lesson learned. Like I said, if we're going to do it, do it now, so we can be done with it. We had the referees in [training camp] and explained all the new rules to everybody."
(on WR Damiere Byrd's play) "Damiere has picked up right where he left off from OTAs (Organized Training Activities) and minicamps. He's done a nice job. He got a little carried away trying to make a play and that's one of those things, but I'm not going to fault him for it. He's trying to give us a chance to win and if he catches that in stride, who knows. Maybe if we do a better job holding up that gunner, maybe he doesn't feel that pressure. It's a lesson learned. I'm encouraged by his attitude, his willingness to bounce back."
(on WR Devin Funchess' play) "You're seeing the progress. You're seeing what he's going to add to the offense. We saw that at the end of the year last year. Everybody was waiting for him and then in mid-season he kind of came into his own and made some things happen. By the end of the season, he got better and stronger and that's what he's doing right now, getting stronger, learning the plays. He's learning how to use that big body like Kelvin [WR Benjamin] on the pass that he caught. You throw him in there with what we also did with Ted Ginn Jr. and 'Philly' [Corey Brown] and with Brenton Bersin, and it's a good group. We'll have some tough decisions to make."
(on the young cornerbacks) "They came out and went after us right away. You'd like to see James [Bradberry] on the first wheel that they ran on us be more patient. He came back after that and played real well. I thought Daryl [Worley] competed well. Zack [Sanchez] was a little tentative at first. It was nice that he was on our side a couple of times, so we could talk to him and get him to play more aggressive."
(on if C Ryan Kalil is healthy) "Yes, yes. This was one of those things where we kind of wanted to go through. We didn't want him or Jonathan [Stewart] out there. Both are veteran guys. We wanted Gino [Gradkowski] to get a lot of work. He needs a lot of work in this system. Going forward it'll pay a lot of dividends for us."
(on DT Vernon Butler's play) "The one thing he does is put himself in good position. Now he's just got to finish the plays off. He'll learn that as he gets better and better. It's one of those things where he may be able to get to a certain point, but you want to see him making those plays."
(on if WR Brenton Bersin is OK) "Yes. He's got a bruise, is what I guess right now. But he'll go for X-rays or MRIs or whatever is needed."
(on showing Michael Phelps' race) "It was exciting. I was hoping that [Ryan] Lochte that they would finish one-two again. And unfortunately, they didn't. It was tremendous. What a way to finish out a career if he [Michael Phelps] really does retire. He might catch the bug in four years again. It was a very good, moment and it was a big moment for Baltimore him being the local boy."
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QB Cam Newton
(on the offenses performance on the first drive) "We came out and executed on that first drive. It was great to see some guys making plays for us. We just need to find a way to get in the end zone, but it was good to get three points out of that drive. It was great to see D.A. [Derek Anderson] go in and put up some good drives for us. We have a lot of young guys, who gained a lot of confidence. Devin Funchess had a good game and he has come a long way. He just has to stay confident. Damiere Byrd, he also needs to find a way to stay confident and I know he will be an asset for us."
(on the penalty that he was called for on the interception return) "I got too excited and the officials called me on it. I was hoping I would get away with just a warning, but we will learn from that and we won't make that kind of mistake again."
(on whether the penalty was fair or not) "I don't want to have discussions about things like that, because we are learning from that and are moving on."
(on what it was like for everyone to stop and watch Michael Phelps swim on the Ravensvision video boards) "You won't see too many athletes who would stop playing their game to watch another athlete compete. That just shows how highly everyone thinks of Michael Phelps. It is unbelievable for him to be such a phenomenon for so long. As an athlete, I think it is awesome to see his discipline. He has done the same things for so long and he never gets bored, he never lets up. He is an amazing athlete and an amazing citizen. It was really cool to watch his race tonight. I have so much respect for him."
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DE Ryan Delaire
(on returning to the Baltimore area to play after a career at Towson) "It was really great being back here. I feel like this is my second home, and the greatest thing is I got to play against my old teammate from college, Terrance West. It was great seeing him today."
(on the importance of the final result tonight) "It is all about competing for your position at this level. I know I've gotten a lot better over the last year. I'm much smarter and I've added some things to my repertoire."
(on what his first training camp has been like) "It has been really good for me. I feel like I totally belong here, and I think the coaches have confidence in me. During the offseason, I think I got so much better mentally, and I'm looking forward to the season."
CB James Bradberry
(on his play) "I felt like I played average. I didn't make any bad plays, but I didn't make any good plays. I left some plays out there that should've been made so it was an average performance."
(on being surprised by the Ravens offense) "No, not really. I still need to work on my slot technique. I didn't play a lot of that in college so I'm still working on that, but overall I feel pretty comfortable."
(on playing against another team and not his own guys) "It was fun. You get tired of practice because you keep doing the same thing over and over. You go against the same guys every day so it's fun going up against somebody different."
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LB A.J. Klein
(on his interception) "I'm pretty sure we were playing cover 2. I broke on the throw and the guy bobbled it and it kind of just landed right in my lap. I made one guy miss and Shaq [Thompson] escorted me down the field so I could just jog down the field – nothing too special about that play."
(on giving Cam [Newton] a hard time) "No, he came up and apologized, that could've possibly made the difference in the game. It's just learning a lesson for the regular season. Everybody's got to be on their game."
(on the opportunities) "The biggest thing we have about the opportunity we have right now in preseason is trying to be more consistent. I know I didn't play the greatest. I missed some tackles. Getting aligned – executing the defense is the biggest thing we're trying to get out of this preseason. We'll take it week by week, watch the film on Saturday and get the mistakes fixed and come back for next week versus Tennessee."
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WR Damiere Byrd
(on making the best of the opportunities) "I think I went out there [on] kick returns offensively, I tried to make the most on all the reps I was able to have."
(on playing another team) "It's been a long offseason, OTAs and training camp, so it's always a good time to get out there and play against another team."
(on if he thought he'd score on the kickoff returns) "Yeah, I think on both kick returns, we had great blocks, and we were able to set it up nicely. It's always just that one guy. Either way, it could've gone both ways. Coach [Ron] Rivera always says if you want to impress him, impress him on special teams; that's always a good way for young guys to really make the most of their opportunities."
(on his one-handed catch) "It was just one of those plays where you see the ball, and you just reach out with whatever hand you can. It just stuck well, I was happy about it."
RB Cameron Artis-Payne
(on the offense) "We executed well in the first drive. We just need not to shoot ourselves in the foot. We need to execute the way we're capable of. All in all, we're going to get better and we're going to move forward, just like we did last year."
(on feeling confident going into the preseason) "Of course we think we have a great team, and it's a team that's not taking anything for granted. We're coming back as hungry or more hungry than we were last year to prove ourselves. We are just going to continue to get better every day."
