What the players were talking about after the game . . .

Sporting all-new outfits for the 2010 season, the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders gather for a group photo for fans on the sidelines during a timeout against the Arizona Cardinals. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Here’s what the players were talking about after the game.

TYSON CLABO, right tackle

ON SNELLING: “He starts for a lot of teams. We don’t feel like there is a drop off at all. He’s an outstanding tailback.”

JASON SNELLING, running back

ON BEING READY: “You have to prepare like you’re going to be the starter, otherwise you are selling yourself short.”

BIG WIN?: “It meant a lot. Getting a win and defending the Dome. It was important with us going into New Orleans next week. We needed to get this win after a tough loss last week. We bounced back and played Falcon football.”

ON BIG HOLES: “In the NFL, holes are not too big. But they were pushing the line of scrimmage, they were pushing guys back and there were creases. When you get a crease from a lineman, the running back has to do the rest.”

ON STATEMENT GAME: “We definitely made a statement. We just got back to the little things. Holding on to blocks, blocking down field and protecting our quarterback. We put everything together. It just shows that when we do that, we can be an explosive offense.”

OVIE MUGHELLI, fullback

ON HIS 5 CARRIES: “I have film of me from back in high school, showing that it can be done with me lining up seven yards behind the ball.”

Tony Gonzalez Day" - Atlanta Falcons team owner Arthur Blank honors tight end Tony Gonzalez with a pregame ceremony commemorating his 1,000th catch at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com

ON THE RUN GAME: “We took it personally. . . We heard people talking about ‘What’s wrong with Mike? What’s wrong with the running game? Are the Falcons going to be able to run the ball like they use to?’ We knew that we could. We just wanted to show everybody else that we could.”

ON SNELLING: “Jason is a heck of a player. I’ve been saying that since his rookie year. Somebody said that he might hold out for a new contract before the next game. We might have a grievance on our hands. Jason is one heck of a back.”

CURTIS LOFTON, middle linebacker

ON THIRD DOWNS: “What we are doing is mixing up our coverages and blitzes. We are going a great job of disguising it. We are hitting them with speed and intensity.”

ON DEREK ANDERSON: “Whenever you are hitting the quarterback he’s going to get uncomfortable and guys are in position to make plays. You saw him, I thought he was really uncomfortable.”

DUNTA ROBINSON, cornerback

ON FITZGERALD: “Fitzgerald is never one of those guys who complains. He just keeps on playing. He just keeps playing hard. I think that’s why he’s as good as he is.”

ON THE SAINTS: “Now, New Orleans in the most important thing to us. We’ll have to prepare. We are facing the Super Bowl champions.”

RODDY WHITE, wide receiver

ON THE SAINTS: “We are going to be a confident football team going into to New Orleans.”

BRIAN FINNERAN, wide receiver

ON HIS TOUCHDOWN: “I felt great. Matt did a good job in trusting in me. When the play started I was questioning whether he was going to throw it up because there was a safety shading my side and the corner was off in coverage. The safety kind of bailed into the middle and he threw it up and gave me a chance to make a play. Hopefully, we can do that some more down the road. It felt great to get back in the endzone.”

ON THE RUN GAME: “We wanted to kind of shove the running game down their throats a little bit and see what we come away with in the passing game.”

WILLIAM MOORE, safety

ON HIS FIRST START: “It feels good. Unfortunately I had to go through the setbacks of being injured. I have to take that and use that as motivation and not get back to that point and take care of myself.”

ON THE 80-YARD RUN: “We have to eliminate those big plays. No defense is going to be perfect. We have to learn from those two big plays. Luckily we rebounded for that one today.”

TODD MCCLURE, center

ON BLOCKING: “It was just a mindset. A lot of people after that game last week, kind of doubted us and didn’t know if we had it anymore. We played with that little chip on our shoulders. It’s something that we have to do week-in and week-out. If we can run the ball that would take the pressure off of Matt. I think we had really good balance on offense today.”

00919 Atlanta - SNELLING TOUCHDOWN - Atlanta Falcons running back Jason Snelling runs through a tackle attempt by Arizona Cardinals cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for the first of his two touchdowns during 2nd quarter action for a 17-7 lead at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

ON SNELLING: “I’d hate to be a defensive guy late in the game and see 44 coming at me with the ball, knowing that you have to stick your head in there and try to take him down. You saw a few times where there were four and five guys trying to bring him down and he was still pumping.”

TONY GONZALEZ, tight end

ON THE SAINTS: “It’s going to be real tough next week going in to see the World Champions, the Saints. Hopefully we can carry over what we did today to the game next week.”

ON THE PRE-GAME CEREMONY: “It was great. I almost started crying. Just having my whole family here, they’ve been there for me from the beginning. I was able to have my son her and my wife down on the field. It was just a great moment and I’m thankful for the organization to acknowledge me like that. I’m just humbled by it. It was great.”

ON THE OFFENSE: “I think we have to build on it. That’s a good defense. They have some great players. (Darnell) Dockett, (Adrian) Wilson, there are some good players on that side of the ball. For what we did today, we have to take it in stride and we have to realize that it’s not always going to be like that. We definitely have to take some confidence from it and build on it. The (offensive) line deserves a lot of credit for coming out here and playing with a chip on their shoulders.”

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