Super Bowl XLIV News Conference
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – February 8, 2010
(Opening statement) “Before we get started, as a head coach, when you get the opportunity to play in this game, certainly from a scheduling statement, when you look at everything that goes on – the week prior, and bye week, and then the week of the Super Bowl – there is a lot that goes into it. I want to take this time to thank Commissioner Goodell and the league office for really providing an outstanding environment for both teams to prepare and play their best football. You really don’t realize how much goes into the planning of an event like this. From the day we arrived on Monday after the Pro Bowl to midnight last night, it was perfect. Not because we won, but logistically, the planning, scheduling, support we have had from the league was outstanding. As a head coach, sometimes you may be blind to the bigger picture and I appreciate the organization and the many responsibilities of people not only in this room, but the many responsibilities that the League provides for both teams to get ready to really put their best foot forward. We have a little pin for the last three weeks we have worn. A gentleman by the name of Tim Davey, who I met at the Pro Bowl in 2006, who really epitomized, I think, what the League is about in regards to his commitment to just working and grinding and making everything smooth, whether it was a Pro Bowl or whether it was a game in London. So those initials “TD” didn’t really necessarily stand for us wanting to score touchdowns. Those initials represented somebody who was committed to the game, committed to all the nuances and all the hard work and effort that really, basically put the players in the game itself first. I felt like as a coach I was honored to have a chance to coach in this game, in this venue, and be a part of it with guys like Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. I truly am humbled by that. I don’t for one minute take that for granted. When Mickey Loomis hired me in 2006, not having been from New Orleans, it would be hard to describe the relationship between the fans and the players there. It became apparent to me that football was obviously very important, but it was much bigger than football. When we got into coaching, or playing, we got into it for certain reasons and yet the reasons in New Orleans far exceeded what we ever expected. I am honored to have had a chance to coach and work with this team, in a great League. I can’t help but think, and Troy Aikman said this a few days ago to me, for all the number of players that have played in this league, eight, ten, twelve years, that have never had that opportunity to play in this final game, this Super Bowl. I am very appreciative of having an opportunity to compete for a championship with guys like Drew Brees. With players that we have put together, Mickey Loomis and the Saints organization. To be a part of it, a small part of it. As a coach I am very honored. It certainly feels great to win. I have been in this game where we didn’t win. It is amazing what we, as the NFL, have been able to achieve in twenty years and where we are at as a league is stronger than ever. I am proud to be one small piece of that and I love the fact that I am a head coach in the National Football League and I love the fact that I was able to and given the opportunity to be a head coach of a Super Bowl team. Last night, about three in the morning, when it was quiet, I took the elevator up and put this trophy down on the desk and just said a prayer. Thanked God for these special times that don’t come around too often. For that I am very appreciative and very humbled by. Any questions?”
(on what will be crucial to hold the team together next season and whether it’s a priority to retain S Darren Sharper and RB Reggie Bush) “Well, I think this. I think as it pertains to our personnel, the off season decisions in regards to your personnel, the windows shorten some in regards to your work schedule, but there’s something about what we do that maybe allows you 24 to 48 hours before you start eyeing up the next challenge. Somewhere last night we talked about Dallas, Texas and one of the greatest stadiums now that our league knows, and there’s probably never enough in regards to the challenge. That’s the neat thing about it. When you get a quarterback like Drew Brees, who’s in the prime of his career, it’s not enough. Last night was great and yet there’s still something that burns in you to separate yourself more. So we’ll spend a little bit of time here refueling, recharging the batteries, and getting ourselves prepared for the challenges ahead. We know that it’ll be difficult and yet, no more difficult than getting this team going after (Hurricane) Katrina and everything that took place in 2006. Our players will be ready for the challenge. We’re young. We’re hungry. One thing about this game, this Super Bowl, and when you have an opportunity to participate the week of and in the event itself, it just pulls you that much closer to wanting to be in it again. And having been a part of a team in 2000, against the Baltimore Ravens, just remember leaving that game, although it was a difficult loss, with that desire to get back in that venue. There’s so much about it that’s right. There’s so much about it that’s special. There’s no other Championship game like the Super Bowl. Last night at about midnight, I’ve got to grab this for a second (grabs Vince Lombardi trophy), last night at about midnight we grabbed this trophy and one of our coaches, his name is Joe Lombardi – he’s Vince Lombardi’s grandson – and Joe Lombardi, his father Vince Jr., his two brothers, sat and posed with this trophy – the four of them while pictures were taken. I just thought to myself you’ve got to be kidding me. If you believe in heaven, and you believe Vince Lombardi’s there looking down on his grandson, it doesn’t get any better. This is a guy that coaches our quarterbacks, coaches Drew Brees, and here’s a trophy that’s named after his grandfather. You can’t get enough of this. This thing laid in my bed next to me last night, rolled over it a couple times. I probably drooled on it, but man, there’s nothing like it. There’s nothing like it. To be a coach and be a part of a great team with players like Drew Brees, I’m honored. I don’t take that opportunity lightly at all. I feel very fortunate, very blessed, and very humbled by it.”
(on if he was able to talk with Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells, whom he worked under in Dallas, the week prior to the game as well as after the game) “I did. Tony Sparano and I spent three years with Bill in Dallas, three long years [with] a lot of work. I think Bill has been a great influence on our careers. I said this a number of times during the week; I have been very fortunate to come up with a number of great coaches. When you are afforded those opportunities, you are able to hone your skills and hopefully learn and become a better coach. I was very fortunate. The years I spent in New York with Wellington Mara and the Tisch family [and] then to have an opportunity to work with Bill and Jerry Jones’ family, those opportunities don’t come around too often. I had a number of conversations with Bill leading up to this game and just recently 10 minutes before getting here I talked to him. He taught me so much about people and about teaching and about evaluation and preparation. I am better having had the chance to work with him. The history of our league and the great players and great coaches and when you are able to be a part of that history I think you are better off for it. I know you are. It is a big reason we are sitting here holding [the Vince Lombardi trophy] up in the air. I am thankful for that.”
(on his decision to start the second half with an onside kick) “Each week when you play an opponent, you try to look for an advantage, maybe in the kicking game, whether it’s a punt or a field goal. In this case, it’s our kickoff. (Saints P) Thomas Morstead had done a good job practicing the surprise onside kick—‘The Ambush’ as we call it—to our left. We felt like there was an edge there with the ball being on the far hash, where the front line has a tendency to move quicker back to get set up (for the return).
(Saints Special Teams Coordinator) Greg McMahon and (Saints Assistant Special Teams Coach) Mike Mallory did a great job of really presenting it to me and selling me on the idea that we would gain an advantage. I think last week we gave it work in New Orleans. Of course, we practiced it some here. You’re always a little mindful of that with as many people who are at practice at the Super Bowl, but we felt like the opportunity would present itself, we just didn’t know when.
“Yesterday morning in our team meeting before we started, I told the special teams unit we weren’t going to consider it; we were going to do it. We just had to find the right time. When we came in at halftime, you’ve got a longer period of time in the Super Bowl when there’s entertainment going on. (It gave us) a chance to kind of underline and focus on the next half. It was at that time I had just told the team that when we opened the game in the second half, we were going to start with ‘The Ambush,’ and then after we recovered it, here are the next eight plays that we scripted. Basically, we scripted the next eight plays, beginning on the left hash at the 40-some yard line.
“Credit the players. They did a great job of executing the surprise onside kick and made me look good. It gave us really an additional possession. It’s much like a turnover. More importantly, after we obtained the ball, we were able to march down and score a touchdown and really create some momentum. The players did a great job of making me look good with that call. It was calculated. It was well thought out by our special teams coaches. We felt like the risk-reward (chances) were worth it. In the end, we were able to gain an additional possession to score a touchdown, and the execution was outstanding. It’s really difficult when you’re a right-footed kicker. It happens a lot to me when I swing a golf club. To plant one like that was outstanding, especially for a rookie player.
“When you look at a guy like Thomas Morstead, and someone asked him last night how he felt. I think his response was he was nervous as hell, but he executed it well. We recovered it and (Saints QB) Drew (Brees) and the offense took advantage of the field position and scored a touchdown. It was pretty significant in the second half.”
martes, 9 de febrero de 2010
SUPER BOWL XLIV MVP DREW BREES - Ingles
Super Bowl XLIV News Conference
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – February 8, 2010
Commissioner Roger Goodell opening statement: “OK, we obviously had another classic game last night between two terrific teams. Also, preliminary feedback comes from the ratings – it looks like it may be a record audience, too, to see the Super Bowl. It looks like 10 percent up from last year, so we expect it will be over 151 million people who watched last night’s Super Bowl, which was clearly more than a game. I keep thinking of the word ‘magical.’ When you think about the relationship between the Saints and the Gulf Coast and the city of New Orleans, it was more than just a football game and more than just a football team. The hopes, the dreams and the struggles of that community were all reflected in that football game. It was really a great night for the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. I think they all sort of lifted one another, so congratulations to the Saints and their fans.
“I think it also demonstrates the value of sports. As they say, it was more than a football game, and it talks about the relationship, and these two gentlemen over here – Coach (Sean) Payton and Drew Brees, I think, reflect that community and have given back to that community far more than they would as quarterbacks or head coaches. They really have given their heart and soul to that community, and I think it showed in the way that that community has responded to them. So, congratulations to both of them.
“Let me say something about Coach Payton first. And coach, again, what he’s done in his community is extraordinary. What he’s done for the NFL, what he’s done for the Saints on a personal level, that’s more important. He obviously is now a Super Bowl-winning head coach. But, he has really gone much beyond that, and he’s had an impact on that community that is extraordinary. And his impact on that game last night was extraordinary, too. He had some gutsy calls that will probably go down all-time in the history of coaching. So coach, congratulations on your victory.
“The MVP – you all heard the statistics, you saw the performance. It was extraordinary. What a player, but more importantly, what a guy. I had the good fortune of knowing him a little bit better a couple of years ago. In fact, we bunked for 10 days, or seven days, over in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, he got a lot closer to the Commissioner than he probably cared to. But, I will tell you this – you see the real, the guts of a guy, and what really he’s all about. And he demonstrates it on the field, but more importantly, demonstrates it in the way he lives his life. That’s what makes all of us so proud. This is not just an MVP, he’s the Most Valuable Person, and he is really a terrific young man. Drew, congratulations on, and if you want to bring that trophy up you can. Drew Brees, the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV.”
Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees opening statement: “Well, this is a first for me. Am I supposed to say a few words or just answer questions? (laughing) I’ll say a few words. I’m not sure if it’s completely sunk in yet. It seems like as the minutes go by, it slowly does. I had to wake up this morning and turn to my wife and say, ‘Did yesterday really happen?’ And she said, ‘Yes it did.’ What a special moment, something that you dream about as a kid, and to be blessed with the opportunity to be able to play in the NFL, to be a quarterback, to have the platform that I do not only as a team leader, but what I try to do in the community to try to be the best role model I can be, the best person I can be, the best teammate I can be. Our victory last night was the culmination of four years of hard work, fighting through a lot of adversity, ups and downs, and more importantly than that, representing a city that has been through so much – been through so many struggles and hardships. Along the way, people have asked me so many times, ‘Do you look at it as a burden or extra pressure? You feel like you’re carrying the weight of the city on your team’s shoulders?’ I said, ‘No, not at all.’ We all look at it as responsibility. Our city, our fans give us strength. We owe this to them. That’s made all the difference. The Who Dat nation, Saints fans across the country, and I think we probably even might have gained a few fans after yesterday, they’re the ones, they’re who we play for. They’re why were able to win the championship that we did last night. It was for them. There’s no city, there’s no organization, there’s no people that we would want to win more for than the city of New Orleans. It’s an honor and just an unbelievable feeling. I’ll take questions now if anybody has any.”
(on what he did last night after the game) “Well, I guess we can thank technology for text messaging and e-mail and everything that comes with a Blackberry and there was about 500 of those messages that I just tried to scroll through. Obviously so many of those messages coming from former coaches, high school friends, high school teammates that I won a state championship with, mentors, family members. Just everybody so happy, just talking about how we deserved it and it just made you feel like, throughout this journey, it hasn’t been easy, but we’ve always done things the right way. That has stemmed from our owner Tom Benson, our general manager Mickey Loomis and of course our head coach Sean Payton. I feel like we’ve always worked extremely hard, we’ve always done things the right way. It hasn’t been easy, but here we are, Super Bowl champs.”
(on how last night justifies the numbers he’s put up over the last four years) “You play this game to try to be the best and you play to win the ultimate prize, which is what we were able to win last night, a world championship, a Super Bowl championship. You think of all those that came before you, not only the teams and the coaches, but the players and those that paved the way for all of us to be able to play this great game that we do and be a part of this great league. Just to have this opportunity to hold up that Vince Lombardi Trophy and to call ourselves champions. We have one of our coaches (linebackers coach) Joe Vitt who is a very passionate guy, a very inspirational coach. He’s been in the league for 33 years and this was his first Super Bowl to even play in, much less to win. Starting back in 2006 when we kind of all came together post-Katrina and started bringing together this core group of players to build our team, and as we made that run in 2006, Joe Vitt talked about at some point we were going to win a world championship together and when we do, we will walk together forever. This is something that can never be taken away from you and as long as we live, even beyond our lifetime, our kid’s lifetime, our grandkid’s lifetime, this is something that will always be with us. It will be a part of our legacy and that’s special.”
(on his evolution as a quarterback and whether there was something that he did better this season) “I always try to improve every year and I feel like I have. I feel like each year I’ve become a better player and whether the statistics might not show that, the wins and losses might not necessarily, just the maturation process and as you gain experience, that’s the only way that you get better. Just constantly kind of focusing on the things that you can do to help your team win and improve as a player and a leader and just all those things that it takes to play the quarterback position. I feel like our team, as I watched it come together this offseason with the free agents coming, with the way our season started, to be specific our emphasis with the run game offensively, what we were able to accomplish there, our guys up front with our stable of running backs. I just felt like my role, not only as quarterback, a leader throwing the football, obviously, but just kind of being the guy that needs to manage things on offense. I can’t say enough about our team, our offense, our guys that take the field with me every Sunday. They earned this.”
(on his place in the among the elite quarterbacks and whether he has an understanding of how this title will change how he’s looked) “Well, that’s what everybody’s telling me, but I’m trying to just take it one day at a time and I’d like to be able to look back on that, years from now when I’m done playing. Hopefully, I’ve got many more years ahead me. I’m going to try to play this game for as long as I can, until they kick me out. It’s been an unbelievable journey thus far, it’s gone by so quickly. This was my ninth year and it’s hard to believe because I remember when I came in as a rookie and just the journey since then. I’m just going to try to relish every moment and I’m going to try be the best player that I can be and the best quarterback and try to win a few more.”
(on being a role model and spreading that lesson throughout the League) “Yeah, I believe we can. I think it starts with the type of guys you have and we have the right type of guys on our team – unbelievable character. That all started back in 2006, when Sean Payton was hired as our head coach. With him and (GM) Mickey Loomis and our owner Tom Benson, they made the commitment to really start over at this point. Post-Katrina, the city had been relocated to San Antonio and now they were coming back with so many things in question. Here we are, and we’re going to bring in the right type of character people because when times get tough, it’s those people with strong character and strong morals and strong values that are going to be able to pull you through. We faced our fair share of tough times and it’s because we’ve had the right type of people on our team. That’s what’s allowed us to be at this point and those guys were not only great teammates and great players and did things the right way in that regard, but they also understood the value of and the platform that we had as role models and as leaders in the community and the opportunity we had in New Orleans to not only be a part of the rebuilding of an organization and a team, but also of a city and a region, and everything that we could give back to that community. Like I said before, New Orleans gave us so much strength. The people, we knew what they had been through, and yet they continued to fight, continued to believe and continued to have faith and they helped instill that in us.”
(on his relationship with Saints HC Sean Payton) “Sean is a special guy. You get so caught up, obviously in that working relationship, you know, just kind of the day-to-day game plan and your constant communication and all those things. On that level, I feel like its ESP. I feel like we communicate so well together. I have so much trust and faith and confidence in him, and I feel like he has that same confidence in me, to the point where when we are on the field, I feel like I know the play that’s going to be called before it’s called because we talk about it so much. He’ll tell you, ‘Listen, this is what I’m looking to do, this is when I’m looking to do that,’ and sure enough the game comes around and here it is. He’s such an aggressive play-caller and when you have a guy like that, you know how much confidence he is putting in you to call those plays, to dial those things up, and that’s why I think we’re able to play as we do as an offense, because we have that faith in him and we know all the time and energy that’s gone into the game plan. By the time the week comes to an end, we trust that plan like no other, and we trust him. But even beyond that player-coach working relationship, Sean is a tremendous person. He’s a tremendous family man. To give you an example, Saturday we had our walk-through at the stadium and Sean said, ‘I want all the guys to bring their sons. Bring your sons to the stadium. Let them run out on the field. I want them to have a pick-up game going on while we’re doing our walk through. Let them enjoy this moment with you.’ So he’s one of those guys that is constantly allowing guys to bring their kids into the locker room, to Saturday walk-through, have their families around. He wanted this week to be as much about the families and about this experience for them as it was for us as a team. That’s a guy who gets it. Its more than just about the game, it’s more than just about football. It’s about being a great person and being a great family man and how that all comes together and ties together and plays an important role in our lives.”
(on going 16 for 17 in the second half and his thought process and was what going on in the huddle) “Well, the first thing I’ll say is just to get to the end of the second quarter, we got stopped on fourth and goal, but that was a very calculated decision because here we are with a couple of timeouts. We know where we can stop them and get the ball. But we need some points going in at the end of the half. Sure enough, we get the two-minute drive going, we get a little bit of momentum going in at halftime, which I think helped the decision to kick this onside, get the ball back, which is an unbelievably gutsy call, but one that we all believed that this was going to work. Sure enough it does, we then get the ball, right down the field and score a touchdown and gain momentum on our side. Then at that point you just felt like okay, the game has come to us and now we can take it over. Sean just continued to dial it up and we just got into that rhythm and I think he recognized that and just knew that we can have our way with this defense underneath just spreading the ball around, moving the chains. We have to be patient because they’re not giving us any big plays, but we’ll just continue to earn it, earn it, earn it all the way down the field, and once we get down there, we have to score a touchdown and that’s what we did.”
(on his vision for the future) “We’re going to enjoy this for a while. I think New Orleans is enjoying it right this second, still. Don’t expect anyone to go to work this morning in New Orleans, or maybe for the next two weeks considering Mardi Gras is next week (laughing). This is something that I think we all deserve to enjoy for a while, and reflect on what it’s taken to get to this point, and all that we’ve been through and all that we’ve fought so hard to get. This is the pinnacle, and yet come late April, May, when you get back into the swing of things with lifting, and offseason program, conditioning, OTA’s, and mini-camps, it’s all about that 2010 season. There are 32 teams out there that feel like it’s going to be their year. So we know what it’s like to build something from the ground up and just feeling like this is our time, this is going to be our year. I think what’s going to be fun is using the term, ‘repeat’ all next year.”
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – February 8, 2010
Commissioner Roger Goodell opening statement: “OK, we obviously had another classic game last night between two terrific teams. Also, preliminary feedback comes from the ratings – it looks like it may be a record audience, too, to see the Super Bowl. It looks like 10 percent up from last year, so we expect it will be over 151 million people who watched last night’s Super Bowl, which was clearly more than a game. I keep thinking of the word ‘magical.’ When you think about the relationship between the Saints and the Gulf Coast and the city of New Orleans, it was more than just a football game and more than just a football team. The hopes, the dreams and the struggles of that community were all reflected in that football game. It was really a great night for the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. I think they all sort of lifted one another, so congratulations to the Saints and their fans.
“I think it also demonstrates the value of sports. As they say, it was more than a football game, and it talks about the relationship, and these two gentlemen over here – Coach (Sean) Payton and Drew Brees, I think, reflect that community and have given back to that community far more than they would as quarterbacks or head coaches. They really have given their heart and soul to that community, and I think it showed in the way that that community has responded to them. So, congratulations to both of them.
“Let me say something about Coach Payton first. And coach, again, what he’s done in his community is extraordinary. What he’s done for the NFL, what he’s done for the Saints on a personal level, that’s more important. He obviously is now a Super Bowl-winning head coach. But, he has really gone much beyond that, and he’s had an impact on that community that is extraordinary. And his impact on that game last night was extraordinary, too. He had some gutsy calls that will probably go down all-time in the history of coaching. So coach, congratulations on your victory.
“The MVP – you all heard the statistics, you saw the performance. It was extraordinary. What a player, but more importantly, what a guy. I had the good fortune of knowing him a little bit better a couple of years ago. In fact, we bunked for 10 days, or seven days, over in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, he got a lot closer to the Commissioner than he probably cared to. But, I will tell you this – you see the real, the guts of a guy, and what really he’s all about. And he demonstrates it on the field, but more importantly, demonstrates it in the way he lives his life. That’s what makes all of us so proud. This is not just an MVP, he’s the Most Valuable Person, and he is really a terrific young man. Drew, congratulations on, and if you want to bring that trophy up you can. Drew Brees, the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV.”
Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees opening statement: “Well, this is a first for me. Am I supposed to say a few words or just answer questions? (laughing) I’ll say a few words. I’m not sure if it’s completely sunk in yet. It seems like as the minutes go by, it slowly does. I had to wake up this morning and turn to my wife and say, ‘Did yesterday really happen?’ And she said, ‘Yes it did.’ What a special moment, something that you dream about as a kid, and to be blessed with the opportunity to be able to play in the NFL, to be a quarterback, to have the platform that I do not only as a team leader, but what I try to do in the community to try to be the best role model I can be, the best person I can be, the best teammate I can be. Our victory last night was the culmination of four years of hard work, fighting through a lot of adversity, ups and downs, and more importantly than that, representing a city that has been through so much – been through so many struggles and hardships. Along the way, people have asked me so many times, ‘Do you look at it as a burden or extra pressure? You feel like you’re carrying the weight of the city on your team’s shoulders?’ I said, ‘No, not at all.’ We all look at it as responsibility. Our city, our fans give us strength. We owe this to them. That’s made all the difference. The Who Dat nation, Saints fans across the country, and I think we probably even might have gained a few fans after yesterday, they’re the ones, they’re who we play for. They’re why were able to win the championship that we did last night. It was for them. There’s no city, there’s no organization, there’s no people that we would want to win more for than the city of New Orleans. It’s an honor and just an unbelievable feeling. I’ll take questions now if anybody has any.”
(on what he did last night after the game) “Well, I guess we can thank technology for text messaging and e-mail and everything that comes with a Blackberry and there was about 500 of those messages that I just tried to scroll through. Obviously so many of those messages coming from former coaches, high school friends, high school teammates that I won a state championship with, mentors, family members. Just everybody so happy, just talking about how we deserved it and it just made you feel like, throughout this journey, it hasn’t been easy, but we’ve always done things the right way. That has stemmed from our owner Tom Benson, our general manager Mickey Loomis and of course our head coach Sean Payton. I feel like we’ve always worked extremely hard, we’ve always done things the right way. It hasn’t been easy, but here we are, Super Bowl champs.”
(on how last night justifies the numbers he’s put up over the last four years) “You play this game to try to be the best and you play to win the ultimate prize, which is what we were able to win last night, a world championship, a Super Bowl championship. You think of all those that came before you, not only the teams and the coaches, but the players and those that paved the way for all of us to be able to play this great game that we do and be a part of this great league. Just to have this opportunity to hold up that Vince Lombardi Trophy and to call ourselves champions. We have one of our coaches (linebackers coach) Joe Vitt who is a very passionate guy, a very inspirational coach. He’s been in the league for 33 years and this was his first Super Bowl to even play in, much less to win. Starting back in 2006 when we kind of all came together post-Katrina and started bringing together this core group of players to build our team, and as we made that run in 2006, Joe Vitt talked about at some point we were going to win a world championship together and when we do, we will walk together forever. This is something that can never be taken away from you and as long as we live, even beyond our lifetime, our kid’s lifetime, our grandkid’s lifetime, this is something that will always be with us. It will be a part of our legacy and that’s special.”
(on his evolution as a quarterback and whether there was something that he did better this season) “I always try to improve every year and I feel like I have. I feel like each year I’ve become a better player and whether the statistics might not show that, the wins and losses might not necessarily, just the maturation process and as you gain experience, that’s the only way that you get better. Just constantly kind of focusing on the things that you can do to help your team win and improve as a player and a leader and just all those things that it takes to play the quarterback position. I feel like our team, as I watched it come together this offseason with the free agents coming, with the way our season started, to be specific our emphasis with the run game offensively, what we were able to accomplish there, our guys up front with our stable of running backs. I just felt like my role, not only as quarterback, a leader throwing the football, obviously, but just kind of being the guy that needs to manage things on offense. I can’t say enough about our team, our offense, our guys that take the field with me every Sunday. They earned this.”
(on his place in the among the elite quarterbacks and whether he has an understanding of how this title will change how he’s looked) “Well, that’s what everybody’s telling me, but I’m trying to just take it one day at a time and I’d like to be able to look back on that, years from now when I’m done playing. Hopefully, I’ve got many more years ahead me. I’m going to try to play this game for as long as I can, until they kick me out. It’s been an unbelievable journey thus far, it’s gone by so quickly. This was my ninth year and it’s hard to believe because I remember when I came in as a rookie and just the journey since then. I’m just going to try to relish every moment and I’m going to try be the best player that I can be and the best quarterback and try to win a few more.”
(on being a role model and spreading that lesson throughout the League) “Yeah, I believe we can. I think it starts with the type of guys you have and we have the right type of guys on our team – unbelievable character. That all started back in 2006, when Sean Payton was hired as our head coach. With him and (GM) Mickey Loomis and our owner Tom Benson, they made the commitment to really start over at this point. Post-Katrina, the city had been relocated to San Antonio and now they were coming back with so many things in question. Here we are, and we’re going to bring in the right type of character people because when times get tough, it’s those people with strong character and strong morals and strong values that are going to be able to pull you through. We faced our fair share of tough times and it’s because we’ve had the right type of people on our team. That’s what’s allowed us to be at this point and those guys were not only great teammates and great players and did things the right way in that regard, but they also understood the value of and the platform that we had as role models and as leaders in the community and the opportunity we had in New Orleans to not only be a part of the rebuilding of an organization and a team, but also of a city and a region, and everything that we could give back to that community. Like I said before, New Orleans gave us so much strength. The people, we knew what they had been through, and yet they continued to fight, continued to believe and continued to have faith and they helped instill that in us.”
(on his relationship with Saints HC Sean Payton) “Sean is a special guy. You get so caught up, obviously in that working relationship, you know, just kind of the day-to-day game plan and your constant communication and all those things. On that level, I feel like its ESP. I feel like we communicate so well together. I have so much trust and faith and confidence in him, and I feel like he has that same confidence in me, to the point where when we are on the field, I feel like I know the play that’s going to be called before it’s called because we talk about it so much. He’ll tell you, ‘Listen, this is what I’m looking to do, this is when I’m looking to do that,’ and sure enough the game comes around and here it is. He’s such an aggressive play-caller and when you have a guy like that, you know how much confidence he is putting in you to call those plays, to dial those things up, and that’s why I think we’re able to play as we do as an offense, because we have that faith in him and we know all the time and energy that’s gone into the game plan. By the time the week comes to an end, we trust that plan like no other, and we trust him. But even beyond that player-coach working relationship, Sean is a tremendous person. He’s a tremendous family man. To give you an example, Saturday we had our walk-through at the stadium and Sean said, ‘I want all the guys to bring their sons. Bring your sons to the stadium. Let them run out on the field. I want them to have a pick-up game going on while we’re doing our walk through. Let them enjoy this moment with you.’ So he’s one of those guys that is constantly allowing guys to bring their kids into the locker room, to Saturday walk-through, have their families around. He wanted this week to be as much about the families and about this experience for them as it was for us as a team. That’s a guy who gets it. Its more than just about the game, it’s more than just about football. It’s about being a great person and being a great family man and how that all comes together and ties together and plays an important role in our lives.”
(on going 16 for 17 in the second half and his thought process and was what going on in the huddle) “Well, the first thing I’ll say is just to get to the end of the second quarter, we got stopped on fourth and goal, but that was a very calculated decision because here we are with a couple of timeouts. We know where we can stop them and get the ball. But we need some points going in at the end of the half. Sure enough, we get the two-minute drive going, we get a little bit of momentum going in at halftime, which I think helped the decision to kick this onside, get the ball back, which is an unbelievably gutsy call, but one that we all believed that this was going to work. Sure enough it does, we then get the ball, right down the field and score a touchdown and gain momentum on our side. Then at that point you just felt like okay, the game has come to us and now we can take it over. Sean just continued to dial it up and we just got into that rhythm and I think he recognized that and just knew that we can have our way with this defense underneath just spreading the ball around, moving the chains. We have to be patient because they’re not giving us any big plays, but we’ll just continue to earn it, earn it, earn it all the way down the field, and once we get down there, we have to score a touchdown and that’s what we did.”
(on his vision for the future) “We’re going to enjoy this for a while. I think New Orleans is enjoying it right this second, still. Don’t expect anyone to go to work this morning in New Orleans, or maybe for the next two weeks considering Mardi Gras is next week (laughing). This is something that I think we all deserve to enjoy for a while, and reflect on what it’s taken to get to this point, and all that we’ve been through and all that we’ve fought so hard to get. This is the pinnacle, and yet come late April, May, when you get back into the swing of things with lifting, and offseason program, conditioning, OTA’s, and mini-camps, it’s all about that 2010 season. There are 32 teams out there that feel like it’s going to be their year. So we know what it’s like to build something from the ground up and just feeling like this is our time, this is going to be our year. I think what’s going to be fun is using the term, ‘repeat’ all next year.”
lunes, 8 de febrero de 2010
SUPER BOWL XLIV - COLTS OT RYAN DIEM - Ingles
COLTS OT RYAN DIEM
(on the onside kick) “I think it was kind of a bold move but it worked out for them. There were a couple plays for them like that that just worked for them. They got the recovery on the outside and the two point conversion and they were able to make the play with the interception. I’ll be honest with you I did not see it coming. At that point in the game I did not expect them to do anything like that. The element of surprise got us. After we jumped out in the first quarter, we did not have many plays and did not complete the downs we needed.”
(on losing the Super Bowl) “It’s disappointing. We’ve been in those situations before and this year we have come back from being behind in the fourth quarter, and we’ve been very confident in those situations. It’s very disappointing that we did not get the job done.”
(on watching Peyton Manning) “I don’t know all of the stats or anything, but we did everything we could with what we had, and there were times when we did not complete third downs or there were times when we didn’t make the plays we needed to make.”
(on the Saints adjustments at halftime) “I couldn’t tell you what adjustments they made at half; I don’t think they did a whole lot different with their defense. It’s all about execution. ”
(how it felt to have a winning season and lose) “It was a pretty incredible season, to win 14 games in a row, but we are here to win the Super Bowl and we didn’t get it done.”
(on if the Saints were better than expected) We practiced everything we saw, they executed very well and they won a couple gambles that paid off for them. They are a great team and we knew that coming in. We practiced for all of the looks they presented us with and I don’t think there was something we haven’t seen. They got it done though.”
(on the onside kick) “I think it was kind of a bold move but it worked out for them. There were a couple plays for them like that that just worked for them. They got the recovery on the outside and the two point conversion and they were able to make the play with the interception. I’ll be honest with you I did not see it coming. At that point in the game I did not expect them to do anything like that. The element of surprise got us. After we jumped out in the first quarter, we did not have many plays and did not complete the downs we needed.”
(on losing the Super Bowl) “It’s disappointing. We’ve been in those situations before and this year we have come back from being behind in the fourth quarter, and we’ve been very confident in those situations. It’s very disappointing that we did not get the job done.”
(on watching Peyton Manning) “I don’t know all of the stats or anything, but we did everything we could with what we had, and there were times when we did not complete third downs or there were times when we didn’t make the plays we needed to make.”
(on the Saints adjustments at halftime) “I couldn’t tell you what adjustments they made at half; I don’t think they did a whole lot different with their defense. It’s all about execution. ”
(how it felt to have a winning season and lose) “It was a pretty incredible season, to win 14 games in a row, but we are here to win the Super Bowl and we didn’t get it done.”
(on if the Saints were better than expected) We practiced everything we saw, they executed very well and they won a couple gambles that paid off for them. They are a great team and we knew that coming in. We practiced for all of the looks they presented us with and I don’t think there was something we haven’t seen. They got it done though.”
SUPER BOWL XLIV - COLTS DB KELVIN HAYDEN - Ingles
COLTS DB KELVIN HAYDEN
(on the Saints methodical offense) “We didn’t get off the field on third down. We didn’t execute when we needed to.”
(on what the Saints were able to do successfully on offense) “They did a lot of taking advantage of the match-up. They have a versatile type of backfield. Out on our linebackers, they did a great job. Like I said, we didn’t execute on third down when we needed to get off the field and get the ball back to our offense. That was the key to the game.”
(on how he thinks the late interception thrown by Colts QB Peyton Manning will affect him this offseason) “It doesn’t matter. I guarantee he’ll get over it just like everybody else will get over this loss. The main thing is, as a defense, we didn’t stand up like we’re supposed to. We made a couple of team mistakes in critical situations and we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities at hand.”
(on how it feels to lose a Super Bowl due to a late interception after winning in a similar fashion three years ago) “It’s crazy. I thought about that as well, three years ago. Now he’s [Tracy Porter] doing the celebrating, I’m doing the weeping. It is what it is. Congratulations to those guys.”
(on if he spoke with fellow University of Illinois alum Saints RB Pierre Thomas after the game) “I did. After the game I told him congratulations. I told him to enjoy it.”
(on Thomas’ performance) “He runs with the ball hard. You could see it was taking two or three tacklers to get him down at times and he kept the chains moving.”
(on the overall performance from the Saints) “They let it all hang out. They were feeling it. They played with confidence. Like I said, they came to play, and they came away with the victory.”
(on the inability to stop New Orleans on third downs) “That’s the name of the game, you have to stop them on third down, force these guys to punt, and we didn’t do that tonight.”
(on his feelings about the season) “It’s disappointing because we set the mission to come out as Super Bowl champions and we fell one game short. We just fall in the pile with the rest of the teams. We didn’t finish the task. Not taking anything away from this season, we had a great season as a team. We fought adversity week-in and week-out. We had a great year.”
(on the positive defensive performance in the first half) “In the first half, the defense was clicking. We were making plays, getting off the field on third down. In the fourth quarter of the game, and in the second half, we didn’t finish.”
(on the Saints methodical offense) “We didn’t get off the field on third down. We didn’t execute when we needed to.”
(on what the Saints were able to do successfully on offense) “They did a lot of taking advantage of the match-up. They have a versatile type of backfield. Out on our linebackers, they did a great job. Like I said, we didn’t execute on third down when we needed to get off the field and get the ball back to our offense. That was the key to the game.”
(on how he thinks the late interception thrown by Colts QB Peyton Manning will affect him this offseason) “It doesn’t matter. I guarantee he’ll get over it just like everybody else will get over this loss. The main thing is, as a defense, we didn’t stand up like we’re supposed to. We made a couple of team mistakes in critical situations and we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities at hand.”
(on how it feels to lose a Super Bowl due to a late interception after winning in a similar fashion three years ago) “It’s crazy. I thought about that as well, three years ago. Now he’s [Tracy Porter] doing the celebrating, I’m doing the weeping. It is what it is. Congratulations to those guys.”
(on if he spoke with fellow University of Illinois alum Saints RB Pierre Thomas after the game) “I did. After the game I told him congratulations. I told him to enjoy it.”
(on Thomas’ performance) “He runs with the ball hard. You could see it was taking two or three tacklers to get him down at times and he kept the chains moving.”
(on the overall performance from the Saints) “They let it all hang out. They were feeling it. They played with confidence. Like I said, they came to play, and they came away with the victory.”
(on the inability to stop New Orleans on third downs) “That’s the name of the game, you have to stop them on third down, force these guys to punt, and we didn’t do that tonight.”
(on his feelings about the season) “It’s disappointing because we set the mission to come out as Super Bowl champions and we fell one game short. We just fall in the pile with the rest of the teams. We didn’t finish the task. Not taking anything away from this season, we had a great season as a team. We fought adversity week-in and week-out. We had a great year.”
(on the positive defensive performance in the first half) “In the first half, the defense was clicking. We were making plays, getting off the field on third down. In the fourth quarter of the game, and in the second half, we didn’t finish.”
SUPER BOWL XLIV - COLTS WR REGGIE WAYNE - Ingles
COLTS WR REGGIE WAYNE
(on Porter’s interception) “It didn’t surprise me at all. That’s kind of how they were playing a little bit throughout the game. They kind of were squatting a little bit and he made a good play and scored a touchdown off of it.”
(on the Saints defense in the second half) “It was pretty consistent throughout the game. They had a good scheme. They did a good job and they came out with the W.”
(on the play the Colts ran on interception) “We’d run it quite a few times. We ran it earlier in the game and Peyton went backside with it, so I think (Porter) kind of had a feeling it was coming because it was the same formation. He did a good job of recognizing it and, like I said, he made a good play.”
(on the Saints defense) “You’ve got two weeks to prepare for a team, so they’ve seen everything we’ve done. Like I said, they have a good scheme. They did a good job of using it tonight and they’re celebrating.”
(on what the Saints victory means for his hometown of New Orleans) “You’ve got to take your hats off to the Saints. They did a good job coming into this game and getting the W, giving the city something to smile and be happy about. I’m pretty sure it’s going nuts over there. I take my hat off to them. They did a good job.”
(on what the loss means to the Colts’ legacy) “I don’t know. I’ll let ya’ll decide that. The only thing I can do is go out there and play my game and do what they tell me to do. Whether we had won or lost, people are going to have their own opinion anyway. We’ve got to bounce back and get another shot at it.”
(on the Colts’ offense in the second quarter) “We only had so many possessions. That’s how it went. Their offense did a good job of just moving the clock, moving the ball and keeping the clock going. Then, when we had our opportunities, we just didn’t have much time on the clock. You’ve just got to figure out a way to fix that and get the ball back and the offense has to do a better job of moving the chains and putting points on the board.”
(on 4th-and-goal in the fourth quarter) “I felt like I was a couple yards short if I had caught the ball so I was just trying to catch it and turn at the same time. There was a defender right there so I was trying to elude him at the same time. It would have been close. It was just one of those plays where you try to do something and it just didn’t work out.”
(on his knee) “My knee wasn’t bothering me at all. Not one bit.”
(on how the Colts will bounce back) “That’s to be determined. We’ve just got to step up. We’ve got to stay together. We’ve got to stay as a tight group. We’ve got to figure out a way to bounce back. That’s the way the game goes. You win some, you lose some. I just feel that we have the caliber of team that will stick together and figure out a way to not have this feeling. Hopefully we will keep it going.”
(on the fourth-quarter interception) “They did a good job of guessing. That’s what it is, it’s a guessing game. They did a good job. We turned it over and they were able to run it in. Like I said earlier, that’s what they’ve been thriving on all year, creating turnovers and scoring with it. He pretty much caught it and put us in panic mode.”
(on the mental effect New Orleans’ onside kick had on the Colts) “The whole time inside the locker room, we were just talking about getting the ball back and scoring and getting some points on the board, kind of putting them in a hole a little bit. They get the onsides and it kind of takes the wind out of our sail a little bit. It definitely caught us by surprise, but that’s the way it goes. You gamble and you get it or not. They did a good job of getting it.”
(on if he admires Sean Payton’s call to attempt the onside kick) “It’s not my decision, man. I’m the one that’s over there with my lip puffed out so apparently it was a good call.”
(on what Manning said to him after the interception) “He didn’t say anything. He just asked me what happened, what I think. I told him what the guy did and that was a wrap.”
(on Porter’s interception) “It didn’t surprise me at all. That’s kind of how they were playing a little bit throughout the game. They kind of were squatting a little bit and he made a good play and scored a touchdown off of it.”
(on the Saints defense in the second half) “It was pretty consistent throughout the game. They had a good scheme. They did a good job and they came out with the W.”
(on the play the Colts ran on interception) “We’d run it quite a few times. We ran it earlier in the game and Peyton went backside with it, so I think (Porter) kind of had a feeling it was coming because it was the same formation. He did a good job of recognizing it and, like I said, he made a good play.”
(on the Saints defense) “You’ve got two weeks to prepare for a team, so they’ve seen everything we’ve done. Like I said, they have a good scheme. They did a good job of using it tonight and they’re celebrating.”
(on what the Saints victory means for his hometown of New Orleans) “You’ve got to take your hats off to the Saints. They did a good job coming into this game and getting the W, giving the city something to smile and be happy about. I’m pretty sure it’s going nuts over there. I take my hat off to them. They did a good job.”
(on what the loss means to the Colts’ legacy) “I don’t know. I’ll let ya’ll decide that. The only thing I can do is go out there and play my game and do what they tell me to do. Whether we had won or lost, people are going to have their own opinion anyway. We’ve got to bounce back and get another shot at it.”
(on the Colts’ offense in the second quarter) “We only had so many possessions. That’s how it went. Their offense did a good job of just moving the clock, moving the ball and keeping the clock going. Then, when we had our opportunities, we just didn’t have much time on the clock. You’ve just got to figure out a way to fix that and get the ball back and the offense has to do a better job of moving the chains and putting points on the board.”
(on 4th-and-goal in the fourth quarter) “I felt like I was a couple yards short if I had caught the ball so I was just trying to catch it and turn at the same time. There was a defender right there so I was trying to elude him at the same time. It would have been close. It was just one of those plays where you try to do something and it just didn’t work out.”
(on his knee) “My knee wasn’t bothering me at all. Not one bit.”
(on how the Colts will bounce back) “That’s to be determined. We’ve just got to step up. We’ve got to stay together. We’ve got to stay as a tight group. We’ve got to figure out a way to bounce back. That’s the way the game goes. You win some, you lose some. I just feel that we have the caliber of team that will stick together and figure out a way to not have this feeling. Hopefully we will keep it going.”
(on the fourth-quarter interception) “They did a good job of guessing. That’s what it is, it’s a guessing game. They did a good job. We turned it over and they were able to run it in. Like I said earlier, that’s what they’ve been thriving on all year, creating turnovers and scoring with it. He pretty much caught it and put us in panic mode.”
(on the mental effect New Orleans’ onside kick had on the Colts) “The whole time inside the locker room, we were just talking about getting the ball back and scoring and getting some points on the board, kind of putting them in a hole a little bit. They get the onsides and it kind of takes the wind out of our sail a little bit. It definitely caught us by surprise, but that’s the way it goes. You gamble and you get it or not. They did a good job of getting it.”
(on if he admires Sean Payton’s call to attempt the onside kick) “It’s not my decision, man. I’m the one that’s over there with my lip puffed out so apparently it was a good call.”
(on what Manning said to him after the interception) “He didn’t say anything. He just asked me what happened, what I think. I told him what the guy did and that was a wrap.”
SUPER BOWL XLIV - COLTS S MELVIN BULLITT - Ingles
COLTS S MELVIN BULLITT
(on what happened in the second half) “They had a good game plan. We couldn’t get off of the field on third down. Things weren’t going our way, and we just weren’t in sync. Offensively, I don’t know what happened with them, but it seemed like they couldn’t stop us on offense. So when we got out there on defense, we just let them get too many field goals. Two little third downs, if we would’ve stopped them a little bit further back, maybe things could’ve been different.”
(on if it was tough to get any pass rush going at all) “At times, it seemed like it was, but for a while, our defensive line was doing really well. (Drew Brees) couldn’t see over the line. And he did make some good passes, but there were some passes that were kind of shaky that he made and he was doing a good job on the pressure at first. But they adjusted, they made good adjustments, they did what they had to do to win the game.”
(on the onside kick to start the second half) “The onside kick was huge. As a special teams captain on the team, I feel like we kind of didn’t do what we were supposed to do. We always talk about the little things, and that was a little thing that was huge. If we would’ve got the ball right there, maybe on the 40-yard line going in, the game could’ve went a totally different way. We would’ve been up by, what, 14 points, almost 17 points, so that was a huge turning point in the game. They scored on that drive immediately, and we just didn’t capitalize on defense. We just couldn’t stop them in that second half.”
(on what worked with the Saints’ game plan) “The short passing game. They didn’t go deep. They can’t throw it deep. We had a lot of speed on defense. We were moving around fast, they would dump it off short. We knew they were going to try to go deep, but they didn’t. They adjusted and dumped it off short and got four or five yards here and there, and it worked out well for them.”
(on if they were prepared for the onside kick) “We had been prepared for that all season. But they caught us off guard. They did a great job. The special teams coach made a great call. It was gutsy, and it’s the Super Bowl. I mean, what do you have to lose but this last game? You might as well go for it. And you see what happened. They got it. The defense didn’t go out and stop them. All the credit goes to them.”
(on if they were prepared for the onside kick) “We’re always prepared for an onside kick. You always prepare for that. You know your assignments. Our guy, he tried to make a great play on the ball. He just didn’t get it. And it goes like that sometimes. And special teams-wise we just didn’t finish, defensively we just didn’t finish and then on our offense, we just didn’t finish. It’s just one of those games that we did not finish. We finished all season so well, and to come here and not finish the game is not like us. It’s not like Colts football.”
(on DE Dwight Freeney being able to come back and play) “He worked his tail off. He did everything he could. He was in treatment three and four times a day. I knew he was going to play. Like I told everybody before, there was no doubt in my mind that he would because that’s just the type of person Dwight is. Big game and he came up with a big play at a crucial time for us. And you know, it’s hard that we couldn’t get the win for him with him coming back so soon off of an injury like that. It’s very disappointing, but they get all the credit. They beat us tonight. They were the better team.”
(on their defense’s goal-line stand) “That was huge. You could see their shoulders drop. You could see that they were like, ‘What can we do to get in this end zone?’ They scored one touchdown offensively. Their kicker did a great job kicking field goals, and like I said, man, it takes all three aspects of the game to win games: offense, defense and special teams. And we didn’t finish those three aspects, so we come up with the ‘L.’”
(on how Drew Brees completed 21 of 24 passes at one point) “A combination of pass rush and coverage. We didn’t play the way we normally do. You never see that happen to us. We’re usually flying around, knocking the ball loose, and it just didn’t happen for us tonight. I don’t know what it was. A lot of them were dump-off passes. We had the guys covered, we had them covered deep and we would hit Reggie Bush out of the backfield. He would get four or five yards on third down, and next thing you know, they’ve got a first down.”
(on the Saints’ play-calling) “They played pretty conservative for a while. Especially after that goal-line stand, they got conservative. They didn’t throw the ball deep. You didn’t see any deep balls on our defense. Every pass, just about, was a dump-off pass. But Drew Brees did a great job. He knew that we were going to key on the deep – they’ve been doing it all season – so he changed it up. And all respect to him and their whole organization because they deserved it tonight. They were the better team.”
(on what happened in the second half) “They had a good game plan. We couldn’t get off of the field on third down. Things weren’t going our way, and we just weren’t in sync. Offensively, I don’t know what happened with them, but it seemed like they couldn’t stop us on offense. So when we got out there on defense, we just let them get too many field goals. Two little third downs, if we would’ve stopped them a little bit further back, maybe things could’ve been different.”
(on if it was tough to get any pass rush going at all) “At times, it seemed like it was, but for a while, our defensive line was doing really well. (Drew Brees) couldn’t see over the line. And he did make some good passes, but there were some passes that were kind of shaky that he made and he was doing a good job on the pressure at first. But they adjusted, they made good adjustments, they did what they had to do to win the game.”
(on the onside kick to start the second half) “The onside kick was huge. As a special teams captain on the team, I feel like we kind of didn’t do what we were supposed to do. We always talk about the little things, and that was a little thing that was huge. If we would’ve got the ball right there, maybe on the 40-yard line going in, the game could’ve went a totally different way. We would’ve been up by, what, 14 points, almost 17 points, so that was a huge turning point in the game. They scored on that drive immediately, and we just didn’t capitalize on defense. We just couldn’t stop them in that second half.”
(on what worked with the Saints’ game plan) “The short passing game. They didn’t go deep. They can’t throw it deep. We had a lot of speed on defense. We were moving around fast, they would dump it off short. We knew they were going to try to go deep, but they didn’t. They adjusted and dumped it off short and got four or five yards here and there, and it worked out well for them.”
(on if they were prepared for the onside kick) “We had been prepared for that all season. But they caught us off guard. They did a great job. The special teams coach made a great call. It was gutsy, and it’s the Super Bowl. I mean, what do you have to lose but this last game? You might as well go for it. And you see what happened. They got it. The defense didn’t go out and stop them. All the credit goes to them.”
(on if they were prepared for the onside kick) “We’re always prepared for an onside kick. You always prepare for that. You know your assignments. Our guy, he tried to make a great play on the ball. He just didn’t get it. And it goes like that sometimes. And special teams-wise we just didn’t finish, defensively we just didn’t finish and then on our offense, we just didn’t finish. It’s just one of those games that we did not finish. We finished all season so well, and to come here and not finish the game is not like us. It’s not like Colts football.”
(on DE Dwight Freeney being able to come back and play) “He worked his tail off. He did everything he could. He was in treatment three and four times a day. I knew he was going to play. Like I told everybody before, there was no doubt in my mind that he would because that’s just the type of person Dwight is. Big game and he came up with a big play at a crucial time for us. And you know, it’s hard that we couldn’t get the win for him with him coming back so soon off of an injury like that. It’s very disappointing, but they get all the credit. They beat us tonight. They were the better team.”
(on their defense’s goal-line stand) “That was huge. You could see their shoulders drop. You could see that they were like, ‘What can we do to get in this end zone?’ They scored one touchdown offensively. Their kicker did a great job kicking field goals, and like I said, man, it takes all three aspects of the game to win games: offense, defense and special teams. And we didn’t finish those three aspects, so we come up with the ‘L.’”
(on how Drew Brees completed 21 of 24 passes at one point) “A combination of pass rush and coverage. We didn’t play the way we normally do. You never see that happen to us. We’re usually flying around, knocking the ball loose, and it just didn’t happen for us tonight. I don’t know what it was. A lot of them were dump-off passes. We had the guys covered, we had them covered deep and we would hit Reggie Bush out of the backfield. He would get four or five yards on third down, and next thing you know, they’ve got a first down.”
(on the Saints’ play-calling) “They played pretty conservative for a while. Especially after that goal-line stand, they got conservative. They didn’t throw the ball deep. You didn’t see any deep balls on our defense. Every pass, just about, was a dump-off pass. But Drew Brees did a great job. He knew that we were going to key on the deep – they’ve been doing it all season – so he changed it up. And all respect to him and their whole organization because they deserved it tonight. They were the better team.”
SUPER BOWL XLIV - COLTS TE DALLAS CLARK - Ingles
COLTS TE DALLAS CLARK
(on how big the onside kick was) “It was a good momentum swing coming out of the half. We kind of had a feeling something was kind of going to…they were going to try to do something. They just really weren’t getting anything going offensively and things like that, so they had to get a spark somehow and we just didn’t execute and came up short. It was a big play either way. If we would have gotten it, it would have been nice field position. They executed it and went down and scored, but it was good execution.”
(on whether it’s shocking that they only managed 17 points after moving the ball so well) “Yes, it’s disturbing. We just couldn’t finish some of the drives. We had our opportunities down there, but when you get that close, you’ve got to take advantage of those situations and we didn’t. The Saints did a great job and they played good red zone defense, we just weren’t able to make plays.”
(on whether the Saints threw some different coverages at them after the team scored) “Yes, they adjusted after that series. We were able to get them caught in a certain defense and didn’t really give them a chance to sub. We were able to take advantage of some of the things that they were doing and they adjusted for the next series and were able to change things up a little bit. We were able to move the ball, we just weren’t able to move the put points on the board.”
(on whether the onside kick was the turning point of the game) “It was a big part of the game, a turning point, I don’t know anything about that. We were able to get the lead back after that. It was just a big momentum shift for them and something they needed. Our defense did a phenomenal job in the first half at keeping them out of the game. When they needed a spark offensively that was the way to do it.”
(on whether there was any area where they were better than advertised) “No, we knew where their strengths were and they did a good job. Their players made plays, but no it was kind of what we expected.”
(on whether he was surprised that [Former Colts Head] Coach [Tony] Dungy said they were going to win running away) “I didn’t listen to him before the game. Everyone had their opinions and we felt very confident with what we had coming into the game and what we were doing. We just didn’t execute and you have to give them credit.”
(on the interception following the touchdown considering the Colts ability to come back) “Yes, I didn’t see that play, I was on the back side, but it we’ve been able to do a lot of good things in the fourth quarter. We’ve been able to do a lot of things all season from behind and we just weren’t able to capitalize and we weren’t able to execute and you’ve got to give them credit for making the plays.”
(on the locker room after a Super Bowl loss) “It’s miserable. It’s not the way you want to end your season. It’s still a little early to comment to feel the true feeling, but it’s not good.”
(on whether it was hard to get it going offensively after having the ball for about two minutes) “We’ve been in situations like that before. Some teams try and do a good job running the ball and try to eat the clock up and put together a long drive. We’ve had that happen to us before. We just realize that we have to take advantage of every opportunity that we get and there’s a premium on not making mental mistakes, not dropping balls, not just doing things that are shoot ourselves in the foot and keep drives going. So it was just a high premium to execute and do your job when the flow of the game is going like that. We had our opportunities we just weren’t able to take advantage of them.”
(on whether they were playing with fire coming from behind in so many games this season) “We are always trying to just score more points than the other team. It’s not anything about putting us in a position. That’s how the game goes. We put ourselves in a position where we had to come back tonight and we feel very confident with the people that we have with everything going on. We don’t panic or anything like that. We felt very confident in that situation, we just weren’t able to make plays.”
(on whether he was surprised with the three running plays after stopping the Saints on fourth and one) “You have to get a first down there, no matter what you call. Everyone’s got to step up and make the play. You don’t leave it short like that and give them great field position and put our defense in a bind like that after they just did a great job of holding them. That’s tough and we have to give our defense credit for just holding them to three with that kind of field position and time left. As an offensive unit, we have to get a first down, we have to move the ball, we have to either kill the clock or try to score, either one, whatever presents itself, but either way, we have to eat that clock up. Going into halftime with no points exchanged, that was an unfortunate opportunity for us.”
(on how big the onside kick was) “It was a good momentum swing coming out of the half. We kind of had a feeling something was kind of going to…they were going to try to do something. They just really weren’t getting anything going offensively and things like that, so they had to get a spark somehow and we just didn’t execute and came up short. It was a big play either way. If we would have gotten it, it would have been nice field position. They executed it and went down and scored, but it was good execution.”
(on whether it’s shocking that they only managed 17 points after moving the ball so well) “Yes, it’s disturbing. We just couldn’t finish some of the drives. We had our opportunities down there, but when you get that close, you’ve got to take advantage of those situations and we didn’t. The Saints did a great job and they played good red zone defense, we just weren’t able to make plays.”
(on whether the Saints threw some different coverages at them after the team scored) “Yes, they adjusted after that series. We were able to get them caught in a certain defense and didn’t really give them a chance to sub. We were able to take advantage of some of the things that they were doing and they adjusted for the next series and were able to change things up a little bit. We were able to move the ball, we just weren’t able to move the put points on the board.”
(on whether the onside kick was the turning point of the game) “It was a big part of the game, a turning point, I don’t know anything about that. We were able to get the lead back after that. It was just a big momentum shift for them and something they needed. Our defense did a phenomenal job in the first half at keeping them out of the game. When they needed a spark offensively that was the way to do it.”
(on whether there was any area where they were better than advertised) “No, we knew where their strengths were and they did a good job. Their players made plays, but no it was kind of what we expected.”
(on whether he was surprised that [Former Colts Head] Coach [Tony] Dungy said they were going to win running away) “I didn’t listen to him before the game. Everyone had their opinions and we felt very confident with what we had coming into the game and what we were doing. We just didn’t execute and you have to give them credit.”
(on the interception following the touchdown considering the Colts ability to come back) “Yes, I didn’t see that play, I was on the back side, but it we’ve been able to do a lot of good things in the fourth quarter. We’ve been able to do a lot of things all season from behind and we just weren’t able to capitalize and we weren’t able to execute and you’ve got to give them credit for making the plays.”
(on the locker room after a Super Bowl loss) “It’s miserable. It’s not the way you want to end your season. It’s still a little early to comment to feel the true feeling, but it’s not good.”
(on whether it was hard to get it going offensively after having the ball for about two minutes) “We’ve been in situations like that before. Some teams try and do a good job running the ball and try to eat the clock up and put together a long drive. We’ve had that happen to us before. We just realize that we have to take advantage of every opportunity that we get and there’s a premium on not making mental mistakes, not dropping balls, not just doing things that are shoot ourselves in the foot and keep drives going. So it was just a high premium to execute and do your job when the flow of the game is going like that. We had our opportunities we just weren’t able to take advantage of them.”
(on whether they were playing with fire coming from behind in so many games this season) “We are always trying to just score more points than the other team. It’s not anything about putting us in a position. That’s how the game goes. We put ourselves in a position where we had to come back tonight and we feel very confident with the people that we have with everything going on. We don’t panic or anything like that. We felt very confident in that situation, we just weren’t able to make plays.”
(on whether he was surprised with the three running plays after stopping the Saints on fourth and one) “You have to get a first down there, no matter what you call. Everyone’s got to step up and make the play. You don’t leave it short like that and give them great field position and put our defense in a bind like that after they just did a great job of holding them. That’s tough and we have to give our defense credit for just holding them to three with that kind of field position and time left. As an offensive unit, we have to get a first down, we have to move the ball, we have to either kill the clock or try to score, either one, whatever presents itself, but either way, we have to eat that clock up. Going into halftime with no points exchanged, that was an unfortunate opportunity for us.”
SUPER BOWL XLIV - COLTS HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL - Ingles
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL
(on how the interception will have a bearing on Peyton Manning’s legacy) “I don’t think it will have any bearing on his legacy. He’s a great player and it never comes down to just one single play in the game. There were a lot of different things that happened in that game that could have put us in a different position. He’s still a great player, an outstanding performer, a great competitor and that doesn’t diminish it at all.”
(on how disappointing it was not to reach the level of New England or Pittsburgh with recent multiple Super Bowl wins) “I think that anytime you fall short of your goal -- and your goal is to win it all -- you’re a bit disappointed. It doesn’t put us in a position of multiple championships in this period of time, but that’s what 2010 is for. We have to look forward to that now.”
(on Joseph Addai’s performance) “Joseph ran the ball well. I’m not certain what his numbers were, but I know we ran it for about 6.5 (yards per rush) at the half and he had some pretty good runs in the second half as well. We just didn’t have enough possessions to make a difference in those situations. But I thought he played hard and he was effective.”
(on starting in a shotgun and then making a switch) “It depends on what we see. We make adjustments from time to time. That’s one we made -- it’s not the first time we ever did that.”
(on how the onside kick changed the complexion of the game) “Don’t discount the fact that it was a heck of a football team we just played. And every weakness that you have, they find a way of exploiting it. They did a good job spreading the ball around, (Reggie) Bush did a great job out of the backfield, kind of isolating him a couple of times on our linebackers and just overall I think they played extremely well.”
(on whether they anticipated the onside kick) “We had a shot at it to recover it. We just didn’t get it done. It’s one of those things, one of those bang-bang plays and a big massive pile and it looked like he had it initially in the pile. But when it was all said and done, they felt someone else had possession.”
(on Colts RB Joseph Addai’s performance) “I think Joseph ran the ball well. I’m not certain what his numbers were. I know we were averaging about 6.5 at the half. And I know he had some good runs in the second half as well. We just didn’t have enough time of possession to make a difference in those situations. But I thought he played hard. He was effective.”
(on starting the offense in shot gun and then switching) “It kind of depends on what we see often times and then our offensive scheme, there are adjustments that we make from time to time. That’s one that we use often.”
(on Colts DE Dwight Freeney getting his ankle re-taped during halftime) “You know everybody at that particular time… Halftime was 28 minutes. Most guys got re-taped.”
(on his thinking on the 51-yard field goal attempt and why he was confident in Colts K Matt Stover) “Because he’s been excellent. There is no reason to believe that he wouldn’t make. He’s a quality place kicker and he just happened to miss one.”
(on Saints QB Drew Brees) “(Colts QB) Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the National Football League, along with our guy (Drew Brees). I had to hook up and come down here with (Brees). He is a major influence why I came here, to get the opportunity to play with a quarterback that could correct mistakes when I make mistakes on defense. It’s been a great year for me. I’ve had to change my personality a little bit to fit the style of the offense. I’ve been coaching for a long time and had to win games 10-9, 13-10, 15-14. Here, you don’t have to worry about making a mistake because you’ve got a quarterback and an offense and a head coach that will be aggressive and go back and get back into a ballgame. It was fun to have that offensive and defensive flux back and forth. We were able to work together and it was a good team win.”
(on CB Tracy Porter’s interception return for a touchdown) “I want our guys to make plays. I don’t want to coach robots. Guys who are afraid to jump routes, guys who are afraid to make plays don’t last very long in the National Football League. You have to believe what you see, and when you see it, go get it. If you make the wrong decision, that’s why they hired me – I’ll help you the next time make a better decision. Please don’t be afraid of making a fast decision. My whole life I’ve been trying to speed up people’s decisions, get people to play faster, get people to play nastier, get people to play tougher and more aggressive. Once you get a guy that will do that, please don’t slow him down. I said when I started my first day here, ‘All your life, you’ve probably played for a coach that maybe restricted your decisions. You will not have anybody slow you down. You will not have anybody tell you you can’t be aggressive. What will happen is if you aren’t aggressive and you don’t play fast, you probably won’t end up playing for us. You’re going to have to go someplace else in the League.’ There’s a good football team here that (Head Coach) Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis cultivated and built, and I was able to just come in and help out a little bit.”
(on winning the Super Bowl) “This is kind of a redemption that makes me feel a lot better about (coming a yard short in the Super Bowl with the Tennessee Titans). I’m really happy for the people of New Orleans. They adopted me. When I came into town in January, I tried to tell them that I wasn’t a savior. There was a good team here. I’m very happy for the Who Dat nation. I’m very happy for the Benson family to finally get a world championship. It’s pretty special to be along for the ride. I’m really appreciative that they invited me into the family to be along for this ride.”
(on this being the first game this season the Colts lost when trying to win with all starters) “No, you know anytime you lose the last game of the season it’s difficult. Particularly on this stage, in this particular game, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.”
(on what the game meant to the city of New Orleans and if there is any joy in the loss) “Let me put it this way: we certainly admire what the team has done and we certainly understand the tough time that the city is going through in that region, the Gulf Coast region. But obviously we’re still disappointed in the fact that we lost today. The goal and aim is to win. But we certainly feel that they’re an excellent team and certainly deserving of the championship.”
(on how proud he is of his team) “Obviously these guys can hold their heads up. They fought all season long. They performed well all season long. So we’ll just use this disappointment as fuel for next year. And as soon as we get over it, we’ll look and try to mold this team and see if we can get back here next year.”
(on what if anything changed in the second quarter) “Well the second quarter, we didn’t have the ball hardly at all. I think we had about six plays in the second quarter. They did a real nice job moving the ball on us. They spread it around. They did a great job attacking our defense. We missed a few tackles here, but I think you’ve got to give a lot of credit to them. They performed extremely well. They made us miss. And Drew Brees certainly performed well also.”
(on how effective Dwight Freeney was) “We wouldn’t have put him out there if we didn’t think he could do his job. Obviously he might not have been quite 100%, but I think there were times in there you could see he was effective. We wanted to kind of keep him in there to keep some movement. He didn’t want to sit around much because of the fact that that’s when he gets stiff.”
(on how the interception will have a bearing on Peyton Manning’s legacy) “I don’t think it will have any bearing on his legacy. He’s a great player and it never comes down to just one single play in the game. There were a lot of different things that happened in that game that could have put us in a different position. He’s still a great player, an outstanding performer, a great competitor and that doesn’t diminish it at all.”
(on how disappointing it was not to reach the level of New England or Pittsburgh with recent multiple Super Bowl wins) “I think that anytime you fall short of your goal -- and your goal is to win it all -- you’re a bit disappointed. It doesn’t put us in a position of multiple championships in this period of time, but that’s what 2010 is for. We have to look forward to that now.”
(on Joseph Addai’s performance) “Joseph ran the ball well. I’m not certain what his numbers were, but I know we ran it for about 6.5 (yards per rush) at the half and he had some pretty good runs in the second half as well. We just didn’t have enough possessions to make a difference in those situations. But I thought he played hard and he was effective.”
(on starting in a shotgun and then making a switch) “It depends on what we see. We make adjustments from time to time. That’s one we made -- it’s not the first time we ever did that.”
(on how the onside kick changed the complexion of the game) “Don’t discount the fact that it was a heck of a football team we just played. And every weakness that you have, they find a way of exploiting it. They did a good job spreading the ball around, (Reggie) Bush did a great job out of the backfield, kind of isolating him a couple of times on our linebackers and just overall I think they played extremely well.”
(on whether they anticipated the onside kick) “We had a shot at it to recover it. We just didn’t get it done. It’s one of those things, one of those bang-bang plays and a big massive pile and it looked like he had it initially in the pile. But when it was all said and done, they felt someone else had possession.”
(on Colts RB Joseph Addai’s performance) “I think Joseph ran the ball well. I’m not certain what his numbers were. I know we were averaging about 6.5 at the half. And I know he had some good runs in the second half as well. We just didn’t have enough time of possession to make a difference in those situations. But I thought he played hard. He was effective.”
(on starting the offense in shot gun and then switching) “It kind of depends on what we see often times and then our offensive scheme, there are adjustments that we make from time to time. That’s one that we use often.”
(on Colts DE Dwight Freeney getting his ankle re-taped during halftime) “You know everybody at that particular time… Halftime was 28 minutes. Most guys got re-taped.”
(on his thinking on the 51-yard field goal attempt and why he was confident in Colts K Matt Stover) “Because he’s been excellent. There is no reason to believe that he wouldn’t make. He’s a quality place kicker and he just happened to miss one.”
(on Saints QB Drew Brees) “(Colts QB) Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the National Football League, along with our guy (Drew Brees). I had to hook up and come down here with (Brees). He is a major influence why I came here, to get the opportunity to play with a quarterback that could correct mistakes when I make mistakes on defense. It’s been a great year for me. I’ve had to change my personality a little bit to fit the style of the offense. I’ve been coaching for a long time and had to win games 10-9, 13-10, 15-14. Here, you don’t have to worry about making a mistake because you’ve got a quarterback and an offense and a head coach that will be aggressive and go back and get back into a ballgame. It was fun to have that offensive and defensive flux back and forth. We were able to work together and it was a good team win.”
(on CB Tracy Porter’s interception return for a touchdown) “I want our guys to make plays. I don’t want to coach robots. Guys who are afraid to jump routes, guys who are afraid to make plays don’t last very long in the National Football League. You have to believe what you see, and when you see it, go get it. If you make the wrong decision, that’s why they hired me – I’ll help you the next time make a better decision. Please don’t be afraid of making a fast decision. My whole life I’ve been trying to speed up people’s decisions, get people to play faster, get people to play nastier, get people to play tougher and more aggressive. Once you get a guy that will do that, please don’t slow him down. I said when I started my first day here, ‘All your life, you’ve probably played for a coach that maybe restricted your decisions. You will not have anybody slow you down. You will not have anybody tell you you can’t be aggressive. What will happen is if you aren’t aggressive and you don’t play fast, you probably won’t end up playing for us. You’re going to have to go someplace else in the League.’ There’s a good football team here that (Head Coach) Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis cultivated and built, and I was able to just come in and help out a little bit.”
(on winning the Super Bowl) “This is kind of a redemption that makes me feel a lot better about (coming a yard short in the Super Bowl with the Tennessee Titans). I’m really happy for the people of New Orleans. They adopted me. When I came into town in January, I tried to tell them that I wasn’t a savior. There was a good team here. I’m very happy for the Who Dat nation. I’m very happy for the Benson family to finally get a world championship. It’s pretty special to be along for the ride. I’m really appreciative that they invited me into the family to be along for this ride.”
(on this being the first game this season the Colts lost when trying to win with all starters) “No, you know anytime you lose the last game of the season it’s difficult. Particularly on this stage, in this particular game, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.”
(on what the game meant to the city of New Orleans and if there is any joy in the loss) “Let me put it this way: we certainly admire what the team has done and we certainly understand the tough time that the city is going through in that region, the Gulf Coast region. But obviously we’re still disappointed in the fact that we lost today. The goal and aim is to win. But we certainly feel that they’re an excellent team and certainly deserving of the championship.”
(on how proud he is of his team) “Obviously these guys can hold their heads up. They fought all season long. They performed well all season long. So we’ll just use this disappointment as fuel for next year. And as soon as we get over it, we’ll look and try to mold this team and see if we can get back here next year.”
(on what if anything changed in the second quarter) “Well the second quarter, we didn’t have the ball hardly at all. I think we had about six plays in the second quarter. They did a real nice job moving the ball on us. They spread it around. They did a great job attacking our defense. We missed a few tackles here, but I think you’ve got to give a lot of credit to them. They performed extremely well. They made us miss. And Drew Brees certainly performed well also.”
(on how effective Dwight Freeney was) “We wouldn’t have put him out there if we didn’t think he could do his job. Obviously he might not have been quite 100%, but I think there were times in there you could see he was effective. We wanted to kind of keep him in there to keep some movement. He didn’t want to sit around much because of the fact that that’s when he gets stiff.”
SUPER BOWL XLIV - COLTS QB PEYTON MANNING - Ingles
COLTS QB PEYTON MANNING
(on the game) “We probably never got into a great rhythm. We were certainly worse in lapses in our final possession. Like you said, we got the ball on the first drive and had a good drive, then the second drive went down there and scored and then it was strange there after that not having, I think maybe six plays in the second quarter then of course once the Saints won the toss, it was big to hold them there at the end of the first half on that goal line stand. Disappointing possession on that next series not being able to maintain the ball, run the clock out, gave them three more points, and then we let them have the onsides kick on that first series of the second half. That kind of negated the coin toss. That was disappointing so certainly made it tough.”
(on the interception by Saints CB Tracy Porter) “Made a great play. He made a great play. That’s all I can say about it. Porter made a heck of a play.”
(on the route that Colts WR Reggie Wayne ran on the interception by Porter) “It’s kind of a play we’ve run a lot and Porter just made a great play.”
(on if the interception was the play that broke the back) “Well yeah certainly is disappointing. We were down seven there and on the drive before, that was disappointing as well. We had a good drive going, got down there, had good field position. What happened on first down ... Had a second down when we threw a screen that really had a chance to be a big play, we lost yards on that. Had the third down that was incomplete and then giving them good field position with the missed field goal, and then the Saints of course capitalized. I give the Saints a lot of credit. They played well in all phases. Made some critical plays on special teams, defense made stops when they had to, and Drew (Brees) did a good job getting his team in the end zone. They deserve the win today.”
(on what he saw from the Saints offense) “I really didn’t ... Obviously I’m over there thinking about our offensive plays, thinking about what adjustments we have to make. I was thinking about plays so I didn’t get a chance to watch their offense specifically, but it looked like they converted some critical third downs and did a good job there in the second half in the red zone.
(on if he’d call it a disappointing interception) “It’s certainly disappointing. Very disappointed. Disappointed.”
(on if he thought this game would come down to a big play like that) “Yeah it’s the Super Bowl. You never know how it’s going to turn out. I thought the Colts started out hot and I thought the Saints had got some momentum there at the end of the first half and beginning of the third quarter and kind of kept the momentum from there. I thought we just didn’t play well enough at certain times and in certain phases and the Saints certainly deserve the win.”
(on it being Saints head coach Sean Payton’s game plan to keep the ball away from Manning) “Obviously he’s got to speak to that. When we have a chance to possess the ball, it’s our job to score. The first drive we wanted to score a touchdown having to settle for a field goal there was disappointing, then the turnover – disappointing. And then there at the end, obviously, if we punch it in down there at the end there, you have a shot at the onsides kick. So we had some chances, but like I said, I give the Saints all the credit. They made the critical plays when they had to, we didn’t, and that was the difference in the ball game.”
(on if he can address what this win for the Saints means to the people of New Orleans) “Well it’s hard to address at this point. I certainly know how excited our team was three years ago and how excited our fans in the city of Indianapolis were three years ago, so I understand how excited the Saints players are, their families, and the city of New Orleans is going to be. But obviously, on behalf of the Colts and our team, we’re very disappointed and we’re sorry to our fans. I’m sorry to our fans that we weren’t able to get it done today.”
(on if there was more pressure on Colts former head coach Tony Dungy’s comments that the Colts would win) “I didn’t hear. I didn’t know what he said. Obviously, it’s a game that we wanted to win.”
(on leaving the field immediately and not congratulating Saints QB Drew Brees) “I’ll certainly talk to Drew. I certainly know how it was three years ago when we won and there’s not much consolation for the guys that didn’t win. There’s the stage being set up, and the celebration, and it’s the time for the Saints to celebrate. It’s their field. They deserve the moment. But I certainly congratulate all their players and the Saints organization. I will speak to Drew Brees, speak to Sean Payton, and they deserve all the credit.”
(on the interception) “Porter made a great play on the ball. He made a good break on it and just made a heck of a play.”
(on if he regrets not being more aggressive on the last series at the end of the first half) “I think based on the field position, certainly on third-and-one, we expected to get that. Had we gotten that first down, we were going to call a time out and then go back into our two-minute offense, but (Colts Head Coach) Jim Caldwell told (Colts Senior Offensive Coordinator) Tom (Moore) to try to get a first down, try to punch it out first. We were in phase to do that. I think we had second-and-six and then got five yards on the next play I think. Third-and-one, we were in good position. The third-and-one execution of the play was disappointing. We feel like you should convert that third down and we didn’t, certainly gave them a short field, and gave them the easy field goal. That was a disappointing series.”
(on putting tonight into perspective after a 14-2 season) “We sort of addressed that whole situation a month ago during the regular season. I felt like we played well this postseason. We played well in our first playoff game, played well two weeks ago, and at times made some plays against the Saints, but obviously didn’t make enough plays. We just didn’t play well enough to win.”
(on if the key play was the one down the middle to Colts WR Austin Collie) “It was a third-and-12, no, that’s certainly … (Jonathan) Vilma gets in that area in that certain coverage. We were disappointed to have the third-and-12e. We talked about kind of staying in phase on first and second down, and we had a negative second-down play that forced that third and long. So that was disappointing.”
(on if he can imagine what the people of New Orleans are feeling right now) “Well like I said, we are disappointed; certainly having won a Super Bowl three years ago I know how exciting it was for our team and for our players and our fans. So I know the people of New Orleans and the Saints have that same feeling right now and I congratulate them.”
(on how their lack of offensive possessions left them no room for error when they had the ball) “Yeah I would certainly agree. Every possession felt precious out there. I was disappointed on the first series having to settle for a field goal. Then we had a third-down drop which stopped another drive, had the third one where we got stopped, and then moved the ball pretty well in the second half when we had it. Then obviously the turnover – disappointing – then the turnover on downs at the end of the game was disappointing.”
(on what it was the Saints defense did specifically that disrupted the Colts’ offensive rhythm) “Oh, I think I’d have a hard time saying that. I thought their offense staying on the field probably, kept us off the field, kind of like you said earlier. But I felt like we probably stopped ourselves for the most part on the third-and-1, on the third-down dropped pass, and then certainly on the interception. (Tracy) Porter made a great play on that play.”
(on his brother, Eli Manning, talking to him after the game) “Certainly my family’s been very supportive of me all year.”
(on if WR Reggie Wayne was where he thought he would be on Porter’s interception) “I haven’t seen it. I haven’t seen the play. I didn’t see it on the replay or didn’t look at the picture.”
(on if he talked to Wayne about it coming off the field) “Yeah, he said Porter squatted on the play, and Porter made a good break on the play. I give him a lot of credit.”
(on going to Wayne on a couple of in-route plays) “It was a different formation than the plays before. That’s been a good play for us all year long. On that particular play, like I said, Porter made a great break on the ball.”
(on if he called that play at the line because he saw a blitz coming) “That was after a timeout. We called it on the sideline.”
(on Colts WR Pierre Garcon’s drop on a third-and-4 play) “You never know. Pierre’s made a ton of plays for us all year. He had a huge catch today and the touchdown, that’s one. It happened. When something like that happens, you’ve got plenty of chances to overcome, it and Pierre’s had a heck of a season. He made some big plays there in the second half, and made some good runs after the catch. He’s had a heck of a year for us.”
(on the job that the Saints did constantly changing up their looks) “Yeah, I mean, it’s certainly what they do. I felt like we handled their looks for the most part when we had the ball. Like I said, we had some chances to make some plays that we just didn’t make, but they’re a versatile defense and you have to read it out every single play. I thought we did handle most of their looks, but, certainly we had some chances to make some more plays and we just didn’t make them.”
(on the game) “We probably never got into a great rhythm. We were certainly worse in lapses in our final possession. Like you said, we got the ball on the first drive and had a good drive, then the second drive went down there and scored and then it was strange there after that not having, I think maybe six plays in the second quarter then of course once the Saints won the toss, it was big to hold them there at the end of the first half on that goal line stand. Disappointing possession on that next series not being able to maintain the ball, run the clock out, gave them three more points, and then we let them have the onsides kick on that first series of the second half. That kind of negated the coin toss. That was disappointing so certainly made it tough.”
(on the interception by Saints CB Tracy Porter) “Made a great play. He made a great play. That’s all I can say about it. Porter made a heck of a play.”
(on the route that Colts WR Reggie Wayne ran on the interception by Porter) “It’s kind of a play we’ve run a lot and Porter just made a great play.”
(on if the interception was the play that broke the back) “Well yeah certainly is disappointing. We were down seven there and on the drive before, that was disappointing as well. We had a good drive going, got down there, had good field position. What happened on first down ... Had a second down when we threw a screen that really had a chance to be a big play, we lost yards on that. Had the third down that was incomplete and then giving them good field position with the missed field goal, and then the Saints of course capitalized. I give the Saints a lot of credit. They played well in all phases. Made some critical plays on special teams, defense made stops when they had to, and Drew (Brees) did a good job getting his team in the end zone. They deserve the win today.”
(on what he saw from the Saints offense) “I really didn’t ... Obviously I’m over there thinking about our offensive plays, thinking about what adjustments we have to make. I was thinking about plays so I didn’t get a chance to watch their offense specifically, but it looked like they converted some critical third downs and did a good job there in the second half in the red zone.
(on if he’d call it a disappointing interception) “It’s certainly disappointing. Very disappointed. Disappointed.”
(on if he thought this game would come down to a big play like that) “Yeah it’s the Super Bowl. You never know how it’s going to turn out. I thought the Colts started out hot and I thought the Saints had got some momentum there at the end of the first half and beginning of the third quarter and kind of kept the momentum from there. I thought we just didn’t play well enough at certain times and in certain phases and the Saints certainly deserve the win.”
(on it being Saints head coach Sean Payton’s game plan to keep the ball away from Manning) “Obviously he’s got to speak to that. When we have a chance to possess the ball, it’s our job to score. The first drive we wanted to score a touchdown having to settle for a field goal there was disappointing, then the turnover – disappointing. And then there at the end, obviously, if we punch it in down there at the end there, you have a shot at the onsides kick. So we had some chances, but like I said, I give the Saints all the credit. They made the critical plays when they had to, we didn’t, and that was the difference in the ball game.”
(on if he can address what this win for the Saints means to the people of New Orleans) “Well it’s hard to address at this point. I certainly know how excited our team was three years ago and how excited our fans in the city of Indianapolis were three years ago, so I understand how excited the Saints players are, their families, and the city of New Orleans is going to be. But obviously, on behalf of the Colts and our team, we’re very disappointed and we’re sorry to our fans. I’m sorry to our fans that we weren’t able to get it done today.”
(on if there was more pressure on Colts former head coach Tony Dungy’s comments that the Colts would win) “I didn’t hear. I didn’t know what he said. Obviously, it’s a game that we wanted to win.”
(on leaving the field immediately and not congratulating Saints QB Drew Brees) “I’ll certainly talk to Drew. I certainly know how it was three years ago when we won and there’s not much consolation for the guys that didn’t win. There’s the stage being set up, and the celebration, and it’s the time for the Saints to celebrate. It’s their field. They deserve the moment. But I certainly congratulate all their players and the Saints organization. I will speak to Drew Brees, speak to Sean Payton, and they deserve all the credit.”
(on the interception) “Porter made a great play on the ball. He made a good break on it and just made a heck of a play.”
(on if he regrets not being more aggressive on the last series at the end of the first half) “I think based on the field position, certainly on third-and-one, we expected to get that. Had we gotten that first down, we were going to call a time out and then go back into our two-minute offense, but (Colts Head Coach) Jim Caldwell told (Colts Senior Offensive Coordinator) Tom (Moore) to try to get a first down, try to punch it out first. We were in phase to do that. I think we had second-and-six and then got five yards on the next play I think. Third-and-one, we were in good position. The third-and-one execution of the play was disappointing. We feel like you should convert that third down and we didn’t, certainly gave them a short field, and gave them the easy field goal. That was a disappointing series.”
(on putting tonight into perspective after a 14-2 season) “We sort of addressed that whole situation a month ago during the regular season. I felt like we played well this postseason. We played well in our first playoff game, played well two weeks ago, and at times made some plays against the Saints, but obviously didn’t make enough plays. We just didn’t play well enough to win.”
(on if the key play was the one down the middle to Colts WR Austin Collie) “It was a third-and-12, no, that’s certainly … (Jonathan) Vilma gets in that area in that certain coverage. We were disappointed to have the third-and-12e. We talked about kind of staying in phase on first and second down, and we had a negative second-down play that forced that third and long. So that was disappointing.”
(on if he can imagine what the people of New Orleans are feeling right now) “Well like I said, we are disappointed; certainly having won a Super Bowl three years ago I know how exciting it was for our team and for our players and our fans. So I know the people of New Orleans and the Saints have that same feeling right now and I congratulate them.”
(on how their lack of offensive possessions left them no room for error when they had the ball) “Yeah I would certainly agree. Every possession felt precious out there. I was disappointed on the first series having to settle for a field goal. Then we had a third-down drop which stopped another drive, had the third one where we got stopped, and then moved the ball pretty well in the second half when we had it. Then obviously the turnover – disappointing – then the turnover on downs at the end of the game was disappointing.”
(on what it was the Saints defense did specifically that disrupted the Colts’ offensive rhythm) “Oh, I think I’d have a hard time saying that. I thought their offense staying on the field probably, kept us off the field, kind of like you said earlier. But I felt like we probably stopped ourselves for the most part on the third-and-1, on the third-down dropped pass, and then certainly on the interception. (Tracy) Porter made a great play on that play.”
(on his brother, Eli Manning, talking to him after the game) “Certainly my family’s been very supportive of me all year.”
(on if WR Reggie Wayne was where he thought he would be on Porter’s interception) “I haven’t seen it. I haven’t seen the play. I didn’t see it on the replay or didn’t look at the picture.”
(on if he talked to Wayne about it coming off the field) “Yeah, he said Porter squatted on the play, and Porter made a good break on the play. I give him a lot of credit.”
(on going to Wayne on a couple of in-route plays) “It was a different formation than the plays before. That’s been a good play for us all year long. On that particular play, like I said, Porter made a great break on the ball.”
(on if he called that play at the line because he saw a blitz coming) “That was after a timeout. We called it on the sideline.”
(on Colts WR Pierre Garcon’s drop on a third-and-4 play) “You never know. Pierre’s made a ton of plays for us all year. He had a huge catch today and the touchdown, that’s one. It happened. When something like that happens, you’ve got plenty of chances to overcome, it and Pierre’s had a heck of a season. He made some big plays there in the second half, and made some good runs after the catch. He’s had a heck of a year for us.”
(on the job that the Saints did constantly changing up their looks) “Yeah, I mean, it’s certainly what they do. I felt like we handled their looks for the most part when we had the ball. Like I said, we had some chances to make some plays that we just didn’t make, but they’re a versatile defense and you have to read it out every single play. I thought we did handle most of their looks, but, certainly we had some chances to make some more plays and we just didn’t make them.”
SUPER BOWL XLIV - SAINTS LB JONATHAN VILMA - Ingles
NEW ORLEANS LB JONATHAN VILMA
(on the play of the defense against the Colts offense) “We did a great job. This is what we worked for all year. We came out here and showed we belonged. It was a great job by our entire defense. I can’t thank our coaches enough. They did a great job getting us ready.”
(on what winning the Super Bowl means to the Saints and the city of New Orleans) “This is a blessing to the city of New Orleans. I am so happy we were able to bring it to them.”
(on winning the Super Bowl in Miami) “It is a dream come true. I cannot express what it means to win this game, it is absolutely a dream come true.”
(on Tony Dungy’s prediction) “I didn’t watch SportsCenter, NFL Network, or any of that. I don’t know about that. A blowout? That didn’t happen.”
(on his emotions after the interception) “We wanted to be excited at that point, but we remember watching that New England game. We watched that on film. They were up by two scores with minimal time on the clock and Indy was able to pull it out and win the game. We were happy at first, excited that we got up by two scores, but we realized that we still had to keep the pressure on, especially with Peyton Manning.”
(on limiting Peyton Manning’s production) “That’s what we want to do to all quarterbacks, we try to limit them. We know he is a great quarterback, if not one of the best quarterbacks. We understand that he is going to make those plays. He is going to make tight throws and get the ball downfield, but we want to go out and keep the pressure on him.”
(on switching schemes) “We didn’t really switch too much. We started getting a little more aggressive in the fourth quarter. That is what we did all year, be aggressive and get after the quarterback. We felt like if we were going to win the game, or lose the game, whichever one happened, we were going to play that way.”
(on Porter and Greer) “With Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer in the game, we are a better defense. There is no doubt about it. With them healthy, we are a great defense. They came out and have been healthy throughout the playoffs and it’s been great for us.”
(on the defense during the fourth quarter) “That’s what we’ve been doing. The fourth quarter we’ve always said we’re going to blitz. We want to go out there and play our defense and if they score, so be it, but we are not going to back down to anybody. We are going to go out there and play tough defense.”
(on the goal line stand in the fourth quarter) “The key was really playing to execute. We really didn’t do anything magical down there, we just executed.”
(on what winning the Super Bowl means for the city of New Orleans) “The win for us is great and exciting, it truly is. But words can’t describe what it means to be a champion for the city of New Orleans. The New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl champions and the city of New Orleans are Super Bowl Champions.”
(on Saints Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams’ plan) “He does a great job (and) he’s done a great job all year with play-calling, game planning and understanding not only the offensive coordinator, but the quarterback, the running back.”
(on being the captain) “At this point, being the captain comes natural. It’s what I do. I am glad that my teammates voted me captain. It comes with a lot of responsibility. That right there is part of the responsibility, getting the defense into the right checks, making plays on the ball.”
(on what he was saying to the team when they took the lead) “It is not over. With Colts QB Peyton Manning, it is never over until it’s 0:00 on the clock.”
(on winning the Super Bowl in Miami) “It’s something that I was really downplaying all year long, but this is a tremendous feeling. To be selected to the Pro Bowl in Miami and not play in it because I’m in the Super Bowl in Miami and to come out here and win, this is great.”
(on how winning the Super Bowl compares to winning the National Championship at the University of Miami) “The feeling is pretty much the same. We were so dominant back then and it was a blowout game. We knew we were going to win the game early on. This game was a little different and it makes it that much more satisfying.”
(on the play of the defense against the Colts offense) “We did a great job. This is what we worked for all year. We came out here and showed we belonged. It was a great job by our entire defense. I can’t thank our coaches enough. They did a great job getting us ready.”
(on what winning the Super Bowl means to the Saints and the city of New Orleans) “This is a blessing to the city of New Orleans. I am so happy we were able to bring it to them.”
(on winning the Super Bowl in Miami) “It is a dream come true. I cannot express what it means to win this game, it is absolutely a dream come true.”
(on Tony Dungy’s prediction) “I didn’t watch SportsCenter, NFL Network, or any of that. I don’t know about that. A blowout? That didn’t happen.”
(on his emotions after the interception) “We wanted to be excited at that point, but we remember watching that New England game. We watched that on film. They were up by two scores with minimal time on the clock and Indy was able to pull it out and win the game. We were happy at first, excited that we got up by two scores, but we realized that we still had to keep the pressure on, especially with Peyton Manning.”
(on limiting Peyton Manning’s production) “That’s what we want to do to all quarterbacks, we try to limit them. We know he is a great quarterback, if not one of the best quarterbacks. We understand that he is going to make those plays. He is going to make tight throws and get the ball downfield, but we want to go out and keep the pressure on him.”
(on switching schemes) “We didn’t really switch too much. We started getting a little more aggressive in the fourth quarter. That is what we did all year, be aggressive and get after the quarterback. We felt like if we were going to win the game, or lose the game, whichever one happened, we were going to play that way.”
(on Porter and Greer) “With Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer in the game, we are a better defense. There is no doubt about it. With them healthy, we are a great defense. They came out and have been healthy throughout the playoffs and it’s been great for us.”
(on the defense during the fourth quarter) “That’s what we’ve been doing. The fourth quarter we’ve always said we’re going to blitz. We want to go out there and play our defense and if they score, so be it, but we are not going to back down to anybody. We are going to go out there and play tough defense.”
(on the goal line stand in the fourth quarter) “The key was really playing to execute. We really didn’t do anything magical down there, we just executed.”
(on what winning the Super Bowl means for the city of New Orleans) “The win for us is great and exciting, it truly is. But words can’t describe what it means to be a champion for the city of New Orleans. The New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl champions and the city of New Orleans are Super Bowl Champions.”
(on Saints Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams’ plan) “He does a great job (and) he’s done a great job all year with play-calling, game planning and understanding not only the offensive coordinator, but the quarterback, the running back.”
(on being the captain) “At this point, being the captain comes natural. It’s what I do. I am glad that my teammates voted me captain. It comes with a lot of responsibility. That right there is part of the responsibility, getting the defense into the right checks, making plays on the ball.”
(on what he was saying to the team when they took the lead) “It is not over. With Colts QB Peyton Manning, it is never over until it’s 0:00 on the clock.”
(on winning the Super Bowl in Miami) “It’s something that I was really downplaying all year long, but this is a tremendous feeling. To be selected to the Pro Bowl in Miami and not play in it because I’m in the Super Bowl in Miami and to come out here and win, this is great.”
(on how winning the Super Bowl compares to winning the National Championship at the University of Miami) “The feeling is pretty much the same. We were so dominant back then and it was a blowout game. We knew we were going to win the game early on. This game was a little different and it makes it that much more satisfying.”
SUPER BOWL XLIIV - SAINTS RB PIERRE THOMAS - Ingles
SAINTS RB PIERRE THOMAS
(on winning and what it means to the city of New Orleans) “It’s a wonderful experience. All my life I was told I couldn’t accomplish anything. ‘You’re not going to make it.’ I mean, we just showed everybody. You know New Orleans. They’ve been through a lot of tough times, they had Hurricane Katrina. I mean, a lot of people gave up on New Orleans and they had us behind them all the way. This is for New Orleans. Everything we did, we had New Orleans behind us. I mean, we dedicate this all to the fans. New Orleans probably has the greatest fans in the world. We had to give them something special and that’s what we did.”
(On staying calm and poised when down 10-nothing early) “You just have to take it one step at a time. We’ve been in this position before this season, we did not struggle. We kept our composure and we did what we had to do- go out here and take it to these guys.”
(on winning and what it means to the city of New Orleans) “It’s a wonderful experience. All my life I was told I couldn’t accomplish anything. ‘You’re not going to make it.’ I mean, we just showed everybody. You know New Orleans. They’ve been through a lot of tough times, they had Hurricane Katrina. I mean, a lot of people gave up on New Orleans and they had us behind them all the way. This is for New Orleans. Everything we did, we had New Orleans behind us. I mean, we dedicate this all to the fans. New Orleans probably has the greatest fans in the world. We had to give them something special and that’s what we did.”
(On staying calm and poised when down 10-nothing early) “You just have to take it one step at a time. We’ve been in this position before this season, we did not struggle. We kept our composure and we did what we had to do- go out here and take it to these guys.”
SUPER BOWL XLIIV - SAINTS TE JEREMY SHOCKEY - Ingles
SAINTS TE JEREMY SHOCKEY
(on Saints’ win and his TD catch) “It’s a great feeling right now. I don’t care about the catch, I just care about the team. Ever since you start playing football, you’re dreaming about playing in this game. I dreamed and prayed all day and night about being in the situation I’m in right now and that’s what happened.
(on his feelings right now) “I don’t know, man. I’m kind of at a loss for words. This is a great feeling. We did it for our fans, our city. It’s just a great experience.”
(on his journey from not playing in the Giants’ Super Bowl to today) “I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about these good times right now. It’s awesome.”
(on Saints’ win and his TD catch) “It’s a great feeling right now. I don’t care about the catch, I just care about the team. Ever since you start playing football, you’re dreaming about playing in this game. I dreamed and prayed all day and night about being in the situation I’m in right now and that’s what happened.
(on his feelings right now) “I don’t know, man. I’m kind of at a loss for words. This is a great feeling. We did it for our fans, our city. It’s just a great experience.”
(on his journey from not playing in the Giants’ Super Bowl to today) “I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about these good times right now. It’s awesome.”
SUPER BOWL XLIIV - SAINTS K GARRETT HARTLEY - Ingles
SAINTS K GARRETT HARTLEY
(on winning his first Super Bowl) “It’s amazing. It’s really remarkable. Everything that we’ve done, we’ve been playing for this moment. We took advantage of it and we came out victorious.”
(on winning a Super Bowl so early in his career) “I can’t explain it. It’s awesome.”
(on keeping the Saints in the game early with his field goal kicks) “Whatever I could do to help my team win, that’s what needed to be done.”
(on winning his first Super Bowl) “It’s amazing. It’s really remarkable. Everything that we’ve done, we’ve been playing for this moment. We took advantage of it and we came out victorious.”
(on winning a Super Bowl so early in his career) “I can’t explain it. It’s awesome.”
(on keeping the Saints in the game early with his field goal kicks) “Whatever I could do to help my team win, that’s what needed to be done.”
SUPER BOWL XLIIV - SAINTS S ROMAN HARPER - Ingles
SAINTS S ROMAN HARPER
(on what this Super Bowl win means to him) “It’s so good. I have no words to describe how happy I am and the feeling I have inside. We’re World Champs. I don’t know what else to say.”
(on what this Super Bowl win means for the people of New Orleans) “You saw Bourbon Street right after the game. You saw Bourbon Street. This is the best city in the world, especially after all this city has been through. We put this city on our back four years ago and now it’s worth it all.”
(on the defense stepping up and sealing the win) “We said it at the beginning, two weeks ago and at the beginning of the year. We were tired of being the stepchild. This year we were going to win in spite of the defense, not to spite the defense. We were going to put it on us and at the end of day, whether we win or lose, they are going to put all the blame on the defense. So we had to go win it because if we lose it, they were going to put it on us anyway. So, we went out there and took it tonight. There is no better feeling than being a World Champ.”
(on what this Super Bowl win means to him) “It’s so good. I have no words to describe how happy I am and the feeling I have inside. We’re World Champs. I don’t know what else to say.”
(on what this Super Bowl win means for the people of New Orleans) “You saw Bourbon Street right after the game. You saw Bourbon Street. This is the best city in the world, especially after all this city has been through. We put this city on our back four years ago and now it’s worth it all.”
(on the defense stepping up and sealing the win) “We said it at the beginning, two weeks ago and at the beginning of the year. We were tired of being the stepchild. This year we were going to win in spite of the defense, not to spite the defense. We were going to put it on us and at the end of day, whether we win or lose, they are going to put all the blame on the defense. So we had to go win it because if we lose it, they were going to put it on us anyway. So, we went out there and took it tonight. There is no better feeling than being a World Champ.”
SUPER BOWL XLIIV - SAINTS G JAHRI EVANS - Ingles
SAINTS G JAHRI EVANS
(on the Saints’ mindset today) “Our mindset was to be the most physical team out there today. We didn’t run for that many yards, but we ran effectively. We got the yards when we needed to and that was able to keep us going so, (QB) Drew (Brees) could pick us up through the air.”
(on what winning the Super Bowl means to New Orleans) “It means a lot. It means a whole bunch. It’s great to be here – four years ago we came one game short of playing these guys. Just for the city of New Orleans after everything, it’s awesome.”
(on Drew Brees’ performance) “He’s a great leader. His performance was awesome. He’s been awesome all year, and today he showed it.”
(on the defense making a big play in CB Tracy Porter’s interception return for a touchdown) “Most definitely. You knew it was going to come. Our defense has been making big plays all year, and they came up with a huge play at the end of the game.”
(on the Saints’ mindset today) “Our mindset was to be the most physical team out there today. We didn’t run for that many yards, but we ran effectively. We got the yards when we needed to and that was able to keep us going so, (QB) Drew (Brees) could pick us up through the air.”
(on what winning the Super Bowl means to New Orleans) “It means a lot. It means a whole bunch. It’s great to be here – four years ago we came one game short of playing these guys. Just for the city of New Orleans after everything, it’s awesome.”
(on Drew Brees’ performance) “He’s a great leader. His performance was awesome. He’s been awesome all year, and today he showed it.”
(on the defense making a big play in CB Tracy Porter’s interception return for a touchdown) “Most definitely. You knew it was going to come. Our defense has been making big plays all year, and they came up with a huge play at the end of the game.”
SUPER BOWL XLIIV - SAINTS CB TRACY PORTER - Ingles
SAINTS CB TRACY PORTER
(on his interception of Colts QB Peyton Manning for a touchdown) “It was great film study. We knew that on third-and-short they stack, and they like the outside release for the slant. It was great film study by me, a great jump and a great play.”
(on when he realized he had the touchdown) “When I saw my blockers in front of me and only Peyton (Manning) and the offensive linemen left. I cut back and ran it in.”
(on what the Super Bowl victory means for New Orleans and the Saints’ organization) “It means so much. Words can’t describe how much this means for New Orleans. I am a Louisiana native, and this is real big.”
(on his interception of Colts QB Peyton Manning for a touchdown) “It was great film study. We knew that on third-and-short they stack, and they like the outside release for the slant. It was great film study by me, a great jump and a great play.”
(on when he realized he had the touchdown) “When I saw my blockers in front of me and only Peyton (Manning) and the offensive linemen left. I cut back and ran it in.”
(on what the Super Bowl victory means for New Orleans and the Saints’ organization) “It means so much. Words can’t describe how much this means for New Orleans. I am a Louisiana native, and this is real big.”
SUPER BOWL XLIIV - SAINTS WR MARQUES COLSTON - Ingles
SAINTS WR MARQUES COLSTON
(On winning Super Bowl) “You can’t put it into words. This city and region have been through so much. They have been so supportive this whole time.”
(On being down in the beginning) “We knew coming in this was going to be a hard Super Bowl, but we believed in one another and we got it done today.”
(On the confetti flying) “This is what I have dreamed about since I was four years old. It’s incredible.”
(On winning Super Bowl) “You can’t put it into words. This city and region have been through so much. They have been so supportive this whole time.”
(On being down in the beginning) “We knew coming in this was going to be a hard Super Bowl, but we believed in one another and we got it done today.”
(On the confetti flying) “This is what I have dreamed about since I was four years old. It’s incredible.”
SUPER BOWL XLIIV - SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON - Ingles
SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON
(on being down 10-0 in the first quarter and his gutsy calls to win the game) “Well, we talked about it at halftime, and it’s really a credit to every one of these players here. There’s not enough room on this stage for all of them, but they carried out this play and I’m just proud. I’m proud of this team.”
(on his gutsy calls) “Well, we were going to be aggressive. We felt like it was a little bit of a mess of short plays. We’ve seen the onside kick all week and guys executed it well. When you do something like that, you just put it on the players and they were able to execute. It turned out to be a big change of possession and ended with a score.”
(on Saints QB Drew Brees) “He was outstanding, consistent and he’s just a winner everywhere he’s been. He’s won it. He’s won it for us. I’m just proud of him and all these guys, just to be a part of it, be able coach these guys, and I’m honored.
(on his defense) “In the second half, they played lights out against a good offense and got the turnover. It was a great team win tonight.”
(on Saints QB Drew Brees) “(Colts QB) Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the National Football League, along with our guy (Drew Brees). I had to hook up and come down here with (Brees). He is a major influence why I came here, to get the opportunity to play with a quarterback that could correct mistakes when I make mistakes on defense. It’s been a great year for me. I’ve had to change my personality a little bit to fit the style of the offense. I’ve been coaching for a long time and had to win games 10-9, 13-10, 15-14. Here, you don’t have to worry about making a mistake because you’ve got a quarterback and an offense and a head coach that will be aggressive and go back and get back into a ballgame. It was fun to have that offensive and defensive flux back and forth. We were able to work together and it was a good team win.”
(on CB Tracy Porter’s interception return for a touchdown) “I want our guys to make plays. I don’t want to coach robots. Guys who are afraid to jump routes, guys who are afraid to make plays don’t last very long in the National Football League. You have to believe what you see, and when you see it, go get it. If you make the wrong decision, that’s why they hired me – I’ll help you the next time make a better decision. Please don’t be afraid of making a fast decision. My whole life I’ve been trying to speed up people’s decisions, get people to play faster, get people to play nastier, get people to play tougher and more aggressive. Once you get a guy that will do that, please don’t slow him down. I said when I started my first day here, ‘All your life, you’ve probably played for a coach that maybe restricted your decisions. You will not have anybody slow you down. You will not have anybody tell you you can’t be aggressive. What will happen is if you aren’t aggressive and you don’t play fast, you probably won’t end up playing for us. You’re going to have to go someplace else in the League.’ There’s a good football team here that (Head Coach) Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis cultivated and built, and I was able to just come in and help out a little bit.”
(on winning the Super Bowl) “This is kind of a redemption that makes me feel a lot better about (coming a yard short in the Super Bowl with the Tennessee Titans). I’m really happy for the people of New Orleans. They adopted me. When I came into town in January, I tried to tell them that I wasn’t a savior. There was a good team here. I’m very happy for the Who Dat nation. I’m very happy for the Benson family to finally get a world championship. It’s pretty special to be along for the ride. I’m really appreciative that they invited me into the family to be along for this ride.”
(on the game) “I’ll make this brief. I’m just real proud of our locker room full of coaches and players, everybody in the organization. It’s always what we worked so hard for and it’s hard to describe the feeling. But I couldn’t be more proud of the players, everybody in the front office, the coaches and all the people back in New Orleans that waited so patiently for this. I know I speak for everyone when I say we’re excited. We’re going to be having a good time on Bourbon Street tonight. I thought our preparation during the week was good. I thought our second half was key, and they made enough plays and came up with a big win. It was a good team effort.”
(on his game plan) “We were down there close in the second quarter and we had talked about being aggressive coming into this game. Granted, Indianapolis had a good stand down there in the fourth down, and fortunately we were able to hold them and force the punt. We were able to come back against the field goal before the half, in fact, the last play of the half. All week we had practiced that onside kick and at halftime I just told those guys we have to make our look right here. It was a good hit by Thomas. Our guys did a good job in showing a normal kickoff coverage look, but it was something that we had seen in practice all week .You know you get a little nervous. There’s a lot going on in the week of the Super Bowl and the key was the kicker, and Thomas hit it good, and the guys recovered and we were able to take advantage of it and get seven points, and that then it becomes more like a turnover.”
(on the onside kick and when he made the decision to call it) “We knew we were going to call it at some point, and we made the decision we were going to do it. At halftime I just told them, ‘Hey, we’re going to open up the second half with this. It’s going to be a great play.’ We had enough time at halftime with the schedule. Guys handled it well, Brees was magnificent tonight. He just played so well, so efficient. I thought we blocked for him pretty good, gave him time. So it’s pretty strong right here, we had to start on faith.”
(on having faith in his team) “I just think it’s important that certainly, you have a plan, you’re going to carry it forward, and yet you want to show your players that you’re confident in them. All week long we felt, we really felt as underdogs, that we have the better team. We don’t really look at who’s favored and who’s not.”
(on coming back to win) “Yeah, well listen. There’s a lot of grit, a lot of determination in this team. We fought so hard and this is what makes us uniquely different. We’ve been down at other times this year and we got a lot of good plays from our quarterback and defense, but we came up with some key stops in the second half and those proved pivotal.”
(on winning the game) “It just happened. This is what you work so hard for and this is a team and an organization that represents so much. We’re honored, and certainly I’m honored to be a part of it, and I’m really proud of these guys.”
(on stopping Colts QB Peyton Manning) “The time of possession was going to be important. What we were trying to do was create an additional series, which we were able to do, and our guys did a good job of executing the play. Certainly we wanted to minimize his snaps and we were able to do that to some degree, but he’s an excellent player.”
(on the city of New Orleans appreciating the win) “I think this. I know not only the city, but the whole region, will appreciate this trophy. I just wish we could split it up into a lot of little pieces and give it to everybody. They are part of it and like I said, I’m happy to be part of it as well.”
(on Saints QB Drew Brees) “I thought Drew was magnificent tonight. Certainly it’s a part of the team we saw all year. It’s a part of the resume and the career of a quarterback and a great player, and he prepared outstandingly. We knew he was going to have to play well. He handled a lot of the offense at the line of scrimmage. He made a lot of bold screen passes, and he had time to do that. He handled it extremely well. If you look at his location tonight, I thought he was fantastic. He has been all year, if you really paid close attention. He’s the MVP tonight for a reason, and he’s one of the most valuable players in the League.”
(on coming from a small program to where he is today) “I think our league is full of players and coaches, all of us, that come from all different programs, (different) sized schools. I’ve just been fortunate to be around a lot of good people that teach me how to win and I feel privileged to have had experience in a lot of good places and a lot of good people that have touched these player’s lives.”
(on being down 10-0 in the first quarter and his gutsy calls to win the game) “Well, we talked about it at halftime, and it’s really a credit to every one of these players here. There’s not enough room on this stage for all of them, but they carried out this play and I’m just proud. I’m proud of this team.”
(on his gutsy calls) “Well, we were going to be aggressive. We felt like it was a little bit of a mess of short plays. We’ve seen the onside kick all week and guys executed it well. When you do something like that, you just put it on the players and they were able to execute. It turned out to be a big change of possession and ended with a score.”
(on Saints QB Drew Brees) “He was outstanding, consistent and he’s just a winner everywhere he’s been. He’s won it. He’s won it for us. I’m just proud of him and all these guys, just to be a part of it, be able coach these guys, and I’m honored.
(on his defense) “In the second half, they played lights out against a good offense and got the turnover. It was a great team win tonight.”
(on Saints QB Drew Brees) “(Colts QB) Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the National Football League, along with our guy (Drew Brees). I had to hook up and come down here with (Brees). He is a major influence why I came here, to get the opportunity to play with a quarterback that could correct mistakes when I make mistakes on defense. It’s been a great year for me. I’ve had to change my personality a little bit to fit the style of the offense. I’ve been coaching for a long time and had to win games 10-9, 13-10, 15-14. Here, you don’t have to worry about making a mistake because you’ve got a quarterback and an offense and a head coach that will be aggressive and go back and get back into a ballgame. It was fun to have that offensive and defensive flux back and forth. We were able to work together and it was a good team win.”
(on CB Tracy Porter’s interception return for a touchdown) “I want our guys to make plays. I don’t want to coach robots. Guys who are afraid to jump routes, guys who are afraid to make plays don’t last very long in the National Football League. You have to believe what you see, and when you see it, go get it. If you make the wrong decision, that’s why they hired me – I’ll help you the next time make a better decision. Please don’t be afraid of making a fast decision. My whole life I’ve been trying to speed up people’s decisions, get people to play faster, get people to play nastier, get people to play tougher and more aggressive. Once you get a guy that will do that, please don’t slow him down. I said when I started my first day here, ‘All your life, you’ve probably played for a coach that maybe restricted your decisions. You will not have anybody slow you down. You will not have anybody tell you you can’t be aggressive. What will happen is if you aren’t aggressive and you don’t play fast, you probably won’t end up playing for us. You’re going to have to go someplace else in the League.’ There’s a good football team here that (Head Coach) Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis cultivated and built, and I was able to just come in and help out a little bit.”
(on winning the Super Bowl) “This is kind of a redemption that makes me feel a lot better about (coming a yard short in the Super Bowl with the Tennessee Titans). I’m really happy for the people of New Orleans. They adopted me. When I came into town in January, I tried to tell them that I wasn’t a savior. There was a good team here. I’m very happy for the Who Dat nation. I’m very happy for the Benson family to finally get a world championship. It’s pretty special to be along for the ride. I’m really appreciative that they invited me into the family to be along for this ride.”
(on the game) “I’ll make this brief. I’m just real proud of our locker room full of coaches and players, everybody in the organization. It’s always what we worked so hard for and it’s hard to describe the feeling. But I couldn’t be more proud of the players, everybody in the front office, the coaches and all the people back in New Orleans that waited so patiently for this. I know I speak for everyone when I say we’re excited. We’re going to be having a good time on Bourbon Street tonight. I thought our preparation during the week was good. I thought our second half was key, and they made enough plays and came up with a big win. It was a good team effort.”
(on his game plan) “We were down there close in the second quarter and we had talked about being aggressive coming into this game. Granted, Indianapolis had a good stand down there in the fourth down, and fortunately we were able to hold them and force the punt. We were able to come back against the field goal before the half, in fact, the last play of the half. All week we had practiced that onside kick and at halftime I just told those guys we have to make our look right here. It was a good hit by Thomas. Our guys did a good job in showing a normal kickoff coverage look, but it was something that we had seen in practice all week .You know you get a little nervous. There’s a lot going on in the week of the Super Bowl and the key was the kicker, and Thomas hit it good, and the guys recovered and we were able to take advantage of it and get seven points, and that then it becomes more like a turnover.”
(on the onside kick and when he made the decision to call it) “We knew we were going to call it at some point, and we made the decision we were going to do it. At halftime I just told them, ‘Hey, we’re going to open up the second half with this. It’s going to be a great play.’ We had enough time at halftime with the schedule. Guys handled it well, Brees was magnificent tonight. He just played so well, so efficient. I thought we blocked for him pretty good, gave him time. So it’s pretty strong right here, we had to start on faith.”
(on having faith in his team) “I just think it’s important that certainly, you have a plan, you’re going to carry it forward, and yet you want to show your players that you’re confident in them. All week long we felt, we really felt as underdogs, that we have the better team. We don’t really look at who’s favored and who’s not.”
(on coming back to win) “Yeah, well listen. There’s a lot of grit, a lot of determination in this team. We fought so hard and this is what makes us uniquely different. We’ve been down at other times this year and we got a lot of good plays from our quarterback and defense, but we came up with some key stops in the second half and those proved pivotal.”
(on winning the game) “It just happened. This is what you work so hard for and this is a team and an organization that represents so much. We’re honored, and certainly I’m honored to be a part of it, and I’m really proud of these guys.”
(on stopping Colts QB Peyton Manning) “The time of possession was going to be important. What we were trying to do was create an additional series, which we were able to do, and our guys did a good job of executing the play. Certainly we wanted to minimize his snaps and we were able to do that to some degree, but he’s an excellent player.”
(on the city of New Orleans appreciating the win) “I think this. I know not only the city, but the whole region, will appreciate this trophy. I just wish we could split it up into a lot of little pieces and give it to everybody. They are part of it and like I said, I’m happy to be part of it as well.”
(on Saints QB Drew Brees) “I thought Drew was magnificent tonight. Certainly it’s a part of the team we saw all year. It’s a part of the resume and the career of a quarterback and a great player, and he prepared outstandingly. We knew he was going to have to play well. He handled a lot of the offense at the line of scrimmage. He made a lot of bold screen passes, and he had time to do that. He handled it extremely well. If you look at his location tonight, I thought he was fantastic. He has been all year, if you really paid close attention. He’s the MVP tonight for a reason, and he’s one of the most valuable players in the League.”
(on coming from a small program to where he is today) “I think our league is full of players and coaches, all of us, that come from all different programs, (different) sized schools. I’ve just been fortunate to be around a lot of good people that teach me how to win and I feel privileged to have had experience in a lot of good places and a lot of good people that have touched these player’s lives.”
SUPER BOWL XLIIV - SAINTS QB DREW BREES - Ingles
SAINTS QB DREW BREES
(on how it feels to be Super Bowl MVP) “Is it me? It’s such a tremendous honor, but to be a Super Bowl champion is enough for me.”
(on what this win means to the city of New Orleans) “It means everything. We’re here because of their strength and everything they fought through here the last few years. They’ve given us so much support, and so we owe it all to our fans.”
(on Coach Sean Payton’s belief that in big games you’ve got to make tough decisions: going for it on 4th-and-goal and starting the second half with a surprise onside kick) “That’s the type of team we are. We play with a very aggressive mentality; we play with a lot of confidence. We came to this game knowing we had to play loose and take a chance in order to win and we did.”
(on no turnovers for the Saints) “We knew that would be a key statistic coming in this game, win the turnovers, take care of the football, convert on third downs and score touchdowns.”
(on the defensive interception to clinch) “That was huge. That was a game changer obviously. We’ve done that all year long. That’s not a surprise to me at all.”
(on how it feels) “It’s unbelievable. It is. It is something that I don’t really think has sunk in yet. Just to think of the road that we’ve all traveled to get to this—there was so much we had to go through—and how much adversity we faced along the way. Then again, (look) how many people believed in us and gave us the strength to go out there and do what we did tonight, and really what we’ve done all season long. Really, over the last four years since I’ve been in New Orleans, to be given the opportunity there when not a lot of people wanted to give me that opportunity, and to really start from scratch building a team, building a mindset and setting those goals we knew we could achieve through hard work and trusting one another. What can I say? We played for so much more than just ourselves; we played for our city. We played for the entire Gulf Coast region. We played for the entire Who Dat nation that has been behind us every step of the way. What can I say? We’ve been blessed with so much. It’s unbelievable.”
(on if the Saints turnaround the last few years mirrors what New Orleans has been through) “Yeah, absolutely. That’s probably a good comparison, a good parallel. We’ve had plenty of games this year when we’ve gone down at some point in the game—early, fourth quarter, whatever it might be. We just continued to believe in ourselves and found a way to win, and sure enough, we trusted in one another and our offense got it going. We had some big possessions there in the second half. Neither team had a whole lot of possessions just because we both possessed the ball a lot, converting first downs. Not a lot of big plays were given up in this game. The Colts defense does a good job of that. We knew we would have to move the ball, take advantage of the opportunities we were given, but really be patient and just kind of take what they gave us and move the ball and score points when we got the opportunity. Getting stopped on fourth down there in the second quarter was tough, but then the defense got it right back for us and we at least had an opportunity to go down and score points and gain some momentum going into halftime.”
(on continuing to believe even when they did start slow) “Absolutely, I mean, are you kidding me? Four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening. 85 percent of the city was under water. People were evacuating to places all over the country. Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back. Not only did the organization come back, the city came back and so many players, our core group of players that came in that year as free agents, we just all looked at one other and said, ‘We are going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.’ That’s what we’ve done the last four years and this is the culmination in all that belief.”
(on if he ever would have imagined being here four years ago) “That was—I look back on all of that and there is adversity that you face along the way whether it be injuries, whether it be may be getting shunned by another team. And really when I say that, I mean all of the guys who came in back in 2006. Obviously they were free agents because their other team didn’t want them anymore, thought they couldn’t play anymore and said ‘heck with them.’ That’s really what our team was made up of, starting in 2006. So you look at those moments, and you just use it as motivation and strength. To be able to go forward and be able to accomplish what we’ve been able to accomplish, that’s what molds you. That’s what makes you the person you are and gives you that mental toughness and that strength. Going through hard times is what gives you the opportunity to accomplish something special. So forever now, all of us, we will walk together as Super Bowl champions, world champions and bringing home the trophy to New Orleans.”
(on how key it was that Peyton Manning was kept off the field) “That was crucial. The more opportunities you give the guy, the more that he is going to find a way to take advantage of you. Priority number one coming into this game was to take care of the football; don’t give them a short field, don’t give them anything cheap. Number two was, be patient, take what they give us, convert on third downs, keep drives alive and chew the clock up and go down and get points. We did those things and it resulted in a win.”
(on the Saints defense getting the offense back the ball at the end of the first half for the quick field goal) “That’s huge. I think our mindset obviously was by going for it, if for some reason we didn’t get it, we’d have them backed up on the one. We had three timeouts, and maybe we could stop them, then get the ball back and have an opportunity at a two-minute drill. That was inevitably what happened. Obviously we would have loved to have the touchdown. When you get down that far and come away with nothing it’s disappointing, but we needed momentum going into halftime. The defense did a great job of getting us the ball back, we used our timeouts and got the ball with enough time to go down and kick the field goal. So at least we go in halftime trailing 10-6, but we scored and we had this idea of an onside kick to start the second half. So we just had a good feeling that we could get the ball back and go down and score, and we did.”
(on the onside kick) “We decided at halftime. It was something that we had worked on at practice for a long time—the last two weeks. It looked so good at practice that we thought we had to put it in the game at some point, and maybe this was the right time. Who would have thought to open the second half that we would do that? It wasn’t quite perfection, but we got the ball and that’s all that matters.”
(on how it feels to be Super Bowl MVP) “Is it me? It’s such a tremendous honor, but to be a Super Bowl champion is enough for me.”
(on what this win means to the city of New Orleans) “It means everything. We’re here because of their strength and everything they fought through here the last few years. They’ve given us so much support, and so we owe it all to our fans.”
(on Coach Sean Payton’s belief that in big games you’ve got to make tough decisions: going for it on 4th-and-goal and starting the second half with a surprise onside kick) “That’s the type of team we are. We play with a very aggressive mentality; we play with a lot of confidence. We came to this game knowing we had to play loose and take a chance in order to win and we did.”
(on no turnovers for the Saints) “We knew that would be a key statistic coming in this game, win the turnovers, take care of the football, convert on third downs and score touchdowns.”
(on the defensive interception to clinch) “That was huge. That was a game changer obviously. We’ve done that all year long. That’s not a surprise to me at all.”
(on how it feels) “It’s unbelievable. It is. It is something that I don’t really think has sunk in yet. Just to think of the road that we’ve all traveled to get to this—there was so much we had to go through—and how much adversity we faced along the way. Then again, (look) how many people believed in us and gave us the strength to go out there and do what we did tonight, and really what we’ve done all season long. Really, over the last four years since I’ve been in New Orleans, to be given the opportunity there when not a lot of people wanted to give me that opportunity, and to really start from scratch building a team, building a mindset and setting those goals we knew we could achieve through hard work and trusting one another. What can I say? We played for so much more than just ourselves; we played for our city. We played for the entire Gulf Coast region. We played for the entire Who Dat nation that has been behind us every step of the way. What can I say? We’ve been blessed with so much. It’s unbelievable.”
(on if the Saints turnaround the last few years mirrors what New Orleans has been through) “Yeah, absolutely. That’s probably a good comparison, a good parallel. We’ve had plenty of games this year when we’ve gone down at some point in the game—early, fourth quarter, whatever it might be. We just continued to believe in ourselves and found a way to win, and sure enough, we trusted in one another and our offense got it going. We had some big possessions there in the second half. Neither team had a whole lot of possessions just because we both possessed the ball a lot, converting first downs. Not a lot of big plays were given up in this game. The Colts defense does a good job of that. We knew we would have to move the ball, take advantage of the opportunities we were given, but really be patient and just kind of take what they gave us and move the ball and score points when we got the opportunity. Getting stopped on fourth down there in the second quarter was tough, but then the defense got it right back for us and we at least had an opportunity to go down and score points and gain some momentum going into halftime.”
(on continuing to believe even when they did start slow) “Absolutely, I mean, are you kidding me? Four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening. 85 percent of the city was under water. People were evacuating to places all over the country. Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back. Not only did the organization come back, the city came back and so many players, our core group of players that came in that year as free agents, we just all looked at one other and said, ‘We are going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.’ That’s what we’ve done the last four years and this is the culmination in all that belief.”
(on if he ever would have imagined being here four years ago) “That was—I look back on all of that and there is adversity that you face along the way whether it be injuries, whether it be may be getting shunned by another team. And really when I say that, I mean all of the guys who came in back in 2006. Obviously they were free agents because their other team didn’t want them anymore, thought they couldn’t play anymore and said ‘heck with them.’ That’s really what our team was made up of, starting in 2006. So you look at those moments, and you just use it as motivation and strength. To be able to go forward and be able to accomplish what we’ve been able to accomplish, that’s what molds you. That’s what makes you the person you are and gives you that mental toughness and that strength. Going through hard times is what gives you the opportunity to accomplish something special. So forever now, all of us, we will walk together as Super Bowl champions, world champions and bringing home the trophy to New Orleans.”
(on how key it was that Peyton Manning was kept off the field) “That was crucial. The more opportunities you give the guy, the more that he is going to find a way to take advantage of you. Priority number one coming into this game was to take care of the football; don’t give them a short field, don’t give them anything cheap. Number two was, be patient, take what they give us, convert on third downs, keep drives alive and chew the clock up and go down and get points. We did those things and it resulted in a win.”
(on the Saints defense getting the offense back the ball at the end of the first half for the quick field goal) “That’s huge. I think our mindset obviously was by going for it, if for some reason we didn’t get it, we’d have them backed up on the one. We had three timeouts, and maybe we could stop them, then get the ball back and have an opportunity at a two-minute drill. That was inevitably what happened. Obviously we would have loved to have the touchdown. When you get down that far and come away with nothing it’s disappointing, but we needed momentum going into halftime. The defense did a great job of getting us the ball back, we used our timeouts and got the ball with enough time to go down and kick the field goal. So at least we go in halftime trailing 10-6, but we scored and we had this idea of an onside kick to start the second half. So we just had a good feeling that we could get the ball back and go down and score, and we did.”
(on the onside kick) “We decided at halftime. It was something that we had worked on at practice for a long time—the last two weeks. It looked so good at practice that we thought we had to put it in the game at some point, and maybe this was the right time. Who would have thought to open the second half that we would do that? It wasn’t quite perfection, but we got the ball and that’s all that matters.”
domingo, 7 de febrero de 2010
PRESS CONFERENCE SAINTS - HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON - Ingles
Super Bowl XLIV – Friday, February 5, 2010
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON
(Opening statement) “It’s been a good week of practice. We have two more; one today and a walk-through tomorrow at the stadium.”
(On the importance of Drew Brees’ comfort during the game and how they will achieve that) “Well I think the flow of a game is important for a quarterback. You try to look at the defense that you’re getting and try to get some rhythm for him. He’s a guy that can get real hot early and I look at it as a coach, our coaches look at it, as certainly an objective of ours. Sometimes it’s through intermediate throws, sometimes a screen, sometimes a throw down the field. Just having the right balance and mix is important, but I do think that (comfort) is important in any big game.”
(On how the team has handled the Super Bowl week) “We’re on our normal schedule. There are a few little nuances just in regards to the bus logistics. This event here is a little different. We’re in meetings right now. But this is something that we’ve done before in regards to travel and relocate. Our London game last year; Houston in the pre-season this year; with (Hurricane) Gustav last year we relocated to Indianapolis. You know, you set up shop in the hotel much like you would at training camp. You get your meetings established, you get your itinerary established and you try to stay in routine. Those are things that are important.”
(On the game against the Dolphins and how it was a turning point for the team) “Well just in regards to the game, you know, as the season goes on you find yourself playing with leads, playing with deficits, and certainly in that game we fell behind, didn’t play too well early and Miami did a great job. We kind of hung in there in the second half and made a few plays, got some turnovers and capitalized on them, and that ended up really making the difference and giving us a chance to win. All those things, I think, build confidence and you hope to draw on those things in the post-season. Certainly that was a handful, one of a handful of games where we fell behind and battled back and were able to overcome some early mistakes.”
(On Saints DT Remi Ayodele) “Remi’s done a good job. He is someone that gives us size inside. He’s athletic. He’s a good worker and he’s been a nice edition really when you look at him as being someone we were able to sign as a free agent.”
(On the city of New Orleans and the team rebuilding together) “The relationship with the fans I think is unique. This is a city that really has been very close to this team through a lot of hard times. After Katrina, when the Saints were able to get back and play in the Super Dome, certainly there was some symbolism that evening. I think playing good football and giving them something to be proud of is important. With as visible as many of our players are in the community, and many of them are just because of the logistics of where they live, I think all of those things make it positive and make it pretty special.”
(On how his experience in Dallas prepared him to get to this point in his career) “Well I had three years there. I was fortunate to have had certainly three years with the Dallas Cowboys, an organization like that with Bill Parcells, three years before that with the New York Giants and those are a couple flagship organizations that have won a lot. Being with the people there in Dallas; Mr. (Jerry) Jones and his family, Bill (Parcells) and the staff we put together, Bill put together, was a great experience for me. I consider myself fortunate to have had a chance to be touched by all these people that we’re talking about, and they are a big reason that I’m sitting here today. It was very important, very instrumental in my development.”
(On acquiring TE David Thomas this year) “Well, we had lost Billy Miller in the preseason to an injury, an Achilles, and we knew New England had a lot of depth at tight end. We had done trades with them before, and it was just a matter of just trying to find out maybe if any one of those players would be available and fortunately we were, in our case, able to obtain Dave. He’s a guy that plays at a lot of different spots. He’s versatile, he’s smart and you know exactly what you’re getting. Sometimes, you’ve got to be careful to not play him too many snaps. With Jeremy’s (Shockey) health a few weeks ago, he was playing more than maybe you would have liked. But he’s certainly been an important part of what we’re doing offensively and gives us flexibility.”
(On any time spent with his family this week) “Last night was the one night we went out. A lot of the families got in yesterday, and I went out with my immediate family and in-laws and sisters and brother and just got something to eat and then got home and got some rest. It’s really the one night to do it. So it’s a great experience for the family members. They can come down here and enjoy themselves, and the key is just managing the distractions as players and coaches and handling that the right way.”
(On meeting his wife at Indiana State and his family ties to Indiana) “Well, I don’t know if they’ve been rooting for this matchup, but I’ve got a lot of family back in Indiana. Beth and I met at Indiana State when I was coaching. Her family is from back in that area, Morocco, Ind., which is in the northern part of the state. I spent two years as a coach (there). My high school coach was from Indiana. Had a lot of good friends and family that lived back there. My brother and sister-in-law live in Greenwood, just south of Indianapolis, and I think all of them were on the flight out here yesterday and probably were the only ones wearing Saints jerseys. But I consider that region home. Being from Illinois, you really, as you move from one state to the other, unless there was a sign that told you you were entering Indiana, you wouldn’t know it. So there has been a lot of people that I’ve met and am close with over the years there, and it’s still a pretty special place for me.”
(On how he has grown as a head coach since his first training camp) “Well, I think you’re learning all the time. I think that certainly, just as we ask our players to improve, study, hone their skills, the same has to be expected of us. There’s certain experiences that are hard to simulate, maybe, and each year, something – something maybe little, something maybe big – comes up, and you deal with it and reflect back sometimes at the end of the season. You try to look at ways where you can improve as a head coach. I think that’s the nature of teaching – at least good teaching – so that’s something we try to pay very close attention to.”
(On what a Super Bowl victory would mean to him personally) “You know, one of the things that you talk to your players about, an accomplishment like that almost binds you forever as a team, a coaching staff. More important than any of the celebration or any of the other things that go along with winning a championship, I think that in itself is pretty significant.”
(On if there’s a danger of getting too wrapped up in trying to play for the city of New Orleans) “Well, I think throughout the course of the week and by game time, I don’t think when we meet or talk, there’s any of this, ‘We’ve got to win one for the city’ speech. In other words, I think that’s just a sense, a feeling that exists or permeates really throughout the course of the year or throughout the course of the players’ time here. That sense of or that feeling of, ‘This is pretty important to everyone,’ and they remind us daily how great the fans are. They remind us daily how important it is to them. So that being said, I think games like this come down to the execution, the details. Players will be excited to play. All the little things that really allow you to win games and all the little things that potentially could cause you to lose games, and I think they understand that.”
(On if there’s a word he attributes to his team this week and if he expects to sleep well on Saturday night) “Focus is a good word. That’s kind of one of the things that we’ve talked about all week long. And I think (despite) the challenges that exist during the course of your week that break up maybe your routine or things you battle against, I’ll sleep fine. Just like any other game, you’ll have a routine. But I think that overall, the work week’s going well, and I think that the schedule and the way our players have managed the schedule and the distractions, that they’ve handled it well.”
(On how much offensive flexibility is taken into consideration when constructing the roster) “A lot of it is, when you sign a player, you have to have a vision for the player. In other words, we’re not going to draft and sign, and then when they arrive say, ‘’Well, we’ll do this.’ Generally, when you sign a free agent player, you have a pretty clear vision as to what you want to do with him. I think it’s important each year to be flexible in regards to the health of your team, in regards to whose playing well, and to try to put them in good situations that give them a chance to be successful. He (TE David Thomas) provides some flexibility in that he plays ‘Y,’ he plays ‘X,’ he can do a number of things. That’s a good trait to have.”
(On the task of getting his team ready for the playoffs after losing the final three games of the regular season) “I think the key was preparing to play well in the playoffs. Much was made of finishing the regular season and a lot was written about it. Most importantly, it was just getting prepared physically and mentally to play the divisional round, no different than the approach Indianapolis was taking. Certainly, we wanted to win, a couple of those close games we weren’t able to. To get guys healthy, and to really focus on taking advantage of playing at home against Arizona, and then home again the next week against Minnesota, that becomes most important.”
(On what he has learned from football that he applies to his daily life) “Hard work. I think that commitment is critical. The challenge often times is finding that balance with football and family. It can at times consume you and take from family time, and that’s something that I think you have to pay attention to always. It’s something that still I can continue to look at from a schedule standpoint and really look and try to evaluate how to do a better job of managing time that way. I think that the commitment aspect of hard work and dedication, those things all would apply.”
(On the relaxed feel of this team this week) “If you go back earlier in the year, this term ‘big game’ was used. In week four against the Giants it was a ‘big game,’ and then week seven or eight another ‘big game,’ and then another one on Monday night against Atlanta. Then there’s another ‘big game’ against the Patriots, so you get used to that idea that we’re in a big game. If you continue to play well, we’re going to be in more games that are certainly bigger than this one, and obviously this is the last game. This is the championship game and yet, that routine, that mindset as to preparation and going and playing, and keeping it just like we’ve done throughout the course of the year. Sure, there’s going to be nerves, and guys are going to be wound up, but we’re going to manage that fine.”
(On if he has done anything to prevent his defense from becoming awed by Peyton Manning) “He’s a tremendous player. We’ve got a lot of respect for his accomplishments, just like we did with Kurt Warner, Hall of Fame player a couple weeks ago, and Brett Favre, another Hall of Fame player last week. We’ve had a stretch here, where each week these guys are special. He’s done it – we were talking about this at breakfast – he’s done it over time. His staying power, and his consistency, and his approach is unique. That’s why it is talked about so much. We’ve got a lot of respect for his abilities and what they’ve done offensively there, and coaches, and preparation. It will be a tremendous challenge for us. We’re going to have our work cut out for us with the way he’s playing.”
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON
(Opening statement) “It’s been a good week of practice. We have two more; one today and a walk-through tomorrow at the stadium.”
(On the importance of Drew Brees’ comfort during the game and how they will achieve that) “Well I think the flow of a game is important for a quarterback. You try to look at the defense that you’re getting and try to get some rhythm for him. He’s a guy that can get real hot early and I look at it as a coach, our coaches look at it, as certainly an objective of ours. Sometimes it’s through intermediate throws, sometimes a screen, sometimes a throw down the field. Just having the right balance and mix is important, but I do think that (comfort) is important in any big game.”
(On how the team has handled the Super Bowl week) “We’re on our normal schedule. There are a few little nuances just in regards to the bus logistics. This event here is a little different. We’re in meetings right now. But this is something that we’ve done before in regards to travel and relocate. Our London game last year; Houston in the pre-season this year; with (Hurricane) Gustav last year we relocated to Indianapolis. You know, you set up shop in the hotel much like you would at training camp. You get your meetings established, you get your itinerary established and you try to stay in routine. Those are things that are important.”
(On the game against the Dolphins and how it was a turning point for the team) “Well just in regards to the game, you know, as the season goes on you find yourself playing with leads, playing with deficits, and certainly in that game we fell behind, didn’t play too well early and Miami did a great job. We kind of hung in there in the second half and made a few plays, got some turnovers and capitalized on them, and that ended up really making the difference and giving us a chance to win. All those things, I think, build confidence and you hope to draw on those things in the post-season. Certainly that was a handful, one of a handful of games where we fell behind and battled back and were able to overcome some early mistakes.”
(On Saints DT Remi Ayodele) “Remi’s done a good job. He is someone that gives us size inside. He’s athletic. He’s a good worker and he’s been a nice edition really when you look at him as being someone we were able to sign as a free agent.”
(On the city of New Orleans and the team rebuilding together) “The relationship with the fans I think is unique. This is a city that really has been very close to this team through a lot of hard times. After Katrina, when the Saints were able to get back and play in the Super Dome, certainly there was some symbolism that evening. I think playing good football and giving them something to be proud of is important. With as visible as many of our players are in the community, and many of them are just because of the logistics of where they live, I think all of those things make it positive and make it pretty special.”
(On how his experience in Dallas prepared him to get to this point in his career) “Well I had three years there. I was fortunate to have had certainly three years with the Dallas Cowboys, an organization like that with Bill Parcells, three years before that with the New York Giants and those are a couple flagship organizations that have won a lot. Being with the people there in Dallas; Mr. (Jerry) Jones and his family, Bill (Parcells) and the staff we put together, Bill put together, was a great experience for me. I consider myself fortunate to have had a chance to be touched by all these people that we’re talking about, and they are a big reason that I’m sitting here today. It was very important, very instrumental in my development.”
(On acquiring TE David Thomas this year) “Well, we had lost Billy Miller in the preseason to an injury, an Achilles, and we knew New England had a lot of depth at tight end. We had done trades with them before, and it was just a matter of just trying to find out maybe if any one of those players would be available and fortunately we were, in our case, able to obtain Dave. He’s a guy that plays at a lot of different spots. He’s versatile, he’s smart and you know exactly what you’re getting. Sometimes, you’ve got to be careful to not play him too many snaps. With Jeremy’s (Shockey) health a few weeks ago, he was playing more than maybe you would have liked. But he’s certainly been an important part of what we’re doing offensively and gives us flexibility.”
(On any time spent with his family this week) “Last night was the one night we went out. A lot of the families got in yesterday, and I went out with my immediate family and in-laws and sisters and brother and just got something to eat and then got home and got some rest. It’s really the one night to do it. So it’s a great experience for the family members. They can come down here and enjoy themselves, and the key is just managing the distractions as players and coaches and handling that the right way.”
(On meeting his wife at Indiana State and his family ties to Indiana) “Well, I don’t know if they’ve been rooting for this matchup, but I’ve got a lot of family back in Indiana. Beth and I met at Indiana State when I was coaching. Her family is from back in that area, Morocco, Ind., which is in the northern part of the state. I spent two years as a coach (there). My high school coach was from Indiana. Had a lot of good friends and family that lived back there. My brother and sister-in-law live in Greenwood, just south of Indianapolis, and I think all of them were on the flight out here yesterday and probably were the only ones wearing Saints jerseys. But I consider that region home. Being from Illinois, you really, as you move from one state to the other, unless there was a sign that told you you were entering Indiana, you wouldn’t know it. So there has been a lot of people that I’ve met and am close with over the years there, and it’s still a pretty special place for me.”
(On how he has grown as a head coach since his first training camp) “Well, I think you’re learning all the time. I think that certainly, just as we ask our players to improve, study, hone their skills, the same has to be expected of us. There’s certain experiences that are hard to simulate, maybe, and each year, something – something maybe little, something maybe big – comes up, and you deal with it and reflect back sometimes at the end of the season. You try to look at ways where you can improve as a head coach. I think that’s the nature of teaching – at least good teaching – so that’s something we try to pay very close attention to.”
(On what a Super Bowl victory would mean to him personally) “You know, one of the things that you talk to your players about, an accomplishment like that almost binds you forever as a team, a coaching staff. More important than any of the celebration or any of the other things that go along with winning a championship, I think that in itself is pretty significant.”
(On if there’s a danger of getting too wrapped up in trying to play for the city of New Orleans) “Well, I think throughout the course of the week and by game time, I don’t think when we meet or talk, there’s any of this, ‘We’ve got to win one for the city’ speech. In other words, I think that’s just a sense, a feeling that exists or permeates really throughout the course of the year or throughout the course of the players’ time here. That sense of or that feeling of, ‘This is pretty important to everyone,’ and they remind us daily how great the fans are. They remind us daily how important it is to them. So that being said, I think games like this come down to the execution, the details. Players will be excited to play. All the little things that really allow you to win games and all the little things that potentially could cause you to lose games, and I think they understand that.”
(On if there’s a word he attributes to his team this week and if he expects to sleep well on Saturday night) “Focus is a good word. That’s kind of one of the things that we’ve talked about all week long. And I think (despite) the challenges that exist during the course of your week that break up maybe your routine or things you battle against, I’ll sleep fine. Just like any other game, you’ll have a routine. But I think that overall, the work week’s going well, and I think that the schedule and the way our players have managed the schedule and the distractions, that they’ve handled it well.”
(On how much offensive flexibility is taken into consideration when constructing the roster) “A lot of it is, when you sign a player, you have to have a vision for the player. In other words, we’re not going to draft and sign, and then when they arrive say, ‘’Well, we’ll do this.’ Generally, when you sign a free agent player, you have a pretty clear vision as to what you want to do with him. I think it’s important each year to be flexible in regards to the health of your team, in regards to whose playing well, and to try to put them in good situations that give them a chance to be successful. He (TE David Thomas) provides some flexibility in that he plays ‘Y,’ he plays ‘X,’ he can do a number of things. That’s a good trait to have.”
(On the task of getting his team ready for the playoffs after losing the final three games of the regular season) “I think the key was preparing to play well in the playoffs. Much was made of finishing the regular season and a lot was written about it. Most importantly, it was just getting prepared physically and mentally to play the divisional round, no different than the approach Indianapolis was taking. Certainly, we wanted to win, a couple of those close games we weren’t able to. To get guys healthy, and to really focus on taking advantage of playing at home against Arizona, and then home again the next week against Minnesota, that becomes most important.”
(On what he has learned from football that he applies to his daily life) “Hard work. I think that commitment is critical. The challenge often times is finding that balance with football and family. It can at times consume you and take from family time, and that’s something that I think you have to pay attention to always. It’s something that still I can continue to look at from a schedule standpoint and really look and try to evaluate how to do a better job of managing time that way. I think that the commitment aspect of hard work and dedication, those things all would apply.”
(On the relaxed feel of this team this week) “If you go back earlier in the year, this term ‘big game’ was used. In week four against the Giants it was a ‘big game,’ and then week seven or eight another ‘big game,’ and then another one on Monday night against Atlanta. Then there’s another ‘big game’ against the Patriots, so you get used to that idea that we’re in a big game. If you continue to play well, we’re going to be in more games that are certainly bigger than this one, and obviously this is the last game. This is the championship game and yet, that routine, that mindset as to preparation and going and playing, and keeping it just like we’ve done throughout the course of the year. Sure, there’s going to be nerves, and guys are going to be wound up, but we’re going to manage that fine.”
(On if he has done anything to prevent his defense from becoming awed by Peyton Manning) “He’s a tremendous player. We’ve got a lot of respect for his accomplishments, just like we did with Kurt Warner, Hall of Fame player a couple weeks ago, and Brett Favre, another Hall of Fame player last week. We’ve had a stretch here, where each week these guys are special. He’s done it – we were talking about this at breakfast – he’s done it over time. His staying power, and his consistency, and his approach is unique. That’s why it is talked about so much. We’ve got a lot of respect for his abilities and what they’ve done offensively there, and coaches, and preparation. It will be a tremendous challenge for us. We’re going to have our work cut out for us with the way he’s playing.”
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