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CHARGERS LB SHAWNE MERRIMAN, JAN. 2, 2008**
(on the Titans as underdogs)
I didn't know they were underdogs. This is the first time I've heard it. I thought it was a close enough game (last time) that they wouldn't come in and be the underdogs. I think it's going to be a good game.
(on facing the Titans for the second time this season)
I don't think it's an advantage. Now a little bit more is on the line. During the regular season, we were fighting for the playoffs. Now, if you lose a game, that's it. Now, more is expected during this time in the playoffs.
(on which QB to prepare for, Kerry Collins or Vince Young)
Well we have to prepare for both quarterbacks. Obviously they're going to try to get Vince ready as much as possible. We have to prepare for both because both quarterbacks can play.
(on the difficulty of creating a new gam plan for a team they have recently played)
I think it's going to come down to execution and going out there and just finishing the plays that are called and making some things happen on both sides of the ball. Players have to go out there and make plays when their number is called.
(on if he has bad feelings about what happened to him in the last game against the Titans)
Not really. I think more was made of that situation than what it really was. I didn't think it was going to be as big as it was, especially me being a bit heated after the game. I think that no matter who comes out to play, I've got to go out and perform my best regardless of who we're playing.
(on if he still thinks the Titans intentionally hurt him)
I never even said that. After the game I said that people came up and told me. I think it was more put out that I said that. That's what I heard. I didn't know that what happened is what was said for sure. I still don't know, but at the same time we've just got to go out and play football.
(on who told him that he was intentionally injured by the Titans)
It was players and a few people that were just a part of the team who came up after the game and said that was said. I was shocked, because I didn't think that happened. It was told to me right before I had an interview going into the locker room, so I just repeated what was said to me.
(on if he thinks head coach Jeff Fisher ordered the hit on him)
Well that's what they said. They said that after I ran into Vince, that's when it was said or something was done about it. Whatever the case was, I think that the league handled it and I'm past it.
(on if Titans offensive linemen Kevin Mawae and David Stewart play too violently)
I think that football is a violent game, period. I think sometimes people forget that it's a violent and rough sport. Whatever happens in the game happens, and you just have to fight back and keep playing through it.
(on if he thinks the block on his was unnecessarily rough)
Yeah, I definitely think it was unnecessary, but a bunch of unnecessary things happen in football and that's just the way it is. I think football is going to be like that way after I'm gone.
(on if he has talked with Young)
I haven't got a chance to speak with him. I'm pretty sure I will Sunday before the game starts. As far as I know, there is no bad blood between us at all, and I think we both understand that.
(on last year's playoff loss to the New England Patriots)
I think it probably stuck with us early in the year, knowing that we had New England the second game of the season. Going through a full season, it doesn't stay with you that long because you have so many games during the season. Now you have an opportunity to go back and make that run again.
(on the change of intensity in the playoffs)
That's what a lot of us experience, especially being young and never being in the playoffs before. You see the intensity and the level of the play from the preseason, going into the season, and now in the playoffs, everything is just raised that much more. Everything means that much more to everyone on the field.
(on losing first-round playoff games over the last several years)
The good thing about football is you always get the opportunity to do it again, whether it's during the season or during the playoffs. Right now we have an opportunity after having a slow start, we have the opportunity that we all hoped for and expected. Now we just have to take advantage of it.
(on if having the slow start to 2007 taught the Chargers a good lesson)
Well I don't think having a slow start is ever good for you, but it does make you experience things early on. Some of the teams we have seen, in New England and Green Bay, we have seen some pretty tough teams early. It kind of molded us to be ready for whatever came our way during the season.
(on how Chargers head coach Norv Turner compares to former head coach Marty Schottenheimer)
I always thought that they were two different coaches from the start. As long as they have the same goal, I think that we're all on the same page.
(on if he gets irritated when other players imitate his "lights out" celebration dance)
I always said I was 50-50 on it, but I can't lie about it. It does get under my skin sometimes. It's all part of the game. I'm having fun out there doing it. I guess if a guy goes out there and makes a play or he scores or whatever, he is having fun with it as well. It's just about going out there and doing what you love to do, and that is play football.
(on if he is mad at Titans RB LenDale White for imitating his dance)
I know LenDale, so I'm going to have something special for him. He's a good guy, so I'll have something special.
(on whether or not Young's lack of playoff experience is a good thing for the Chargers)
Seeing him come from Texas and being in tight situations with pressure on him, I think he plays well. He is better when he is expected to go out there and win the game or do something to help his team win. He becomes that special player, the reason why the Titans drafted him. With that being said, that can be kind of scary that just goes in and make some plays.
(on the Chargers leading the league in takeaways)
I think whenever you turn over the ball, you give your offense the opportunity to go and score points. That is why we have been pretty successful the last five or six games or more, being able to get balls from teams and make some things happen. Any coach will tell you in the National Football League that if you win in the turnover ratio, you have a pretty good chance to win the game.
(on Chargers QB Philip Rivers' emotions in their game against the Denver Broncos)
I think that if there was audio played, they could listen to what was really said. Regardless of what was said, I think it was probably taken the wrong way. We just have to go out there and play football and take care of business.
(on if he believes WR Chris Chambers' fourth down catch against the Titans was in fact a catch)
Definitely, yeah.
(on if the Chargers get an advantage from the Titans having to travel to the West Coast)
Whenever we play a team, like Tennessee or somewhere, where we have to travel, we travel two days ahead. It kind of gets you prepared and gives you an extra day to get caught up with the time difference. I think as long as you get there with enough time to rest and prepare for the game, it shouldn't take that much effect.
(on if their season will be a disappointment as a whole if they lose this weekend)
Yeah, I think it would be a disappointment if we don't achieve a goal that we set out at the start of the season. All 32 teams in the NFL are prepared to do one thing, and that is to hold up that trophy at the end of the year and have a ring on your finger. I think it's a disappointment for anybody who doesn't do that.
(on if he was surprised by the uproar when he ran into Young during the previous game)
Yeah, I was very surprised because even if I didn't know Vince, I'm not that kind of player and I've never been that kind of player. When that happened and they replayed it, I didn't see Vince coming. Right when I turned my head, he was right there. I was still pass-rushing on the guy and accidently ran into him. I actually tried to catch him before he fell down, and I just missed him. So yeah, I was a bit surprised.
(on the intensity of this game)
I think it's going to be a physical game, hands down, regardless of what happened in the first game. I think you have two physical teams with a lot on the line. The loser now goes home. You don't get a second chance. You've got to prepare for that whole off-season again and prepare for the new season. Now, there's a lot more on the line.
(on who won the physical battle in the first game)
I just look at who wins the game. If a guy comes and gets beat one or two plays and that team still loses, then I don't think it really matters. Who wins the game is all that matters.
(on if the bad blood from the last game will spill into this contest)
Like I said, from day one, football is a violent sport. Sunday, everything will come out. Regardless of what happened the first game or not, when you get out there and you see a guy across from you, your objective is to go out there and try to knock that guy out. Regardless of the situation and what happened before, you want to go out there and beat that man across from you. I think that is going to be a big part of this game, just beating the guys across from each other.
(on if they feel under-recognized)
Not at all. I don't mind going in and flying under the radar a little bit. Now we're down to the most elite teams in the NFL. That is what it comes to right now. Every week from now on, we're going to see a team that is considered the best in the league.
(on Titans RT David Stewart)
I think he's a good player. What he does on his own time after the whistle is his thing. That's not how I play. I don't make the decision on what happens. Only the league and the refs make that decision.
