Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, quoted on NYDailyNews.com when asked if he has ever cried in front of his team like Rex Ryan did last Sunday: "I've coached 35 years so I've probably covered most of the bases. I think I swore once, too."

Vikings CB Antoine Winfield, who says there is an 85 percent chance he'll play on Sunday, discussing the ankle injury that has sidelined him since Oct. 18, as quoted on TwinCities.com: "It's the perfect timing. I'm glad it happened now instead of Week 14 and miss the playoff run." Winfield continued: "Definitely want to play it smart. If I get out there on Sunday and it's not feeling too good, I might not be out there. I know it's going to be kind of rough my first game. But it'll pop back. It's like riding a bike."

Steelers WR Santonio Holmes, quoted in the Chicago Tribune discussing Ben Roethlisberger's comments about something being missing in their 18-12 loss to the Bengals last Sunday: "He's the quarterback. He's got control over everything; who touches the ball. He dictates where the ball goes, and if he felt that way, it's probably why we didn't win the ballgame."

Jets head coach Rex Ryan, joking about his emotional Monday-morning meeting with his club following the 24-22 loss to the Jaguars, as quoted in the Edmonton Sun: "I've got a new sponsor. The Jets have Toyota and I've got Kleenex, for obvious reasons."

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

Seahawks WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh believes his team can run the table if they play as hard as they did in a loss to the Cardinals Sunday, as quoted on HeraldNet: "I don't think we'll lose another game if we come with this type of effort and just eliminate the little mistakes that we had, I don't think we'll lose again. I don't see nobody on our schedule that can beat us in my eyes. Not if we play the way we should play. I really like what we've got going."

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, describing what he viewed as a dirty hit by Browns QB Brady Quinn on OLB Terrell Suggs Monday night following a Quinn interception (Suggs suffered a sprained knee on the play, and will likely miss several games), as quoted in the Baltimore Sun: "There is no question that it's beyond the rules. It's absolutely illegal. I'm sure Brady knows that. I don't think for one second that he's trying to hurt Terrell Suggs. But he's got to be better than that in that situation. You can't let that happen."

Dolphins OLB Jason Taylor, quoted on MiamiHerald.com explaining why teammate Ricky Williams is flourishing at the age of 32, and why the team is so confident Williams can handle an increased workload in the absence of the injured Ronnie Brown: "He understands stuff about the body and about recovery and whatever else I couldn't even begin to tell you. He takes care of himself. The more you take care of yourself and realize your body is your business, the better you'll be. He's running around like he's 25 or 26 years old."

Former Bills WR Steve Tasker, quoted in the Democrat and Chronicle after learning of the firing of Dick Jauron Tuesday: "The way I see it, Dick didn't lose the team, the team lost him. There are lots of people in that locker room that should look in the mirror. And I'm sure there are players in there that are saying, 'I wish we would've won more games for him.'"

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

Broncos S Brian Dawkins, impressed by teammate and fellow S Renaldo Hill's ability to lead the defense, as quoted in the Longmont (Colo.) Times-Call: "The thing that has jumped off on me is he is the quarterback of this defense. If he says something, we all believe what he is saying as far as his checks are concerned. He's a very, very smart guy." Dawkins continued: "Anytime you have someone, your counterpart, beside you that is that smart, that intelligent to be able to say things and help in that respect, that definitely allows me to line up and just do what I do."

Cardinals DT Darnell Dockett, quoted on thenewstribune.com responding to Seahawks head coach Jim Mora's complaints about a forearm to the throat of Matt Hasselbeck: "Dear Coach Mora, it's football, (stuff) happens. If you ever played the game, you would understand. Really, I wouldn't try to hurt Matt. He's a good guy."

Falcons WR Roddy White, confident that the high ankle sprain sustained by RB Michael Turner, despite usually having a four- to six-week rehab period, won't force Turner to miss any action, as quoted on ajc.com: "Mike is a warrior. Mike is playing. He's playing on Sunday. You best believe it. Ignore the injury report."

Jets head coach Rex Ryan, quoted on NYDailyNews.com after his decision to fire defensive line coach Kerry Locklin Tuesday: "There were some disagreements, let's put it that way. There were some issues, some personal issues that are behind this."

Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

Former Patriots S Rodney Harrison, quoted on StarTribune.com describing Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on 4th-and-2 with a six-point lead in the fourth quarter deep in their own territory against the Colts Sunday night: "I've been around Coach Belichick and seen him make a lot of great decisions, but this is the worst coaching decision I've ever seen him make." Harrison added: "The message that he's sending in the locker room is: I have no confidence in the young guys on my defense."

Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson, whose two touchdowns Sunday moved him past Marcus Allen and into third place on the NFL's all-time list, trailing only Emmit Smith and Jerry Rice (Tomlinson's 96 yards rushing also moved him past Thurman Thomas and Franco Harris to 12th in league history), quoted on chargers.com after his special day: "It's kind of surreal. I grew up watching these guys and watching touchdown after touchdown. It's mind-boggling that now I find myself third all-time with just Emmitt and Jerry in front of me. It's a weird thing but I'm humbled because of the history of the game and watching these guys for so long."

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, quoted on Packers.com after his team's impressive 17-7 victory over the Cowboys Sunday: "Maybe I was a defensive coach wannabe, but that's the way the game is supposed to be played in November. I speak about it all the time to the football team. We are a defensive first priority. They are the thermostat for our football team and when they play like that, we're going to win a lot of football games."

Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew, who rushed for 123 yards and a TD in a 24-22 victory over the Jets Sunday, quoted by the Associated Press explaining the decision to go down at the 1-yard line on the final drive rather than scoring an easy touchdown: "We knew they were pretty much going to let us score. So the coach said to just take a knee. Sorry to my fantasy owners, I apologize."

Colts LB Clint Session, believed Bill Belichick's decision Sunday night was a knock on the Colts "D," as quoted in the Brattleboro Reformer: "Total disrespect. They disrespected us and got what they deserved."