Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Vikings QB Brett Favre, quoted by The Associated Press discussing his meeting with head coach Brad Childress in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Tuesday: "Our visit was great. I think the world of him (and) his patience. He and I joked about how there were some rocky times (between them) last year. … We're both competitors, that happens." Added Favre: "The deadline? I don't know. There obviously comes a point where you've probably gone too far, where you just have to move on. He hopes I make the right decision for myself, one way or the other."
Eagles CB Ellis Hobbs, who is penciled in as a starter after Sheldon Brown moved on to Cleveland, explaining how difficult it was not to start in his first season in Philadelphia — Hobbs spent the previous four seasons as the Patriots' starting cornerback — as quoted on PhillyBurbs.com: "Who are we kidding? Last year, I was hurting not to be in the starting lineup. But I'm not one to complain about things, so I didn't say anything. It's bigger than me. It's not about whether Ellis Hobbs is happy; it's about the team. So I just shut up." Added Hobbs on his opportunity this season: "I'm not going into this thinking like that. I never think of myself having the edge — I'm always the hunter. I always see myself in second, where I'm chasing the guy in first and there's somebody in third chasing me. If you have that mentality all the time that you're the guy who's behind, you'll never stop working. You'll never let up."
Cowboys OL Andre Gurode, quoted in the Dallas Morning News explaining the toughest part of training camp for him personally: "I would say the one thing that is so dreadful about training camp is the conditioning test, for a fat guy. For a skinny guy, it's probably easy. For a big guy, we all hate the conditioning test."
Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff, assuring Rams fans that there is no reason to think top overall pick QB Sam Bradford's deal won't get done soon, as quoted on NFL.com: "I don't think there's any reason to be nervous. … Nobody is being absurd. Everything is within reason. … I think there have been so many quarterbacks that have been drafted No. 1 overall, that this is not a unique situation by any stretch of the imagination." Added Demoff: "But this isn't Mideast peace or putting a cap on an oil well. This is essentially trying to figure out the right number and trying to create a contract that lives for a long time. A lot changes in that time period, and you want a deal that both sides don't wake up after a couple years and say, for better or worse, 'We don't like this.' "
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, quoted in the Cincinnati Enquirer when asked if he thought RB Cedric Benson could be suspended following his arrest for assault last month: "I don't know why we're even talking about Cedric being suspended a game. To me, it's unbelievable. It wouldn't be brought up in 31 other cities in the country I think. The truth about (the case) is that Cedric got sucker-punched in a bar. That's the thing. And only because it was Cedric Benson does it become news."
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Steelers LB James Farrior, shouldering some of the blame for a disappointing 2009 season, as quoted in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "I left a lot of plays out on the field. There were some situations I could have played a lot better. No matter what anybody says, we had a bad year. I didn't play as well as I wanted to play, and I know a lot of guys on the team felt the same way." Farrior continued, saying that criticism from the media motivates him to be better: "That adds fuel to the fire. That's one of the motivating factors for me — how bad we played last year. You're going to do everything in your power not to let that happen again. Whenever people doubt you, say negative stuff about you, as a competitor, you try to prove everybody wrong. It makes you want to work that much harder."
Titans WR Justin Gage, quoted in The Tennessean discussing his personal goals for the upcoming season: "I just want a career-best in every category. That's what I am shooting for. Whether it's touchdowns, receptions, reception yards, yards per catch, I just want to make this season a personal best, all the way across the board. I feel like I am poised to definitely excel toward the middle to end of training camp, heading into the season." Gage continued, discussing the WR group: "This has definitely been the most attentive group I have been around since I've been here, and probably the most talented. And that bodes well for us."
Chargers QB Philip Rivers, discussing what it's like not having LaDainian Tomlinson around anymore, and how rookie RB Ryan Mathews has looked thus far this summer, as quoted on NFL.com: "A guy that's done what he's done both on and off the field, what he's meant to our franchise, not seeing him in the locker room, not seeing him in the meetings, it's been a little different for me." Rivers continued: "I think we've moved past that transition period. Obviously, we drafted a running back in Ryan Mathews. He's had a good summer, looks the part — he has a presence about him that kind of exudes something special. As we get through this training camp and head toward Week 1, hopefully we'll be clicking on all cylinders."
Vikings vice president and director of player personnel Rick Spielman is impressed with second-round RB Toby Gerhart's ability to learn quickly, as quoted on TwinCities.com: "Impressed from the standpoint of his ability to learn the system and how quickly he has picked it up. The thing that even surprised us more is how well he caught the ball out of the backfield." Spielman also likes what he sees in fourth-round DL Everson Griffen: "He was extremely athletic. I know a lot of people had projected him to go in the bottom of the first round or no later than the second round. When he fell to us in the fourth round, he was just too good an athlete to pass up. The one thing we've always tried to get is pass rushers; you never can have enough good pass rushers."
Monday, July 19, 2010
Ravens QB Joe Flacco is hopeful that the addition of backup QB Marc Bulger will not affect the chemistry of the group, as quoted in the Baltimore Sun: "Hopefully, we just all get along well. When you have a little bit of tension in the room, it doesn't lend to playing well. Yeah, he might bring a thing here or there that helps me out. We'll see. It's all about going out there, preparing during the week and having a good time doing that. Hopefully, we can do that." Flacco continued: "I don't want to have any bad words about Marc. I'm sure Marc is a great guy. But I had a great relationship with Troy [Smith] and John [Beck]. Depending on what happens, one of them might not be around and two of them might not be around. … Either way, it'll be disappointing to see one of them go. I'm sure Marc is a great guy, and he'll be fun to work with. I enjoy our [quarterback] room with Troy and John. It's definitely going to be broken up a little bit. So, we'll see how it goes."
Cowboys PK David Buehler, bragging how he is faster than several of his teammates, including linebackers and defensive backs, as quoted in The Dallas Morning News: "I mean, I could beat the linebackers; I think I could beat (Keith) Brooking and Bradie (James) pretty easily. Uh, maybe T-Choice [running back, Tashard Choice], you know. I think I could beat T-Choice … Buehler continued, describing a race he won against former Cowboys DB DeAngelo Smith last training camp: "He was talking a bunch of trash, so I just shut him up. I knew I had the speed. It made me a little bit of capital, as well. So, there was a little bit on the line."
Colts S Jeff Saturday, naming Patriots DT Vince Wilfork as the second toughest defensive tackle he has faced [behind Ravens NT Haloti Ngata], as quoted on Boston.com: "I've played this guy a ton in my career. He makes the Patriots' defense go. Nobody talks about him. He's a great run stuffer, but he can also get great push against the play-action pass, and he's a smart player who really helps his linebackers really shine in that defense."
Ex-Redskins WR Antwaan Randle El, quoted in the Baltimore Sun spreading some of the blame former coach Jim Zorn took last season to owner Daniel Snyder: "When Jim Zorn was there, he was hands-on. He had great potential, but Dan Snyder was too involved because he didn't trust coach Zorn as much as he did coach (Joe) Gibbs, and those were things that prevented us from success as a team."
