HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on making a decision at the end of the first half with little time left on the clock) *Saturday, January 16, 2010 *
"Once you get around that five second mark it gets a little tough so you have to be careful. We had seven. The play that got called was one that happens right now or you get rid of it. He'd done it enough times. He's been around the block. We certainly did trust him to get it out of his hands with enough time left to get the field goal."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the field goal team running out when they went for it on fourth down) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"We have communication between us and the quarterback. And oftentimes there's a little gap there. Special teams might come running out so you have to hold them back."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the defense) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"Defense did a tremendous job. I think anytime you hold that offense, the way they run the ball… as well as they run the ball, to hold Ray Rice to under 100 yards is tremendous. They did a tremendous job all day. I think when you look at what Baltimore has been able to do to teams over the last three weeks, our defense I think did indeed play hard, play well and tackled well and opportunistic. It was a heck of a performance."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on the first drive and feeling they had good timing) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"We kind of felt that we had that timing. We could see it at practice. We practiced extremely well. So it was not a surprise that they were operating fairly well and clicking together. Reggie ( Wayne) had a great day out there. Dallas (Clark) caught the ball well. Austin Collie caught it well. Pierre (Garcon), what a great day he had, although his numbers may have four or five catches. But how about the play after the interception? Just a heck of an effort. Timing was good I felt and we always can get better."
HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL (on Pierre Garcon playing while dealing with situation in Haiti) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"He's one of those guys doesn't get riled very often. He really has great, extraordinary focus. But obviously the circumstances that he's dealing with are very, very difficult. For him to be able to come out and focus in on the ball game and perform extremely well says a lot about him."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on the bye week) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"Obviously, being healthy was important. We had a lot of guys back. Jerraud Powers played. Pierre (Garcon) was back 100%. Made some plays. There is no question every football player is going to be sore and knicked up late in the season. I think guys used the off week. We kind of called it preparation week and got some guys healthy. I thought we really had good preparation coming into this game and I thought we came out sharp on both sides of the ball. Really from the get go, kind of set the tempo for the game."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on going for it on 4th down in the first half) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"It is an aggressive call by Coach Caldwell. I think anytime your coach decides to go for it in that position, the offense feeds off that challenge and opportunity and certainly want to make him happy with that decision. Got in man to man, (Joseph) Addai is a great receiver out of the backfield. Made a difficult third down conversion and went on and got the touchdown from there."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on Pierre Garcon's hustle on the Ed Reed interception/fumble) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"We had kind of a missed assignment in the route. It kind of allowed (Ed) Reed to free up and help out over the top of (Pierre) Garcon. We hsould have had someone in the middle to hold him. We got the interception. Great play by Garcon forcing the turnover. Really a huge play. The interception really should have been avoided, but once it happens great job by Pierre getting the ball back for us."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on going for the touchdown at the end of the first half) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"It was nine seconds before that...They called timeout and we went over there and talked to Coach Caldwell. You know the situation. We have no timeouts. I think from there, depending on how much time the first play takes, you are obviously going for the endzone. The incompletion I think only took two seconds. To me there is no difference between nine seconds and seven seconds, second or third down. To me it wasn't even a thought to kick the field goal. Any play we run is going to take less than seven seconds. It is a tough scenario down there. They are dropping eight guys in coverage. Normally it is a great time to run the ball. But with no timeouts, you have to get the ball into the endzone."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on the play of the defense and bye week preparation) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"I really thought our plan last week was different than from what we have done in years past. In years past we have tried to kind of guess who we were going to play. For instance, we would work against Jets one day, Baltimore one day, Cincinnati one. This week we just worked Colts against Colts, starters versus starters, which is something you really don't do a lot during the season. It is more training camp when you go starters against starters. In the season it is more starters versus the (practice squad). It was good, kind of competitive, enthusiastic, spirited practices. You are going against Dwight Freeney. You are going against Antonie Bethea. You are not going against a guy on the practice squad. I thought it made both sides of the ball better. We really worked on some things. Our offense won some matchups, they won some matchups. I thought that really paid off for us. We were ready to go against a good defense, playing with a lot of momentum. It is an excellent defense."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on the Colts defense) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"They are good. It felt good to come out and get some points in the first half. Get a lead on them and try to keep them from being able to just pound the ball. We tried to get them in the offense they didn't want to be. I thought that was important."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on the Colts fans) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"They were great. They were outstanding, just like they have been all season for us. It was no surprise. They were going to be loud and ready to go. Obviously I am not on the field when Baltimore's offense is out on the field, but I got to believe it made it tough on them. They had a couple false starts in critical situations. You always kind of give credit to the fans. We will need them again next week and look forward to coming back at home."
WR-PIERRE GARCON (on his family in Haiti) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"No updates from yesterday...still trying to gather information."
WR-PIERRE GARCON (on if it was tough for him to focus today) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"Yeah, it was a little."
WR-PIERRE GARCON (on being emotionally and physically drained) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"I am a little tired, but it is part of the game."
WR-PIERRE GARCON (on the interception/fumble) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"It was a great call. We had them beat....I had to get my touchdown back. I was kind of upset."
WR-PIERRE GARCON (on the evolution of his game this season) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"It is a growing process. Still trying to learn as you go."
WR-PIERRE GARCON (on his emotions) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"Winning a game always helps you forget about your problems."
WR-PIERRE GARCON (on the Colts defense) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"Defense played great. They stopped RB-Ray Rice.....swarming, playing all out."
WR-AUSTIN COLLIE (on his first postseason touchdown reception)
"Very nice. To be able to play in the playoffs is unbelievable by itself. But to actually feel like you're contributing and helping the team win, it's a dream come true."
WR-AUSTIN COLLIE (on spiking the ball afterward)
"I think there's a little more excitement with this game just because it is the postseason. I had to let it out a little bit."
WR-AUSTIN COLLIE (on the helmet-to-helmet collision with Ray Lewis)
"Good hit. Good hit. I should have held onto it. But it was a good hit. It was a good play by him."
WR-AUSTIN COLLIE (on the two TDs right just before halftime)
"It just speaks volumes about the leadership we have around us, the guys that are on this team, the veteran players, and the confidence we have in our quarterback. Every chance we get the ball, we want to score. I think we had that attitude."
WR-AUSTIN COLLIE (on how his TD was designed)
"It was just your basic corner route. Reggie gets a lot attention out there just because he is one of the best. That corner respected him a little more, his route a little more, and it just widened things open for me."
*WR-REGGIE WAYNE *(on the mood of the team)
"We really felt like we were pretty fired up. We felt like we had some energy. That's kind of how we wanted to play today. One thing about this team, we never worry about what's going on outside this locker room. Everybody always has their doubts about rest and this and that. We know how we feel. That's the most important thing. We were able to come out here today and fly around. Our defense did a great job holding them to three points and we got a W."
WR-REGGIE WAYNE (on the second-quarter performance by both the offense and defense)
"It was good for us. The defense got some stops and we were able to keep our offense out there and kind of get them tired a little. We wanted to take advantage of that. We knew if we could get up on them, it kind of leaves their offense a little one-dimensional. We were able to that. The second half, we were just playing a little clock game."
WR-REGGIE WAYNE (on the offense starting to click once he made a couple of receptions in the second quarter)
"Maybe I'm the fire starter, who knows? I just go out there and want to play ball. That's all I want to do. The first quarter, I didn't get any passes, but I just wanted to stay calm and wait for my number to be called. I knew eventually, No. 18 would look my way and I just wanted to come through for him and make some plays."
WR-REGGIE WAYNE (on whether there was any rust)
"We had a little rust; I guess you can say that. We didn't score every time we touched the ball, so I guess you could say there was a little rust. But we were able to get the W. All three phases of the game were flying around and making plays."
WR-REGGIE WAYNE (on whether this will settle down the fans after their reaction following the Jets game)
"Nah, not at all. I don't think so. Probably the further we go, probably the more upset they'll get. But we'll take that. That's how it is. One way we can help that cause is to win the Super Bowl. We took a step today."
WR-REGGIE WAYNE (on Dallas Clark and how he helps Wayne)
"He helps big time. He's definitely a threat. He's tied for the most receptions on this team, so you definitely better know where he is. If not, he'll hurt you. His presence out there is definitely helping me along with the other guys. … He's definitely playing great football."
WR-REGGIE WAYNE (on his catching a TD pass from Manning as the Colts ran a play with seven seconds left in the half. Was he surprised they didn't go for a field goal at that point?)
"It kind of surprised me, but as our offense was in the huddle, I said, 'You know what. Peyton will do the right job throwing the ball in the end zone. Either we catch it and score, or we don't catch it. We should have enough time on the clock.' … In the normal world, you probably would kick that field goal. But when we're out there, it's like we're playing Madden. We're just out there having fun. When we got the guys out there that we have, we know anything can happen. We have the best quarterback in the league, we have some great skill guys. Whoever gets the ball, we know we can make a play."
C-JEFF SATURDAY (on the Colts' drive right before halftime)
"Just normal Colts two-minute. That's what we do. Obviously, he's (Peyton Manning) a huge part of it. The guy makes great throws. Our receivers did a heckuva job of getting open and making big plays for us, and it turned out to be an enormous drive."
C-JEFF SATURDAY (on the game and taking advantage of opportunities)
"That's a great football team we beat. They did a heckuva job against New England the week before. That's a very good football team they beat up there. We knew it was going to be a battle, and they showed up ready to play. They were very prepared. I'll take my hat off to our defense. They played fantastic. They kept giving us opportunities. We took advantage of the ones that we could and put points on the board. We scored touchdowns which was enormous and made it a long road for those guys."
C-JEFF SATURDAY (on the Colts' ability to sustain long drives)
"Anytime you can hold the ball away from a running team, it's digging them a hole. Those drives, keeping the ball and keeping it away from them and getting first downs (and) moving the chains was definitely a big influence on the win."
RB-JOSEPH ADDAI (on matching up with Baltimore)
"Every time we play Baltimore it's a tough battle, regardless of regular season or playoffs. It doesn't really make a difference. It's always a tough battle. I think we came out there hard, fought really hard and got the 'W'."
* *
RB-JOSEPH ADDAI (on RB-Mike Hart)
"Mike has been doing it all year. When Mike gets his chance he goes out there and tries hard to make a point, and he did that today."
RB-JOSEPH ADDAI (on if he has a preference of who the Colts face in the AFC Championship)
"To me, it doesn't matter. With what we're trying to do it's never about the other team for us. If we have to play San Diego, we play San Diego. If it's another team, we have to play them. We feel the same way about every other team."
RB-JOSEPH ADDAI (on getting a win in the playoffs)
"It feels good. Regardless, in the NFL it's hard to get a win period. In the playoffs, that says a lot about your team. Now, we will enjoy the win and kind of move on and go to the next game."
RB-JOSEPH ADDAI (on putting the past behind them)
"I think everybody has been watching what happened in the past. You've got to understand, we've been watching the same thing too. We've been doing the same thing. Each year is a different year. Understanding what we have as a unit and just go out there and play each game as it's our last and not worried about what happened in the past."
TE-DALLAS CLARK (on WR-Pierre Garcon coming back and stripping the ball S-from Ed Reed) Saturday, January 16, 2010
"That was huge. Watching Pierre, he was flying to catch Ed. To not just think of the tackle, but to try to get the ball back was outstanding. It was a tremendous effort on his part. That's what we have been doing all year long, trying to out hustle people and trying to create plays like that."
DB-MELVIN BULLITT (on the game)
"It was important to us. People were talking about the bye week and everything, to us, it was preparation week. We went back to training camp mode, prepare like that. We came out and we were fast, we were physical, and we were the better team."
DB-MELVIN BULLITT (on the Ravens not scoring a touchdown against the Colts this season)
"That says a lot. It says we can stop the run. That says we can play good sound football. There are no limits to what this team can do if we just play our keys and play sound football."
DB-MELVIN BULLITT (on no rust being apparent)
"That's what we wanted to do. We wanted to show everyone that, that week wasn't a bye week to us. It was preparation week, that's what Coach Caldwell called it, and that's the way we took it. We came out full speed, and we said we wanted to start fast and that's what we did. The defense had to set a tone and make a point. Special Teams did excellent today, and of course, the offense is going to score points. So, we put those three elements together, we're going to win the game."
DB-MELVIN BULLITT (on it feeling good to give Coach Caldwell a good birthday present)
"Of course. He took a lot of heat the last couple of weeks. We just wanted to show that he did the right thing by making sure we were fresh. He told us to trust him, and we did, and it showed."
DB-MELVIN BULLITT (on if he favors playing the New York Jets or the San Diego Chargers next week)
"No, it doesn't matter. It's about what we do. It's not about who we play. Coach Caldwell always says that, 'Do what we do.' We go out there and play sound football, there is no telling what can happen."
DB-MELVIN BULLITT (on advancing to the AFC Championship)
"It's a great feeling. The last couple years our season ended early. Coach Caldwell took a little bit of heat at the end of this season. People were doubting us, but we came through. We knew what we could do if we just went out and played our game. We can make it happen."
LB-GARY BRACKETT (on LB-Clint Session)
"Clint's been playing well all year, so it wasn't any surprise that he was there to recover the fumble. I think in the run game, he's a very physical player, and that showed tonight."
LB-GARY BRACKETT (on what settled the defense down after Baltimore's first drive)
"I think they tried to keep us off balance that first drive. They were on a quick rhythm. I think when we settled down, saw what they were doing to us, communicated things on the sideline, got everyone lined up, we were able to stop these guys."
LB-GARY BRACKETT (on what allowed the Colts to neutralize the Ravens run game)
"I think it's just who wants it more. I think this is a hungry team. I think we were fresh, I think it showed tonight, and I think that's the way it's going to have to be the rest of the playoffs."
LB-GARY BRACKETT (on how the freshness show tonight)
"You saw it, three points. Anytime you hold an offense to three points you have a great chance of winning. That's what we did tonight."
LB-GARY BRACKETT (on the defense having three, three-and-outs in the second quarter)
"I think it was huge. After we settled down in the first quarter, they had that one long drive on us, they had some big plays. I think we were able to get off the field on third down, which was huge. Stopped the running game, our tackles did a great job playing the point, linebackers came and made some tackles. So, I think we're playing some good defense."
LB-GARY BRACKETT (on if he was tired of hearing about Baltimore RB-Ray Rice all week)
"It is what it is, man. People tell us, 'You can't stop the run.' That's one of the great things about football, you get to define yourself. I think tonight enough was said, but we have to do the same thing next week."
DE-RAHEEM BROCK (on any rust)
"No rust. We practiced hard when we had that week off. We practiced hard against each other. It shows up. We wanted to show that our defense was a good defense. I think we did that today."
DE-RAHEEM BROCK (on if this was one of the best performances the defense has had this year)
"We've been consistent and playing great. It starts with the two d-tackles and works its way out. We have nice rotation and everybody is fresh."
DE-RAHEEM BROCK (on not allowing Baltimore to score a touchdown in three straight games)
"They still have a good offense. They have a great running back, a great offensive line. They made a lot of plays. It wasn't easy, but we went out there and executed well and played Colts defense."
DE-DWIGHT FREENEY (on if he favors playing the New York Jets or the San Diego Chargers next week)
"It doesn't matter. Whoever is up next, that's who is up next. If it is San Diego, great. If it's not San Diego, we have to do our job, regardless of who is there. I'll go home and watch the game tomorrow. Whoever the better team is tomorrow, then they have to come here."
DE-DWIGHT FREENEY (on how it felt to get out there)
"It felt great to finally go out there and compete against someone else, other than our offense. The defense went out there, we played great ball, the offense definitely controlled the ball when it needed to control it, and the special teams did a great job."
DE-DWIGHT FREENEY (on how much the rest had to do with what happen in the game)
"I think it had a lot to do with it. Like we've been saying all season and especially towards the end, for defense you have to be healthy. When we get guys out there that can fly around, we have performances like we did."
DE-DWIGHT FREENEY (on if you can play much better than that defensively)
"I think we can. I think there were some runs in there and a couple of passes, but I think we did a good job of turning the ball over when we needed to. As far as defense is really concerned, you can really find something on every play, they gained five yards, they should have only gained two. They had an eight-yard completion, they should have had no completion. So, I think defensively, you can look at something and say, 'Okay, we need to correct it.' But, I think overall, we played pretty good."
DE-DWIGHT FREENEY (on WR-Pierre Garcon's strip of Baltimore DB-Ed Reed)
"He did a great job. You know what, that's what we do. We go out, we hustle on both sides of the ball. Garcon did a great job, made a huge play. He never stopped working."
DE-DWIGHT FREENEY (on DB-Antoine Bethea dropping an interception on Baltimore's first drive that ended up resulting in the Ravens only points of the game)
"Those things happen. He did a great job all game, and he got an interception later in the game. You have to keep fighting like he did, and we'll take care of him."
DE-DWIGHT FREENEY (on if the Colts are maybe out of sight, out of mind)
"Definitely. We've been doing it all year. We've been winning with special teams, we've been winning with defense, we've been winning on offense. We find different ways to win. That's what a complete team effort is about, and that's why this team is so much different than years past. Everybody likes to compare us to 2005 and what happen then, that has nothing to do with this year. It's a completely different year."
DE-DWIGHT FREENEY (on this being a satisfying win)
"It's very satisfying, especially that first one because the first one is normally the hardest one. It's kind of like getting that first sack, making that first play or making that first touchdown. The first one we have to get on board. We definitely did that, and we're definitely happy. We can put out feet up tomorrow and figure out who we're going to play."
DB-ANTOINE BETHEA (on his interception that could've been a touchdown)
"I was sick about that pick-six. We could've shut those guys out. I told the defense I owed them one, so I tried to get it back for them."
DB-ANTOINE BETHEA (on whether this was the Colts' best defensive performance)
"I think we've been playing good all year. Obviously, it's a new season. It's the playoff season, so we have two more games where the defense needs to continue to play like this."
DB-ANTOINE BETHEA (on stopping the Ravens' rushing attack)
"It just looked like the game last weekend (Ravens at Patriots), and the formula that they've used all year. They have a running attack, and we knew as a defense we had to stop the run. Our front seven did a great job. Our DB's stepped up and filled in, as well. We just wanted to make this team one-dimensional and put it in the quarterback's hands, and I think we did a good job of that."
DB-JERRAUD POWERS (on the Colts' defensive performance)
"As a defense, I thought we played great the entire game just stopping the run and focusing on details. We can improve our tackling, but as a whole, I thought we did what we had to do and we're looking forward to next week."
DB-JERRAUD POWERS (on keeping the Ravens out of the endzone)
"It says a lot because their style of offensive with what they do, how they run the ball and set the pass game up with how they run, it is pretty good. For us to achieve that and make them attempt field goals can only do us good. When we have Peyton Manning, Reggie and those guys on the offense, we know they're going to put enough points up on the board. We just have to make sure we do our job."
DT-DANIEL MUIR (on the defense starting slowly, giving up a field goal on the first drive, but then warming up) January 16, 2010
"On their first drive is when you get everything. You have to settle down. After that first drive , we were able to settle down and just play our scheme."
DT-DANIEL MUIR (on the way things turned for the Colts in the second quarter and the Indy defense started dominating)
"That's what we prepared for. What did they finish with – 80-something yards rushing? That's too much. That's too much. We have to keep going out and preparing even harder next week. We can be happy about this game for a couple of hours and then forget about it. We still have two games to win and that's the way we're going with it."
DT-DANIEL MUIR (on the off time seemingly helping the defense)
"Oh, yeah. Coach Caldwell knows what he's doing. Coach Caldwell and Bill Polian, they put it together to end the season just the way it was supposed to be for us. It's good. The rest really helped us."
DT-DANIEL MUIR (on the fans' reaction at the end of the season)
"We love our fans. I just hope they're happy right now. They have to have the same mindset we have. This game is over with, done with. We have to go get another one."
K-MATT STOVER (on the opportunity to kick for the Colts in the playoffs)
"When the Colts called because of K-Adam (Vinatieri) unfortunately having the injury, I was just blessed to be able to accept the call and come out and work out for them and be with this team. You can't say enough about this organization and them taking ownership of me and committing to me as they did and now they've trusted me into the playoffs. I just can't say enough about that."
