Vikings Receiver Jarius Wright
Q: Tell me about that last play.
A: We had an option on that play, a pass-pass option, and Teddy [Bridgewater] did a good job of seeing what they were going to be in, and Teddy did a good job of getting me the ball. Kyle [Rudolph], Greg [Jennings], and Sully [John Sullivan] were three of the nice blocks that I saw to set up that run, and Teddy threw me a good ball and I just tried to do the rest.
Q: Did you use the old Jumbotron trick to see if you were clear?
A: Not this time. That's what got me caught last time, Jumbotron trick, so I just looked back myself and once I got out there I saw that 91 was the only one that really had a chance. I just tried to speed up a little bit, that big guy can run.
Q: Third and five, was that a check down play or was that the primary call out of the huddle?
A: It wasn't the primary call. We had another call in. Teddy silent counted and saw what they were going to be in, and we switched to the better call. I'm glad that I had the chance to be in that situation.
Q: Was that the biggest touchdown you ever caught in football?
A: You know that's number one. That's the first time I ever had not only a walk off touchdown, but I did it in OT. So I can say this is one of the happiest moments of my life and I thank God for the opportunity.
Q: Did you know right away once Teddy made the check into that call that it was a good look for you?
A: I did know it was a good look. We ran it a couple times earlier in the game, and it was one man away from being a touchdown then. The last time we ran it, I don't even remember if I made the one guy miss, but I got in open field and said in my head to myself, "I have to score."
*Q: How crucial was that Jennings block? It seemed like right as you were cutting for the ball Jennings was laying the lick on somebody. *
A: Well you know Jennings is a great blocker, and he does a great job of putting himself in the best situation to get the block. He did a great job and basically, that's the block that really set me free. Kyle did a great job of picking up the next guy, and as I broke free I saw Sully, and I said "Oh yeah, this going a long ways."
Q: What's it been like to watch Charles Johnson emerge into the role he is in?
A: It's been real good. Another receiver that came in late and everything, so just to see the strides that he's made is great and to add another guy like that to our receiving core helps us out a lot.
Q: You said you had to score. You get the ball, you see some open field, what else is going on in your head? What are you saying to yourself?
A: The whole time I'm saying "score, score". Like I said, earlier in the game I thought in my head that there's a chance to score. Then we go third and four, and I saw they had a couple guys that were kind of tight in the box like they were going to blitz. They showed us some blitz looks a couple times earlier in the game, and on third down they brought the blitz and it worked out for us.
Q: You guys have kind of been running that play all year, when did it get set up to go to you?
A: Well if you remember from the Atlanta game that was like the third game of the year, I had a chance to score and I ended up getting caught. Ever since Norv [Turner] got in we've been running it a little bit to me.
Q: What did you hear from the sideline as you were going? could you hear the guys that were hollering?
A: I didn't hear any of the guys. All I hear was the crowd stand up, and like I said in my head I just had to score.
Q: You said last time you got caught on the Jumbotron, so this time you were just looking straight ahead, saying "don't look don't look"?
A: Straight ahead, eyes were on the end zone and I wasn't stopping until I got there.
Q: How about when you got in the end zone, was the celebration planned or was that a spontaneous leap in there?
A: It was kind of a little spontaneous, I didn't know what to do. I was just happy to be able to make a play like that.
Vikings Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater
It was a great win today, the guys showed great effort. We continue to battle through adversity and show that we have a group of resilient guys here. Like I said, we continue to battle through adversity, some of it self-inflicted. Coach Zimmer is hard on us. He preaches about playing four quarters or more and today it came down to overtime. We love to finish the games in the four quarters of regulation, but our guys knew what the situation was and did a great job stepping up today.
Q: What did you see with that check and the throw to Jarius Wright?
A: I just saw that the New York Jets were going to bring an all-out blitz, so we had a check built into the play. I just saw the look and got us into the right play.
Q: Mike Zimmer just said that this is your franchise. Do you have any reaction to that?
A: This is everyone's franchise and this is the Vikings franchise and I am the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. This is as much Vladimir Ducasse's franchise, Jabari Price, you talk about Jerick McKinnon. All of us play a role and that's what makes a team great. We all play well here in Minnesota, so we are just going to look at it that way.
Q: Coach Zimmer thinks that you taking over the franchise is the next step in your development. Do you see it that way?
A: I would love to get to that stage. Like I said, I don't want to just be the guy for just a couple games or a year, I want to continue to be the guy and have a long career. I just have to continue to get better. Like I said, this is the Minnesota Vikings franchise and I'm just the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.
Q: What are you thinking once Jarius Wright gets by Sheldon Richardson and you know he's going to score?
A: I knew it was going to be a touchdown. Jarius, he's a fast guy, and surprisingly (Sheldon) Richardson for the New York Jets, he's a fast guy also to be that big. I knew that once we got the play set up it was Jarius to do the rest. The offensive line did a great job of getting out there and kicking out the defenders, Greg (Jennings) and Kyle (Rudolph) were out there also, and did a great job kicking out defenders and getting Jarius a lane to run through and eventually score.
Q: Have you changed any of your throwing mechanics to get more velocity on the ball?
A: I haven't done anything. I've just been able to make quicker decisions and it's allowing me to get the ball out much faster and play in rhythm. Each week, we've been talking about trying to get better and improving as a team entirely. Whether it's me trying to get better with my ball placement and my accuracy, or the offensive line trying to get better protection, the defense trying to get better, it's an overall team effort and we're all just trying to get better each week.
Q: Where have you seen improvements from Charles Johnson since the Chicago game?
A: Charles, he's a great route runner. He's a guy who's very patient. He's a guy who's going to continue to work hard. We've seen nothing but flashes from him ever since he's arrived here, back before we played Green Bay the first time. He's a guy who's going to continue to work hard. That entire wide receiver unit, talk about Jarius (Wright), having two wide receivers over 100 yards today, that was a huge step for our offense, but those guys as a group do a great job of pushing each other, motivating each other and just competing.
Q: Coach didn't sound like a winning coach in his press conference. Was that the tone that he presented in the locker room after the game?
A: Yes, and as a team, we are aware that it wasn't a pretty game. We had some turnovers; we left a lot of plays on the field, but at the end of the day we got the win. Like coach said, it wasn't pretty. We're going to come back tomorrow, we're going to watch the tape and try to make adjustments and improvements.
Q: Do you physically stronger now than you did at the beginning of the season?
A: I feel pretty much the same, but at the same time, our strength and conditioning staff has been doing a great job of taking care of our bodies. Our nutritional staff also plays a role in our bodies withstanding and maintaining throughout the course of the season. We have great resources around the facilities and they're doing a great job of just helping guys just remain healthy throughout the course of the year.
Q: Is it at much about not making mistakes as it is about making plays for you at this point of your rookie season?
A: I had to get rid of that mindset of not trying to make mistakes. No game is going to perfect. I just continue to go out there. Coach Scott Turner, he's a great coach; he constantly tells me, "Just have fun. Let it rip." And hearing those words every time I come on the field, every time I come on the sideline, he's right there to give me a recap of what the defense was doing. He just tells to me to go out there and let it rip, don't worry about overthinking things and trying to be perfect, because when you try to be perfect, that's when you make mistakes.
Q: Do you think you have got rid of that mindset?
A: I think so. Like I said, I've just been able to make quicker decisions. That's allowed me to think less and just get rid of the football and play faster. Q: Is it a big in-game adjustment when you lose an offensive lineman?
A: It is, but at the same time, that group of guys knows what we're asking those guys to do. You talk about, we only have two guys who are starters on that line right now with Sully (John Sullivan) and Matt Kalil, (that were week-one starters), but with the guys that were asked to step up, those guys have been doing a great job. You talk about Vlad (Ducasse), Mike Harris and Joe Berger, those guys are doing a great job of just stepping in and filling in for the injuries that we have. I'm proud of that group; I'm proud of this entire offense.
Q: What do you think has contributed to better down-field accuracy?
A: Just giving our guys a chance. Before, like I said, I tried to be perfect with ball placement. I wanted to make sure I could throw the perfect ball, whether it's an out-cut, a deep ball, or a quick-hitch. I just have to learn to lay it up there, give our guys a chance. It's either going to be a pass interference or a catch by our wide receivers. I like those chances rather than trying to be perfect and over-throwing a guy or under-throwing a guy.
Q: Can you walk us through the Charles Johnson touchdown and the route that he ran?
A: It was just a double-move route on the outside. He did a great job of setting up the route. Like I said, Charles, he's a patient receiver, so he understands what we were asking him to do. He did a great job of just setting up the route, giving me a chance and basically all I had to do is lay it out there and throw a catchable ball and he did the rest.
Q: Do you feel like this offense is transitioning more into a passing offense?
A: I think we are a multiple offense. Whatever works for us, that's what we're going to do. Today we did a great job of executing the no-huddle. Whether it's running the ball a lot in the no-huddle situation or passing the ball, I think we did a great job today. Matt (Asiata) did a great job, Joe Banyard and Ben (Tate), those guys did a great job. Talk about Jerome Felton, he doesn't get enough credit around here. I know he just scored his first-career touchdown today, but he doesn't get enough credit. He's the guy in there doing the dirty work, opening holes and taking on linebackers. This offense is pretty multiple and we're just going to continue to do whatever is working for us.
Q: What was the reason for more no-huddle?
A: We just wanted to get some tempo. We knew that the New York Jets were struggling with teams that were up-tempo, so we just wanted to come out and jump on them early.
Q: How big of a loss is it to lose Jerick McKinnon for the rest of the season?
A: Like I said, this entire season has been about overcoming adversity. That's just one more guy that we've lost this year. It's going to give other guys, like I said, Matt Asiata, Ben Tate, Joe Banyard, it's going to give those guys a chance to continue to make a name for themselves in this offense and in this league.
