HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER
(on his plan for playing time for Tennessee's frontline players)
"On Wednesday in a team meeting with the players we discussed in detail with them what our plan was, that we'd have players who would play perhaps three or four plays, some may play a quarter, some may play a half and some may play the entire game. But the plan going into this week was collectively to do the best thing we possibly could for our team as we move forward and get ready for the playoffs. That's in fact what we did. Our focus all week was on our team and the health of our team and to get ready for the playoffs. Obviously we would have liked to have won this game. It didn't work out. They made plays; we couldn't get the ball back. We came through this somewhat healthy. Other than winning the game, we accomplished a goal, and that was to get through this healthy and rest people so we could look forward to the playoffs. "* *
(on the school of thought that resting players could translate into a loss of momentum)
"I think it's ridiculous, it's absolutely ridiculous. You rest guys, you go into the playoffs, you win your game, and you're a genius because you rested the players. You lose the game, you lost it because you rested the players. It makes no sense to me. These players are professionals. They've taken care of themselves, and they'll be ready to play."
(on what he viewed as the Colts' plan coming into the game)
"They clearly had objectives. They wanted to get (QB) Peyton (Manning) some yards, and it was clear they were going to get (TE) Dallas (Clark) his catches and (WR) Marvin (Harrison) his catches, which is great. They had some objectives and we did too. They wanted to accomplish some things and we had a chance to do that as well."
(on QB Vince Young's play)
"He appreciated the opportunity, appreciated the chance to prepare this week. I thought he made some real good throws. He was under a little bit of pressure, but I thought he moved the ball. We probably could have put him in a little better position to make some plays, but he had fun, ran around, and that's exactly what we wanted to have happen."
(assessing the loss in general)
"Look, I'm not going to sit here and dwell on this game 10 days from now. We're going to go home, rest up, get ready, continue to improve and get ready for the first round of the playoffs at home."* *
QB KERRY COLLINS
(on getting enough playing time against the Colts)
"I got two or three plays today. We've got two weeks to get ready and I'll be fine."
(on the Colts offense)
"Give them credit. They did a good job offensively. They really controlled the game. That's just the way the game went. Have to give them credit."
(on if they lost any momentum built from last week)
"Absolutely not. Our plan was to play a lot of guys today, a lot rested. By no means does this put a damper on the momentum we feel we have."
(on QBs Vince Young and Chris Simms)
"I thought they operated well. You know, it's hard to say without looking at film, but I thought both of them did a good job."
QB VINCE YOUNG
(on his play in the game)
"First series was a little rusty until I got the rhythm of the game and then slowed down after that. It was pretty good to get in there and get that rush. After a couple of hits, I got hit pretty bad that one time, but it was good to get a good lick in."
(on his freedom to run or pass)
"I didn't want to be loose. I told the guys earlier that my body feels good and didn't want to throw any interceptions. I also used my legs. It is a God-given talent that I have, my legs. Overall, I did a good job at getting the ball out. Overall, I think I did alright just to get into a rhythm for right now."
TE ALGE CRUMPLER
(on if momentum was lost) * *
"I feel that way today and will feel that way tomorrow. When we start practice on Wednesday I don't think today will be in everyone's mind. This is one of those types of stories that sits in your gut for a couple of days. But we have enough time to get over it. It is no different than the Jets game loss."
TE BO SCAIFE
(on Vince Young's play)
"I think he got into rhythm and did his job with what he had out there. He was excited to be out there and I was happy to see him out there."
C KEVIN MAWAE
(on shifting focus to the playoffs)
"Our focus now is to get ready to play the first playoff game and (with) a lot of guys who are coming back. We've rested a bunch of guys to get healthy. Our goal is to win our first playoff game at home and get ready for a second one. We've got two weeks to prepare."
(on whether game was meaningless or not)
"If you're a football player, you get up for any kind of competition. It just so happens, we didn't get the job done today. We knew coming in that there offense was the kind of offense that was going to control the ball and stay on the field as much as possible. We've got to convert on third downs and we didn't do that. On the same token, we didn't have a lot of our regulars in there. About eight guys sat, another ten guys played one series or two and they were out but that's no excuse. The guys that were in there should've made some plays and we just didn't do it."
DE KYLE VANDEN BOSCH
(general comment)
"The important thing for us was to have everybody healthy for that first playoff game. The guys that needed the rest got it. We probably guarded a lot of our game plan. We didn't want to show a lot. We didn't experiment with a lot of things. We just tried to go out there and win. In a couple of weeks hopefully, we'll come back refreshed and ready to go. The important thing for us is being home and getting that first game in Nashville."* *
LB KEITH BULLUCK
(on keeping momentum)
"I don't see how we lose momentum. In a game like this a lot of us got work, some of us didn't. At the end of the day, we know what it's all about. As soon as we get on this plane, we go back to Nashville and that's where the rest of our season takes place until hopefully, we can make it to Tampa."
(on comparing the game to a preseason game)
"Actually, a preseason game is better because you've got those guys that are trying to make the team and you get to see them play. It was just one of those games to get guys that have been playing roles on the team out there to get them a lot of live action. All it does is increases our depth as a team and lets those guys knock the rust off because they've been playing so hard on special teams. As backups, it lets them get out there to see what they can do."
LB DAVID THORNTON
(on coming back to Indianapolis)
"It's not a familiar territory because the building (Lucas Oil Stadium) is totally new. Seeing a lot of familiar faces is always fun, friends, people you work with is always a warm, fuzzy feeling. This is where I started my career. All in all, we wanted to win today but we didn't and that's kind of disappointing but we'll get ready for playoff time."
(on importance of game)
"We just want to stick together as a team even though the game really was meaningless. We wanted the guys to go out there and gain some experience and the backups got a lot of playing time. We definitely wanted to build any way possible. It's disappointing that we didn't get to that fourteenth win. That would've been nice but we had some guys walk away from the game healthy. It's important to rest for the playoffs and we got some guys rest that we needed. Hopefully, we can continue to go on and play well like we did last week at Pittsburgh."
