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BUCCANEERS HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN QUOTES
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008
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HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN
(On if Warrick Dunn practiced)
"No, he did not practice today. Arron Sears did not practice, and obviously Jermaine Phillips. We think those guys are feeling better but we held them today."
(On if Dunn and Arron Sears could play on Sunday)
"Warrick didn't do much last week. We'll make that decision when we get to Kansas City. But they didn't practice today, and today is Friday, so we are concerned obviously."
(On playing through injuries)
"It's like that with all the veteran players that you've covered. These guys have played seven, eight, nine, 10, 12 years. There's a reason why they do that. The guys that have had the kind of careers that Warrick has had, they all play through so many different things. If he can go based on our eyes and our visual evaluation, we'll certainly let him play. In the time being, we've got to do what's right, too, and that's wait until we see it happen."
(On B.J. Askew)
"He's still sore. I don't know what percent you would qualify him at, but it's not 100% and it's not 90%. It's coming back to him. It was good to have him out there three consecutive games.”
(On Kansas City's young defense)
"If you look at the film, they're a good defensive team. They've yielded some big plays, and a lot of the big plays they've given up have been at the end of games where they're frantically trying to get the ball back. They played Denver extremely well. They had the Jets. They're a hard team to throw the ball against. They're a good defensive team. This [Derrick] Johnson out of Texas is a Pro Bowl linebacker. And I compared [Brandon] Flowers to a Ronde Barber early in his career, and I mean that. He is a hell of a player. [Glenn] Dorsey will be just fine and [Tamba] Hali is buzzing around like a number-one draft choice like everyone expected he would. They play hard. Gunther Cunningham is one of the premier defensive coaches in the league and everywhere he goes they have creative pressure and they play good hard-nosed energy football. It will be a real test for us. And I've been Arrowhead enough times – it never matters what their record is or what the stakes are. They play their butts off in that stadium and we've got to know that."
(On if this is a game that can be overlooked)
"Not in the National Football League. I've got a lot of healthy respect for this team. All you've got to do is look at the game film. The scores don't indicate, the won-loss record does not indicate where this team is. As was said earlier, they're a young team getting better and Thigpen is a big reason why they're getting better. I'm impressed with them. They play hard."
(On the offensive line)
"With a young line, we don't stop challenging those guys. And they've responded. They've played good football for us. They're not going to catch it, they're not going to call the plays, they're not going to throw it. They're going to play their butts off. They're a good group. We feel like we've got, from left tackle to right tackle, a very good group of guys. And [Jeremy] Zuttah and Sean Mahan give us six and seven that we like a lot. And I think this [James] Lee kid in a little time is going to be a real good football player. They've got to pick it up because they know they're the strength of our team. They all know that they're going to play hard because they always do."
(On recognition for Bucs players)
"I've just been very impressed with our team. I don't want to speak out on any individuals, although I think we've had some guys that have really exploded onto the scene as Pro Bowl-caliber players. I really think the center [Jeff Faine] is a great player and I think we're getting better on the line. I think Earnest Graham, what he's done, speaks volumes about the kind of man he is and football player he is. And defensively speaking, our secondary, those guys are for real. And our linebacking corps, those guys are outstanding players. I hope Tanard Jackson, I hope some of these guys get the recognition that they deserve. Barrett Ruud, I hope he gets the recognition. But we've got to win some big games. We've got to play better on the road. But I like this team a lot. They're together, they play hard. We have some young players playing, too. We're building our team just like everybody else is, and there have been some real positive signs. Obviously there are some areas that we'd like to clean up and get better at, and health has a lot to do with that, too. You've got to get your team healthy and your best players have to play for you to play at your best, in my opinion."
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