HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN
(On the win over New Orleans)
"Just happy to have won the game. We've obviously got a big week this week and it will be a great opportunity for us to start the final quarter of the season against a great team."
(On injured players)
"We have a couple guys that we're evaluating right now. We'll update you here in a couple days. Jovan Haye, we're looking at his knee. Gaines Adams got a hip pointer. Don't know the exact severity of those injuries yet but obviously we have some concern."
(On reports that Monte Kiffin has been linked with the University of Tennessee)
"It's going to persist. I don't have any update. I think he addressed it last night. Monte's the guy to talk to. I'll just say this – we're excited to have won the game and I can only comment on the Buccaneers."
(On if he's concerned that the Kiffin reports will be a distraction for the team)
"No, not really. A lot of our coaches are sought-after every year and Monte's sought-after every year. He should be. But I'm not worried about any distractions. We've got a great opportunity ahead of us and we want to take advantage of it."
(On if the next two games will determine where the Bucs stand)
"Well, these are obviously big games and we're going to take them one at a time. It's the first game of the final quarter of the season. We'll see what the injury status of our team is. We all realize that this will be a very, very big game."
(On if he likes the big stage of a first-place battle on Monday Night Football)
"Yeah, I'd rather be 9-3 on Monday night than 3-9. I think it's great for the players. It's great for our players. I wish someone would explain to me why we're going to Carolina on Monday Night Football; I think we won the division last year. Not to complain – it's a great opportunity and we're very excited about it."
(On getting his 100th career win)
"When Ronde [Barber] made a point of that after the game it was very special. I've just been very fortunate to have been able to do this, number one. Number two, I've been very fortunate to be around a lot of great players that have helped me do that, and coaches, assistant coaches. And obviously the owners here have hung in there with me and given me that opportunity. I'm just very thankful for the opportunities and the people that have helped me. I do consider it exciting, but at the same time I'm just really happy for our football team and what they accomplished yesterday."
(On having control of their own playoff destiny)
"We're scrapping every week. We came from behind again yesterday. We've talked in this room before about starting fast, to start fast this week. I think we turned it over on the third play of the game yesterday. It's a grind, you know. It's a grind. We're going to have to play better to win Monday night in Carolina, I assure you of that. We've got to play better in all areas."
(On if he agrees with Williams' self-assessment that he is now a more patient runner)
"Well, we're better on the offensive line than the last time he carried the ball, and I think he can be a little bit more patient. I think he likes what he sees. I think he feels like he's going to get some genuine good looks, and I think he's confident that his leg is back and he's healthy again.”
(On the improvement of the rushing game)
“Our rushing game got better the last couple of weeks because Garcia’s running. He ran for 40 yards yesterday, so you put that into perspective. FB B.J. Askew is a very good fullback and you know he had been inactive for very long and I think he’s just getting back into the groove. TE Alex Smith got to play a little bit yesterday and these are guys that we need. We’re talking about young players. RB Carnell Williams, Alex [Smith], B.J. Askew, these are guys that we need tremendously down the stretch.”
(On the impact of QB Jeff Garcia’s mobility)
“I think after he hurt them a couple times with scrambles they were conscious he was going to run. It was that kind of day. As we said yesterday, the wind was blowing sideways at times and a wet ball, not a good combination for throwing the ball. They played a lot of coverage. They didn’t blitz much yesterday. There are times the scrambling lanes developed and I thought they took that into account later in the game and tried to keep him in the pocket.”
(On QB Jeff Garcia’s style of play)
“We look at the tape like everybody else and try to design patterns, try to get certain players involved. At the same time, QB Jeff Garcia will tell you that he’s got his own style. It’s been with him a long time and it’s the style we bought into. It’s interesting at times and it makes every play interesting. He’s just a great competitor. I think yesterday the ball weighed six pounds. I think the turnover battle is something that maybe we stuck into everybody’s head a little harder. We knew that was going to be a big component yesterday in winning the game.”
(On what the team needs to focus on down the stretch)
“Well they need to keep doing what they’re doing. Keep preparing they way they are preparing. Practicing the way they’re practicing. We got to do the little things and we did that yesterday. There are some unsung heroes. P Josh Bidwell was phenomenal. He had a bad punt, but when you punt the ball to Reggie Bush throughout the day and limit him to minus 16 yards of returns, there’s a lot of things you are doing right. There are certain areas we want to continue to do well. There’s some areas, obviously, we want to do better at. We got to keep preparing, we got to keep working, we got to keep flying around and I’m confident in our guys.”
(On being in position to win the division)
“Well we are in a position that doesn’t mean anything really other than you are in a position. I used to go to the Indy 500 every year. The guy that’s starting in good position doesn’t hardly ever win it. It is what it is. We got an opportunity and we’re thankful for that. We got some injured players and we’re going to have some guys that have to step up. We have two, three, four games left and we got to play great. We have to find a way to win.”
(On DT Ryan Sims)
“He has been unsung all year. We have a rotation; Defensive Line Coach Todd Wash does an excellent job at using our d-line. Jimmy Wilkerson has been brought up here before. Ryan Sims goes in and plays two different positions, and plays well. Whether it is 12 plays or 18 plays, he might have to play 60 plays on Monday, I don’t know. But he is playing very well for us. Todd Wash has done an excellent job and it is a credit to Ryan Sims, he is in shape, he is a big guy with what I think is position flexibility, and he is a powerful guy.”
(On what separates Monte Kiffin from everyone else)
“He is a passionate guy, he is very knowledgeable, and he is very experienced. He is a great teacher and a great communicator.”
(On WR Ike Hilliard)
“He has made a lot of big plays now on third down. Antonio Bryant is for real, he is a guy that we are going to in a lot of situations. Michael Clayton, making some plays for us, our tight ends are more involved, and Warrick Dunn has really helped us. We didn’t do much on third down yesterday, but we are trying to get everybody involved. We feel good about our eligible receivers that are playing.”
(On the Carolina Panthers)
“Well we have to take a good look at them. Jonathan Stewart was in his second game, I think playing, or third game. They have the wildcat formations; we are going to have to prepare for those. QB Jake Delhomme is hot again; he has thrown for a lot of yards the last couple of weeks. We are going to have to stop Carolina somehow, some way. Their run game is very, very good, creative. Two back sets, one back sets, they run it on third and eight, third and nine, for big plays. They are one of the few teams in the league that dials up a lot of runs on third down and medium, and long. They do a heck of a job, they do a heck of the job running the football.”
(On the veterans stepping up)
“I think so. I have always felt that when you get into big games, to make sure you have your big time players with you, and you have a chance. Seriously, Ronde Barber, Derrick Brooks, their game elevates, they are just different. They are different during the week of practice, not that they are lackluster early in the season, but when it gets to be crunch time, critical situations, boy those guys are great. We have some young guys, I think, that are witnessing it, learning from it, and feeling it and hopefully that is contagious. It is exciting, the way those guys play in crunch time situations.”
(On Defensive Backs Coach Raheem Morris)
“I give him credit; the whole coaching staff deserves credit. I can’t say enough about all of our assistant coaches. The job that Bill Muir has done with the youngest line in the league, the job that Richard Mann has done with the receivers, Rich Bisaccia with the backs, Raheem with the secondary, Gus Bradley with the linebackers and Todd Wash, first year coaching the defensive line, our coaches have done a heck of a job collectively. Again, I would like to give our players a lot of the credit today; they are the ones responsible for where we are.”
(On CB Aqib Talib)
“He is a great player, he is a great talent, he is really something. If we just keep him on schedule and stay demanding of him, which I know we will, and if he stays after it the way he is, he will be just fine. He has a chance to really be a tremendous corner in the league.”
(On Saints’ QB Drew Brees)
“He is an awesome player, and they ask a lot of him. They put the ball in his hands repeatedly. I am glad that we only see him twice a year. He is a great player, one of the great pocket performers in the league, there is no question.”
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