HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK
(on RB Chris Johnson's value to the team)
"If we're going make the playoffs, we need CJ [Chris Johnson] to have a great year. We know that and he knows that. And I think we saw flashes tonight of where he can make the big plays. [He] scored two touchdowns, ran the ball pretty well tonight, enjoyed himself, and that's what you want. I think the other backs came in and kind of picked up where he left off, so, in that regard, it's a really good night for the offense in that way, and obviously the defense played really well."
(on RB Darius Reynaud's big-play ability)
"That's one of those things where every time he touches the ball, something good usually happens, and he had a couple nice returns again. He hit the hole hard on a couple of runs. When he gets free, he obviously has great speed, so he had another good night, and I thought [Jamie] Harper ran well, and I thought the whole group did. The blocking was good."
(on the improvement in the team's play)
"We did [improve], and I think [Defensive Coordinator] Jerry [Gray] did. I think [Gray] realized the first drive last week for them, even though it was a three corner, just kind of slowed us down last week defensively. … I thought the guys up front got some good rushes, we got some pressure; we're [creating] some problems. That's hopefully a small taste of what we'll be like this year, and how we say we're going to be a little different. I think you saw some of that tonight. It's nice doing it on the road. The guys traveled the last couple weeks, came together today. Got a little better in this preseason, but you still want to win games like we did tonight. We have a lot of work ahead of us in certain areas. We got stopped on third-and-one, we got stopped on fourth-and-one. Had too many three-and-outs on offense early in the game, and that just stuff we gotta go back and fix."
QB JAKE LOCKER
(opening statement)
"I think today was a little sloppy. We need to clean up, but the encouraging part was that we were able to put points on the board. I thought our running game looked really good. Our defense played great today. They put us in great field position and we were able to put some points on the board as a result of that."
(on whether he felt he should have thrown the ball more)
"I think it was a little combination of a few things. Like I said, I think we ran the ball really well, we got the ball tight and in the red zone a few times, and we were able to punch it in. So it was something that was working for us today and we learned going away from it.
(on his interception)
"I was trying to do too much. I was trying to make a play that wasn't there and I just have to be smarter with the ball to get what I can."
(on the chance to start more often)
"That is something that we will have a better idea of next week. I'm just going to continue to approach it the same way and whatever happens, happens."
(on whether he is disappointed in his first start)
"There is disappointment, personally. But with the guys doing so well on the run game and our defense doing so well, we still found ways to score points and have a big lead going into the second half, so that was encouraging."
(on Tennessee's four scoring drives)
"That was the great part. There were some errors where we can clean some things up, but we found some ways to get the ball in the end zone and get three points as well and anytime you're able to do that, you can't argue with that."
QB MATT HASSELBECK
(on QB Jake Locker's start)
"It was a little different [for me]. It was a good exercise. I know it was valuable for Jake to get the start. I think it was definitely the right thing to do and, you know, I'm happy for the opportunity he got."
(on his relationship with Locker)
"We're friends, always critiquing each other and helping each other, and really making fun of each other. You know, the whole [position] room really has a healthy vibe to it with an emphasis on getting better and improving, and that was really the order to the team, 'Let's get better this week than we were last week.' We kind of took that to heart in our room, and I think we did [get better]."
RB DARIUS REYNAUD
(on proving himself)
"That's how you got to do it, man. [In] my situation and where I came from, I need to prove what I can, and so far so good. We still have two more preseason games, so I just want to stop with a good note."
(on his versatility)
"For me, coming from receiver, that helps out a lot. I see things before they happen, so making the cut is easy. I played my third season with the Vikings at running back the whole preseason. After I got traded, I played running back with the Giants. My main position was running back. I like running back more. You get the ball in your hands more. The more you know, the more you stick around."
LB COLIN McCARTHY
(on the overall play of the defense)
"We're happy. We're building on what we did last week. Third downs are key for us and a big thing coming into this game. We were able to do a great job of doing that: continuing to force turnovers, continuing to get guys around the football [to] make plays."
(on the response from the coaches)
"When you put up a performance like that, you make the coaches happy. The more times we can do that, the better off we'll be. We got to continue to build. There are more things we have to work on from this film. We'll study it, watch it, correct it. We're taking steps in the right direction. This preseason's been great for us. We've got two more games which will prepare us for week one."
(on the performance of young players)
"They're just out there ready to work. I think they're all hungry. Even the older guys are hungry. We're excited about this year and we got a lot of great things going. You know, it's just excitement. Guys are happy. Guys are flying around the football making plays, forcing turnovers. It's been huge for us. Defensively, we limited them to under 100 yards of total offense which is something to be said."
RB CHRIS JOHNSON
(on returning to his old level of play)
"I feel like the old CJ never left. I just feel like I'm in better shape than I was last year. I continue working with my offensive line and it's only the second game, we still have two more preseason games hopefully we just get better and better each week."
(on getting an increased number of touches)
"It feels good. Any time you go out there and they keep handing you the ball and you get in your groove, it makes it harder for the defense to stop you, it makes it easier for you to read the holes and make people miss and break tackles. The more you touch the ball the more in the groove you get."
(on his season goals)
"My goal is still the same: I want to be the first back to rush for 2,000 yards twice. But at the end of the day, I still want to make the playoffs and make it to the Super Bowl and stuff like that, so the goal is pretty much the same."
