Compiled by Arthur Arkush
March 28, 2008

Random quotes from around the league

Friday, March 28, 2008

Broncos WR Brandon Marshall, quoted in The Charlotte Observer after making the news in a negative fashion again resulting from a incident on Saturday when he fell into a television set, cutting an artery, a vein, a nerve, two tendons and three muscles in his right arm: "Being truthful, it is time for me to grow up on and off the field. I'm not just a guy that's on the team, I'm a starter and have a lot of responsibility on this team. We have goals that we're trying to reach, and I play a big role in that.” Marshall added: "I know right from wrong. And I'm a great person with a big heart. But it is time, on a serious note, to grow up."

49ers QB Alex Smith, looking forward to turning the page on a tumultuous 2007 season which saw his team struggle greatly, in addition to widely publicized spats between himself and head coach Mike Nolan, as quoted on sacbee.com: "That wasn't a reflection of either of us. We're both better than that, and I think we're looking forward to obviously erasing that and proving not only to the people in this building, but everywhere, that we're going to move on and we're going to do better than that and we expect better."

Texans offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, quoted in the Houston Chronicle regarding QB Matt Schaub: "I really respect how Matt treats the game. It means as much to him as anyone. He wants to do everything he can to win, and he's a huge teammate." Shanahan went on to say: "I think the only thing that will hold Matt back is if he does get hurt. Matt can legitimately play the position. It's not something he has to get up for. He's just consistent at it. It's what he does, and he's very good at it."

Bengals S Chinedum Ndukwe, one of 34 players who are taking part in the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program at Harvard Business School, quoted in The Columbus Dispatch on how great the program has been thus far: "They give you a lot of good ideas. What questions to ask, what businesses to look for, what numbers, how to evaluate it. It's really practical, a lot of discussions, a lot of back and forth with some good professors." Ndukwe added: "To think outside the lines, and just your mind-set, the discussion, the communication -- it all translates. A big part of football is knowledge and mental toughness, and this keeps me sharp mentally."

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

49ers GM Scot McCloughan issued a statement following the NFL’s ruling that his team will be penalized for tampering with Bears LB Lance Briggs (San Francisco will forfeit its fifth-round pick and swap selections with the Bears in the third round), as quoted in the Seattle Times: "The 49ers' organization respects Commissioner Goodell's ruling today, however we do disagree with it. This was not a malicious act; we believe that our intent was within the NFL guidelines. Going forward, we will take the necessary steps to ensure we are in compliance with the NFL's interpretation."

Agent Joe Linta, who represents Vikings C Matt Birk, quoted on TwinCities.com regarding the absence of his client at the Vikings' voluntary offseason conditioning program: "It's the same thing he did last year. He worked out on his own last offseason and went out and had the best year of his career. It's no different than that, and it's not a contract dispute." Linta went on to say: "Is he happy with his contract? Yes. He's being paid fairly right now. Would he talk to (the Vikings) about sticking around for three or four more years? Yeah, because he plans to play that long. But at this point they've not chosen to do that."

Rams head coach Scott Linehan, emphasizing the importance of keeping his players healthy during offseason workouts by trying out new approaches such as bringing in a core specialist, speed trainers and experts in hand-to-hand combat, as quoted on STLtoday: "So we're trying to be much more innovative. We wanted something different. Really create the interest that gets players excited and gets them here." Linehan added: "The scary thing about that is a couple of guys that hurt their shoulders probably did the most shoulder work (in the weight room). So I don't know. Maybe we should institute the Jon Gruden rule and just tell everybody they can't get hurt. I like that."

Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards, quoted on topix.com regarding his decision to allow defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham to coach the linebackers this season in addition to his coordinator responsibilities: “For what we want to do, we have to be sounder there. We have to become more fundamentally sound there. We have to understand our roles better. This defense is built around those guys, the linebackers. We missed too many tackles last year as a defense. We missed about 96. That's way too many. You'd like to miss about three a game. That's about six a game. That's too many yards and too many big plays.”