Pittsburgh Steelers -1- Jueves 29/1/09

Super Bowl XLIII – Thursday, January 29, 2009

QUOTES FROM PITTSBURGH STEELERS PRESS CONFERENCE


OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BRUCE ARIANS

(on how Ben Roethlisberger has changed since Super Bowl XL) “A lot of things: the maturity and the experience, more fourth quarter comebacks, more plays, more teamwork, defenses have evolved more. More than anything, that Super Bowl was Jerome Bettis, Jeff Hartings, Alan Faneca, Hines Ward; the veterans led us. He just had to play along. This is his team now, offensively. Hines is still here but it’s Ben’s. That offensive line is his guys. That leadership has really blossomed in the last three years.”


(on the chemistry and bonding of Roethlisberger and his offensive line) “It’s a natural thing. Quarterbacks and offensive linemen, they need to hang. They are really close and they have card games at his house. They are always together. That’s the natural process that you hope takes place.”


(on the accident Roethlisberger sustained in 2006) “The accident took a toll on all of us. Any time you almost lose your life… it is amazing to me that he came back and played that fast. He showed that toughness that I try to explain to people that he has. I get a little upset when I hear somebody on television that calls him a ‘drama king.’ This guy has approached the border. He takes a lot of hits because he plays backyard football sometimes and he gets up swinging. Those guys know it that play in front of him. It’s the natural process of the great ones.”


(on if Roethlisberger appreciated life more and changed after the accident) “I didn’t see a big switch. I saw a guy who maybe was a gun slinger, but became very humble and now is a gun slinger again, which at that position, you need. Not only did he go through the accident, it was a bad year. We didn’t play well as a team. He’s been able to grow from all of that and still get the gun slinger back. I’m sure it had an effect.”


(on if Roethlisberger gets the respect he deserves given what he’s done) “Especially when you look at what’s he’s done with all of the injuries that we’ve had on offense and the come from behind victories this year that got us here. We’re not here without him, even with our defense. There are some great defenses out there that don’t have quarterbacks on the other side of the ball, when times are needed, like him. He is the reason we are here. It is a team thing but I hope he gets his due because he deserves it.”


(on what RB Willie Parker brings to the offense) “Willie brings such energy and a passion to the game. You can see it every time when he breaks a run that might have been blocked for three and he’ll get seven, eight or maybe ten and he’ll jump up and flex his muscles. You see all the offensive linemen say, ‘Yeah, we kicked their (behind).’ That’s a good feeling because you didn’t block them that well. He made something happen. (The offensive line’s) confidence grows when he gets off like that. That’s what he brings for us. He’s a great personality that way and he’s a tough guy. People think of him as ‘Fast Willie,’ that he’s an outside (runner). He’s a violent little inside runner now and he runs most of the time between the tackles. He may start up in there and go around the corner but that’s what his special talent brings. When we have plays like the touchdown run in Cleveland that we probably blocked for four yards, a good solid run, he took it 30 to the house. It’s nice to see that again. We missed that.”


(on what it means to have a healthy Willie Parker and on the impact of his return) “You can see it coming. He was healthy but he wasn’t mentally healthy. In a running game, the speed of the game is everything. When you are out for a month and then all of a sudden you shoot up to New England and you’re playing there and you break one out and they catch you. It’s like, ‘I’ve never been caught before.’ In Tennessee, he breaks out and he thinks he’s cruising in the end zone and he’s nipped on the four. The speed of the game didn’t catch back up with his health. Then, at Cleveland, there he went down the sideline, another long run. He knew he was back. You could tell, he knew he was back. It was the mental part of it. I think he was just as healthy then but now his mind and his body caught up to the speed and he’s probably fresher than he has ever been for the playoffs. It was a very tough stretch without him, but I’m glad we got him now.”


(on why Parker is so effective) “His overall quickness, speed and his power. In the San Diego game - and I have a good friend on their defense - they had a lot of guys point blank on him. He has enough to set them back on their heels and run them over and then we’ll get four yards out of a one yard play. Then all of a sudden, he makes one miss. We’re going to need that out of him in this one.”


(on his first NFL coaching job with the Kansas City Chiefs) “It was one of the best staffs. I think our Super Bowl staff with Bill (Cowher) was comparable with ‘Whiz’ (Ken Whisenhunt) and Russ (Grimm), Dick Hoak, James Daniel and myself. With Tony (Dungy) and Tom Pratt and Bill on defense and then Joe Pendry, Marty Schottenheimer, Al Saunders on offense. It was a great coaching staff and that turn around, I think was that.”


(on the turn around they sparked in Kansas City) “I tell people all the time about Arrowhead (Stadium). The first day I walked in, it was hard to get 27,000 (fans) in there. Within a really short time, Southwest Missouri State, I think they were the Braves, they had to change their names, they started to chop. Then we started bringing them back every time. That whole thing grew and it was really fun to be a part of. It hurts to see it not there again.”


(on the Cardinals defense) “It’s a hybrid 4-3. The zone pressure is similar to ours. I like ours in other ways. It’s the rogue defense of the NFL right now. You see a big turn back to the 3-4. I’m not going to figure that Bert (Berry) is going to be a linebacker. I’m not going to have a running back block him as a linebacker. You treat them as a 4-3 team and try to give it a little more flexibility. They do a nice job.”


(on using guards to block linebackers) “We don’t do that much. It’s a recipe for disaster. You have to do it some but it’s just a blocking unit from the pass protection part of it. They do bring safeties a lot so you have to be on top of your game as far as who’s hot and who’s not, pickups, the whole nine yards.”


(on the relationship between Ken Whisenhunt and Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh) “I thought it was great. You had a young quarterback and one heck of a coordinator. They worked well together, played golf together. They had a fantastic run. Never once did I ever suspect or see what I keep reading about. I think the non-handshake in Arizona last year was blown way out of proportion in my opinion.”


(on reports of them not talking in Pittsburgh) “Mark Whipple was the quarterbacks coach but Ken was in the room a lot. Ken ran the practices and ran the meetings, so that’s ridiculous.”


(on what makes Roethlisberger a great quarterback) “God gave him a lot of talent but he also gave him a ton of fortitude. He’s one of the toughest competitors I’ve been around. There’s one comparative thing that he and Peyton Manning have and I had Peyton his first two years; it’s a desire to win no matter what they’re playing, tiddly-winks, ping pong. Charlie (Batch) has a big pool, ping pong tournament every year for a fundraiser. Ben has to go win everything. That is the driving force that makes great players great, that he has along with all the talent. He was pissed when he got drafted low but he got to a hell of a team. Having watched Tim Couch go through what he went through in Cleveland, Tim barely came out alive. Now it’s a godsend. (He’s) in his second Super Bowl. That draft day thing is way behind him. He’s grown so much in the years I’ve been with him. So much has happened to him but he’s handled it beautifully.”



FS RYAN CLARK

(on defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau’s plans to return next season) “I heard it for the first time on TV last night. We’ve talked about it a lot of times, guys saying that we’d just retire too, if he retires. He always gives us the same answer, ‘I’m going to be here as long as you guys are here’, and being that he’ll probably outlive all of us, that’s more than likely the truth. I think one thing Pittsburgh has done well as an organization is keep a core group of guys there, and as far as the coaches go, Coach LeBeau is part of that. It’s unbelievable that we’ll have him back and it gives us a big crutch, having Coach LeBeau there.”


(on people asking him about stopping the Cardinals offense) “If you look at the season, every time we played Baltimore we were never billed as the best defense. They would say it was number one versus number two, but you kind of always had that feeling that people thought Baltimore was the better defense despite what the numbers said. We’d go into weeks against Dallas, New England, high powered offenses, and you’d get the same questions. How are you going to stop their number one receivers? How are you going to contain them? Those are valid questions because other people don’t stop these teams. If you look at what the Cardinals have done in the playoffs and the run that they’ve been on, scoring 30 points every game against good football teams, what they’ve been doing is spectacular. It’s going to be a big challenge for us. We’ve had those all year and we step up every time, and we play football. It’s like Coach LeBeau says, ‘sometimes you’re going to get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you.’ They’re going to make plays. Larry Fitzgerald is going to make a play that you’re all going to get to talk about on TV for the next week, but as long as we score one more point, we’ll be ok.”


(on playing across from SS Troy Polamalu) “I’ve been blessed in my career to play with probably two of the most unique safeties to play this game, modern day football. It’s just fun. Troy and I spend a lot of time off the field together. I think that helps us in our communication, the ways we talk, and I want him to be great. You want Troy to jump over the pile on fourth and one. You want Troy to be able to leave his man and get an interception, and score a touchdown. You want him to feel like he can do those things and be covered, so I tell him, ‘you go be you and I’ll figure it out.’”


(on the Steelers defense) “If you look at our defense, we only have three Pro Bowlers. Really, other than Troy (Polamalu), even though James (Harrison) won the MVP, (we don’t have) really well known guys (or) big name guys. We have a leader in the middle, James Farrior, who is quiet. He’s not really a ‘rah, rah’ guy. He’s never the guy you see on NFL Network or ESPN or something doing those big speeches. They never highlight James Farrior’s speech, but he leads by example every day. I think people get fascinated with the glitz and the glamour and all of that, but we have guys that just go out and work. I think as a team, we’ve shown that we are one of the best defensive teams, as a unit, in the NFL.”


(on the stopping Cardinals top players) “You can’t be worried with a team like Arizona because there are so many people on that team that can make plays. They have Fitzgerald, they have (Anquan) Boldin, Edgerrin James, a great quarterback, good tight ends. It’s pick your poison. We just have to go out and stop everybody, and that’s our goal.”


(on Mike Ditka’s Gridiron Greats press conference) “(I was) not aware that Mike Ditka did the (press conference) this morning, but I’m definitely aware of the cause. Matt Burke sent out a memo because he donated a lot of money to that cause, which I’m definitely aware of. I think if we help now it can only help us in the future if we raise awareness for it and if we do give money. If that’s something that we decide to do as a league then I’m all for it. You look at some of the situations that those guys (are in), the injuries that they still have, the medical problems they can’t take care of. It really is sad because you give so much to this game to end and be kind of left alone. Honestly the way I play, I think I’m going to need it.”


(on the defense being compared to some of the all-time best) “I think the only way you can belong with those guys is to win it. You look at those defenses, all of them won championships, all the ones that are talked about as great defenses, so we have to win the game. I don’t know. I guess if we win the game 40-35 they won’t be saying that about us. It really doesn’t matter to us. Even though we had the number one numbers all year, it took a while for people to come around and say we were a pretty good defense. Like I said, Baltimore was tabbed and billed, and shown by the media to be a better defense all year, so we haven’t focused on that. I said all along, the best defense in the league is going to win the most games. Right now this is the one we have to win. If we win that one, we’ll be the best defense in the NFL this year, and that’s all that matters.”


(on the difficulty of the Steelers schedule) “I think that plays a part. I think (our schedule) would be second only to the Steelers of ‘79. I watch a lot of TV, I’m sorry. I think it’s truly amazing. Coming from where we came from, in the offseason hearing ‘with their schedule 8-8, with their schedule 9-7 is a good year.’ To go 12-4 and to do it in the fashion that we did it, to play teams like New England, and not give up many points, to play the Dallas Cowboys and to win on an interception by Deshea (Townsend). All year we’ve risen to the occasion and we just have to do it one more time.”


(on why head coach Mike Tomlin won the Coach of the Year Award) “I remember watching a story that was on the other day and Art (Rooney) said he wanted to have (a coach) that could command the attention of a room, especially a room full of veterans as a new guy. I think he does that better than any coach I’ve been around. He’s able to articulate, and get his point across, his philosophy across, better than any coach I’ve ever been around as the head coach of a football team. He relates to us well too. I think maybe him being young, and not being so far removed from the days that we’re in of being young people, he’s able to say ‘your family’s coming to town in camp, ok we give the married guys a night to go hang out with their families.’ Things like that, you appreciate that. You’re able to go to him and say ‘you know coach last year you kind of grinded us toward the end of the year and we got a little tired.’ He’s able to say ‘ok well we’re going to take the pads off a little earlier.’ What’s helping him is he doesn’t have that big ego that says everything has to be my way.”


(on what a sixth Super Bowl win for the Steelers would mean to him) “I don’t know because I’m going to have one but organization-wise, I think it’s a credit to the Rooneys. It’s a credit to how they live their lives, how they run their organization, and how they treat their team. (They are) staples of consistency, constantly putting a good product on the field year after year. I think that’s what it says. (The Rooneys) aren’t a fly-by-night group, not a group that got seven older Pro Bowlers, put them on a team, won a Super Bowl, then the team dismantled and you couldn’t sell a ticket the next year. They’ve done things the right way. They bring in people they think fit their organization. I think that’s the biggest thing. It says that the Rooney family has done with the organization what I think should be done.”


(on Kurt Warner saying he doesn’t like trick plays) “I think playing a team like us you’re probably going to have to run a couple. I think you try to keep a team that’s going to blitz you and going to pressure you on their heels. I think Kurt may be trying to be a little sly there. He’s a Christian man so I’m not going to say he told a fib, he’s using a little manipulation. A trick play is good when you throw it 65 yards to Larry Fitzgerald and he’s one on one. I hate them too.”



OL WILLIE COLON

(on Pittsburgh’s defense) “Our defense is the best in the NFL. They do a great job of keeping us in the games and getting turnovers. For us, it’s about doing our job and I think right now we are clicking.”


(on his family in Bronx, NY) “It’s a dream come true. I was a project kid, growing up on the streets and running the streets in New York. But I’m just sticking to my dream and am staying good to myself. It’s a blessing. I give much credit to my mom for sticking by my side through the rough times. I know people from back home are cheering me on. Every time they see me they tell me they’re watching, so I’m proud and I’m glad they’re proud of me. My father is Puerto Rican. He’s a proud Hispanic who raised me to be proud of our last name and be proud of where we came from. Everywhere I go I try to represent somehow, some way not only for my family but for the Latino community. Everything is going well for me right now.”


(on the offensive line taking criticism all year) “As a unit we have been through so much. From injuries to guys dealing with serious off the field issues, from our unit getting bashed week in and week out no matter how good or bad we played. From a standpoint all that fire that we took motivated us to get better. We all came together as a unit and realized we all had to be accountable for ourselves. It’s a team game and we realized if we were going to do anything this year we were going to have to execute better, keep Ben (Roethlisberger) clean and our running game was going to have to get better. I feel we made some good strides this year in doing that. We didn’t have Willie Parker sometimes. Ben was banged up and battling sometimes. So, there were a lot of things you could throw in the pot but for the most part we had to be accountable for ourselves and our actions. A lot of the sacks were our fault and we understand that. A lot of stuff we did out there was on us and a lot of stuff wasn’t. We were the easy group to target and that’s ok. We have no problems with that, but at the same time, we understand to win games it has to be on us. We had to tighten up as a unit and here we are.”


(on how he will feel at kickoff on Sunday) “I don’t know. I think every day that goes by the tension builds up more and more. My biggest thing is the ability to calm down and open my eyes. I get so worked up. When I am on the sideline about to go on I have to suck it in, leave it out and realize it is a regular game so I can execute. For me personally, this is a great experience, but I don’t want to go home without the trophy so I am going to be as much of a help as I can.”


(on offensive line coach Larry Zierlein) “I think if anybody has taken more heat it’s been him. I think there is so much talk about us as a unit, but a lot of what we do is a reflection on him. He took a lot of criticism last year and he came back this year stuck with us and believed in us more than anybody. He is the one person that deserves most of the credit. He kept our heads afloat when we had the tough games against Philadelphia, Indianapolis and the Giants. He always stuck by us. We felt the heat from him but we also realized we were going to be alright. So, I think with all the credit we take he deserves it just as much.”


(on the Cardinals defense) “They are extremely active. The turnover game is big for them. You look at (Darnell) Dockett and (Antonio) Smith and those linebackers do a great job of flying around. We will have to match their intensity.”


(on the offensive line gelling with Ben Roethlisberger) “A lot of it has just come to us. We had to understand who he was as a person. I think with any great player, he knew if he wanted to get to this point he was going to have to bring us along and we were going to have to be a better unit as a whole. Some of that you can’t just get on the field. Some of that you have to do off the field playing cards or having a couple drinks and getting to know who he is. He stepped out of his shell, started trusting us and started to love us like we love him. It’s a beautiful relationship now. We have a great time off the field and when we come on the field it makes it better.”


(on QB Ben Roethlisberger) “I think you could describe him as a boxer. His ability to get knocked down and get back up, his ability to throw the long ball with a lot of people on him and his ability to escape - he’s just a tough kid. He believes in us and he believes that when it comes down to it he’s going to make the big play. I think you want a quarterback who’s going to take hits and still stand up. He thrives on that and that’s why he’s Big Ben.”



FB CAREY DAVIS

(on playing in the biggest sporting event in the world) “It’s exciting. It’s something you dream about as a little kid, to be able to play in the Super Bowl. As far as we’ve come this season and to do all the things we’ve done, it’s exciting for us.”


(on if the economic situation will make anything different for this year’s Super Bowl) “Sports brings people together, brings everything together. People enjoy sports, and for those couple of hours, they can sit back, relax and enjoy it.”


(on returning to the practice field) “It felt pretty good. It was a normal practice, but it was good to finally get back out there. It felt like we hadn’t practiced in about a week. It was good to finally get out there and run around and get back to football, not all this media stuff.”


(on the feeling of living out of a hotel, practicing in a different facility, having meetings in new places) “Everything is pretty normal actually. We come over from the hotel and do all of our meetings (at the University of South Florida). It’s normal, like back home, except for we don’t have media days like this everyday. That is the main difference. We try to keep it as normal as possible to keep us comfortable with what’s going on.”


(on the offensive game plan for the Super Bowl) “We have to be balanced. We have to run the ball well, pass the ball and go with whatever is working for us. We can’t turn the ball over, just go out there, do our jobs, not turn the ball over and play a great game.”


(on the Cardinals defensive front) “They’ve been very active, creating a lot of turnovers and getting to the quarterback. They’re moving well, playing well, and they’re real active.”


(on not letting the nerves get to you in the Super Bowl) “Kickoff…all the flashing lights. You have a few moments before the game when you realize, ‘I’m in the Super Bowl’. Once all that settles down in the game, it’s just another game, so you have to get prepared to play that game and play well. That first hit will help you a lot.”



LB JAMES FARRIOR

(on the commitment to each other within the team) “I think it starts with the Rooney family. They preach family atmosphere. They want us to be a close unit. I think you build your team chemistry in the offseason. That’s where you get all of the guys together and you’re not really working so much on football. All of the guys are just around each other every day and you get a good feel for how everyone is and how they are doing. We all care about one another on this team, as far as the players and coaches, and we love to go out and play for each other. That’s what builds that chemistry. There’s a bond that you have throughout the season.”


(on the biggest surprise from the AFC championship game) “I don’t think that I ever caught my breath in that game. My wind pattern wasn’t too good throughout the game. I thought it was just nerves at first and that I would get over it after a few plays, but I never really did catch my breath.”


(on the differences in preparations for his second Super Bowl) “It’s pretty much the same schedule. We’re doing the same thing we did for the first Super Bowl. There’s not too much different going on. We are down to our regular days of practicing. It’s good to be back at football and to get the side distractions out of the way.”


(on going for the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl win) “It would be a great accomplishment. We feel like we want to get this one for the Rooney family. They are a great organization and a great group of people. You like playing for this team. This team is embraced by the city and the fans. All that together, it would be great for the city of Pittsburgh and the Rooneys to be the first team that gets six Super Bowls, and we’re shooting for that.”


(on the difficulties of learning the Steelers defence) “I feel like anybody who comes into this defense is definitely going to take some time to learn everything that you need to know to make this defense successful. I don’t think it’s different for any new linebackers coming in. You are going to have problems and struggle at first, but it’s one of those things where you have to stay at it, you have to go over it every day when you’re a new guy. You have to prepare yourself, let the coaches coach and let everything sink in.”


(on Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and similarities to former Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox) “He does remind me a little bit of Tommy Maddox and of the things he used to do. Kurt Warner is a Hall of Fame quarterback. If you put him in a good system and have good players around him, then he is going to make everything go. We’ve seen that throughout the years with him. He’s had a Hall of Fame career. I don’t know why people are doubting whether he should be in the Hall of Fame. He definitely should be. The guy can go out there and make plays when he has the people around him to help him out.”


(on the Cardinals new emphasis on the running game) “We know that in January and February it is attrition football and you definitely have to have a running game and be well-balanced throughout the playoffs. They did a great job of getting into the playoffs and maintaining that balance and that’s what got them here today. It’s definitely going to be harder to prepare for a balanced team. When you have a one-dimensional team, you can do a lot of different things if you know what they are going to be doing. We are definitely going to have to be aware of the running game and that will be our first key, to stop the run.”


(on the Steelers’ blitz package) “It’s all going to come down to our 1-on-1 matchups. I think that Dick LeBeau does a great job of getting us in a position to be 1-on-1 for a mismatch with the running backs. If our two outside guys get matched up with running backs, I like their chances.”


(on returning to the Super Bowl) “All last week, I dreamed about being in the Super Bowl again. You only dream about getting to that point one time in your career. To be able to have two is unbelievable, and the opportunity is so great and I don’t want anyone to overlook that. The older guys know what it means to be a World Champion and we want the young guys to feel that too.”


(on the state of mind of the team) “It’s good. It’s all positive. We went out and practiced yesterday and guys had a lot of energy. The tempo of the practice was great. We made some mistakes, but we liked the flow of the practice. Everybody was moving around and it looked like everybody was excited.”


(on if it feels good to practice) “No question about it. I’ve never wanted a Wednesday to come so fast for practice. I have never been more excited to go to practice than yesterday. We all knew that once we got into the football part of it, then all of the other stuff would take care of itself.”


(on stopping Larry Fitzgerald) “It’s going to be tough. It’s going to take all 11 players to try to stop him or at least contain him. I don’t know if you can ever stop a guy like that, but he’s a phenomenal athlete. He’s probably the best receiver in the game right now. We will have our hands full.”


(on James Harrison) “He epitomizes what the Steelers organization is all about throughout the history of the team. He’s a hard, tough-nosed guy. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He always plays aggressive, and I definitely think he’s the most intimidating player when he’s out there on the field. He doesn’t have to talk, he just goes out there and plays.”



LB LARRY FOOTE

(on the Steelers winning tradition) “The thought in town has always been Super Bowl or nothing. This tradition was set way before us back in the seventies, and that is the way it is in Pittsburgh. All the fans, all the people on the street they want the ring or they are not happy.”


(on how much history plays a role on the current Steelers team) “We get a lot of comparisons, especially on defense, but until you get four rings, I wouldn’t compare because it’s nothing but talk. Those guys have got the hardware and we are trying to get two, so until we get four or even close to that, we can’t compare.”


(on if there is something special about being the Steelers ) “Oh yeah, we take that all the time. It starts upstairs. The type of guys in this locker room – it’s our mentality to be tough-willed and that the most physical team is always going to win. All of the teams in the league don’t take that approach, but we do. We walk out there with that swagger, with the Black and Gold on, but it doesn’t give us an advantage, it’s just that’s who we are.”


(on if he is ready for the hype to end and to get to the game) “I don’t want it to go too fast, but I am anxious. Once that game comes, there is no more Super Bowl. The memories I can keep forever, but you always want (the experience) to last but it’s not going to. Still, we are looking forward to Sunday.”


(on the Cardinals and what problems they bring) “A high powered offense, they have a veteran at quarterback with Kurt Warner, they have a lot of weapons to throw the ball to, and Edgerrin James is a monster and has been one of the best running backs this decade. So it is going to be a big challenge.”


(on being the number one defense in the league) “It’s a big accomplishment, but we want to be remembered like the other great defensive teams like the 1985 (Chicago) Bears and the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, and we have to solidify that by winning this game on Sunday.”


(on the Cardinals tight ends) “They are special, they are big, strong, fast and they go up and get the ball.”


(on if he is nervous) “No I am never nervous. I have confidence in our guys and it’s going to be a challenge. We are in the Super Bowl and we know that we are going to face the best, and that is why I got into this game, for the competition. I can’t wait for Sunday to come.”


(on the fact that many are picking them to win) “We don’t get caught up in that because we have been underdogs all season. A couple of years ago when we won the Super Bowl, we were the sixth seed and everybody had us losing every playoff game, so we don’t get caught up in who is the underdog or who is favored. It only matters what you do between the whistles during that sixty minutes.”



LB KEYARON FOX

(on moving on from his experience in Kansas City) “I just have to put my first four years in the league behind me and start out on a new foot.”


(on why things didn’t work out in Kansas City) “There was a reason for it. Maybe there was something about me. Maybe I wasn’t mature enough. Maybe I wasn’t ready to be a part of that organization. Now I get a second chance and I’m happy to be here.”


(on the differences in his experience in Pittsburgh) “I want to give a lot of credit to the ownership that the Steelers have. They have an atmosphere over there where they definitely put the players first. They are concerned about the fans and the image of the Steelers. That reflects down onto the coaches, and from there it trickles down onto the players. It’s a more laid-back atmosphere. You can be yourself and have fun with football. It is still a job. It’s a high-paying industry so on Sundays you have to produce, but Monday through Saturday it is really relaxed and chill. You are able to concentrate in a better environment.”


(on whether the environment leads to success or vice versa) “I just realized for the Steelers that this is their sixth time going to the Super Bowl. Maybe that has a lot to do with it. I still give the owners a lot of credit for that.”


(on teams’ abilities to finish games in the fourth quarter) “I don’t really know how we do it here, but the Pittsburgh Steelers do manage to finish a lot of games in the fourth quarter. I think it boils down to people’s experience. There were a lot of guys in Kansas City that didn’t have that experience and that was ultimately the difference.”


(on being on the field for the first play) “I’m really looking forward to getting some contact. Right now, everything is so surreal, but when I get that first piece of contact everything will come back into focus. Then I will realize that this is what it all comes down to. We’re playing against the best team in the NFC. It will be a challenge, but I will still be amped. I will be delivering the contact.”



NT CASEY HAMPTON

(on if it is important to him to win the sixth Super Bowl in franchise history) “From an organizational standpoint it’s definitely good. There’s a lot of tradition in Pittsburgh and its good to be a part of it, more than anything else.”


(on if the team views this as the second Super Bowl win for this team) “It’s number two but at the end of the day, everybody looks at it like if you’re a part of one you’re kind of like a part of all of them. We probably don’t look at it, but in the big scheme of things it’s an accomplishment.”


(on the chemistry and sense of family on the team) “It means a lot. You go out there and fight for your brothers and I think a lot of teams really use that but here it hits home. I think a lot of teams bring a lot of guys in from different places and mesh the guys together. With the Steelers, here we build our team from the ground and there aren’t too many guys here who came from other teams. A lot of the guys on the team were raised up in the system and we did things a certain type of way.”


(on the consistency of the defense under defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau) “That’s what makes us good. I think if you try to change things and try to switch up stuff, guys make mistakes and things like that. We’ve been doing the same thing around here since I’ve been here. We may have put one or two new defenses in a year but it’s basically the same thing. I think that’s what allows us to play fast and play well. When you have been in this system for three or four years doing the same thing every year, it’s like anything else when you do it all the time; it’s like second nature.”


(on words of encouragement for youth who want to excel in a certain field) “It’s definitely about the hard work and things like that, but until you actually go through it, you don’t understand how hard it really is. It’s cool to dream of things like that, but you have to put the work time and overall workload into where you are. You can’t just dream it and not going about it the right way and do it the right way.”


(on being finished with most of the media sessions and on focusing for game) “The media are wearing us out. Every day it’s something else. You kind of want to just practice, relax and go see your family afterwards and just chill and get ready for the game. At the same time, it’s part of it and you get used to it.”


(on why there is no trash talking leading up the game) “Joey (Porter) is not here. That’s the bottom line. He was the only one really talking. He’s a talker; that’s what he did. We do our talking on the field with our pads. We go out there and we do our thing. I have never seen a game won in a press conference, so that’s how we look at it.”


(on Kurt Warner being rattled in the past when he has pressure and on if most quarterbacks are like that) “Any quarterback is like that. That’s one of the ways to try to make them as uneasy as possible and try to make them make some bad decisions, try to make them move around and don’t let them sit back there. [Warner] will kill you if you let him sit back there, because he’s a veteran guy and he knows where to go with the ball. You definitely have to put pressure on him all the time.”


(on practicing on the field at the University of South Florida yesterday) “It was fun. The field was fast. I’m not used to the grass being that low and the weather being that good. It’s been a long time since we’ve been in that type of weather. It’s almost like you don’t even have to stretch. You have such a long time to get ready and get warm but out here you kind of want to just get out there and go.”


(on the field conditions at practice and for the Super Bowl) “When we did the media day out (at Raymond James Stadium), I don’t think the grass is as low as that. That grass out there (at USF) is matted down, almost like turf. It’s matted like they took a roll and they rolled it. At Raymond James, it’s nice. It’s kind of like at the (University of) Texas. It’s a couple of inches high, really nice and soft. It seems like it’s really fast though.”


(on the type of practice yesterday) “It was not a walk-through. It was a practice. It’s how we practice, no pads on, just practice as fast as possible. We got out there and tried to get going. We already knew what to expect coming in, because we kind of went over the game plan last week. It’s basically just sharpening up on everything.”


(on if he expects to sit out more plays this game) “I probably will but that’s part of it. If they want to bring an extra receiver in, then our nickel and dime (personnel) will go out there. A lot of teams do that, just to switch it up so we can’t blitz them as much. It won’t surprise me.”


(on if he prefers to be fresher and if he can do more damage if he’s fresher)“I don’t want to be fresher. I want to be out there the whole time. I don’t know a football player who doesn’t. At the same time, it is what it is and you have to go with the flow and with whatever they are doing, we have to put in the best personnel to get it done.”


(on the possibility of Dick LeBeau leaving) “Honestly, I can’t see him leaving. I can’t see him not coaching. I think he loves doing it so much that it would be hard for me to picture him doing anything else. I know he loves to play golf and things like that, but he’s a coach and that’s what he does. I can’t see him doing anything else.”


(on if LeBeau is still at the top of his game) “He gets around better than a whole lot of other coaches we saw. When you have been doing it for as long as he’s been doing it, it’s kind of like second nature to him.”


(on being a part of the Steelers 75th anniversary team and what that means to him) “It’s a big accomplishment. Those guys who played back in the day, they are kind of like legends. For me to be on that type of team, it’s a great accomplishment to me.”


(on how they will prepare for Cardinals QB Kurt Warner) “The same thing we do to prepare for anybody else. That’s one thing about us that I think people don’t understand. We don’t worry about anybody else, we worry about us. We just go out there and do our thing and we don’t treat anybody else any differently. We will go out there and do what we do to them.”