COLTS PLAYER QUOTES
1/1/04
TE-MARCUS POLLARD (on what impact the first Denver game has on the upcoming game)
"I would like to think it would motivate us. They came out and played a great game, their game plan was solid. We came out and stuttered. We didn't play well. We couldn't sustain a drive. We couldn't stop the run. Hopefully, Sunday will be different. Hopefully, we don't make any mistakes and play better football than we did the last time."
TE-MARCUS POLLARD (on Denver's defense and the Colts offensive game plan)
"They are a great defensive team. They showed the same things against us in the first game that they have shown all season. In the first game they played with more energy, more excitement and more enthusiasm than we did. The bottom line, we just got our butt kicked. Hopefully, this Sunday it will go in our favor."
TE-MARCUS POLLARD (on if there is any reason not to have a lot of energy on Sunday)
"No reason not to have a lot of energy. It is the playoffs. We are excited about the opportunity. There are a lot of teams at home who wish they could be working."
TE-MARCUS POLLARD (on how the defense's ability to force turnovers will have an impact in the playoffs)
"It is essential. I can remember back in '95 when we started our playoff run the key was turnovers. If we get a lot of turnovers it is going to give the offense a short field. It is going to give us excitement and enthusiasm. If we can get a score, that is to our advantage. When we get turnovers it gives us the opportunity to score points."
TE-MARCUS POLLARD (on being the only player on the team to win a playoff game with the Colts)
"It was so long ago to try and draw anything from that. It was my first year and I had no clue what I was doing back then. I was just out there running around and having fun. Now, I am one of the senior leaders on the team and hopefully I will make some big plays on Sunday. Back there in '95 I was just happy to be out there. I am excited about being out there now. But I think I will be more influential concerning the outcome of the game. I had no offense at all my first year. I was strictly involved with special teams."
TE-MARCUS POLLARD (on the image of Tony Dungy as a nice guy and if the players can tell when he is mad at them)
"You don't. What you see is what you get. He is not a guy who is going to yell and scream. I can remember him raising his voice for one word in practice one day. Then he went right back to monotone Tony. This is how he is. After games that we have lost people ask me did he come in yelling and screaming? I say no, he basically gives us the same speech as if we had won. He is the same every day. That's how we need to be as a team. We need to be more consistent."
TE-MARCUS POLLARD (on if there is pressure on this team because of its past history in the playoffs)
"I don't know if there will be pressure. Pressure is what you put on yourself. I can't speak for the ball club. I can only speak for myself. I haven't put any more pressure on myself than I did in the first game against Cleveland. The thing I look at it is that you can't win if you are not in it and right now we are in it. Everybody has the opportunity to win and go to the Super Bowl. That's what we are concentrating on."
TE-MARCUS POLLARD (on contrasting the yelling style like Bill Parcells to motivate players with the way Tony is)
"I think it may be more difficult for the younger guys. The older guys understand what it takes to be successful. That's how Tony approaches it. Some guys may think later, I wish I had it like it was when I was in Indy. To me, each coaching style is different. It is all a coach's personality. Who says that one situation is better than the other one."
TE-MARCUS POLLARD (on if he thinks the hit by DB-Kenoy Kennedy in the first game (on WR-Reggie Wayne) was dirty)
"I don't want to get into that. That's the league, that's Kenoy Kennedy, that's not Marcus Pollard. You don't want to see any of your teammates get hurt. Reggie could have gotten hurt, but fortunately he wasn't hurt. The league felt like he (Kennedy) should have gotten fined. That is the bottom line."
DB-NICK HARPER (on DB-Donald Strickland)
"He's been a big part of our defense. He can cover the field. He can also come up and hit you. That's what you need at safety. He's making sure tackles. He's doing what he's supposed to do out there."
DB-NICK HARPER (on the defense creating more turnovers this year)
"Last year, we didn't have that many turnovers. It was kind of a new defense. A lot of people weren't sure about where they were supposed to be. This year, everybody realizes that this defense does work, so all you can do is be accountable for your actions. Once you stick to the technique, then everything else will take care of itself."
DE-CHAD BRATZKE (on if the loss in the first Denver game is motivation for this game)
"The first game they out-played us, they out-executed us. We didn't play as well as wanted to defensively. They held the ball way too long. It is a boring answer, but it is back to the fundamentals. We have to play with the proper leverage. We have to play with good technique."
DE-CHAD BRATZKE (on how important playoff experience is)
"Any experience you get is good. The thing about the playoff speed, some people say it gets faster. It may get a little faster, but the fact is there are 12 real good teams in it. And the stakes are higher. I'm not ready for it to end."
DE-CHAD BRATZKE (on how the defensive line feels about Denver's cut blocking)
"Their offensive line is quick, they are a smaller offensive line. They want a lot of speed up front. They do a lot of cut blocking. As a defensive lineman you just have to keep your feet moving. Give a little ground. It is a problem when you get cut, but it is a bigger problem when you stay on the ground. You have to get up and get back in the play. It is a real challenging system that they have. It is a proven system. That is why they are good at it. That is why they have so many yards rushing. You have to read it quick. You can't be slow off the ball. If we have 11 guys flying around, hopefully that one guy that gets cut won't matter on that particular play."
DE-CHAD BRATZKE (on Tony Dungy being a soft-spoken guy)
"Tony is very soft-spoken. We have a few coaches who yell and scream. After you are in this game for a long time you realize it is not personal. There is a lot on the line. My coach (John Teerlink), who has a great sense of humor, says there are 32 defensive line coaches in the NFL and there are more senators. It is very hard job, there is a lot on the line. A lot of guys are out of work right now and probably more to come. There is a lot of pressure to perform on the coaches. Some guys motivate more by yelling, some guys don't."
DE-CHAD BRATZKE (on how he knows when Tony Dungy is mad)
"You know when he is mad or upset or disappointed. He creates an atmosphere around here that it is fun to come to work. That is nice. I have been a lot of places where it is not fun to come to work. The coaches are so hard on you that you dread it. When you let him down, you feel bad. You don't want to let him down. He creates and environment that it is fun to play. When everyone is having fun and you come to work, you learn more and become a better football team."
DE-CHAD BRATZKE (on the defense being able to create more turnovers this year as opposed to last year)
"It is our goal every week to create turnovers and to win the turnover battle. Last year, we didn't get the turnovers we wanted, but we had a lot of caused fumbles. You can say
