Friday, Sept. 18, 2009

Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache, quoted in The Tennessean when asked if he believes LB London Fletcher's league-leading 18 tackles in Week One was, in part, a result of new DT Albert Hayneswoth's presence clogging up the middle: "That's London doing London's job, and Albert doing Albert's job. I don't think that Albert made London have more tackles. I don't buy that. Albert's a good player, but let's not make him King Kong. He did his job. Good player. Very, very good player, but not Superman."

49ers head coach Mike Singletary, praising the play of CB Shawntae Spencer, a starter from 2004-06, but demoted after struggling with injuries the past two years until this season, as quoted by The Associated Press: "Shawntae is better than he's ever been since he's been here. He's playing great technique. He's not making mistakes or mental errors. He's playing with a tremendous amount of confidence and doing a good job all the way around."

Bears WR coach Darryl Drake, quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times complimenting the play of his unit last Sunday in Green Bay: ''They played about as well a game has been played around here in a long time. They didn't have any MAs [missed assignments]; you understand that. [Johnny Knox] got in the flow and he played well. He got an opportunity. He took it and ran with it. They didn't break off a single route like some people have said. It was a good effort.''

Eagles WR Reggie Brown, frustrated with his lack of playing time (Philadelphia dressed seven receivers Sunday against Carolina and Brown was inactive), as quoted on themorningcall.com: ''I just want to play. So I think if I get an opportunity to play here, I'll try to make the best of it. I've been dealing with [the uncertainty] since last year, so I guess I'm used to it now. I'm just trying to go out there, work as hard as I can every day and try to make the best out of my situation. I can't sit around and hope and wish.'' Brown continued acknowledging this has been the toughest stretch of his career (Brown caught just 18 passes for 252 yards in 2008): ''Yeah, I would say so. Wouldn't you say so? … You just try to stay positive, you try as hard as you can and keep working hard.''

Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano, quoted in The Miami Herald as saying there is no real star on his team's offense: "We have said it before, there is no real star in this bunch of guys. It has kind of been done by committee here. Certainly Ricky Williams, Ronnie Brown, Chad Pennington, big names in this league for obvious reasons. We kind of do things by committee a little bit and some of the people here that aren't out here every down have big parts in this thing, too."

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009

Titans head coach Jeff Fisher says Texans RB Steve Slaton, whom he compared to former Jaguars and current Patriots back Fred Taylor, is the only guy he can recall putting up back-to-back 100-yard games against his defense in the same season, as quoted in the South Florida Sun Sentinel: "Two of the runs were Fred Taylor-like where you had him bottled up behind the line of scrimmage, and we had people stop him and he bounced out and ran for 40 yards each time. But still, five or six yards a crack is what he does best. He's a very talented runner."

Colts OLG Ryan Lilja, quoted by The Associated Press voicing his frustration over the team's inability to convert in short-yardage situations late in the game: "We've just got to scrap and get the yards and you've got to execute in that situation. When you don't and the game is on the line, nothing is more frustrating." Lilja added: "That's a big deal for us. We need to convert those as an offense. That's something we've been working on and, apparently, it doesn't look like it. We'll address, work on it and get it done."

Redskins FB Mike Sellers, relieved to finally have a contract extension in place after watching all his teammates be rewarded first, as quoted in the Washington Times: "I felt it was time. For years, I sat here and watched everybody else around me get these great contracts. I was the only one [who didn't]. I had a good talk with [owner Dan Snyder]. I voiced my opinions. He understood, and he blessed me with an extension. … I got what I want, and now it's time to go play."

Former Steelers RB Jerome Bettis, quoted in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review harshly criticizing his old team's coaching staff for their inability to make plays on the offensive side of the ball, specifically in the backfield and on offensive line: "This problem isn't anything new, and I blame the coaching staff for not addressing the line in the offseason. How did they rationalize not doing anything about it? Well, they won a Super Bowl. They won't be so lucky twice in a row."

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, explaining that from what he has seen, the defense Rex Ryan is running in New York is identical to the one he led the past four seasons in Baltimore, as quoted in the Boston Globe: "Take everything they did in Baltimore, white-out 'Baltimore' and write 'New York Jets' on it and that's what you got."

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009

Free agent LB Derrick Brooks, quoted on Tampa Bay Online after agreeing to join ESPN's "First Take" Wednesday: "While I still feel like I can play in the NFL, I'm excited to be a part of ESPN's NFL coverage where I have a lot of former teammates. I look forward to the exposure this opportunity will bring as I share my knowledge and perspective of the game on 'First Take.'" Brooks continued when asked if this signaled his retirement from the NFL was imminent: "No, I am still pursuing playing. Might as well get media reps while I wait. Taking advantage of my down time."

Giants LB Antonio Pierce plans to make sure new teammate and former Cowboy Chris Canty is as fired up as possible heading into Sunday night's battle of the two NFC East rivals, as quoted in the New York Post: "My number one goal this week. I'm gonna find some stuff about him in Dallas and hype him up all week and make sure he's one [ticked] off man."

Ravens WR Derrick Mason, quoted on Ravens Insider defending himself and his fellow wide receivers after Keyshawn Johnson called them bums last week: "When he said that, he said it about the group but I took it as a personal shot because I'm the elder statesman of the group. I know the other guys are not going to say anything, so it's like attacking me. You just don't do that. If you're going to attack the bunch, you're attacking me and I'm going to come back at you." Mason added: "Keyshawn knows where I'm at, he knows where the Ravens' facility is. So, if he wants to hash this out man to man, you want to stack up numbers man to man, we can do that. Damn, remember, Keyshawn Johnson, you were the number one pick in the draft and I was a fourth rounder. And our numbers still pretty much stack up."

Bengals WR Chris Henry, unsure of why he didn't get more playing time last Sunday against the Broncos, as quoted on Bengals.com: "I don't know what to tell you man. I'm just going to go to work every day like I've been doing. If they play me, they play me. I was kind of disappointed, but have to keep going." Henry added: "The thigh didn't limit my ability to play. I don't know what happened. I just didn't get to play a lot."

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009

Lions QB Matthew Stafford, quoted in the Detroit Free Press on developing a rapport with his No. 1 receiver, Calvin Johnson: "What I've got to get used to is, one-on-one with Calvin, I don't have to make a perfect throw when I've got heat on me. So I don't have to burn it. I can throw it up there. A jump ball's a good ball to him, because if he doesn't catch it, nobody's catching it. It's going to take some getting used to, but I'm trying to learn as quick as I can." Stafford continued, joking when responding to a reporter who asked if he cried himself to sleep Sunday night: "No. That did not happen. No calls to Mom. I was good."

Raiders head coach Tom Cable, extremely proud of his club, and excited about the direction they're heading despite coming up just short against the Chargers Monday night, as quoted by The Associated Press: "I am very excited at what this team has come to. I'm very excited as to where we're headed. We have to let this one go. It's tough. This is the NFL. It's a tough lesson, but a valuable one."

Bills head coach Dick Jauron, quoted in the Buffalo News after also coming up just short of pulling a huge upset against the rival Patriots in Foxborough Monday night: "It tears my heart out for them. You've got to finish. You've got to finish games, particularly against a team as talented as New England. … It's just an awful feeling in that locker room. We didn't come to lose, we didn't come to play a close game, we came to win the game. So we're just disappointed."

Jets CB Darrelle Revis, quoted on recordonline.com after watching the game film from Sunday's 24-7 victory over the Texans: "It was fantastic. It was like watching a new movie coming out. It was great, man. They were third in the league last year in total offense, and we straight demolished them."

Saints S Darren Sharper, responding to a reporter wanting to know whom Sharper would take in their prime; Drew Brees or Brett Favre, as quoted on NOLA.com: "Drew's the best. I don't think Brett will feel this is a knock on him. He might, because Brett is a competitor. But Drew's the best I've been around." Sharper added: "Overall, he's underappreciated, yes. He doesn't have that status like Peyton Manning, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick, going for him. But just as far as being smart with the football, reading the field, vision, making smart throws, accuracy, he's the best I've seen."

Monday, Sept. 14, 2009

Giants DE Justin Tuck, joking after Sunday's victory that included teammate Osi Umenyiora sacking Redskins QB Jason Campbell, forcing and recovering a fumble and returning it 37 yards for a touchdown all without dirtying his jersey in his first game back after missing the entire 2008 season with a knee injury, as quoted in the Hartford Courant: "He's the prettiest defensive end ever." Tuck added: "He's the king of getting sacks without ever going to the ground. There are plays when it looks like he sees the ball on the ground and walks off the field. If you go back to his last Pro Bowl, when he got a sack and caused a fumble, it looks like he's saying to himself, 'I got the sack. I caused the fumble. Y'all got to do something.' He does not want to get his jersey dirty. If we play in the mud … go back and look at the game in London, his jersey was clean. We love to give him a hard time."

Broncos WR Brandon Stokley, quoted in the Dayton Daily News recounting the astounding 87-yard game winning touchdown catch that bounced off the outstretched hand of Leon Hall right into Stokley running in stride toward the endzone: "You know you need a miracle, and that's basically what we got. When I scored, I just remember it being quiet, and that was a good feeling."

Saints RB Mike Bell made the most of his opportunities filling in for the injured Pierre Thomas Sunday (Bell carried the ball 28 times for a career-high 143 yards), as quoted on 2theadvocate.com: "I really wasn't expecting that much work, but I prepare for it every week. I'm ready to go for whatever the coaches want me to do." Bell continued when asked the last time he got that much work: "Not since high school. But that says a lot about the coaching staff. Hopefully, I can stay healthy and help this team."

Jets DT Kris Jenkins, quoted in the New York Post regarding first-year head coach Rex Ryan's ability to motivate: "We need to call the NFLPA and put (Ryan) on the banned substance list, because whatever he did, what he said was performance-enhancing."

Panthers WR Steve Smith, responding to a reporter Sunday who asked if he believed Smith was more open than he was targeted, as quoted in the Charlotte Observer: "When I'm running, I'm always open. I'm open right now [answering postgame questions]. A wide receiver who doesn't believe he is always open is not a very good wide receiver."