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HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN
(On injured players Alex Smith and Jermaine Phillips)
“They were both limited on the field, which is a good sign. It's better than they were last week. We'll see how they feel tonight and there's a chance."
(On how a team focuses on the next game with three significant ones coming up)
"The last three were significant, too, just so we're all on the same page. Every one is significant. We treat them all the same. We need to win the game. We'll worry about what's in the future in the future. We've got to have this game because it's next."
(On if he likes that the Bucs are control of their own destiny)
"Well, you know what, we've worked hard to get to where we are. We've just got to continue to get better. We're going to have to do that down the stretch. We'll have some stiff challenges, that's for sure."
(On slow starts)
"We turned the ball over on the road, first play of the game in Kansas [City], and then turned the ball over early in the Detroit game. We really haven't played our best defense on the first drive in the game in those two places, either. But I like the way we've finished. I do agree – we need to start better than what we have."
(On what has kept the Saints' offense at the top for three years)
"They've got a great quarterback; it starts right there. This guy's a great player, they have a heck of a scheme. They're number-one in yards, right?"
(On if Drew Brees and Head Coach Sean Payton are on the same page)
"Oh, yeah. I think the continuity has really helped them. Drew's a great player and Sean's a great coach, and those two guys together have collaborated on a great scheme. [Marques] Colston has really emerged as a superstar player. They've got some weapons. The left tackle really shuts the lights out.”
(On if the Saints' defense is better than the numbers indicate)
“It's a real credit to them. I think Jon Vilma's really come in and given them inspiring, every-down play. Gary Gibbs and Joe Vitt, their defensive coaches, have tweaked their scheme. They have a multiple attack. They're capable of blitzing from all over the place, corner blitzes the other night against the Packers. They're pretty good, I tell you what. They're pretty good. Sedrick Ellis, a top-10 pick, coming into his own. We all know Will Smith. They're pretty talented. Randall Gay was a big free agent acquisition. We'll have our hands full, that's for sure."
(On if he sees an increase in Carnell Williams' confidence after he played in Detroit)
"I think that was really good for him. He had an opportunity to get successive plays and really play the game again. I just witnessed it on the practice field – he looked different, he looked better."
(On Jeff Garcia)
"The last six games he's won five out of six and completed 70-something percent of his passes. He's played really well without Alex Smith, without Warrick Dunn and without Earnest Graham. He's played very well against Carolina, Minnesota – he's played very well in every game he's played. We're excited about what he's done and what he can do down the road here."
(On Clifton Smith)
"There's a guy who shattered our return records in Kansas City, broke another couple kicks in Detroit. Maybe we're on to something. Maybe we're on to something on our own here. Maybe we've got our own explosive guy. We've just got to take better care of the ball, but he's clearly made a difference since he's become the return man."
(On if the Bucs' special teams have made a big impact)
"There's no question. [Josh] Bidwell, he'll be in the Pro Bowl, I assume. [Matt] Bryant will be in the Pro Bowl without a doubt for what he's done. Forget about all the circumstances for just a second. He makes all his kicks, he's an ice man. Those two guys have been superb. And our return game and coverage units have gotten better and better. That phase of our game is clearly a strength of ours and going to have to be for us to stay alive here."
(On Richard Bisaccia coaching the special teams and the running backs)
"We might give him another position next year. He's got the running backs, the special teams, we might give him a couple [more]. He's capable. He's as good a coach as I've ever been around and I think the players will agree with that. He's really something."
(On how much of a difference the defensive line makes in the pass rush)
"They're the guys rushing so they're usually going to make the difference. Sometimes we get there with some creative blitzes, sometimes we use a three-man rush, sometimes just four. Pressure's a big part of it and it all starts in that room."
(On the Saints passing game)
"They're going to throw the ball. They're throwing it more than anybody in the league, now. They'll call a running play and have the receiver run a built-in sight adjustment on the back side. If it's there he'll bag the handoff and fire it across the formation to a wideout. They're looking to throw it and rightfully so. This guy's superb. He's really outstanding at what he does. What can I say? Deuce McAllister is a heck of a back and if Reggie [Bush] plays and the rest, [Pierre] Thomas, these guys are good runners."
(On Aqib Talib looking forward to another crack at the Saints)
"I think the guys are looking forward to it as a whole, everybody in the locker room and I'm sure their team, too. This is a rivalry that's taking shape now and I think everybody understands that the chips are on the table in this kind of game."
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