yuccaneers
Pro Bowler
Posts : 1843
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« : December 04, 2008, 05:41:52 PM »
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TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2008
HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN
(on how important it is to start fast on offense)
"I've been saying that the last three or four games. We turned the ball over, I think, on
our third play of the game in New Orleans against New Orleans. We turned it over
against Kansas [City]. We have not been up to par early in games offensively, but it's a
goal. We always want to start fast. I like the way we came out and started the second
half against the Saints, but we've got to start the ballgame."
(on how important it is for Barrett Ruud to show up on Monday night with the Pro Bowl
voting coming to an end)
"The great thing about Barrett Ruud is I don't really think the Pro Bowl is what motivates
him. I think winning games and being a great middle linebacker is what motivates him.
He can't control who votes for him and the exposure that he gets. He can just control the
things that he can control. But I'm eager for a lot of our guys to get recognized.
Hopefully this experience brings out the best in him. I think he's a great middle
linebacker and we have films of that over the last couple of years to prove it."
(on what makes Ruud a great middle linebacker)
"He never comes off the field; he plays first down, third down. He's athletic, he's
instinctive, he's a heck of a tackler, he makes all the calls and checks, he's very
productive, he's durable. He's a winner. As I said, he's backed that up for the last two
seasons."
(on if teams are punting away from Clifton Smith and if that's a sign of respect)
"He's the Special Teams Player of the Month, and I don't think we've had that happen
around here as a returner, at least in the time I've been here. But that's a common thing in
the league. Most of the teams that I know have a returner that troubles you, bothers you.
You don't want to spiral the ball right down the middle of the field and give these guys an
opportunity to do what they do best. I think people recognize that he's dangerous and
have tried to pin him into the sidelines and limit his looks."
(on if the Panthers are the Bucs' biggest rivalry)
"I gave them that speech last week. I gave them that speech last week, now I've got to
give it to them again. This game here, these NFC South games, to the national media, the
analysts, may not be as heated as they are within our world that we live. This is big.
We've had some great games down to the wire against this team, Carolina. We want to
win. We want to win and we've got a healthy respect for Carolina and their team.
They've earned that. John Fox does a great job and their team is solid. On offense,
defense, special teams, they're very solid."
(on Jake Delhomme)
"He's put it together the last couple weeks. It's a credit to him. I don't think anything
bothers him. He's got such great poise, it doesn't matter what the stat sheet says one
week, the next week or the next series he's able to come back from it. He's one of the
great competitors in the game and this series has brought out the best in Jake Delhomme.
He's played some of his best football, unfortunately, against us. I have the memories and
the scars to remind me."
(on Cadillac Williams)
"We're trying to get him back in the mix. Warrick Dunn is a guy that has really helped
us. His rushing and receiving and overall ability is something we've leaned on with
Earnest [Graham] going out. But we'd like to see a little bit more of Carnell and if
practice is any indication and his last two outings I think he will."
(on Williams getting the call on third-and-short last Sunday)
"I probably should have given him the ball a little bit more than we did. It's a process. I
keep trying to remind myself of that. I've got a lot of people in my ear telling me what's
right and what's wrong. I think right now we've got the green light and hopefully you see
a little bit more of him."
(on why the Panthers are good almost every year under John Fox)
"He's a really good coach. They've had continuity there with [Defensive Coordinator
Mike] Trgovac and the guys on defense. They've got some key components in place.
They've got a great receiver. They have one of the best receivers in pro football and one
of the best pure pass rushers, best defensive players, in the league, Julius Peppers. That
helps. With Delhomme back at quarterback they have a chance every Sunday to win.
They're always prepared, they're always physical, they're always complicated. They do a
lot of things and they're a very aggressive, talented team. I think John Fox and Marty
Hurney, those guys have put that thing together and done an outstanding job keeping
them competitive. They made a lot of changes with this year's team but they're real
solid."
(on if he has a routine for a Monday night game)
"No. I worked another place where the game started at 6:00. I kind of liked that a lot
better. That was a different routine. Now here, the East Coast Time Zone or whatever
time zone we're on, it's a little bit late for me. I'm telling you, those late games, they're
troublesome for guys like me that can't stay up past 10:00."
(on what he does with the players on Monday afternoon)
"Game day is the players' day, the way I've always looked at it. We might get them up in
the early morning after breakfast and have a brief meeting or just a walk-through. But
the hay is in the barn after that evening meeting on Sunday night. We'll give the guys an
opportunity to relax, watch a movie, be together and get ready to play."
(on if the Bucs could get more national recognition from a Monday night game)
"I don't know. I really don't worry about it. Recognition is what it is. We just want to
win the game."
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