TENNESSEE TITANS RUNNING BACK CHRIS JOHNSON
On what he's enjoying about the Pro Bowl:
Just being out here with all of the other players and all the different characters. I'm just enjoying the time down here.
On having Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin at practices:
It's always good. I never thought in my life that I'd be standing next to Deion Sanders and joking around with him and stuff like that.
On playing with Chad Ochocinco:
It's a good thing. I would love for Ochocinco to be on my team. He's a character and a good guy. Some guys like to give him a bad rap, but he's a good guy who likes to have fun.
HOUSTON TEXANS QUARTERBACK MATT SCHAUB
On his future with Houston
"Everything happens for a reason. You try to control the things you can. I'm not going to lose sleep over it. It will come eventually. We'll see what happens."
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS RUNNING BACK MAURICE JONES-DREW
On spending time with NFL fans
"You take five minutes out of your day and just listen to someone (and see) how their life's going, ask them how they're doing. You're not worried about all that materialistic stuff. You're just worried about them as people and that goes a long way."
On what his faith means to him
"It means a bunch. I think without that, I might not be here. You know there have been some tough times, starting my career at a young age, best friends getting killed, my grandfather passing away. If I didn't have (my faith), I wouldn't be here. There have definitely been tough times when you have to believe and stay strong and know that things will work out in the end."
On Arizona QB Kurt Warner
"(He is) one of the greatest. He brought two organizations back that were down in the dumps. He is a great person in general."
Definition of a good run:
Well it depends on the situation. If its first down, five yards is a good run. If it's third or fourth down, anything you can do to get the first down is a good run.
What does the Pro Bowl mean to you?
It's great to be here, it's an honor to be here. Having my family around to watch has also been great.
DENVER BRONCOS SAFETY BRIAN DAWKINS
On Coach Don "Wink" Martindale being named Denver's defensive coordinator
"It was something I was rooting for. He has helped me in so many ways with my position and with the system. He gave me tips and videos to watch of the opposing teams, and he showed me how to play faster. He is an aggressive-minded play caller, and I'm confident in his ideas on how he wants to improve the team. I'm looking forward to seeing an aggressive-style defense. He is someone I trust with our team."
MIAMI DOLPHINS SAFETY YEREMIAH BELL
On Cincinnati WR Chad Ochocinco's kicking advice
"He's been giving (Miami Kicker) Dan (Carpenter) all kinds of pointers. If you look out here, he's been kicking more than Dan is. I think he's trying to take Dan's Pro Bowl job so I told Dan he better watch out."
NEW YORK JETS CORNERBACK DARRELLE REVIS
On Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning
"He's just a mastermind at what he does. You show him something once and he remembers it, and he does all his audibles. He does four or five audibles in one play to get his guys the ball.
"The good thing about both of these guys (Manning and New Orleans QB Drew Brees) is they get rid of the ball very quick. They have got a lot of talent on both sides of the ball now, and they just make smart plays. They're smart quarterbacks."
On Chad Ochocinco:
Me and Chad are great friends and now we get to play on the same team. It's fun.
On whether the end of the season was a letdown:
It was a huge letdown of course we wanted to make it all the way. We had our ups and downs this season but we were able to get some good wins.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS TIGHT END HEATH MILLER
On his Super Bowl prediction
"It will be a high-scoring game, I think. It will be one of the most exciting Super Bowls that we've had in awhile."
On his Super Bowl MVP prediction
"I think it will be the quarterback of the winning team so (Indianapolis QB) Peyton Manning or (New Orleans QB) Drew Brees."
CINCINNATI BENGALS WIDE RECEIVER CHAD OCHOCINCO
On one change he would make to the NFL
"I would like to have the fun back in the game a little bit as long as the players understand to keep it from becoming disrespectful, really not to the NFL, but you have little kids watching. As long as you do things within the rules and you don't disrespect your opponent, you should let us have fun."
On the NFL's regulation of touchdown celebrations
"What I like to call the 'Old School' doesn't like that. I continue to say it over and over, 'The Old School meet the New School because this is the way it's going to be for awhile.' They have to change the times. They're not changing the times."
On being excited about playing special teams in the Pro Bowl
"I'm loving it. This is a good look for me to fight a new contract with the Bengals. We can save a lot of money by having me be a receiver, a kicker and a punter. Why not?"
On receiving kicking tips from Miami K Dan Carpenter
"Actually, I'm teaching him. His leg swung. He wasn't pointing his toe. He wasn't following through. His head wasn't down. He wasn't making contact with the ball. It was going right a little bit, so I had to show him, 'You need to adjust your hips.' It's an adjustment I'm going to work on with him with. I'm sure that'll help his percentage in kicking field goals next year."
On his longest field-goal conversion
"I think about 58 (yards). Yeah, I know you guys probably weren't here yet, but I was out here kicking earlier at about 7 o'clock this morning just to make sure every goes A-okay in the game."
On if he will punt in the 2010 Pro Bowl
"Yeah, I'm doing everything. This also helps me for next year's Pro Bowl in Hawaii. When they get a kicker or get a punter, there's no need when I can just play all three positions."
On Philadelphia WR DeSean Jackson
"He's nice. He's unbelievable. They continue to talk about his stature and his frame, but when you can play like that and you've got confidence the way he does, you can do whatever you want."
On if he will play in the defensive secondary in the 2010 Pro Bowl
"Yeah, you know I play (defensive back) every year. I'll be back there again."
On being challenged by former NFL CB Deion Sanders
"I think Deion had the opportunity to play me—I forget what year it was—but I did him very wrong when he played with the (Baltimore) Ravens, and I don't think he wants it anymore."
On Miami hosting the 2010 Pro Bowl
"This is home; I love it. I can't fly my entire family to Miami. I can sneak them through the back gate of Sun Life Stadium. There's an opening in the back where I don't have to pay for all those tickets and can get them in for free."
On punting, kicking and receiving
"I am saving the Bengals a lot of money by kicking, receiving and punting. I've actually been showing our kicker how to do it. He wasn't twisting his hips quite enough and he wasn't pointing his toe when he was following through on his kicks. I've been working with him on it."
NEW YORK JETS HEAD COACH REX RYAN
On his coaching:
I want to be true to myself. If it doesn't work at the end of the day then so be it. I believe I will be successful in doing it my way. I'm fortunate because I'm set up to succeed. Sometimes there are teams that are set up for failure, but I'm set up to succeed because of the people around me, Mike Tannenbaum our general manager. It starts at the top with Woody Johnson and the great coaching staff. It's going to be almost impossible for me not to succeed.
On Matt Schaub playing special teams in Pro Bowl practices and other players playing other positions:
I think Schaub should be on special teams (laughter). Just don't put my guys on special teams, I'm just kidding. That's the neat part of this game. Obviously, the best athletes in the world are out here. It is kind of funny to watch those guys running down there.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS QUARTERBACK DAVID GARRARD
On the size of the AFC receivers:
"You don't understand, I've been saying that to everybody here this whole time, especially to the staff of San Diego. I said, 'You guys are really blessed out there.' Their receivers, Vincent Jackson looks like a fast defensive end out there. He has the skill level of the smaller receivers. It looks like his vertical jump is 60 inches or something. It's ridiculous, just his size. The rest of the guys, Brandon Marshall, we should just throw the ball up in the air and let these guys go get it. They are all big, big receivers. With [Antonio] Gates and [Heath] Miller on the inside, we just have a really good combination with all of our size."
On WR Chad Ochocinco being one of the smallest receivers on the roster:
"He is probably one of the quickest, jittery-buggish kinds of receiver that we have. He can make a lot of plays. He has been doing it his whole career. Those other guys, just their size alone is ridiculous. Then they have the skills to come along with it. You usually don't get that big size and all of the skills to go with it."
On WR Andre Johnson:
"You can't skip over Andre Johnson who is probably one of the most electrifying one of all of them. He is making all of the catches and outrunning everybody. He is a big guy too. Just to be lined up inside of Vincent Jackson and Brandon Marshall, those two guys are unbelievable. They look like they should be tight ends or defensive ends really."
2010 NFL PRO BOWL QUOTE SHEETS
NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
FRIDAY JANUARY 29, 2009
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WIDE RECEIVER DE SEAN JACKSON
On being selected to the Pro Bowl
"It is a great opportunity to come out here and just maximize your potential and at the end of the day just have fun. It's the Pro Bowl. We're going to go out there and make it a show."
On his Pro Bowl performance
"I plan on doing a couple little things. I've got some things in store. It's Miami. We're here for the Pro Bowl in 2010. It's great. It's a great season."
On having fun but playing hard
"Any time you're on the football field you have to kind of keep your head on the swivel and give it a good go. You don't want to go out there and just slack around and mess around and get your head knocked off. We're just going out there and will have fun."
On the players playing in the Pro Bowl:
"There are a lot of great players out here. We are out here to put on a show and to have fun."
On what he needs to improve on:
"Everything. I need to keep pushing it to the limit and get better as an individual on and off the field."
GREEN BAY PACKERS QUARTERBACK AARON RODGERS
On if he wants Minnesota QB Brett Favre to return next season
"It's really not my decision. It's his decision. He's going to make the best decision that he feels with the support of his family. Either way, we'll move on."
On if Arizona QB Kurt Warner decides to retire
"The NFL would lose a great player and a great person. He's a guy who has played at a high level for a number of years. The way he handles himself, the way he carries himself and what he does off the field, I think is as much a part of who he is as a football player. I think that's the highest compliment you can give Kurt is that he is as good or better a person as he is a player, and he's a heck of a player."
On if Warner is a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback
"I hope so. We need more guys like him in the Hall."
On Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner:
He is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. I think he holds the top thirty passing yardage in the Super Bowl, he won a Super Bowl. I think that his legacy off the field is going to continue, and I think that is what a lot of people will remember him for, is the way he handled himself, his faith, and just what a great guy he is.
On if Kurt Warner should be in the Hall of Fame:
That is not in my decision, but I think his numbers and his Super Bowl victory speaks for itself. He's a great guy and a great friend and I wish him nothing but the best.
On Brett Favre and making his decision about returning another season:
I think it's too early for anything, that's all I've got.
On the Jets Offensive Line:
Well you know I don't know those guys that well. I got to meet (Jets G) Alan (Faneca) and (Jets T) D'Brickashaw (Ferguson) and I have known (Jets C) Nick (Mangold) for a little bit. It starts with those guys up front. I know with us, our success in the second half of the season really took off when those guys started to jell together. The sacks went down, and the rushing yardage went up and just took a lot of the pressure off of me and what we were trying to do in the passing game.
On if Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan's coaching style brings success:
It does for them. I think it depends who you've got on your offense and defense. I have a lot of respect for Coach Ryan and what he has done out there. That defense, tough defense, we have to play them next year, that is going to be a tough game for us. What they are doing on offense as well, with (Jets RB) Shonn Greene and (Jets RB) Thomas Jones, and (Jets QB) Mark (Sanchez) playing well. For us, I like spreading it out a little bit more. Our weapons are our four receivers and our big tight end, so different teams do it differently. You've seen the success that the Jets had this year being a more run first team, and we've had success passing the ball 60% of the time.
On if he has Super Bowl Prediction:
I just want to see a good game, and I hope that Drew Brees plays well.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS LINEBACKER PATRICK WILLIS
On San Francisco's defensive performance in 2009
"When it's all said and done, we want to be the No. 1 defense across the board. This next coming up season, there shouldn't be too many changes. I hope we keep the guys we have on the defensive side and of course add some. We look for great things out of our defense this year."
On San Francisco potentially re-signing NT Aubrayo Franklin
"That is something they need to do. Aubrayo is one of the big reasons why I'm here (in the Pro Bowl) today because a lot of my plays come from him holding double teams and playing the way that he does. When you have a guy like Aubrayo, whenever you try to block him one-on-one, nobody can do that. Therefore, they have to double-team him, and when they double-team that kind of leaves me to just play ball. That's the guy I use a lot of the time. We need him back."
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES QB DONOVAN McNABB
On having fun but staying competitive in the Pro Bowl
"We're having fun all throughout the week. Come game time, obviously, you are going to put your best foot forward. For all of us, we're highly competitive, and we want to win. We've got to do whatever it takes to win. There is a little bit of incentive with the winning, so that obviously helps."
On Cincinnati WR Chad Ochocinco's special-teams mentality
"Chad is just excited about everything. You have got to love that. That is just kind of the spirit that you get from him. Everybody wants to see a guy who is kind of normal just like everybody else, and that is exactly what he is presenting. I don't know about kicking field goals. He got lucky on the one during the year."
On Philadelphia naming Howie Roseman its general manager
"I've known Howie for awhile, and he's done a great job of just aiding in the whole process of drafts and combines and things of that nature. It's a shoe-in sort of fit that I think everybody kind of expected."
On Roseman being an internal hire
"That's kind of what we do. That's what we do. You lose a guy like (former Philadelphia GM and Cleveland GM Tom) Heckert, who obviously was well known here in the Miami area and did a great job like us, and then bring a guy like Howie in who has been there and watched Heckert and been with (Philadelphia President) Joe (Banner) and (Philadelphia Head Coach) Andy (Reid). I'm very happy for (Roseman), very happy."
On if Arizona QB Kurt Warner decides to retire
"Kurt and I have been friends pretty much since 2001 when we played in the (NFC) Championship together. We've communicated back and forth. I actually talked to him after (Arizona's) last game against New Orleans, and I told him it has been a story-book career for him. (He is) a guy who was third on the depth chart behind (Minnesota QB) Brett Favre, (former Green Bay QB) Mark Brunell, (former Green Bay QB) Ty Detmer and everybody else who was in Green Bay. To get an opportunity after playing with the Iowa Barnstormers and to be an MVP, a Super Bowl MVP and play on a historic team that put up great numbers on offense and then go to New York and not really do as well as he wanted to and then going to Arizona and just light it up, it's something that you read about. To actually see it, more power to him. (He is) a Hall of Famer."
DALLAS COWBOYS LINEBACKER DE MARCUS WARE
On playing in his fourth Pro Bowl
"It's really good because your peers, the fans and the coaches vote you in for this and they let you know that how hard you're working really is paying off each year. This is sort of like a treat for you."
On his Super Bowl prediction:
I want to say the Indianapolis Colts are going to win, but I'm pulling for the Saints. They're NFC and the community needs it. Their community needs that for them. I think everybody's pulling for them. I know Drew Brees is ready.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS DEFENSIVE END JARED ALLEN
On Brett Favre possibly retiring:
Whatever Brett decides. We obviously respect him and want him back as a teammate. He was a great teammate. A guy in his position has every right to retire and if he wants to come back we'll welcome him. Take your time. Make the right decision. Do the right thing, Brett. Do the right thing.
GREEN BAY PACKERS LINEBACKER CLAY MATTHEWS
On who has had an influence on him:
I would say my father and uncle. Obviously, looking to many athletes but they're the most influential and instrumental in my life. Without them I don't think it'd be possible for me to be here today.
On the most exciting part of the season:
Just to make it to the playoffs in my first year. Obviously, it's a little disappointing that we weren't able to continue on in the playoffs, but we're a young team and we've got a lot to learn. We're going to make great strides. Our defense is coming along and we're all just playing fantastic. We've got a lot of young players that are really stepping up. The future looks bright.
DALLAS COWBOYS QUARTERBACK TONY ROMO
On the Pro Bowl experience:
It is nice. It is just fun to hang out with the guys and tell some stories and enjoy the moment.
On what Saints Head Coach Sean Payton's best coaching asset is:
He's got a good mind. He is good at adjustments and he understands what he is looking for and things like that.
On if Sean Payton picked things up from Bill Parcels:
I don't know, you would have to ask Sean.
On if Sean Payton is inventive, creative, or tries to keep it simple:
All of those things, I think he is a little bit of each one. He's got a little bit of everything that's what makes him pretty good.
On if he had spoken to Sean Payton:
I talked to him right before I left.
On if he was surfing in Hawaii:
I would love to surf, I just don't know how. We tried.
On whether he would rather be in Honolulu or Miami:
Wherever, wherever, exactly just love playing the game.
On his off-season plans:
Do what we always do, get back to Dallas, get some guys together throw the ball, lift, run. It's not secret, it's what we do.
On if he will take a break from football:
Yeah we did. The first week after the season, and now we'll get back to work here pretty soon.
On if he would prefer to play the game before or after the Super Bowl:
I am fine with it, you know I just like playing the game and being around. I am
fine either way really, I am indifferent.
On the difference between Miami and Hawaii:
There isn't a difference. It is still throwing the ball and hanging out in a nice weather climate.
On if some players don't view the Pro Bowl as an honor:
No, I think they consider it an honor. Sometimes it is how your body feels, other times it is what time the season ended. It is different for every guy.
On having the Cowboys coaching staff coaching the team:
It makes it fun. I don't have to study as hard in the meetings, I already know it.
On Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner's potential retirement:
He has had an incredible career, he has nothing to prove. He has been a great ambassador to the game and a great player. We have been lucky and fortunate enough to be able to watch him and be around him.
On if he believes Kurt Warner should be in the Hall of Fame and why:
I think so. It speaks for itself I think. He played in three Super Bowls, won one, MVP, what else do you want to have in a Hall of Famer?
On the coaching staff and whether or not they use the same terminology:
Yeah, it's the same really. Everything is about the exact same really.
On whether or not using the same terminology could give defensive players from other teams an advantage in the future:
No, I don't think it will help anyone. We're not doing anything special, believe me it's pretty easy stuff.
