azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green
Opening Statement:
"We thought this game would be a low-scoring, defensive struggle and that's what it was. If you can appreciate defensive football and defensive plays, that was your kind of ball game. If you're one of those people who loves to see offensive points scored, you probably didn't like that game very much. Defensively, we had two big things. Number one, we caused a fumble by hitting. We hit very well today. This was by far our best hitting day. Number two, we got an interception off a heads-up play where a lot of guys were fighting for the ball. They treated the ball like it was honey and they were after it. On top of that, they made a heads-up play, made blocks and got into the endzone. Offensively, they bottled us up a lot early. They overpowered us. It doesn't take much to figure out how big they are and how physical they are up front. They overpowered us in many ways and made a difference. The drive at the end was good. I think that was good for us and hopefully that will carry over against a Dallas team that's 4-3. We're 2-4 and we go on the road. Hopefully, we'll play like the last time we were on the road in Mexico City. Injury-wise I think we came out of the game without any injuries. We started Josh McCown and made that decision on Monday because we felt that was where we're at right now in our program. Kurt Warner has continued to work very hard on his rehabilitation. He was able to practice this week. Was he 100 percent? Only Kurt can say that, but he could have played. The issue was if he was the best guy to play for us this week in this particular ball game. As for next week, we'll take a good look at it. I haven't thought about it right now. But as I said, we are in the decision making business. Making decisions doesn't bother us at all. That's what we do for a living and we'll continue to do so."
On not announcing the starting quarterback until the day of the game:
"We did it because we wanted to. We didn't care if anyone said it was good or not. There are very few things you can do in this business because you want to. We did it because we wanted to. We didn't like the fact that we were 1-4 and we've got a certain attitude about it. We took that attitude and said we want to do it this way, we'll do it this way. If the league says we can't, then we can't. But until they say we can't, we'll do it the way we want to."
On why Josh McCown didn't throw for as many yards today as he did in previous games:
"It was a better defense. The defense that they played was overpowering up front. You look at those guys up front and there are a lot of big guys. We had more problems with our line. We just played a better defensive team. Anyone who knows Jeff Fisher knows that defensive football is his bag and he showed up today."
On David Macklin's interception:
"It was a heads-up play. There were a lot of guys fighting for the ball and when he caught the ball I think he thought that he was touched down. But the guys that helped him told him to get up. It might be one of the best defensive plays in the league this year because it was a play that was contested in the air, there were two guys fighting for the ball, then there was an interception, then there was a heads-up play to get some positive yardage and that positive yardage turned into a touchdown."
On Neil Rackers:
"He had four touchbacks. I think he's definitely kicking like the best kicker in the league right now. He's good and steady. Hopefully, when we go down to Dallas he will play better. He'll have opportunities to do more. Not just on field goals, but more PATs and he'll continue with his assault and go out and break the record he already has for touchbacks."
On the run game:
"We had the longest run of the season, but we also lost a lot of yardage in addition to that. I think we still struggled offensively. I don't think we struggled simply because we couldn't run. We struggled because they overpowered us as much as anything, even when we were passing."
On whether the Titans were covering Anquan Boldin any differently:
"No. How many plays did we have where the ball just wasn't there? We caught two out of bounds. It was a defensive game. That's how we played and that's how they played."
On whether this was the most physical game for the Cardinals so far this year:
"Yeah, it was. Simply because we played our most physical football and this was a team where their physical style was probably similar to the New York Giants as far as how they hit, how they get into their gaps and their size."
On whether putting Kurt Warner in the game entered his mind at all:
"No."
On whether Josh McCown has done enough to earn the starting job:
"Like I said, I haven't thought about it. When it's time to address it, believe me, I'll address it."
On what the win does for the psyche of the team in the locker room:
"It got us to 2-4. There are 15 out of 32 teams that have two wins or less. Now we move into that category with two wins or less. We were in it before with one win. We're in better shape with two wins and I still believe that at some point we're going to play better. I think at some point we'll play offense, defense and special teams. The guys did a great job of hustling. Scott (Player) had some good punts. We had some guys that went down and made some plays. Some guys went in and made some hits. All of a sudden, we're starting to show some signs that we could become one of those better football teams. We're not there yet, but hopefully we'll go to Dallas and play that way because otherwise we won't even be in the ball game. If we go to Dallas and don't play better than we played today, or the last week, or the week before, we will not win the ball game."
On how the defensive line held up:
"I think the fatigue set in because we were chasing them and missing plays. We had our hands on (Matt) Mauck, we had some plays on (Billy) Volek, guys that should of gone down and we didn't do it. Our guys would love to have those back. You get very few layups in the game. It's like a breakaway layup. You get your hands on the quarterback after a lot of hard work. If you don't get him wrapped and get him down, you always regret it and we did during the course of this ball game."
On Karlos Dansby's fumble recovery:
"Speed. I think his ability to just get up the field before anyone knew it, got him from the backside and made a tackle and a fumble recovery all at the same time. I think Karlos is one of the leaders on our team. He's one of those young guys that is gradually starting to show signs that they can grow up. That was an outstanding play."
On pretty or ugly wins:
"I have never used that kind of term and I've coached for games in college and pro football. I have never used a pretty win or an ugly win in my life. A win is a win. What I said was that we didn't play as well early as I would have liked to. It was a defensive struggle. If you like defensive struggles it was a great game. If you don't like them, you might not have enjoyed it."
On it being an overall team effort:
"That was the difference because I guarantee if we punt again for about the sixth straight time and the score is just three, then it is a totally different defensive game. Now, what can they do? They can get in field goal position and kick a field goal and tie it up. Get in field goal position, make you play the field goal, get the first down and drive and kick a field goal. That's what happened against Carolina. Now, you're not trying to kick a field goal and Neil (Rackers) doesn't help you, you've got to score a touchdown. That was all the difference in the Carolina game which the score was 20-10 at the same time. We had the lead on them and we should have closed that game out and we didn't because we didn't do some of the things we did today."
Quarterback Josh McCown
On offense’s slow start:
“It was frustrating because the past couple weeks I threw the ball well, threw with accuracy, and to come out today and can’t find your stroke is frustrating for me. With each pass, you think it’s going to be the one that will get you back on track and the ball just keeps hitting the grass. As a competitor, you just have to compete and fight through it. I had a shirt when I was little because I played so much basketball that said ‘When you’re off, shoot until you’re on.’ You just keep fighting through it until you get back in the game. First and foremost, the defense, my hat is off to them because they kept us in this ball game.”
On long pass to Larry Fitzgerald:
“To miss the things that I missed today, and then hit that one, it doesn’t make sense. Last week, you go out and throw for a ton of yards, but they made a couple plays, and you lose the ball game. Then this week, you don’t throw for very many yards, but you make a play on offense and you win the ball game. We had a flag route to Anquan [Boldin] and, seeing how they played it on film we knew we could draw some flies there. I pumped to him, and they flew up and Larry [Fitzgerald] was behind him, relatively open before he got to the safety. We got it to him and he did the rest. Obviously an outstanding catch and run by Larry.”
On late touchdown:
“It makes you feel great. It is like when you go out and you are 0-15 but you hit the game winning shot. That’s this league. Some weeks you are going to go out there and play really great on offense and feel like, ‘I had a lot to do with this win.’ Some weeks you go out there and say, ‘the defense kept us in that ball game.’ The offense made plays to help blow it open but the defense kept us in the game and allowed us to get there. The bottom line is we won. It felt good to get back on track and we will take that momentum into next week.”
On quarterback situation:
“I am not really worried about that. I don’t think Kurt [Warner] would be either. I think we are both competitors that want to help this team and see this team do well. I know this, between he and I whoever gets the nod, the guy out there will fight his heart out and play as hard as he can. That is why I am not worried about it. The coach will make the right decision, the best decision that he thinks will help this team. Both Kurt and I know that. Like I said, that guy out there will fight his tail off and in that respect, whoever [Coach Green] goes with will have a chance to win.”
On Kurt Warner:
“Everybody who has been around Kurt knows how he is as a person. To hear a guy like that who has been to the top say, ‘Hey man, I know there are days like this, where you are just off.’ To hear something like that from that guy just lifts you up and helps you keep fighting. Kurt and John [Navarre] on the sideline were fantastic. For me, emotionally they were outstanding. Kurt told me to keep fighting, and that it will come. He was the first one to say, ‘I told you so,’ when I threw the touchdown. For us to have him on our team is a blessing because he is a great guy. And for me personally, he has helped tremendously and I am thankful for that.”
On Karlos Dansby’s sack-fumble:
“There are so many things you can stand up here and say about the defense. They were swarming, physical and they created turnovers. Anytime that happens, you will have a chance to win. If your defense keeps them under 14 or 17 points and creates turnovers, you are always going to have a chance to win. They did that today and they played so well that even when [the offense] struggles, that is the beautiful thing about this game, it is a complete team with three components and the defense was a huge component today.”
On passing difficulty:
“They had pressure, obviously, but some things were just off. The one in the end zone to Fitzgerald was eight inches out of bounds and he had to reach out. Those things are frustrating. Location wise, you are just missing. When you get outside the pocket and [Anquan Boldin] breaks up the sideline and has everybody beat, and to miss by six inches, it was like, ‘how did I miss that, how did I miss this?’ In practice for me, I will regroup fundamentally. I will look at the tape and look at the things that may have pushed balls this way and that and try to correct them. It is just one of those things that happens.”
What this win means for the team:
“Obviously when you start off 1-4 you need to win this game. It propels you back into the mindset of still fighting to be a playoff team. I think it puts us right back in that mindset of becoming a playoff team. We obviously have to continue to practice hard and do all the things it takes to play winning football. This was a big win, coming out of the bye. It was one of the things we talked about, getting a win going in and a win coming out. Obviously we didn’t get the win coming in, but we got this one. One out of two isn’t bad. This will give us some momentum going into next week.”
On Tennessee:
“They played well. They were physical and applied pressure well. They did some good things. They’re a pretty fast defense. Any time you play against a defense that can run like that, especially with a linebacker like Keith Bulluck that can get into lanes that can create problems for you and cut some things off. There were things that didn’t click. Like the receivers and I not being on the same page. Up front as well, they did a lot of things to create that.”
On Dallas game:
“I always put an emphasis on winning. Like I said, you go out last week and throw for 398 yards, lose and who knows that I threw for tonight, and win. We won the game, and that is what this game is about. As a competitor I want to continue to play because I want to build some wins. At the same time, I know the coach is going to make the best decision that he feels is going to give the team the best chance to win. That being said, I will go and fight and prepare.”
Cardinals Linebacker Karlos Dansby
On big fumble recovery
“We knew we were going to have opportunities coming off the edge to bring enough pressure with the protection they had. Coach called the right play on the three step drop. It was squeeze protection for them and I just came off the corner.”
On reaction of fumble recovery
“I just said ‘Hold the ball, hold the ball.’ The coverage made me hold the ball so I got an opportunity to get it out.”
On defensive production
“It was a confidence booster. We were just trying to be consistent, that was our goal all week. Just be consistent on defense and I thought we did a good job in the second half. We got a couple of stops on three and outs and we held up.”
On whether the team made any adjustments at halftime
“Not really, we kind of knew what they were doing. We just slowed it down and held back on some of the calls that we were making on defense. We just played basic defense.”
On the bye week being a factor
“That’s hard to say. The Titans are a good team and you can’t take anything away from them. They made their plays and did get into the end zone.”
On changes when Titans running back Chris Brown went out
“That was big. I think it slowed down their running game and their protection scheme and it showed where we could blitz. It showed at the end of the game.”
Cardinals cornerback David Macklin
On interception return for the touchdown
“It was kind of comical, but that’s what happens when you go to the ball. That’s what’s our defense is predicated on, to just fly to the ball to make plays and that’s the type of defense we have to play in order to win games. We want to stay positive and win games anyway that we can.”
On reaction to interception return
“It was a good job done by the d-line and James Darling went and tipped it up. It was one of those times when we all were flying to the ball trying to make plays. Guys were blocking well downfield and we took an interception back for a score and that’s what we needed. We’re going to need to score points on defense in order to win any game in this league.”
On reaction of the Dansby sack
“That’s us, that’s our defense. When we fly around and have fun like that, that’s what’s it all about. We want to bring pressure and keep the offense guessing. If we can confuse the quarterbacks in this league, that will give us that much more of an advantage to win football games.”
On the downfield blocking during the interception return
“I wouldn’t have been able to get into the end zone without all of them. That was a great job of just turning and running. That is what we do everyday in practice. When someone comes up with a fumble or interception, that’s our time to look for offensive guys and that’s when we return the favor.”
On the play of the defense being the best it’s been all year
“I’m not sure; I don’t think you’ve seen the best of us yet. We’re starting to come along. We’ve got some guys still down in the secondary, but we’re putting some things together. We’re going to be doing a lot more out there. We’re not satisfied with that performance today, but we’ll take a win. We know what we need to do as a defense and we’ll continue to work towards that.”
On the current mental state of the team going on the road to Dallas
“We’re going to face a good Dallas team. We needed to come in and beat Tennessee; we needed this win just like we need the next ten more that we hope to get. Every game is going to be a need game because we have goals for our season. In order to get there we need to play that type of defense.”
On the play of the offense
“You have to give the Tennessee guys credit; they made some plays over there. Our offense is continuously getting better every week. Those guys are pulling together and that’s a great sign. If they struggle we have to come in and pick up the slack. Today they struggled, but today we were able to come in and get their backs and pull off the win.”
DT Darnell Dockett
On what he liked about the game:
"The defense just practiced so hard all week and we made our minds up to be so focused and it feels good to work so hard at something and then go out there on a Sunday and execute everything you worked on. We gave up an early touchdown which kind of hurt us because our goal was to score a shutout but we bounced back strong at just kept playing hard. We got some turnovers and there were big plays all over the field today. It just shows the (defense's) capability and how we can play. Now we just need to go and get ready to go to Dallas."
On the Titans having problems with the speed of the defense:
"They were running side to side on us trying to stop us on the line of scrimmage. They were always trying to cut back. Anytime we play home though, it is good for the defense. Our crowd really stood behind us today and we were feeling the energy from it. That kept us going and gave us some extra energy to get some penetration."
On Karlos Danby's hit on Volek:
"Karlos came over to me after that play when they fumbled the field goal because I got the hardest hit on it and he came and said 'Yeah you got the hardest hit' and I said 'I told you I was going to get it' and then of course five or six plays later he just blasted him. Oh man, I couldn't believe it. So now, he is one up on me. I will have to try to get it in Dallas. I can try to catch Keyshawn (Johnson) or something."
On how big his eyes got seeing the kicker running with the ball:
"With no technique, no ducking his head, just running? Oh man, all I could see was his numbers. I knew he thought I was going to hit him low so I made sure I hit him below the knees so he would stop right there. If he falls forward for a yard he could get a first down. That is something I learned in college, whenever you have a kicker or snapper running with the ball, always hit them low."
On what the win does for the team's confidence:
"It is just one step for us. It just shows that we are capable of winning. I think that is the hardest thing coming off of a loss. That game against Carolina, it was tough for us to bounce back but we did. We worked so hard during practice. Our practices are so intense. Everyone is just grinding. We are trying to turn this thing around. I think that is the one thing the fans need to know. We are trying to turn this around. We have put a lot of work in and we deserve this win. Now we are going to do the same thing, especially being in a hostile environment. I always grew up wanting to play in the Dallas Cowboys stadium just so I could stand on that star and now I am going to get my opportunity."
SS Adrian Wilson
On coming out and getting a win off of the bye week:
"We just wanted to come out and play well. We gave up those ten points early in the first quarter but we wanted to come in and solidify who we are. We are a good defense so we just wanted to go out there and play ball."
On coming out and proving how physical the defense is:
"We are and we wanted to come out and do what we do. We did a good job and guys stepped up."
On the Macklin interception:
"That was huge. It put the momentum on our side and whenever that happens it all goes downhill."
On Dansby coming of the corner to sack Volek:
"That is every week. We expect plays like that from Dansby every week. That guy is a good player."
On whether he provides leadership for the younger guys on the field:
"I do but it is all pretty much inspirational. It is guys feeding off of each other. We have a lot of veteran guys on defense and we know what we have to do each week."
WR Anquan Boldin
On his moving around on offense:
"That is the offense right now. I am moving around a little bit trying to find different things."
On whether teams are now keying on him and Larry Fitzgerald:
"Well, I am not sure. I know they are trying to bring a lot of pressure and they hopefully want to get to the quarterback on time. They didn't do anything that we didn't expect. We knew that they were a pressure team. At times we picked it up and at times we didn't. It is something we have to work on."
On the difficulty getting things going:
"It was nothing they did, we were prepared. It was just the mistakes that we made whether it be route running or protections or whatever. Like I said, they didn't do anything we didn't expect and prepare for. We just didn't execute."
On taking a win when you can get it:
"I am happy to get a win. Whenever we don't win my week goes bad so I will take it."
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=3158
Opening Statement:
"We thought this game would be a low-scoring, defensive struggle and that's what it was. If you can appreciate defensive football and defensive plays, that was your kind of ball game. If you're one of those people who loves to see offensive points scored, you probably didn't like that game very much. Defensively, we had two big things. Number one, we caused a fumble by hitting. We hit very well today. This was by far our best hitting day. Number two, we got an interception off a heads-up play where a lot of guys were fighting for the ball. They treated the ball like it was honey and they were after it. On top of that, they made a heads-up play, made blocks and got into the endzone. Offensively, they bottled us up a lot early. They overpowered us. It doesn't take much to figure out how big they are and how physical they are up front. They overpowered us in many ways and made a difference. The drive at the end was good. I think that was good for us and hopefully that will carry over against a Dallas team that's 4-3. We're 2-4 and we go on the road. Hopefully, we'll play like the last time we were on the road in Mexico City. Injury-wise I think we came out of the game without any injuries. We started Josh McCown and made that decision on Monday because we felt that was where we're at right now in our program. Kurt Warner has continued to work very hard on his rehabilitation. He was able to practice this week. Was he 100 percent? Only Kurt can say that, but he could have played. The issue was if he was the best guy to play for us this week in this particular ball game. As for next week, we'll take a good look at it. I haven't thought about it right now. But as I said, we are in the decision making business. Making decisions doesn't bother us at all. That's what we do for a living and we'll continue to do so."
On not announcing the starting quarterback until the day of the game:
"We did it because we wanted to. We didn't care if anyone said it was good or not. There are very few things you can do in this business because you want to. We did it because we wanted to. We didn't like the fact that we were 1-4 and we've got a certain attitude about it. We took that attitude and said we want to do it this way, we'll do it this way. If the league says we can't, then we can't. But until they say we can't, we'll do it the way we want to."
On why Josh McCown didn't throw for as many yards today as he did in previous games:
"It was a better defense. The defense that they played was overpowering up front. You look at those guys up front and there are a lot of big guys. We had more problems with our line. We just played a better defensive team. Anyone who knows Jeff Fisher knows that defensive football is his bag and he showed up today."
On David Macklin's interception:
"It was a heads-up play. There were a lot of guys fighting for the ball and when he caught the ball I think he thought that he was touched down. But the guys that helped him told him to get up. It might be one of the best defensive plays in the league this year because it was a play that was contested in the air, there were two guys fighting for the ball, then there was an interception, then there was a heads-up play to get some positive yardage and that positive yardage turned into a touchdown."
On Neil Rackers:
"He had four touchbacks. I think he's definitely kicking like the best kicker in the league right now. He's good and steady. Hopefully, when we go down to Dallas he will play better. He'll have opportunities to do more. Not just on field goals, but more PATs and he'll continue with his assault and go out and break the record he already has for touchbacks."
On the run game:
"We had the longest run of the season, but we also lost a lot of yardage in addition to that. I think we still struggled offensively. I don't think we struggled simply because we couldn't run. We struggled because they overpowered us as much as anything, even when we were passing."
On whether the Titans were covering Anquan Boldin any differently:
"No. How many plays did we have where the ball just wasn't there? We caught two out of bounds. It was a defensive game. That's how we played and that's how they played."
On whether this was the most physical game for the Cardinals so far this year:
"Yeah, it was. Simply because we played our most physical football and this was a team where their physical style was probably similar to the New York Giants as far as how they hit, how they get into their gaps and their size."
On whether putting Kurt Warner in the game entered his mind at all:
"No."
On whether Josh McCown has done enough to earn the starting job:
"Like I said, I haven't thought about it. When it's time to address it, believe me, I'll address it."
On what the win does for the psyche of the team in the locker room:
"It got us to 2-4. There are 15 out of 32 teams that have two wins or less. Now we move into that category with two wins or less. We were in it before with one win. We're in better shape with two wins and I still believe that at some point we're going to play better. I think at some point we'll play offense, defense and special teams. The guys did a great job of hustling. Scott (Player) had some good punts. We had some guys that went down and made some plays. Some guys went in and made some hits. All of a sudden, we're starting to show some signs that we could become one of those better football teams. We're not there yet, but hopefully we'll go to Dallas and play that way because otherwise we won't even be in the ball game. If we go to Dallas and don't play better than we played today, or the last week, or the week before, we will not win the ball game."
On how the defensive line held up:
"I think the fatigue set in because we were chasing them and missing plays. We had our hands on (Matt) Mauck, we had some plays on (Billy) Volek, guys that should of gone down and we didn't do it. Our guys would love to have those back. You get very few layups in the game. It's like a breakaway layup. You get your hands on the quarterback after a lot of hard work. If you don't get him wrapped and get him down, you always regret it and we did during the course of this ball game."
On Karlos Dansby's fumble recovery:
"Speed. I think his ability to just get up the field before anyone knew it, got him from the backside and made a tackle and a fumble recovery all at the same time. I think Karlos is one of the leaders on our team. He's one of those young guys that is gradually starting to show signs that they can grow up. That was an outstanding play."
On pretty or ugly wins:
"I have never used that kind of term and I've coached for games in college and pro football. I have never used a pretty win or an ugly win in my life. A win is a win. What I said was that we didn't play as well early as I would have liked to. It was a defensive struggle. If you like defensive struggles it was a great game. If you don't like them, you might not have enjoyed it."
On it being an overall team effort:
"That was the difference because I guarantee if we punt again for about the sixth straight time and the score is just three, then it is a totally different defensive game. Now, what can they do? They can get in field goal position and kick a field goal and tie it up. Get in field goal position, make you play the field goal, get the first down and drive and kick a field goal. That's what happened against Carolina. Now, you're not trying to kick a field goal and Neil (Rackers) doesn't help you, you've got to score a touchdown. That was all the difference in the Carolina game which the score was 20-10 at the same time. We had the lead on them and we should have closed that game out and we didn't because we didn't do some of the things we did today."
Quarterback Josh McCown
On offense’s slow start:
“It was frustrating because the past couple weeks I threw the ball well, threw with accuracy, and to come out today and can’t find your stroke is frustrating for me. With each pass, you think it’s going to be the one that will get you back on track and the ball just keeps hitting the grass. As a competitor, you just have to compete and fight through it. I had a shirt when I was little because I played so much basketball that said ‘When you’re off, shoot until you’re on.’ You just keep fighting through it until you get back in the game. First and foremost, the defense, my hat is off to them because they kept us in this ball game.”
On long pass to Larry Fitzgerald:
“To miss the things that I missed today, and then hit that one, it doesn’t make sense. Last week, you go out and throw for a ton of yards, but they made a couple plays, and you lose the ball game. Then this week, you don’t throw for very many yards, but you make a play on offense and you win the ball game. We had a flag route to Anquan [Boldin] and, seeing how they played it on film we knew we could draw some flies there. I pumped to him, and they flew up and Larry [Fitzgerald] was behind him, relatively open before he got to the safety. We got it to him and he did the rest. Obviously an outstanding catch and run by Larry.”
On late touchdown:
“It makes you feel great. It is like when you go out and you are 0-15 but you hit the game winning shot. That’s this league. Some weeks you are going to go out there and play really great on offense and feel like, ‘I had a lot to do with this win.’ Some weeks you go out there and say, ‘the defense kept us in that ball game.’ The offense made plays to help blow it open but the defense kept us in the game and allowed us to get there. The bottom line is we won. It felt good to get back on track and we will take that momentum into next week.”
On quarterback situation:
“I am not really worried about that. I don’t think Kurt [Warner] would be either. I think we are both competitors that want to help this team and see this team do well. I know this, between he and I whoever gets the nod, the guy out there will fight his heart out and play as hard as he can. That is why I am not worried about it. The coach will make the right decision, the best decision that he thinks will help this team. Both Kurt and I know that. Like I said, that guy out there will fight his tail off and in that respect, whoever [Coach Green] goes with will have a chance to win.”
On Kurt Warner:
“Everybody who has been around Kurt knows how he is as a person. To hear a guy like that who has been to the top say, ‘Hey man, I know there are days like this, where you are just off.’ To hear something like that from that guy just lifts you up and helps you keep fighting. Kurt and John [Navarre] on the sideline were fantastic. For me, emotionally they were outstanding. Kurt told me to keep fighting, and that it will come. He was the first one to say, ‘I told you so,’ when I threw the touchdown. For us to have him on our team is a blessing because he is a great guy. And for me personally, he has helped tremendously and I am thankful for that.”
On Karlos Dansby’s sack-fumble:
“There are so many things you can stand up here and say about the defense. They were swarming, physical and they created turnovers. Anytime that happens, you will have a chance to win. If your defense keeps them under 14 or 17 points and creates turnovers, you are always going to have a chance to win. They did that today and they played so well that even when [the offense] struggles, that is the beautiful thing about this game, it is a complete team with three components and the defense was a huge component today.”
On passing difficulty:
“They had pressure, obviously, but some things were just off. The one in the end zone to Fitzgerald was eight inches out of bounds and he had to reach out. Those things are frustrating. Location wise, you are just missing. When you get outside the pocket and [Anquan Boldin] breaks up the sideline and has everybody beat, and to miss by six inches, it was like, ‘how did I miss that, how did I miss this?’ In practice for me, I will regroup fundamentally. I will look at the tape and look at the things that may have pushed balls this way and that and try to correct them. It is just one of those things that happens.”
What this win means for the team:
“Obviously when you start off 1-4 you need to win this game. It propels you back into the mindset of still fighting to be a playoff team. I think it puts us right back in that mindset of becoming a playoff team. We obviously have to continue to practice hard and do all the things it takes to play winning football. This was a big win, coming out of the bye. It was one of the things we talked about, getting a win going in and a win coming out. Obviously we didn’t get the win coming in, but we got this one. One out of two isn’t bad. This will give us some momentum going into next week.”
On Tennessee:
“They played well. They were physical and applied pressure well. They did some good things. They’re a pretty fast defense. Any time you play against a defense that can run like that, especially with a linebacker like Keith Bulluck that can get into lanes that can create problems for you and cut some things off. There were things that didn’t click. Like the receivers and I not being on the same page. Up front as well, they did a lot of things to create that.”
On Dallas game:
“I always put an emphasis on winning. Like I said, you go out last week and throw for 398 yards, lose and who knows that I threw for tonight, and win. We won the game, and that is what this game is about. As a competitor I want to continue to play because I want to build some wins. At the same time, I know the coach is going to make the best decision that he feels is going to give the team the best chance to win. That being said, I will go and fight and prepare.”
Cardinals Linebacker Karlos Dansby
On big fumble recovery
“We knew we were going to have opportunities coming off the edge to bring enough pressure with the protection they had. Coach called the right play on the three step drop. It was squeeze protection for them and I just came off the corner.”
On reaction of fumble recovery
“I just said ‘Hold the ball, hold the ball.’ The coverage made me hold the ball so I got an opportunity to get it out.”
On defensive production
“It was a confidence booster. We were just trying to be consistent, that was our goal all week. Just be consistent on defense and I thought we did a good job in the second half. We got a couple of stops on three and outs and we held up.”
On whether the team made any adjustments at halftime
“Not really, we kind of knew what they were doing. We just slowed it down and held back on some of the calls that we were making on defense. We just played basic defense.”
On the bye week being a factor
“That’s hard to say. The Titans are a good team and you can’t take anything away from them. They made their plays and did get into the end zone.”
On changes when Titans running back Chris Brown went out
“That was big. I think it slowed down their running game and their protection scheme and it showed where we could blitz. It showed at the end of the game.”
Cardinals cornerback David Macklin
On interception return for the touchdown
“It was kind of comical, but that’s what happens when you go to the ball. That’s what’s our defense is predicated on, to just fly to the ball to make plays and that’s the type of defense we have to play in order to win games. We want to stay positive and win games anyway that we can.”
On reaction to interception return
“It was a good job done by the d-line and James Darling went and tipped it up. It was one of those times when we all were flying to the ball trying to make plays. Guys were blocking well downfield and we took an interception back for a score and that’s what we needed. We’re going to need to score points on defense in order to win any game in this league.”
On reaction of the Dansby sack
“That’s us, that’s our defense. When we fly around and have fun like that, that’s what’s it all about. We want to bring pressure and keep the offense guessing. If we can confuse the quarterbacks in this league, that will give us that much more of an advantage to win football games.”
On the downfield blocking during the interception return
“I wouldn’t have been able to get into the end zone without all of them. That was a great job of just turning and running. That is what we do everyday in practice. When someone comes up with a fumble or interception, that’s our time to look for offensive guys and that’s when we return the favor.”
On the play of the defense being the best it’s been all year
“I’m not sure; I don’t think you’ve seen the best of us yet. We’re starting to come along. We’ve got some guys still down in the secondary, but we’re putting some things together. We’re going to be doing a lot more out there. We’re not satisfied with that performance today, but we’ll take a win. We know what we need to do as a defense and we’ll continue to work towards that.”
On the current mental state of the team going on the road to Dallas
“We’re going to face a good Dallas team. We needed to come in and beat Tennessee; we needed this win just like we need the next ten more that we hope to get. Every game is going to be a need game because we have goals for our season. In order to get there we need to play that type of defense.”
On the play of the offense
“You have to give the Tennessee guys credit; they made some plays over there. Our offense is continuously getting better every week. Those guys are pulling together and that’s a great sign. If they struggle we have to come in and pick up the slack. Today they struggled, but today we were able to come in and get their backs and pull off the win.”
DT Darnell Dockett
On what he liked about the game:
"The defense just practiced so hard all week and we made our minds up to be so focused and it feels good to work so hard at something and then go out there on a Sunday and execute everything you worked on. We gave up an early touchdown which kind of hurt us because our goal was to score a shutout but we bounced back strong at just kept playing hard. We got some turnovers and there were big plays all over the field today. It just shows the (defense's) capability and how we can play. Now we just need to go and get ready to go to Dallas."
On the Titans having problems with the speed of the defense:
"They were running side to side on us trying to stop us on the line of scrimmage. They were always trying to cut back. Anytime we play home though, it is good for the defense. Our crowd really stood behind us today and we were feeling the energy from it. That kept us going and gave us some extra energy to get some penetration."
On Karlos Danby's hit on Volek:
"Karlos came over to me after that play when they fumbled the field goal because I got the hardest hit on it and he came and said 'Yeah you got the hardest hit' and I said 'I told you I was going to get it' and then of course five or six plays later he just blasted him. Oh man, I couldn't believe it. So now, he is one up on me. I will have to try to get it in Dallas. I can try to catch Keyshawn (Johnson) or something."
On how big his eyes got seeing the kicker running with the ball:
"With no technique, no ducking his head, just running? Oh man, all I could see was his numbers. I knew he thought I was going to hit him low so I made sure I hit him below the knees so he would stop right there. If he falls forward for a yard he could get a first down. That is something I learned in college, whenever you have a kicker or snapper running with the ball, always hit them low."
On what the win does for the team's confidence:
"It is just one step for us. It just shows that we are capable of winning. I think that is the hardest thing coming off of a loss. That game against Carolina, it was tough for us to bounce back but we did. We worked so hard during practice. Our practices are so intense. Everyone is just grinding. We are trying to turn this thing around. I think that is the one thing the fans need to know. We are trying to turn this around. We have put a lot of work in and we deserve this win. Now we are going to do the same thing, especially being in a hostile environment. I always grew up wanting to play in the Dallas Cowboys stadium just so I could stand on that star and now I am going to get my opportunity."
SS Adrian Wilson
On coming out and getting a win off of the bye week:
"We just wanted to come out and play well. We gave up those ten points early in the first quarter but we wanted to come in and solidify who we are. We are a good defense so we just wanted to go out there and play ball."
On coming out and proving how physical the defense is:
"We are and we wanted to come out and do what we do. We did a good job and guys stepped up."
On the Macklin interception:
"That was huge. It put the momentum on our side and whenever that happens it all goes downhill."
On Dansby coming of the corner to sack Volek:
"That is every week. We expect plays like that from Dansby every week. That guy is a good player."
On whether he provides leadership for the younger guys on the field:
"I do but it is all pretty much inspirational. It is guys feeding off of each other. We have a lot of veteran guys on defense and we know what we have to do each week."
WR Anquan Boldin
On his moving around on offense:
"That is the offense right now. I am moving around a little bit trying to find different things."
On whether teams are now keying on him and Larry Fitzgerald:
"Well, I am not sure. I know they are trying to bring a lot of pressure and they hopefully want to get to the quarterback on time. They didn't do anything that we didn't expect. We knew that they were a pressure team. At times we picked it up and at times we didn't. It is something we have to work on."
On the difficulty getting things going:
"It was nothing they did, we were prepared. It was just the mistakes that we made whether it be route running or protections or whatever. Like I said, they didn't do anything we didn't expect and prepare for. We just didn't execute."
On taking a win when you can get it:
"I am happy to get a win. Whenever we don't win my week goes bad so I will take it."
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=3158
Last edited:
