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Gruden Quotes - Jan. 3

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Courtesy of Buccaneers

Published: January 2, 2008

Jon Gruden discusses Sunday's game against New York and other topics:

(On injuries, roster moves and Matt Bryant being named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month)
''We've got two guys that didn't practice. Cato June has an ankle [injury] and Arron Sears has an ankle injury. Those two guys did not practice today. I congratulate Matt Bryant on being the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month. Greg Peterson was placed on injured reserve today and we signed Donte Nicholson, who many of you are familiar with, the safety man.''

(On if weather could impact the game)
''Just the attire that I'm going to wear. I don't think it's going to affect much, no.''

(On if Arron Sears is progressing)
''I would say he's progressing but I don't know at what rate until we see tomorrow. But he has made a little improvement.''

(On if the Bucs' offensive tackles have an attitude that will serve them well against the Giants)
''I don't know about that. They're going to see two of the best ends in the world this week. You've got to have a hell of an attitude – positive attitude, confident attitude, whatever you want to call it – but these two guys in New York are the real deal. There as good as they get and it will be a great challenge for them.''

(On how much it benefits a team to have a quarterback with playoff experience)
''Well, there are a lot of quarterbacks that never makes the playoffs, so I think it benefits you tremendously. This will be a big game for Jeff Garcia. The Giants clearly are a force on defense. We're going to need Jeff to be at his best, and we're confident that with a good week of preparation we'll give it our best shot.''

(On what impresses him most about Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora)
''Strahan's upper body strength, the power in the man, is what really impresses me. I don't know what year this is for him, but he's playing as good know as I remember from playing against him 10 years ago. He is a great physical football player. And Umenyiora is a creative player. They line him up everywhere in the nickel and he's got the electricity to just burn you with speed, he's got the power to run over you and he's got great stamina.''

(On if the Bucs' running game can control the pass rush)
''In a perfect world, we'd just turn around and hand it off on every play. This is a good defensive team. We're going to have to try to run the ball and we're going to have to throw the ball. We're going to have to do both things to win.''

(On if he has talked to the young players about channeling their emotions positively)
''I like emotions. I don't like deadbeats, I like guys that are excited. I believe the guys are going to continue to play the way that they've played since they've been here. These guys get excited to play every Sunday. With the environment this week and what's at stake, I'm confident they'll be under control when they need to be.''

(On the first time he worked out Jeff Garcia in Oakland)
''I had studied his Canadian film and I sure had a lot of respect for him. We were on the right track; he was a really good prospect. We had just signed a guy, so we obviously went another direction. But the guy's a fireball. I obviously whiffed in that evaluation, but in fairness to me I can say I wasn't alone. There were a lot of us that missed that.''

(On coaching Garcia)
''I like guys that can play that position. I like guys that can do what he does. He can run around, he can create on his own, he sees looks, he anticipates things, he's a hell of a competitor. We're looking forward to the future with Jeff Garcia. He's clearly made a big difference on this team.''

(On if Garcia has been everything he thought he would be or more)
''Look, when we get the full supporting cast in place here you'll see a hell of a lot more of him. We've certainly shelved it back a little bit here within the last couple weeks given his back and given the number of injuries that we've endured. I just think as long as he's playing and playing professionally with the enthusiasm that it takes, he's going to be a force in the NFL.''

(On why Joey Galloway is underrated)
''I don't really think he's underrated. I think he hasn't been selected to Pro Bowls, but the guys I talk to don't underrate him.''

(On if his hours of preparations increase in the playoffs)
''They're about the same. I look at every Sunday as a win-or-die situation in my life, unfortunately. This is what it's all about. You love these kinds of games and we're anxious to play.''

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