49ers 37 - Colts 17: In-game player quotations

One of the interesting little preseason quirks is that the 49ers put out quotations from the various starters once they leave the game. For today's game, we had a chance to hear from CB Nate Clements, FS Dashon Goldson, DT Justin Smith, QB Alex Smith, C David Baas, and safety Reggie Smith. I'm sure we'll have more quotations as the day passes and I'll get those added in a bit later.

Andrew Davidson will have the recap up shortly but I thought folks might like to see what some of the players had to say. Not always the most insightful of comments, but it provides some perspective on the players thoughts on the game, especially this first preseason game. And at the very least it will be better than the cliches the Colts announcers were throwing out on the NFL Network. Any time they spoke about the 49ers, it was like they had the book of cliches that we've heard a million times.

As for me, I'll start getting my thoughts up on the game first thing tomorrow morning. A lot of good, certainly some bad, but all in all a step forward in a lot of areas.

CB Nate Clements
August 15, 2010
San Francisco 49ers - In-Game Quotes

On how it felt to get back on the field:

"I was definitely anxious and excited about being back on the field, but most importantly, I was focused on doing my job right, just being fundamentally sound and going out there and doing what I love to do."

On his comfort level:

"I'm very comfortable when I'm out on the field, so that wasn't an issue. I just want to be consistent and take care of all my responsibilities."

On how the defensive unit has played so far:

"I think they tried to trick us on the first series with the substitution. Other than that, I think we played pretty solid, but there is always room for improvement."

On whether this is a good base to build from:

"Yes, it's the first preseason game so we had an opportunity to see where we stand as far as training camp with all the practices and installation. We had a chance to put it all together today."

On his forced fumble:

"That's something that I do. I saw the ball and I was able to punch it out, but unfortunately it went out of bounds."

S Dashon Goldson
August 15, 2010
San Francisco 49ers - In-Game Quotes

On how it feels to play a game again and shake the rust off:

"It feels real good to knock the pads with somebody else. For a couple weeks now, we've only seen our offense all the time. But, it was good to see another opponent and get a taste of what's going to come up this season."

On some of the looks he's seen out there and if he's comfortable:

"I was pretty relaxed. We need to tighten up on little things. We've got to get used to the hurry-up offense again. We knew coming into the game they were going to give us a lot of no-huddle. That's something they do, but we've got to match the intensity and what they've got going."

On whether he's excited to see the younger guys get some playtime:

"I'm very excited. When we're at training camp, it's hard to see what you've got because we're not live. The lights are on now and a lot of guys have to prove themselves."

DT Justin Smith
August 15, 2010
San Francisco 49ers - In-Game Quotes

On how it feels to play a game again and shake the rust off:

"It was good getting out there and getting back around. It felt pretty good stopping them in the red zone. They got rolling a little bit there in the second, but we feel good and had good communication."

On whether the defense was comfortable:

"We felt okay. There are definitely some things we've got to work through on film and getting our communication down. I think we had one or two communication errors with the hurry-up offense. That's good to get in now and not have in the season."

On facing the no-huddle offense:

"You've got one of the best ever to do it, I think, running no-huddle on you. He did work. It was good."

QB Alex Smith
August 15, 2010
San Francisco 49ers - In-Game Quotes

On how it feels to play a game again:

"To tell you the truth, I felt really good. I felt like I saw things well, was moving well, just a matter of putting things together, I think that showed, finishing plays,"

On his assessment of his play:

"As far as how I feel, I felt good. On paper, QB rating and things like that, tipped ball for a pick doesn't go over very well. I felt good, but we didn't get done. The thing I think hurt us was obviously starting with the fumble then going three-and-out. That was tough. We need to start faster than that. It was one of our deals last year and we can't continue that this year."

On the performance of the offensive line:

"They're battling. It's hard to tell at this point. I think we'll look at the film."

On the pass to TE Vernon Davis that fell incomplete:

"We were both thinking the same thing right there, touchdown, and he set the safety a little bit and I wasn't expecting it and turned the ball loose. That's just the game though. If you're a foot off, two feet off, that's the difference between touchdowns and incompletions or picks. You've got to be on it. It's something we'll get ironed out."

On things to improve upon for next week:

"Ball security is number one, the fumble on the first play and then having a pick. Then just moving the chains. I don't think you need to set any standards as far as things to go, but I think you want to look sharp out here. You want to be crisp, you want to make good decisions, see things well. As a team, as a whole, I think everybody needs to do that and move the ball a little bit."

On whether it the most comfortable he's felt entering the first game:

"I felt good, I felt really good out there. Like I said, I saw everything; I was getting rid of the ball. For a couple of reasons, me and some of the receivers are off a little bit, just not finishing passes. I've got to get that ironed out."

C David Baas
August 15, 2010
San Francisco 49ers - In-Game Quotes

On how it feels to play a game again:

"It felt pretty good. I thought I was making the calls well and we were on the same page for the most part. We started out sloppy. We can't put the ball on the ground, of course, and you can't be having foolish penalties like jumping offsides. We had some good protection in the first quarter. When we get down in the red zone, we've got to do a better job. We had some miscommunications. We've got to sure that up and score when we're in the red zone. There's no excuse for not scoring while we're down there."

On whether he was surprised by anything:

"No, that comes in the preparation. I'm sure there are a few things that we've got to clean up, but we're going to just keep working."

On the performance of the rookies:

"They're getting better and it's something they've got to keep working on. It was their first game and we all have to improve. They've just got to keep working, keep practicing and working together as an offensive unit. We'll just keep getting better."

S Reggie Smith
August 15, 2010
San Francisco 49ers - In-Game Quotes

On whether it felt better to break up a touchdown or his interception return for a touchdown:

"Probably the return for a touchdown. I've never scored in the NFL, so it felt good to get that first one under my belt."

On whether he saw the reaction from his teammates:

"No, I really didn't. I was focused on getting to the end zone. I saw one of their guys out of the corner of my eye and I kept thinking, don't get caught, don't get caught."