TENNESSEE TITANS QUOTES
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER
(opening statements)
Well, I guess it goes without saying this was a great night for Nashville. I am just very excited to have played the way we played tonight, (we) hung in there. The guys did a great job staying focused all week long. Obviously, we have a great deal of respect for the Colts. Today was a game where we contributed with all three phases.
Defense did a great job. They knew they had to be patient, they were patient. We got some key stops, some key third down stops. And of course, the fourth down stops were huge momentum swings for us. Tully's (Stephen Tulloch) play was a huge play there and Kerry (Collins) managing the game.
We anticipated that they were going to commit to stopping our run, they did. We turned it over to Kerry and (he) made a lot of big plays for us.
So, I am just very happy for the team right now. We've got a huge challenge ahead of us. We've got short a week. We have a good football team coming in next weekend.
(on the Colts' grip on the AFC South until recently)
The season is still early and there are a lot of games left. Our focus was on the Colts and trying to prepare to try to find a way to beat them. That was a commitment that we made this week. We we're not looking ahead. We'll now look ahead to next weekend but as far as the division stuff and all the stuff concerned, we're just trying to win ballgames right now.
(on whether the defense proved that they are the best in the NFL)
The defense has played well, the team has played well. They complement each other – the offense and the defense and special teams is providing great support. So you all can compare us to whoever you want to compare us to. But right now we're pleased with the way we played. The guys paid very close attention to the game plan, Jimmy (Schwartz) did a great job with his staff and now we're moving on. So again as we've been saying for six weeks, 'you're only as good as your next game.'
(on scoring 25 unanswered points)
You know we're moving the ball. We were disappointed we weren't able to get it in the end zone, but we figured we'd have some more opportunities and we just stayed patient, Mike (Heimerdinger) did a great job with the play calling and Kerry put us in the right position. The turnovers and the fourth down stops give you a chance, especially in field position.
(on whether it was a special win because it's Monday night)
The challenge this week was to take the same approach as we take for the noon games on Sunday, don't do anything different than we ordinarily do. Manage the day, the long day, be patient, don't burn energy, just remain calm and just come out and play. I think they'll be able to look back and say, 'this was a rewarding experience tonight.'
(on the quick turnaround and how he will prepare the team for the short week)
I'm probably going to give them tomorrow off and the coaches- probably some will go back tonight and get started.
(on the rotation of the defensive line)
Yeah we felt like it was important that we win with four healthy ends and of course David got dinged but the three of them just kept playing, playing. Jevon (Kearse) played a solid game and William Hayes got to play an awful lot – this will be a good experience for him. We had the three tackles rotating. I thought overall they knew what they had to do up front. We put a lot of pressure on them in the run game because we kept both safeties out in front.
QB KERRY COLLINS
(on being concerned early and the game requiring patience)
I mean, that's the way the NFL is. These teams know each other so well that a lot of the first half was trading punches. They did a good job, gave us some different looks. We made some really good adjustments at halftime. That's how it is when we play. It's always a battle and we are fortunate to make the plays we did in the second half.
(on the Colts losing their grip on the division after five years)
Anytime you play a divisional opponent it's a big game. Obviously, they've been on top for a lot of years. We're trying to get where they've been. It was a big step for us tonight, I think. We obviously got off to a good start and to get one more against a big opponent is real big at this time of year.
(on the impact of the fans)
The energy was great. We appreciate their energy and their support. Obviously, there was a lot of hype coming into this game and I thought the fans had a big part in what we accomplished tonight. Let me say this, our offensive line did an outstanding job today. I don't know how many times I threw the ball but I got hit twice. They are an excellent pass-rush team and I think a lot of credit has to go to those guys.
(on where he sees the team's potential)
Obviously we got off to a great start. We're coming up on the halfway point of the season. Obviously, when you start off like we did, the potential is there to have a great year. Having said that, there is a lot of football left to be played. We've got a tough team coming in this week. It's a short week. It's going to be a little bit of a challenge to prepare. Obviously, we are happy with where we are but we can't be happy. We've got to put this game behind us and focus on the next game. I think that's what allowed us to put this streak together is the fact that regardless of what happened the week before, we are able to put it behind us and move on to the next opponent.
S CHRIS HOPE
(On the Titans taking a huge lead in the division)
That's how we took it, but it's still early in the season. We had an opportunity to come away with a win in our home stadium. We pride ourselves in winning at home. We actually didn't play our best game, we just capitalized on some of the mistakes that Peyton Manning and the offense of the Colts made- they same thing they've done to us in the past.
(On what it means to beat the Colts)
The Colts have been not only the head of our conference but one of the best teams in the league. They won a Super Bowl two years ago and an AFC championship several years before that. So they've been one of the dominant teams in the National Football League and being in our conference, the only way we can become the best team or even compare to be one of the best teams in the league we had to beat the Colts.
(On what America saw tonight out of the Titans)
I don't think we played our best football on defense. This is the first game we gave up a passing touchdown all year. We had a few miscues back in the secondary that allowed them to score two of the touchdowns. But I think the world has seen a good football team. It's not a fluke that we're undefeated, it's not a fluke we've played consistent football all year, Sunday in and Sunday out.
(On what Coach Fisher said at halftime)
To get back down to the basics, to calm down and relax. Monday night brings a lot of excitement to a game and to the city of Nashville. It was the first home game on a Monday night in a long time. The energy was there, but the miscues were causing us a lot of the plays we were giving up.
(On what he saw on his two interceptions)
The first one I was breaking on it and Vinny [Fuller] got a hand in- he played a great game. Every week before we go out, I always huddle the defensive backs up and I always tell them, "in order for us to win, one of us has to make a play." And you look at it, Nick Harper made two crucial pass breakups, [Michael] Grif[fin] made several open field tackles, Cortland [Finnegan] played solid as always and Vinny made a lot of nice plays also. And the countless plays of Chris Carr and Donnie Nickey on special teams. We, as a group, try to go out and be the best team on the field every day.
(On being 7-0)
It's a great experience, when I first came here we started off 0-5, so we've come a long way from when I first got here. The confidence is there, we play with a passion and we always play until the end of the game. So if we continue to build confidence and continue to eliminate those mistakes that we do make that give our opponent a chance to play with us or beat us, we can go a long way.
DT TONY BROWN
(on Titans defensive effort in the second half)
We came in and re-grouped. We just circled the wagons. Everybody was putting on themselves, offense, defense and special teams, and it was like the game was on our shoulders… we knew that if we do what we do, we'd come up with the victory. That's what we do. It doesn't matter what's going on, we take it upon ourselves to try to get things stopped. I've never been a part of something like this. I'm just excited for the team and for the fans, and I'm just happy for us all.
LB KEITH BULLUCK
(on the Titans victory)
Being 7-0 means position in the division. I think we made a statement. The Colts are definitely no slouches. They came out and played good, but we held… The Colts are not the team to beat anymore. I think we made a statement within the division, and I think we have made a statement all year with our place. The Colts were the team to beat and I think now, the Titans are the team to beat.
DE JEVON KEARSE
(on Titans defensive effort)
I don't think we did do a good job at first, but we kind of got into our groove, a little later in the game. We have still yet to put that perfect game together, but towards the end we came up big and made the plays when we needed to. I think we didn't just send a message to the AFC, but to the NFC, because we have the Green Bay Packers coming in next week. We just want to send a message to the whole world that we're for real around here. No matter what we're into, we're going to give you a 60-minute ball game.
(on being 7-0 )
It's phenomenal. It's what this organization needs. It's what the fans need. It's just good and gives you something to groove on and let you know that we're for real this year.
FB AHMARD HALL
(on going undefeated on national TV)
It feels awesome to do that in front of a national audience. Like I said, they weren't giving us any credit so I mean if you do that and you beat the Colts decisively on a national stage, then you've proven it there.
(on quarterback Kerry Collins)
Kerry is great. He is a savvy vet. Everyday you can depend on him to go out there and control the offense and be a leader on and off the field and get it done.
CB NICK HARPER
(on how the Titans contained the Colts receivers)
We had a good game plan. We saw what Green Bay did to them. How the DB's just stayed square on them. They had trouble with DB's that stayed square. They like guys who just let them run free. We got our hands on them and pushed them around. We got them off their timing. That was huge.
(on the Titans defense)
Everybody did their job. This is a team victory. Everybody showed up. It paid dividends in the second half because it was a team effort.
(on what 7-0 means)
Right now we just know we can play with anybody that you put on the field. In order for teams to get where they need to be, they are going to have to come through us.
S MICHAEL GRIFFIN
(on being 7-0)
We still have got a long way to go. We still have to go through our division one more time. We have to continue to work hard and get ready for Green Bay. We can't look too far ahead. We have got to go game-by-game.
(on the Colts final touchdown)
That late touchdown drive, we got a little complacent. We knew it was in our hands and I don't think necessarily that we were playing so hard. They scored. We need to work on that.
TE ALGE CRUMPLER
(on trailing at halftime)
I wasn't focused on that. I was focused on keeping the energy level up and just making sure our guys knew that we had to play 60 minutes of football. When we came in at the locker room at half, I wouldn't say somber, but it was just a little calm. Monday Night Football is not about being calm. It's about executing, being excited and going out and making plays.
(on the ability to come from behind)
The word Coach Fisher used all week was confidence. He said you won't remember the first quarter and I said your right, I know. It's was because you're so excited. The game was going to be won in the second, third and definitely the fourth quarter.
RB LENDALE WHITE
(on if there is a changing of the guard in the AFC South)
I don't know what that is. We are 7-0, that's all that matters. I don't know about changing or whatever else everybody wants to call it. We are winning. We are undefeated and we look forward to being 8-0 next week.
(on his thoughts if the team is the best in the NFL)
I don't know. Everybody is going to have their own thoughts. Some people that we played before probably don't think we are that good. Some people that we did beat probably think we are that good. Everybody has their own perception.
RB CHRIS JOHNSON
(on if tonight's game was a statement for the Titans)
Yeah, it's a statement game because everybody is saying we are not playing any good teams. Everybody around the country knows the Colts are a good team. As far as getting this win, it was real big.
(on the pass game)
The pass game held up real good because going out there we had to switch our game plan a little bit because they had four linebackers. Anytime a team puts eight in the box with four linebackers and four linemen, you're going to have to throw the ball in order to beat them.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS QUOTES
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY
*(opening statement)*
It was a disappointing game from our standpoint, obviously there in the fourth quarter, with a chance to make some plays to win the ball game. When that happened, when that time came, they made them all. They got the third down conversions, they got the fourth down stops, turnovers. We weren't able to get any takeaways. We weren't able to keep them out of the end zone in the fourth quarter when we needed to. You have to give them a lot of credit. They've got a good team and they are playing with confidence. They complement each other well. We played really high energy tonight but didn't play well enough to win.
*(on what this loss means to the Colts) *
It's kind of like we said early in the week. It is going to make it doubtful for us to win the division but it doesn't mean that much. We will see what the last nine games bring. If we play well and get ourselves on a streak and get going, we can be a playoff team. I think once you get in the playoffs anything can happen as we have seen in two of the last three years. It's disappointing. We have got to get over it fast. We've got a tough game in six days but in the grand scheme of things it probably means the division title is going to be tough to do. But I think we still got a lot in front of us.
(on the two fourth down stops)
We're fourth down and two feet and we didn't make it on that one. On the other one, we've got about three yards to go, it's too far to kick a field goal. We've got confidence in our offense and their defense stepped up on those two plays and made them. That certainly turned the momentum, no question.
(on chance to get turnovers)
Couldn't come up with them. Tipped some balls up and don't catch them. They tip a ball up and they catch it and run it back. We had one ball on the ground, I think it was out, and they call it down but we didn't get it. If we would have gotten it, I think we could have challenged that. But that's what happens. A lot of balls didn't go our way today and they made the plays you had to make.
(on playing through injuries)
We've got a lot of guys that have been there and we understand where we are right now. Four losses and we're not going to be able to afford to lose too many more. So you have to get yourself on a winning streak. You have got to start playing well consistently for four quarters week after week after week. That's what we've got to fight to do and we've got guys in that room that can do it.
(on the difference in the Titans the last few years)
They have always played us tough but the big thing is they are not making the mistakes this year. They are not turning over the ball over. They've got a guy that can make the big runs for them. I think Chris Johnson has added a lot to their offense. They are playing with confidence. Defensively they're physical. They didn't have [Kyle]Vanden Bosch, which makes a big difference, but they rotate a lot of front people through there. Their linebackers are aggressive and fast. They have got a good defense.
(on using four linebackers)
We figured they were going to pound us and we put the four backers in there and they ended up throwing the ball a lot more. We played okay on defense until it really counted, until the fourth quarter where we had to get them stopped. We couldn't get the third down stops and that was the difference in the game.
TE DALLAS CLARK
(on their offensive performance in game)
We did everything we needed to in the first half and third quarter to put ourselves into a position to win. The fourth quarter came down to them making more plays than we did. It's disappointing. We played hard, we played aggressive. Everyone was flying around making plays. We just didn't have it in the fourth quarter for whatever reason.
(on failure to convert on fourth downs in second half)
I like our aggressiveness in going for it. I think both of them were great calls and great attempts. They made the play and found a crease. The linebackers made a good play of blitzing through and catching us off-guard. It was a big momentum swing for them. I think our offense did a good job of keeping the momentum in our favor and keeping the crowd out of it, and those two plays definitely helped them out a lot.
(on how the team rebounds from the loss)
Everyone has to look upon themselves to make plays. I have to make that catch in the fourth quarter. That's huge for them and horrible for us. I didn't make it. If everyone looks at the film with an open mind and no blaming anyone, no pointing fingers. Everyone's got to put it upon themselves and step up and make plays.
(on fine line between winning and losing)
It's the finest line in sports. It's what makes this game so great. When you're on the other end of it, it makes it awful. You make a lot of plays to put yourself in a position to win and then just don't make them in the fourth quarter for whatever reason. You can play as hard as you want and aggressive as you want. It comes down to execution. They executed more plays and bigger plays in the fourth quarter than we did.
(on Titans defense)
They are very good, very physical. We were able to make some plays like we thought we were going to. You have to give your hats off to them. They made the big plays that they needed to put themselves into a position to win. As an offense, we didn't do that and it's very disappointing.
QB PEYTON MANNING
(on offensive performance)
We didn't execute and score more points than them. We had a couple of good drives at times. Not many possessions in the second half. We had it within a touchdown and then two fourth-down stops. That kind of ended up being the difference in the game. Those are fourth downs that we have to be able to convert. It would have been nice to get them on third down. Those were disappointing.
(on Titans defense)
Their defense has always been excellent. It's really been the same number of players the last few years. They're an excellent team.
DB MARLIN JACKSON
(on turning around the season)
We just have to win. We have to win one game at a time. That is all that you can do. We have to practice and we have to execute down the stretch. We have to focus on one game at a time and win. We have to keep on battling, keep on fighting to get this right. We still have time. We are not totally out of it. We made it tough for ourselves in the division, but we still have a shot.
RB DOMINIC RHODES
(on the game)
We didn't execute like we needed to. It was an even game until the fourth quarter when they started making plays and we didn't. Usually we do. Today we didn't put it together.
(on turning around the season)
We definitely need to get our stuff together. It is a critical week for us. It is a short week for us. We definitely to get everything on one accord and make sure that when we play these Patriots on Sunday night that we are all on the same page. We need to get this record back to even. We need to tie up the loose ends and start making plays. That is the bottom line.
