On if he feels like he benefitted from being a backup to Kerry Collins:
"Yes, I feel like it definitely helped me develop into the type of quarterback that I want to be by getting a chance to sit back and watch Kerry Collins and get some different pointers and techniques from him. Then I put them in my game and do the things I am doing right now."
On what kinds of things he learned while he was a backup:
"I would say being patient and the biggest thing is third downs. Keeping the offense on the field and just leading the guys to getting in the end zone or getting field goals. The biggest thing is just being patient. If it is not there, give the ball back to our defense and let them go out and play defense for us and get it back to us."
On how difficult it was to sit and be the backup after playing his whole life and being a star in college:
"Definitely (difficult) not being able to be out there to play. With the type of confidence level I have I want to be out there competing with my teammates. It wasn't time for me to play yet so all I had to do was work on my craft behind the scenes, be a leader off the field, stay in shape, and like I said, watch Kerry Collins and develop my game (by) paying attention to things he is doing."
On if he sympathizes with Matt Leinart having to be a backup and if there is any advice he would give him to get through it:
"I'm pretty sure he is doing well. I know he has a lot of people that he looks up to that have been in this era. All I can basically say is be ready. Make sure you take care of your responsibilities behind the scenes because anything can happen. Just like last week when Kurt (Warner) went down and he had to get in. He just has to be ready at all times. I know he wants play because he definitely is a competitor, but he just has to be ready, be humble and recognize what is going on."
On the dealing with criticism:
"You just don't read into it and don't listen to it. You know the type of player you are and what you are capable of doing. Whenever you get your shot, you just have to prove them wrong. I say you use that as motivation."
On if he ever thinks about how crazy this league is and how opinions on him, Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler are constantly changing:
"I'll say it is the position that we play. It is a lot for us. We have to play football and we also have to take care of our business outside of football. But at the same time, when it is football season, you want to really focus in on football. The things that we all went through and the things that they are going through, I really feel like they are strong guys and will come out of it in the long run."
On if it was ever not fun for him over the last few years:
"When I was going through my adversity, it definitely wasn't fun. Going through all that, I don't think that anybody in the world could be happy about what was going on and the situation that I was going through. I feel like you learn from any adversity. I feel like I learned from the things that happened to me and they have made me stronger as a human being and as a quarterback."
On how difficult it is to be ready to go as a backup when you are not getting all the reps in practice during the week:
"It wasn't too bad, but at the same time you have to pay attention to the offense. You have to see what is going on and what is being said to the starting quarterback. You have to get into your assistant coaches ear and if you have any questions, just ask. I really feel like being a scout team quarterback helps out a lot as well."
On if he has talked to Matt Leinart lately:
"I haven't talked with him in a little while, but my assistant always talks with his agent a lot. Whenever I get the chance, I always tell him to say hello and to stay focused and things like that. He does the same for me."
On if he ever thought he would run the option in the NFL:
"You never know what is going to happen. When you have a guy like myself and Chris Johnson in the backfield, who can make a lot of plays and put a lot on the defense, you never know what is going to happen."
On his off the field troubles last year:
"I don't understand. I didn't get into trouble. I am not a troubled guy."
On when he left his house with a gun and his mom called the authorities:
"It was blown out of proportion, that's all it was. My mom never saw me with a gun before, but I always carry my gun as protection, so it was blown out of proportion."
On where the Titans are heading and why they have had success all of the sudden:
"I really feel like guys are working hard and taking care of their responsibilities. Offense is taking care of theirs, defense is taking care of their responsibilities, and so is special teams. We are just buying into Tennessee Titans football and once we got our first win, we have been riding on that wave ever since."
On the emotions of the team after the unexpected tough start:
"We were just staying focused and (believing) eventually we will come out of this. We had to be patient and continue to keep working and that is what we did. I felt like the bye week helped us out a lot."
On if the Tennessee coaches are wanting him to run more when things breakdown:
"That is just decisions that go on during the game. You are not saying that you want to run all the time, but at the same time, whenever the situation happens, if my one, two and three receivers are not open then I get a chance to use my God given talent and my legs and that is what I do."
On his familiarity with the Cardinals defense and what does he see on film:
"Physical, physical guys. Very quick on the back end. I see a lot of leadership out there. We have to be patient, take what the defense gives us and just compete. Like you said, we aren't familiar with these guys and there is going to be a lot of preparation this week, a lot of film work and trying to get used to these guys. I have never played these guys, and I know a couple of guys on the team feel the same way."
On what makes RB Chris Johnson special:
"First of all, it is our offensive line definitely. They do a great job of getting him the holes as well as our receivers and tight ends making key blocks down field. The type of vision and speed that he has, it is uncoachable. Once you get the ball in his hands you just let CJ do CJ."
On running the table the rest of this season and getting a chance at the playoffs:
"I don't really want to talk about that much right now because I don't know the things that we have to do. All I know is that we have to keep winning all the way out. We are just going to take it a game at a time right now and let everything else play out."
