HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN
(On Friday’s practice)
“We had a good practice today. I was pleased with it. I’ll update the injuries later after I talk to the trainer. I don’t have any changes to report at this time.”
(On what pleased him about Friday’s practice)
“I was pleased with the execution and the energy. That’s good enough. I was impressed with it, it was a lively atmosphere and I think we’re ready to go. We’re going to have to play well to win.”
(On how the personality of the offense changes with the quarterback switch)
“I don’t think it’s going to be a dramatic change of personality. We’ve got some interesting characters that aren’t changing if Elvis came back to play quarterback. Some of these guys aren’t changing. We’ve had a good week of practice. It’s a credit to all the guys. They picked it up. They’re upset to a degree. They want to play better and they want to win. That’s important, that’s really great to see. Brian had a good week of practice, and he has practiced well since he’s been back. We’re excited by that.”
(On if Griese picked up the offense well upon his return to Tampa)
“I think so. Any time you’re outside the terminology for a couple years, there’s subtle changes that we made. Our personnel has changed since he left, so we accentuated different areas and different schemes. But he’s a quick study and I think he’s proved it to everybody. You’ve seen him practice in camp and during OTAs. He’s been here every day and worked hard and got a lot done for us.”
(On if he’s seen any improvement in WR Joey Galloway)
“Yeah, I did. He practiced good. I saw improvement. We need him to deliver big time for us. He’s a guy that’s capable of doing it. If you’re a great player you’ve got to play great in this league, and he knows that. We need him.”
(On if Derrick Brooks practiced)
“No, he did not. His status is still questionable for the game. We would like him to practice but we’ve been through this before. We’ll give him every right to get ready and play and we’ll make that determination Sunday at the stadium.”
(On if he’s made the decision on what the linebacker rotation if Brooks can’t play)
“Yeah, pretty much. But we’ll leave that behind closed doors. No disrespect to anybody, but we do have a couple things we’ve rehearsed in practice. If we have to put those wheels into motion, we will. There’s still a chance Derrick plays.”
(On the quarterback lineup for Sunday)
“There’s no rotation. We’ll make that decision when we get to Sunday. That’s the best way I can put it. We always announce our inactives on Sunday.”
(On if there’s a chance Jeff Garcia could be active on Sunday)
“Everything is possible. There’s a possibility. But again, I’m not going to get into all the inactives and all those things at this point in time. Brian is going to be the starter, that I do know.”
(On combating rumors about trading Jeff Garcia)
“I don’t combat any of that, ok? I don’t listen to it. No disrespect, football talk, political talk – I like action. I like firsthand knowledge. Other than that, I can’t comment on talk. I respect the people that do it because they have jobs to do, but rumors are rumors and I’m not going to address all of them. I don’t have that much time.”
(On Dexter Jackson improving on kickoff returns as the game went on)
“He sure did. I thought the first couple, I was like, ‘Hey Dexter, come on man, let’s go now.’ Maybe he got mad at me and then he slammed it up in there pretty good. He’s new at it to a degree, although he’s had some experience here in the preseason. There’s nothing like your first NFL game when you hear 11 guys calling your name out wearing different colored jerseys. I think he’s going to be ok. I think he’s got a chance to be dynamic, and I think he proved that towards the third quarter and second half of that game.”
(On Matt Ryan)
“He’s got great talent. When you only have to throw it 16 times because your burning it with [Michael] Turner or you’re flooring it with [Jerious] Norwood – I use rhymes so I can make myself clear to these guys – it’s a fun game to play as a quarterback. He was able to do that. Big runs – 20 yards, 40 yards, explosive runs. You throw it 16 times, and a lot of the time there’s an eight-man front or single coverage out there or the play action pass because of the success running the ball, you’re able to have a lot of fun. He’s a great talent, we all know that. He’s going to have a tremendous future in the NFL. He’s got an unbelievable pedigree and [Falcons offensive coordinator] Mike Mularkey is a great coach. Right now, they’ve got it going on on offense.”
(On the Falcons not being the same team as last year)
“We’re not used to playing Atlanta when they can’t run the ball. They led the NFL in rushing forever. Michael Vick – hell, he had 1,000 yards rushing. They had a franchise record against us running the ball. So we’re not totally foreigners in terms of their ability to run the football. We’ve got a lot of respect for them and last week’s tape was against a front we recognize. I know the guys running that defense, so it wasn’t like we weren’t impressed. We were very impressed.”