ChicagoBears.com takes you inside the locker room with quotes from Coach Trestman and Bears players following Sunday's game.
Coach Trestman
"When I left the team, I basically told them that I was really proud of the way that they played and as hard as they played. But we didn't play our best game today and that tomorrow we were going to get in a meeting room and we were going to do everything we could as coaches to tell them exactly what we did well and what we didn't, the ways the things we can do to get better. For our offense today and for our team, it was really a day of missed opportunities. We had a touchdown pass that was dropped in the red zone that led to a field goal, so we lost four points there. We had a hold on a touchdown in the red zone that took us back again. They kicked a field goal, again. Our defense made the stop that was another four points. Then we had the interception at the end of the half, which would have taken three points off the board as well. There's 11 points right there. I thought our defense, after the first drive, did some things to make Stafford go the long way and they did. We tried to get some help on Calvin [Johnson] during the course of the game and just didn't get it done, as well. Regarding Jay, he came out at half, his ankle injury was unrelated to his groin. He was rolled up on, in the second quarter. They taped him up at halftime, and they said he was good to go and he got back in there and he worked at it. I thought he made some plays along the way in the third quarter, into the fourth quarter. That showed he wanted to be in there. We talked about it on the sideline. I didn't want to take him out unless he felt he couldn't do the job. He had, I thought, a very courageous performance throughout. And then at the end I took him out because I knew he would have to run around in the 2-minuite drill and that's when we decided to put Josh [McCown] in the game. So, I thought I would finish off here by going off that line of reasoning."
On when he made the decision or defered to Jay about coming out
"The first is just the trainers. The trainers felt he was good to go and that there wouldn't be a situation where he could hurt himself any more and that would be number one. So, the discussions we had were that. Jay's feelings were mostly his ability, his mobility. We took his movements out of the game-plan. This happens during the course of seasons with quarterbacks, we all know that, we've been a part of that. I would not have wanted to have him in there if I thought, or our trainers thought, he could hurt himself anymore. So, that wasn't the issue."
On the third-and-eleven play and Jay's inability to scramble
"That's a great question, Sal. That's the cost-benefit analysis reasoning you make when you have your quarterback in there who's limited with his mobility. We elected to keep him in the game and that's the price we paid for his inability to make the run at that time. He also was the guy we felt could be back there to make the throw, at the right time, at the right place, if he had the opportunity as well."
On the plays Jay made to justify his staying in the game
"I thought he made a great throw to Alshon Jeffrey over the middle in the red zone that should've been caught. I think Alshon would tell you that. I'm not saying anything I think he wouldn't say. He made a great play to throw the ball to Alshon in the corner of the end zone, as well. It was decided, through review, it was incomplete. I thought he stepped up and made some plays. I'll look at the tape and see what the tape shows. I may come back tomorrow and say I made a mistake, I should have taken him out earlier. But, at the time, I don't think that the decision was made to keep him in there and let him fight with his football team. To play, and...here we are. That's the result."
On whether Jay resisted coming out at the end of the game
"Not at all. He knew. He knew that, he talked about it. We had talked about it that we knew we had to run around. There was no resistance at all. He was not in a position to move around like Josh did at that point in time."
On the two point conversion plays
"These plays were decided long in advance. We got what we wanted on the first one. We got man-to-man coverage out there. Matt [Forte] was covered by a linebacker and Alshon by a defensive back or safety – I couldn't see the number back there, but I'm anticipating it was a safety. We didn't get that done. The second play was also part of our two-point package. We had a run-pass option. The defense gave us the run, we just didn't block it. We just didn't execute. With our football today, we didn't execute today, offensively, like we needed to, particularly in the running game. We just didn't get it done. Matt had 17 carries today. He had a tough game. A very, very, minimal production in our run game. We'll look at that. We take accountability for that. I do, certainly, in terms of not getting it done as a football team, certainly, on the offensive side of the ball. That minimal running game really put our quarterbacks at risk today, because we had to throw the ball more than we would have like to against one of the best pass rushes in the league. These guys played very, very hard defensively and they hit us more than we've been hit. I'll know more tomorrow, but it appeared to be more than we've been hit during course of the season. We're not alone, teams get hit like that when they play the Detroit Lions. We couldn't counteract with enough of a balance in our running game to minimize the pass rush today. That's how I saw it from the sideline."
On the importance of a mobile QB at the end of the game
"Well, I think that you've got to run around and make some plays. That's the reason. It's not relative to...you always want your quarterback to be mobile, but at the end of the day, I don't know...at that point in time, I don't know that Jay could have gotten it done with the things that would have to be done in the last two minutes of the game."
On whether Jay's groin injury bothered him
"No. No, he never talked about the groin at all. There never was any sense he was inhibited by his groin today."
On adjusting the game-plan (taking out QB movement)
"We took it out of the game-plan once he [Jay Cutler] got rolled on."
On going for it in the first half
"It's early. We're coming off a game where the Lions put up 500 yards and they went down the field on the first series and scored. So, that possession became critically important. The field position was such that, if we don't get it they have to go the long field and we've eliminated a kick-off. So that was part of it. Early in the game, after seeing what we saw on the first drive...it has nothing to with lack of faith in the defense or anything like that. It's just that possession became very, very important, relevant to start of the football game. Again, we're trying to make decisions in the best interest of the team at the time we thought it was and we didn't get it done."
On the execution of the fourth down play in the first half
"We obviously didn't get it done. We didn't get it blocked properly. Obviously, we got hit in the backfield. We didn't get it done. I can't say anymore at this time."
On the state of Jay's injured ankle
"I don't know right now. We'll know more tomorrow. It was negative in terms of any, any issues that were substantial. It was negative and we'll see tomorrow where he's at."
QB Jay Cutler
On how he felt like ankle injury affected him
"I just didn't feel like I made some of the throws I wanted to make. Couldn't move around, couldn't be as mobile. As the game went on, towards those last drives, I tried to step up, normally I want to run out of there, couldn't do it. I missed the throw to Alshon [Jeffery]. It just kind of limited us."
On reaction to being pulled
"We had talked since it happened during the entire game. We were monitoring it. It wasn't something that I was surprised by. Obviously I didn't want to put Josh [McCown] in that position, I wanted to finish the game when we've come that far. The best option for the team was to put Josh in, especially with the situation with them dropping, playing cover two, you're going to have to move a little bit and I just wasn't able to do it."
On if groin was a problem at all
"It held up O.K. It's all in the same leg. I think that was a problem. But with the groin, if you take the ankle out of the equation, I would have been fine I think."
On how much he appreciated Trestman's trust
"It meant a lot. I just asked him at one point, 'Do I looked ok and am I still getting it done?' because I felt really restricted in the pocket with what I was able to do. [The ball] wasn't getting out as quick. Some of my throws didn't have as much hum as I wanted. I knew Josh was ready to go and I just didn't want to get to the point where I was hurting us more than I was helping us."
On the touchdown pass to Jeffery that was overturned
"That's tough. You're going to win some, you're going to lose some. I think it was a great effort. Kind of got punched out of there at the last moment. It is what it is."
On overall play of offense
"Played well. Guys fought hard. The offensive line played well against a really good front. I think we just missed a few opportunities we'd like to get back. A couple red zone opportunities, a penalty down there. Just some chances that we messed up on."
On why it was so difficult to run
"We like the passing game a lot. We were moving the ball well through the air. The guys were pass protecting well. When we did run, we were getting into some second-and-longs and some third-and-longs. We were getting some runs to the outside, it's just hard to run against those guys in the middle."
On the interception in the end zone
"Watch the film. It is what it is. Single high coverage, we had a great window there and it got tipped so you can be the judge."
On the offensive line knowing he was hurt
"I talked to them coming into it. They knew I wasn't going to be able to move around like I normally could. When my ankle went down, we were even more restricted there. And those guys kept fighting for me. More than anything, I wanted to stay in there for those guys with the way they were playing all day."
On if there was a late hit by Nick Fairley
"It's chippy out there. With those guys, a division game, it's going to have a few flair ups after the whistle and stuff but I those guys showed a lot of class on their side and handled it well. We tried to handle it well, as well."
On if he knows whether or not he can play next week
"No, we will see tomorrow when I wake up. We'll go from there."
On playing after halftime
"We taped it up and it was stiff, but I felt like I could go as long as I kept some movement in it. It got worse and worse as we went on."
On if he had an x-ray on the ankle
"We just had an x-ray and I'm walking."
On if Brandon Marshall was talking to him during the game
"All those guys were. They all had my back. It's a very close knit group on offense. That's a good thing. It's helping us get to where we want to be. We obviously aren't there yet but we're building on things, and we're getting better and better each week."
On if it's frustrating to work back from the groin injury only to hurt the ankle
"Of all things. If anything, I thought coming into this I might aggravate my groin a little bit. We'd have to fight through that. I never thought I would roll my ankle on the same side and have to fight through that, and that would ultimately be the one that would knock me out of this game. It's football. It is what it is. We only get 16 games so I'm just going to try to get back as fast as you can."
On if he can play next Sunday
"I don't know. We will see tomorrow, see how I feel and go from there."
On if he felt they were trying to knock him out of the game or if it was normal football play
"Normal football. I threw the ball a lot so - it's a really good front. It is what it is. They have some really good players up there and they're going to get to the quarterback from time to time. I thought the guys fought hard in front of me."
On outlook on division
"It's tough. We have to get some help, obviously. A lot of football left to play though. We can't worry about them. We've been in situations before so we just have to take care of ourselves and see how =it plays out."
WR Brandon Marshall
On if the Bears were better with Jay Cutler
"I think we made the best decision. You saw that drive right before Josh (McCown) came in. He couldn't move and throwing balls into the grounds. [He was] misfiring a little bit. Hats off to Josh coming in and really leading us. He scared me a little bit with that first ball he threw five yards short in the ground. Josh McCown stepped up again. We just didn't have enough time today."
On if Cutler could have made the pass at the end
"He wouldn't have been able to make that. Hopefully he'll be healthy enough to go. I think he will be. Dealing with those muscles is tough. It's hit or miss. Just for him to be able to be out there today was a blessing. That was a bonus for us to have him for the time we had him. Hopefully he can continue with the rehab and be stronger next week and last a little longer."
On if Josh McCown should have entered sooner
"No. We had a discussion on the sideline. Jay was fighting to the end."
On the two-point conversion
"That was our game plan when we installed it on Wednesday. It was one of those things where our coaching staff does a great job of walking us through the game before we get to the field. We understood what we would run. I even talked to the guys when we were coming out. I said, 'Hey, we've got lots of time. We're going to score. We'll go for two.' We understood the magnitude of the situation. We understood what we were going to do when we got down there. Detroit, man, played their butts off. They are getting better defensively. You got to give them credit, but [you] can't give them too much. They say Packers and Bears. I got a nasty taste in my mouth with these guys. These guys are difficult to deal with. Fortunately, we'll have to wait a couple more weeks to see them in the playoffs."
On the effectiveness of Josh McCown
"Very, very. Josh doesn't have a 'C' on his chest, but he's definitely one of our captains. He's one of our emotional leaders. He gets practice going as the backup. Now, he takes mental reps every single play behind Jay, mimicking what's going on. [He's] going through his reads. He prepares. He's one of the first guy's there, and the last one to leave. Josh doesn't leave until 7-7:30, sometimes even later. He's a special guy; A godly man. A guy I really look up to. I am glad to be behind him when he believes in us."
On the amount of practice for McCown
"None. Jay took all the reps. I think Josh ran the scout team. I'm not 100 percent, but I believe Jay took all the reps."
On scoring on the team's first possession
"It doesn't matter if we play against the Lions, Packers, it doesn't matter our opponent in the division, it is going to be a game like this. It's going to go down to the last drive. [It] came down to the last drive. We didn't get the job done. They came with it today. They beat us on our hallowed ground. Fortunately, we'll see them in the playoffs."
On talking to Alshon Jeffery after touchdown wiped out
"It was the right call. Just for Alshon to get his hands on that ball. [He] had the body control to get it down. That kid is special. He's awesome. We thought it was touchdown. Once, we saw the replay, we put our heads down and said 'Okay, we'll kick the field goal and go on another drive.'"
On Cutler's decision to come out
"There was discussion there. Jay was hurting from the second quarter, actually from the second drive, I believe. I was just encouraging him and thanking him for laying it out there for us. He's definitely a team guy. [He's] one of our leaders. What he did was special. Hopefully he can continue to rehab and get stronger."
On what Cutler was doing better than McCown
"Let me say it like this. There's not a lot of Jay Cutlers walking the streets. I'm talking everybody. I don't care how great Josh McCown does. He's awesome. I'm glad we have him as our number two. I don't think you can have a better number two, but Jay Cutler is our quarterback. No one can lead our team better than he can. Jay 80 percent is better than a lot of guys at 100 percent in the NFL. He was able to move around the pocket. He was clean. Checking the ball down. Put us in the right position. He was special. On the touchdown he threw to me, that was all him. I wasn't even supposed to be there. He threw me open. The kid is special. Once he gets back to 100 percent, we'll continue to roll."
On extra motivation facing Calvin Johnson
"I approach every game the same. Actually there are times when emotions can get riled up: Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, the defensive back on the other [side of the ball] trash-talking. I don't hang from the rafters when things are going good or put your head down when things are bad. I try to keep a balanced head. Actually before the game, me and 51 (Dominic Raiola) got into it a little bit. I had to tell myself that's not my game. Keep your cool. We didn't get it done. [I] don't like the Detroit Lions. Really don't like them. Sure there are some good people in Detroit, but as far as their football team, I can't wait to see them in the playoffs."
QB Josh McCown
On the thought process on the second two-point try "We had a couple options there. We had rules we were going off of and a number count that we were looking for in the run game. We felt like we had that. Stuff we had worked on in practice all week. Felt like we had it. Just didn't get it executed well. Hats off to them. They made a play on that play."
On the touchdown to Brandon Marshall
"We had a play going on to the right. Try to get Martellus the ball. [I] had to move in the pocket. They did a good job rushing the passer today. So, I had to move. As usual, Brandon stayed alive, stays ready. That's a product of him and Jay and how they work together. I was able to see him flash and try and put up a ball where only he could get it. He went up and made an outstanding play."
On Jay Cutler coming to him during the game
"We were all in the conversation together. First of all, I am so dang proud of him. I know how bad he was hurting. To keep himself out there and keep battling, it just speaks to his toughness. After he got rolled up [on], every series we were checking in, 'How you doing? How's it feel?' Kind of processing it."
On the first two-point attempt
"It was a shifting move and try and catch them in a shift, hitting a sprint out quick to Matt (Forte), and they covered it well. At that point, [I was just trying to] find someone to get the ball to, and they got there fast. Thankfully we got a penalty there and were able to get another crack at it."
S Chris Conte
On the defense's improvement since the first meeting with Detroit
"We just got back to fundamentals. We knew we didn't play [well] the last time we came out and played against them. We just wanted to improve on that and I thought we had a good game plan and good energy on defense today."
On what he saw on his interception
"Just a cover-2, reading the quarterback. He put the ball up and I just went up and got it. But I need to score on that, because I think we got a field goal out of that offensive drive. So I need to help out the offense and score there."
On going up against Calvin Johnson
"He is one of the best receivers in the league. He is always going to pose a threat and always going to get his plays."
On the disappointment of losing a big divisional contest
"It always hurts a lot to lose, but I think there are things that we can take out of this game that are encouraging and we can see that we can be a really good team. But we just have to go back and go to practice and watch film and improve on some little things and get better."
On what allowed them to disrupt Matthew Stafford's rhythm
"I think it is that guys are gelling together, guys are playing better than we have in the past. We have a lot of young guys and they are improving and getting better each week. I think you can tell that we are starting to come together a little bit."
Matt Forte, RB
On Cutler's performance
"He did a great job. He came out guns blazing. He was throwing the ball up and down the field. Brandon came out and caught, I think, the first four catches down the field and we came out and scored on the first drive. We had momentum doing that and I think in the second half, we just didn't keep the ball long enough to keep their offense off the field."
On what it says about Cutler that he stayed in the game after hurting his ankle
"It says he is the same person he has been since he's been here. A competitor and a tough quarterback."
On whether the 2-point conversion call should have been a pass
"It is easy to say that now, after the fact. If we would have thrown the ball and missed it, it would have been, 'Should we have run it?'"
Roberto Garza, C
On Cutler being banged up
"Obviously, you could see that he was limping and wasn't 100 percent. But you couldn't tell once the ball was snapped. He was playing at a high level and what an incredible job he did keeping us in this game and making some tough throws. Obviously, we have to keep him upright. We let him get hit way too much and we have to do a better job than that."
On Cutler's determination to stay in the game
"It is nothing that we are not used to. That guy is an incredible competitor and he wants to be out there leading us. He did a great job of staying in the game and competing and making some big plays and giving us a chance to win."
On the challenges of getting the running game going against the Lions
"We just have to finish our blocks and use better techniques. They are a good front and we just didn't do a good job today."
On whether there was a point where he noticed Cutler seemed banged up
"He was still making those throws throughout the entire game. Hurt or not hurt, just a credit to how tough he is and what kind of player he is. Once he felt he couldn't do it, that is when Josh [McCown] stepped in and did a hell of a job of leading that two-minute charge and getting us in the endzone."
On McCown coming in off the bench and playing well in 4th quarter
"We know what Josh can do. He has proven it year-in, year-out. Obviously, last week was a testament to what his preparation is, and we just got another sample of Josh's ability to lead this team and step in to situations like that."
Alshon Jeffery, WR
On his TD catch that was reversed
"I thought I had it, but at the end, I knew I had bobbled it. I mean, sometimes you win them, sometimes you don't."
On whether he thought he made the catch
"When I came to the sideline, I told them, 'I don't know about this one.' I wasn't sure if I caught that one."
On the missed opportunities
"We kind of beat ourselves. We had a lot of miscues. We kind of just beat ourselves."
