Tampa
Bay Buccaneers
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QUOTES FROM WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 4, 2002
HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN
(on heading into the regular season)
"We just hope we improve our execution. That's the big thing. The
complexities and all the things that we want to do strategically are beside
the point, really. We want to win this game and we want to improve our
play in all three phases. We obviously want to win our home games and
start this season off right. I'm excited. I think our team's excited.
We have a lot to prove, obviously. We've got a long way to go to get to
where we want to go. We've worked hard to get there, and this Sunday's
going to give us a real clear indication as to where we are. We're fired
up about this opportunity. We're excited to play with the guys that we
plan on playing with for the rest of the season, that's the big thing.
A lot of the training-camp competitive battles are over now. Now it's
a matter of suiting up the right number of guys to do the right things
and win the football game. We're very excited to see where we are with
the 53 men we've selected."
(on WR Reggie Barlow)
"Barlow is a versatile guy from the standpoint he can return punts
and kicks. I think his resume speaks clearly that he can do those two
things. He returned a punt for a touchdown this preseason, so he's got
home run ability. He's got a very good understanding of what we want done
as a receiver, so he'll be a quick study and he'll be ready to go.
(on the starter at right tackle)
"Right now we're starting Cornell Green at right tackle and we're
going to continue to work with Kenyatta (Walker). Nobody's giving up on
him. We just want to make sure he gets himself ready to play the right
way, and when he does he'll play. But at this time, we think Cornell Green
gives us the best chance to win."
(on the nature of Kenyatta Walker's struggles)
"It's based on overall performances. We've had some penalties –
five penalties at the right tackle position in the last 54 snaps. We have
had a couple of breakdowns over there, physical breakdowns. Some uncertainty
over there. His timing, his sets aren't ready to go yet. When they are,
we hope to see the real Kenyatta Walker. He's a young guy. He's getting
acclimated to the right tackle position and we're going to continue to
work with him. Hopefully, he can resolve the difficulties that he's had
here in the last couple weeks."
(on what Walker needs to do to start on Sunday)
"Well, he's got to really pick it up. He's got to really pick it
up out here tomorrow and he's got to be mistake-free. At the same time,
Cornell Green has to let up. Cornell Green isn't going to back down, now.
He's got to beat Cornell Green out. I think Cornell Green is a guy that,
although he's a bit obscure in terms of the NFL circle, this is a guy
who's been waiting, working, and is anxious to show he can play in the
NFL. (Walker) has got to out-work Cornell Green, he's got to out-perform
him, and he's got to do it on the practice field, as well."
(on whether the status of the offensive line will affect play-calling
on Sunday)
"The status of the offensive line always impacts play selection.
If we're coming off the ball and we’re thumping pretty good, obviously
you have a lot more things that you can do. Absolutely. They're going
to be the winning edge for us from an offensive standpoint, without doubt.
How well they play will ultimately determine how well you do in the National
Football League. I don't think that's any secret to anyone."
(on New Orleans)
"We're facing a very complex defensive scheme. We're facing an offense
that has tremendous skill-position receivers. They've got (Donte') Stallworth
and (Joe) Horn, two guys that can really run. (Deuce) McAllister's a guy
that lines up in any eligible position, and Aaron Brooks is a guy that
keeps you alive. So they're very dangerous on both sides of the ball.
They've added Grady Jackson to go with Norman Hand. They've got a very
big, massive inside part of their defense with Sammy Knight as a real
good internal defender, and they've got a really diverse scheme. So it
will be a challenge for us in all phases."
(on winning the first game)
"I'm not a real deep, philosophical guy. This is a short term business;
it's a 'what-have-you-done-lately' type of league. It's a long season.
You just keep your square on the bullseye, get one at a time. It's not
where you line up, it's where you wind up. I think this football team
understands that. We have to play better in September as an organization,
and we certainly want to play well at home against division foes."
(on Cosey Coleman)
"Cosey played on the practice field. Most of the reps he took where
with the scout team. He got his first extended practice in pads in quite
some time. I think he's moving around pretty good. His status right now
for the game is questionable, at best."
(on other injuries)
"Buck Gurley, we'll keep him as questionable. That means he might
play, he might not. (Jameel) Cook) practiced today. We expect to have
Jameel but we'll keep him as questionable. You never know how these guys
feel the day after a long practice in pads, but we think he moved around
good and we expect him to play."
(on being fired up for the home debut)
"The emotion really is something that you've got to put aside, know
what I mean? This is about calculated business now. It's about doing the
detail things that win football games, covering kicks, being precise in
terms of your blitz pick-up, good distribution in the passing game, good
decision-making, protecting the ball – all those types of things.
The players will be emotional, they can't help themselves. I know we're
all excited. At the same time, we need to zoom in and really execute to
win this football game."
(on whether he's seen his Sports Illustrated cover yet)
"No, I haven't. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews and I'm a little
embarrassed about it. I think Warren looked good."
(on what the players have said to him about the cover)
They're not saying much. I think this team right now is in the midst of
game-planning and getting ready to play a critical football game. That's
just a sidebar that means absolutely nothing at this time."
(on the Saints putting a lot of faith in Deuce McAllister)
"You can see why. He's a first-round draft pick. He's a great receiver.
They can line him up in any eligible position and he's functional. He
can run all kinds of routes as a receiver. He comes out of the backfield
with authority as a receiver. He's a good inside-outside runner and he's
a very quick and elusive guy. And he's bulked up. He looks a lot bigger
to me. You're going to have to gang-tackle this guy to have success against
him when he runs the ball."
QB BRAD JOHNSON
(on the New Orleans Saints defense)
They have a very good defense. They went to a new defensive coordinator
this year and I think they played pretty base in the preseason. We're
actually kind of going back in film over the last year or two to see the
different kinds of blitzes and different kinds of fronts that they've
presented before. I don't really think they showed a whole lot this preseason,
so that will be interesting in terms of the first game, how much they
held back and how much we held back. Again, it comes downs to turnovers
and penalties, and just making plays.
(on the Buccaneers offense)
The tempo picks up quite a bit. The attention to detail is the biggest
part of it. Obviously, the physical work is going to be done – (the
first team) will take 90 to 95 percent of the reps this week. The game
plan as far as what they're doing, certain checks that we want to get
to, that's the biggest difference this week. We're just kind of zoning
in and we'll come out with a blaze.
(on the first game of the season)
Every game is special, but starting the season you want to come out and
find a way to win. Hopefully, you can get off to a great start individually.
You only get one first game each year and that's the great thing about
it. It doesn't matter what you did two years ago, it doesn't matter what
you did last year, good or bad. It's a new beginning.
(on opening your schedule with a division opponent)
You obviously want to win your games at home, you want to win your division
games. It's a huge game from that standpoint. Regardless, they're all
big, but being a division game, come December, come January that could
come into play.
(on this week’s practice)
We'll probably have to hydrate a little bit more this week. It's going
to be a hot day. From a physical standpoint, it's going to be a little
bit more. But we've had enough work in all the mini-camps and training
camps, and I think we played the right amount of snaps in the preseason.
We stayed healthy for the most part. We lost our right guard, but otherwise
we're pretty healthy and ready to go.
(on last year’s 48-21 win over the Saints)
It was a good day. What really started that day off was our special teams.
Aaron Stecker ran the ball to the 15-yard line and we score on the next
play, get a turnover and score again. If you can ever get a turnover and
get great field position from the beginning, sometimes you can blow someone
out. Don't expect that kind of game. I think they kind of struggled at
the end of last year, but it's a new beginning for both teams who want
to come out with a bang.
(on eliminating the penalties and mistakes)
Any time you have a penalty, it's going to kill your drive, whether it's
a five-yard penalty or a 15-yard penalty. It's too hard to recover in
this league. First downs are too hard to get in this league, let alone
make a drive for a touchdown. We've got to eliminate the mistakes and
hopefully we can learn from them.
You don't hold anything back, so hopefully everything works. I think
we're prepared. The detail to certain players and certain protections
are that much more vital this week. Any mistake can cost you a ballgame.
So we're going to be sharp right from the get-go.
WR KEYSHAWN JOHNSON
(on not playing the much in the preseason)
“I’m not worrying about it. The same thing you do at practice,
you should do at the game.
(on getting more reps)
You get plenty of reps, especially now. You don’t have 20 receivers,
you only have six of us. We will probably play 25 percent of the time,
but probably at the end of the week you will probably play about two games.
So, you actually get plenty of reps. What you do in practice, you should
do in the game. Whatever happened in practice, is probably going to happen
in the game.”
(on the Buccaneers offense)
“I think will be o.k. I think we are going in the right direction.
This is the way he coaches. Some coaches put out their whole package,
because they will see it anyway in Game 1, 2, 3 or 4. Other coaches say
we are going to show them one play. We are going to run go routes the
whole preseason.”
WR REGGIE BARLOW
(on joining the Buccaneers and being familiar with Coach Gruden’s
offense)
“One of the positives is that I got the playbook and it is the same
thing that we were working on in Oakland and the terminology is still
the same. Of course, there are a couple of tweaks here and there that
they changed once they left out of Oakland, but I know the plays and the
terminology, so now it is just a matter of learning the quarterbacks and
the special teams guys.”
(on coming to Bucs)
“I thought this was a chance to go to the playoffs. That was one
reason. Another reason was Coach Gruden. I'm familiar with him and with
the offensive scheme. I was out in Oakland with him, and I felt like I
could come here and I wouldn't really have to learn a new system. Sometimes,
learning a new system can take three to four weeks.”
(on returning kicks)
“ He didn't really indicate either way. He knows that I have those,
as he said, 'clubs in my bag.' He knows I can run punts and kicks. In
whatever fashion he needs me to be here, whether it's at receiver, running
punts, running kickoffs, I'm excited about it.”
LB DERRICK BROOKS
(on New Orleans RB Deuce McAllister)
“I guess, I really like don’t comparing two backs, but obviously
they feel that Deuce (McAllister) has better hands and he has been a good
receiver since college. And right now, he is fast. He can run. He can
hit the corners and he get to the secondary very quick, so we have our
work cut for us and he is getting a lot of reps. He is getting in on first,
second and third down, so we are going to get a chance in getting very
familiar with him.”
(on the how the defense has progressed during the preseason)
“We started getting better. We aren’t really trying to look
back. We are still trying to tighten up some things that we felt we didn’t
get accomplished last week. We are just trying to make sure that they
are ironed out this week and we are just going to continue to build and
what we like to say is that ‘we are just trying to build, just pounding
the rock.’ More importantly than anything is that we are healthy.
That is a big key coming out of training camp and preseason. We are ready
to roll. It’s kind of like the first day you ever played football,
you get excited for the regular season. I think everyone around the league
feels this way.”
TE KEN DILGER
(on the offense holding back until the regular season)
“Maybe a few things, but not as much as you think. It will be fun
to go out there and play four quarters with the first offense. I think
we can put some points on the board if we go out there and play our own
game.”
(on whether the first team offense was able to work into a rhythm during
the preseason)
“Not yet. I think in the first half against Washington we started
to do that but we had too many penalties and turnovers that stopped the
rhythm and flow of the game. Hopefully we can out there and just play
four quarters and get used to each other.”
(on the Saints defense)
“Their defense has always been solid. They have big guys up front
and their linebackers move around really well and we’ll expect the
same thing on Sunday.”
S JOHN LYNCH
(on Deuce McAllister)
“Deuce offers him the guy that can go 80, if he gets out the door.
He’s a speed back and they’ll do some different things with
him as far as spreading him out as a receiver.”
(on opening day and if it is special)
“Oh, yes. I think even more so after you get going. You despise the
preseason so much. You just want to get that opening day to get going.
You spend the offseason targeting that first day. Preseason I don’t
think I played more than 15 plays. 15 plays were our max.”
(on the attitude on defense)
“Our attitude is do whatever it takes and our attitude is stop them
everytime they get the ball and score.”
(on facing the Saints)
“Anytime you have that kind of speed on offense. I think they went
out and essentially want to emulate what the Rams did - speed all over
the field and a quarterback that can sling it. It presents some challenges.
In a game like this you just want to go back to the fundamentals. Play
your landmarks. Play your keys. We have players, too. That’s the
great thing when we face speed. Monte made the point that they (New Orleans)
are trying to emulate the Rams, but we’ve played great against the
Rams.”
RB MICHAEL PITTMAN
(on the season opener)
“These games really count. When I was out there during the preseason
I was still trying to execute my plays, but the regular season is starting
so you have to turn it up a notch and I have to get the job done. I have
a lot of people counting on me this year so I just need to do my job and
get it done.”
(on his ankle)
“It’s good, it’s ready to go. I think I’m almost 100
percent, I‘m not even thinking about it (his ankle) and I’m
ready to go. I’m just out there playing and having fun.”
(on if the offense will look different in the opener)
“There are a lot of things we probably didn’t show in the preseason
because we didn’t want to show too much and let the (Saints) defense
get prepared. There are different plays we are going to present to the
game. We just hope to execute our plays, pick up our blocking assignments
and work together.”
(on starting the upcoming season)
“The season starts now, so you've got to turn it up a notch and get
the job done. I know my team's counting on me this year, so I've just
got to do my job.”
(on his ankle)
“It's good. It's ready to go. I think I'm almost 100 percent. I'm
not even thinking about it. I'm just out there playing and having fun.”
(more on the offense)
“There's a lot of things we probably didn't show in the preseason,
because we didn't want to show too much and let their defense get prepared.
There are different things we're present in our offense in this game.
We could bring out all the plays we haven't shown and not execute them
and it still won't look right. We just have to pick up our blocking assignments
and work together, because if we can't get our assignments we won't have
any big plays.”
(on coming back from injury)
“It wasn't really difficult. It was more frustrating. I was frustrated
because I got hurt the first day of practice and I wasn't really the person
I wanted to be. It was in the back of my mind. When you're a running back
and you're hurt, especially you're ankle, you can't go out there and make
the hard, sharp cuts like you want to do. What I did was rehab and just
try to keep getting it better. Right now, like I said, it's almost 100
percent.”
T KENYATTA WALKER
“I just have to fight for a job. It's just part of the business.
Am I looking at it as negative, or is it a 'mind' thing? Who knows? But
I have to go out there and play and compete and be a contributor to this
team. My biggest thing is that I got Brad (Johnson) hit enough last year.
I don't ever want to get him hit by me anymore. That's my main focus.
I was telling somebody the other day that, 'Hey, that number 14 is a tough
guy, man.' Not one time last year did he look down at me or anything like
that. I have a lot of respect for that guy leading us right now and I
want to keep him healthy.”
“There's no doubt in my mind that I can play right tackle and I'm
a good right tackle. Now it's the time for me to prove it, and prove it
every day. There still behind me, but hey, this is a business. It doesn't
matter how young I am, this or that. If you (mess) up, you get sit down.
That's the rules. That's what I did, I (messed) up. So, hey, get somebody
else in there. I'm not complaining and I never will.”
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