DE GAINES ADAMS
(On the difference between college and the NFL)
“Coming from college to the NFL is a big jump, but it is nothing that I can’t do. I just have to focus a little bit more and crank it up a little more.”
(On if technique or aggressiveness would help him)
“I wouldn’t say aggressiveness. It is just more technique, and doing the little things that help you get to the quarterback.”
LB DERRICK BROOKS
(On the difference of this Rams team compared to those in the past)
“I am not going to say they are different. Watching their offense this morning, they are still putting up explosive plays. It all starts with Steven Jackson. In my opinion, one of the great backs, not good backs, great backs in the league. He does a lot for them. He rarely comes off the field. Like I said, they are still putting up yards with tons of big plays. We have our work cut out for us, not only not letting them get going running the ball, but containing their passing game, because a lot of their passing game is downfield plays, those 20, 25-yard passing plays. We are just going to do what we do, try to out execute them in terms of our defense, prevent the big play and run to the football.”
(On the dangers that a 0-2 team brings)
“At this point, this early in the season, we look at it as a team that is 0-0. It is anyone’s ball game. If you go out there and don’t execute you are going to lose. We are not really caught up in the records. Right now, we just know that it is a very good ball team that is coming in here Sunday. From a defensive standpoint, we have to create turnovers to give our offense a short field, because their offense is such a potent offense. We have to give our offense the ball as many times as we can, to hopefully keep their offense on the sidelines.”
(On the success of Barrett Ruud, and him winning Player of the Week honors)
“I was one of the first to congratulate him. He has gotten off to a tremendous start, in terms of making plays. All we can do is just build from there. Everyday you can see the work that he is putting in to get himself better. It is a credit to a lot of the hard work he started this offseason, when he knew he was going to be the starter. I couldn’t be any more proud of him, personally and professionally.”
CB PHILLIP BUCHANAN
(On the Rams receivers)
“It’s going to be a great challenge. This is one of the old showdowns, an old rivalry. They used to have the fastest show on turf and that’s when the Bucs defense was at its best, and I think we’re getting back to that. It’s going to be a good challenge this weekend.”
(On Rams coming in 0-2)
“They definitely want to get a win. When you get that first win, you can let out a little bit of air. They’re going to come in and give us their best shot. We have to be prepared to get ready for it.”
(On heat being a factor)
“The heat can be your friend or your enemy; it depends on how we’re doing. If we get off on third down, like we should, it’s going to be our ally, but if not, it’s going to be our worst enemy.”
DE KEVIN CARTER
(On improving the pass rush)
“Every aspect of it needs to be better. Pass rushes are good. But obviously that’s an area we have to improve on.”
(On knowing what the player next to you is doing)
“Football is a game of chess and it’s about positioning. When we have a quarterback that is dropping back into the pocket when you put pressure on him, you have to put equal pressure on him, especially if they’re a threat to slide in the pocket, run, or throw. It gives the quarterback other options, other variables, thinking that if they do rush, he can keep himself alive and give himself more time to find the open receiver. You can’t do that; have equal downward rush lanes that are putting pressure and closing in around you.”
QB JEFF GARCIA
(On getting a win last week)
“It’s much easier to put a smile on your face. It’s just the start of a lot of hopefully positive things for this team. That week is behind us. It was a good showing, but now we have a tough game up in front of us against St. Louis, so that’s really where the mindset is, it’s preparing for what could be a very active defense, and a very explosive offense.”
(On what stands out about the Rams defense)
“They have some veteran players, especially up in the front four defensive line, looks solid, looks good. They’re going to bring some heat. They’re going to bring probably more blitzes than we saw last week, and maybe a bit more man-to-man coverage outside. Those are things we are preparing for and just adjust when you have to adjust. But those are the things we think we’re going to see this Sunday. They played pretty well last week against San Francisco, it was one big fourth-down run that San Francisco got, that somewhat won that game for them. It’s a situation where we have to be good with the football, control the football, find a way to control the football, and keep the ball out of their hands. Because everybody knows about the Rams offense and scoring they are capable of and we want to do the best job possible on our offense to keep their offense off the field.”
(On how difficult it is to read the Rams defense)
“You have to be smart about your film watching this week; the studying of the Rams defense, of the front, of the linebackers’ movement, you have to be patient when you get up to the line of scrimmage, and they’re going to shift, they’re going to move, they’re going to do things we do as an offense, move around. It’s going to be two teams that are adjusting and whoever gets the best read at the last moment, may have the best chance to have success.”
(On following up with consistency after last week)
“That’s exactly it. We have to find a way to be consistent. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen that consistency. For us to come out this week, and play another good football game, be good with the football, not turn the ball over, eliminate the negative plays, the sacks or the penalties. You do those types of things; you put yourself in a good position to win football games or compete to win a football game. That’s important that we continue to build upon the things we did last week. There is so much more room for improvement. So many ways to go with this offense as far as taking steps in the right direction, and let’s hopefully do the things we have to do, in order to prepare during the week of practice that allows us to just get on the field on Sunday and just react, not think about what we are doing.”
(On potential sacking ability of the Rams)
“That’s the challenge that is against us. We know they’re going to put themselves in a position based upon the risks they take on the field to create pressure on the quarterback. Now all the sudden they have corners that are on islands or on one-on-one situations. That’s where we have to be good. We have to be solid with our protection, with our recognition, understanding of their fronts, of their blitzes, and finding where we can create a mismatch or find an opportunity where our receivers can win. That’s something that can create big plays. But you have to be in-tune, you have to be solid, you have to be ready to strike when that opportunity comes.”
(On statement the offense made to future opponents last week)
“It just showed that this offense is capable of creating big plays, creating big opportunities of scoring within two minutes, and of pounding the ball when it needs to pound the ball. I think a lot of good things came out of last week. But it’s not so much thinking about what defenses have to worry about with us, it’s about us just taking care of our business and worrying about what we have to do. If we can do those sort of things, be sharp when the time comes on Sunday, we are very capable of making big plays, creating explosion and creating great offensive output. It’s exciting to see but it’s something that needs to be consistent, and we need to be precise, and we need to just continue to build on what we did last week.”
(On Carnell Williams getting that big break)
“Cadillac played strong, definitely strong last week. He didn’t get a lot of reps in the preseason. So he’s still working to find that rhythm and gauge himself as far as he needs to be. It’s important to get him those looks. It’s important to get him in a rhythm because he is an explosive back. He is a guy that can break a long one in a quick second. It’s something that we want to continue to give him looks, give him opportunities, and continue to get him in a position to where he’s comfortable and confident about the things he’s doing. Before you know it, he’s going to get that big play.”
(On Joey Galloway’s playmaking ability)
“He’s an awesome receiver. It’s a pleasure of mine to play with a guy like that. The abilities that he brings to the field, the speed, the knowledge, the experience, all of those things go hand-in-hand with him. I think because of where he’s at and because of where I’m at in my game, I think we see a lot of things similarly. We’re able to communicate, we’re able to talk about what we are seeing on the field and why things are happening, or why a certain thing didn’t happen, and work through it. He’s patient, he’s not an ego type guy, he’s not a throw me the football type guy. I know he wants the football, I know he knows that he can contribute to the team in big ways and I’m going to do my best to find him and give him those opportunities.”
WR IKE HILLIARD
(On difficulty reading the Rams defense)
“It’s going to be tough. We’re going to have to move around with our shifts and motions and try to give Jeff an idea about what is going on out there and at the end of the shifts and motion, we’re going to have to find a way to get on the same page pretty quickly. That’s the luxury about having a veteran quarterback. There are not many defenses in this league that he hasn’t seen. Hopefully, we get a clue and get the right play on and have some success.”
DT CHRIS HOVAN
(On facing Steven Jackson)
“You don’t want this to be the week that he gets out of the gate. A couple weeks now he has been frustrated with some of the runs that he has had. Hopefully, we are going to be up to the task to stop him this week. It’s funny that every team that comes in has a premiere back nowadays. First and foremost our focus is to stop Steven Jackson, and then get after Bulger. He can’t [be allowed to] hit his routes with Torry Holt or Isaac Bruce.”
(On what is missing from the pass rush)
“We just have to finish our rushes. Coach Gruden is right, if he wants more heat, we are going to give him more heat this week. We are going to have to go out there starting today and develop our techniques. Given the one-on-one out there we are going to have to go out there, win it and sack the quarterback.”
(On the difference of the Rams now compared to when Mike Martz was coaching them)
“They are a little different. Scott Linehan has more of a running approach, and he has great backs, so I would run the ball, too. They are still running a lot of their routes from Martz because those receivers are accustomed to running those routes. In the end, they want to run the ball to set up the pass, so first and foremost we are going to have to stop Steven Jackson.”
(On what Barrett Ruud has brought to the defense)
“Barrett has been training for this moment for a while. He was behind Shelton Quarles, and it’s hard to oust a guy who is performing up to that level. Barrett is taking advantage of his opportunity and he is making the most of it right now.”
G DAVIN JOSEPH
(On the importance of having Cadillac Williams in the lineup)
“We definitely want to get Cadillac as many carries as we can. Whether we are ahead or down, or we are fighting in the game, to get him the ball is very important to us.”
(On the improvement from Week One to Week Two)
“I think we started fast. We were able to have a lot of big plays, no turnovers, few penalties, and that really helps us stay ahead. In any game, that is ideally how you want to start it off, keeping the turnovers to zero, keeping the penalties to few, if any, and trying to keep some big plays in the playbook.”
(On the Rams unorthodox defense)
“We will just have to see what we do well. We are just going to practice hard this week, just like every week. Go out and try to be more aggressive, and try to stay on the field. That is going to be the most important thing, staying on the field, and get a lot of shots at them.”
(On the Rams coming in 0-2)
“I know the feeling to come in and try to get the first win of the season is going to be tough. We are going to get their all and hopefully we will go 2-1.”
DE GREG WHITE
(On the difference between the AFL and NFL)
“The plane flights are a lot easier. The food is a lot better. Yes, it’s an upgrade, definitely an upgrade – not to take anything away from the AFL, but it’s definitely an upgrade.”
(On getting his first sack)
“We practice hard out there, and that heat helped us out a lot because the Saints I don’t think were ready for it. I would like to take all the credit for it, but I can’t. We’ve got the D-line rushing, we’ve got our DBs playing well, and that’s what happens when our whole team comes together – with the DBs, the D-line, the linebackers. So it was just a team effort.”
(On the need to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks)
“We have four sacks as a team, and that’s not good enough. We would like to be like the defense was before I was here – that’s how I want to see it. But right now we’ve just got to keep working hard. We’ve just got to keep up with our pass rushing. Like [Gruden] said, when it’s an obvious passing down, we need to hit the quarterback or sack the quarterback.”
(On getting pressure on the quarterback even if he’s not sacked)
“Honestly, as far as pass downs go, we need to get there – definitely. We should get there. There are no excuses for that. In general, you definitely need to get there, too, when it’s not an obvious passing down and they pass the ball.”
(On if the Bucs would have discovered him without the help of his former AFL Coach, Jay Gruden)
“They would’ve found me without him – no, I’m kidding. He’s a real big reason why I’m here. He believed in me my first year when I first got here in Arena. I came in being a rookie, and the next year he franchised me. I give a lot of credit to him, a lot of credit to him. He fought for me, and I’m here now.”
(On the difference in play between the AFL and NFL)
“I think in Arena it’s a lot faster because it’s so closed [in]. And where you’re pass rushing, the quarterback is right here instead of back there. So if you beat a guy in the league here, he has time to recover as opposed to when you are in Arena. When you beat them, they can’t recover because the quarterback is right there. And the heat – definitely the heat has a lot to do with the difference. Obviously, the athletes have to be better because it’s a wider field. There’s more room for error.”
(On what position he played on offense)
“Tight end – I didn’t play it that much. I scored a touchdown.”
(On him having done a flip on the field in the AFL but no celebration after his first sack with the Bucs)
“Well, it’s a long game, man. Give me about six more weeks to get in shape. And hey, why not.”
(On DT Jovan Haye attempting a dance)
“Yes, Jovan – I’ll work with him. I’ll work with him.”
(On if he was thinking about the NFL while playing in the AFL)
“Honestly, no. For me, it was more of a personal thing because when Jay gave me the opportunity – when I was in the league in ’02, I didn’t think I really got an opportunity – I signed on to win an ArenaBowl championship. Just like when I signed on here, I signed on to win a Super Bowl. I didn’t sign on for anything else – just to win a Super Bowl. When I was in Arena, it was to win the Arena championship, and what came after that was a bonus. I think most of the guys should go in to the AFL like that, and then stuff will happen for them.”
(On the quarterback being a farther distance away from the rush in the NFL as compared to the AFL)
“The error margin is probably greater. It really depends. Rushing here, you have a longer way to get there, so you’ve got to work I guess twice as hard, as opposed to the AFL where you beat them and you are right in his face.”
(On which team he thought he was closest to making it with)
“Chicago. I thought I was pretty much in because I think I was second on the team in sacks during the preseason. I thought maybe.”
(On what getting that first sack means)
“It means that the bar is set, and you’ve got to get more sacks. It gets tougher. They expect more from you, and they should. You don’t really get to celebrate. Once everything is over with, you’re like ‘Oh, I got a bunch of sacks.’ But during, you just want to pile on as many as you can.”
(On what getting a sack means)
“It’s a boost to our defense, our team as a whole. The guy you’re going against – he’s frustrated. I’ve learned that in Arena it’s man-on-man. You either get beat by the man or you beat the man. Here, you have a schematic approach in a sense where you are doing a lot of stunts and stuff. You can’t do that really in Arena football, so I think that Arena helped me out a lot because I had to go man-on-man most of the time. If I go one-on-one, I’m used to it.”
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