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HEAD COACH HERMAN EDWARDS (on if playing a game against a close friend like Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy is difficult or enjoyable)
"It's difficult in the sense that the outcome is obviously not good for one of us. With that being said, you worked this hard to get here, and then all of a sudden, you have to play your best friend, obviously you would like to be maybe in the other conference and you play him in the Super Bowl, or you would like to play him in the AFC Championship Game. But it didn't work out for us that way this year. So, that's the difficult part, but I think the good part is that we're so good of friends that we know we're going to compete against each other, but then after, whoever wins it, we're going to be pulling for that guy until he gets to the Super Bowl and wins it. That's how we've always felt, and that's how we always look upon these type of situations when we get in them."
HEAD COACH HERMAN EDWARDS (on how often he and Coach Dungy talk during a season)
"We just talked once this week. We talked earlier in the season a couple of times. If anything is really bothering either one of us, we get a pretty good feel for each other, or if we feel like we need some help, we'll call each other. But other than that, we'll see each other when the season is over most of the time. We keep in contact and watch each other play, I know that."
HEAD COACH HERMAN EDWARDS (on if he looks back at he and Coach Dungy's careers, from a bad Buccaneers team in 1996 to turning it around, then being a part of the first playoff game in 2002 in which two African-American head coaches coached against each other and now it is not something even thought about)
"And that's what's great, because that's not even mentioned. I was thinking about that, too. The last time we met, Tony had just gone from Tampa to Indy, and that was the first time that occurred. It was kind of a newsworthy deal, but now, no one is even saying that, and that's great. I think Tony looks at it that way and I look at it that way. Tony's done a remarkable job, not only at Tampa when we got started down there, but with the Colts. He has the longest streak now as a coach (with Colts), with five consecutive times going to the playoffs with a good football team. He's done a great job up there."
HEAD COACH HERMAN EDWARDS (on QB-Trent Green and with him coming back after his injury, does he regret going with Green instead of Damon Huard)
"No. We still got where we wanted to go. Obviously, we got into the playoffs. It was his team, and it's always been his team. He didn't lose his job. He lost it because he got hurt. He was ready to come back. When he came back, he played pretty well and then he had some tough stretches. We played some pretty good defenses, which is always kind of tough. We ended up winning three out of four, I believe it was, and (Damon) won five and lost three. So, at the end, we won enough games to get in, and that was important. Now, I think he's been in playoff situations, obviously, played these guys in that shootout game (in 2003), I guess. So, I think that it's one of those situations where I just anticipate he's going to play well."
