Colts Quotes From Thursday's Super Bowl Media
Session
Head Coach Jim Caldwell
*(on when he shows the team a fiery side)
*"I don't get angry very often. You obviously, as a competitor, certainly get upset about some things that maybe aren't going so well or something of that nature. That will come out sometimes. Probably on our Wednesday talks more than anything else, when you talk about a relationship to the team, and we start to sum up what we see in terms of our opponent. There might be a phase every once in a while that there will be a fiery side that comes. Nevertheless, this game, which I've said before time and time again, does not take great speech makers. It's not inspiration by exhortation. I'm not an individual that's gifted with golden throated oratory. We like to keep it simple and straight forward and I think our team responds to that."
(on a story of a speech he made to a team when he played)
"That was a long time ago. That was a while back. It really was a situation where we were facing a team that was certainly one that had played some outstanding football. We had been sort of a middle of the road team at that particular time. Some of the things that I was just echoing, we had been taught from our coaches. Bob Commings was the head coach at that time and he always spoke about not being in awe of anyone, not allowing yourself to feel inferior. That was the gist of the talk as brief as it was before going out on the field. I was the team captain. I can't remember quite that far back, all of the details of it. (Larry) Coyer seems to remember it a little bit better, more than I do. Nevertheless it wasn't anything outstanding. It wasn't anything of note. I didn't talk a whole lot and still don't today unless I am forced to. There's an old passage in the Bible that says 'when words are many, sin is not absent, (but) he who holds his tongue is wise'. So I kind of like to hold my tongue as often as I can."
(on how former head coach Tony Dungy taught him and how they incorporate faith into the locker room)
"More so than anything else, Tony's impact on us is more how he lives his life, not necessarily what he says. I think that more so than anything else was extremely important. He modeled it out, in terms of being a Christian, in terms of being a man of faith, every single day in the way he lived. I worked with him for eight years and I never heard him raise his voice, not one time. And I'm not saying there weren't times when he didn't get upset or angry about a situation, but he was always able to keep it under control. I think just in terms of how he lived his life was just extremely important and had a huge impact on us. The second part of that I think was how do we kind of utilize that within a locker room, within a team structure. The big thing is I think you just have be yourself. If they understand that you're honest and straightforward about your faith and you demonstrate it by the way in which you live, I think they accept it. The other fact of the matter is that we have a number of guys on the team that are also men of faith as well. We have a pretty strong nucleus of guys that certainly think the same way."
Linebacker Gary Brackett
(on the rarity of coach Jim Caldwell getting fiery)
"Pretty much, what you see is what you get. He's not really a very emotional guy. He does get fired up during some pre-game speeches, he does get riled up. Mistakes are going to happen on the field. That's something you know you're just going to have to get better at. Off-the-field mistakes – he gets angry about that. That's one thing at the Colts organization – we pride ourselves on how we handle and conduct ourselves off the field, taking care of all the little things and making sure our names are not in the newspaper for something destructive. That's when he gets a little upset and frustrated – when guys are not adhering to the rules we set for ourselves and conducting ourselves off the field."
Running Back Joseph Addai
(On how Colts QB Peyton Manning buys time in the pocket)
"He is a smart guy. He does a great job because he knows everything as far as what the linemen are supposed to do, what the receivers and the backs are doing, and he makes my job easier because he can just lean over and tell me what to do. He understands. He's been playing for a long time and he understands where we're coming from and how to go about it. He knows when to take a hit and when not to take a hit. It's not an easy thing. It comes with experience. He's been doing this for a long time, upwards of 12 seasons, so it comes second nature to him."
Guard Ryan Lilja
(On if the Colts are relaxed this week)
"We're as relaxed as you can be, being here for the second time and kind of knowing what it requires and knowing all the obligations with media, the whole circus with the family and tickets, logistical stuff. When we work, we meet, we're on the practice field, it's business as usual just like it is back in Indianapolis on your average Wednesday or Thursday or Friday. I like that. I think everybody's just trying to do what we do and do it well."
(On if it was easy to jump back into the starting line in terms of chemistry)
"It wasn't difficult, because these guys on this line are some of my best friends, honestly. They'll be life-long friends. Playing with them for years and then being out, they didn't look at me differently, they didn't treat me differently. Nobody was there for me or had my back as much as my O-line teammates did. So that was cool to see. They never gave up on me, and they always encouraged me, helped me and motivated me when it was tough. When I got back, it was a great feeling to be able to slide into the huddle with those guys. It was pretty seamless, to be honest with you, getting back and the communication. I was at meetings and I'm talking to the guys, so I know what's going on. But physically, for me, there was a learning curve with getting back on the field and playing football again. That was the biggest hill to climb for me, the football part."
(On not being drafted and now playing in his second Super Bowl)
"I just wanted to play football, play professionally and see how long I could play. You make your goals as you go on. Coming out, obviously I was not a Peyton Manning, knowing that you want to break records, be All-Pro, win a Super Bowl, those type of things. Your goals are smaller, more attainable for a guy who is undrafted. You come in and say, 'OK, I want to contribute on this team.' I want to make a team, I want to contribute, I want to play, I want to start, I want to be a solid player on the line. Then you go from there, and it goes by. This is the end of my sixth year in the NFL, and it just flies by. Even with rough years like last year, it just goes by so fast. It's tough when you've got to look back and think, 'Wow, this has been a heck of a journey for me.' It just seems like yesterday we were back here for the first one."
Defensive Back Antoine Bethea
(on the team's success in finding castoffs and low-round draft picks)
"Well, (Team President) Bill Polian, he has a good eye for that, bringing people into this system and just believing in their abilities. With myself, a sixth-round pick, Melvin Bullitt – I could keep going on and on about, like you said, guys who other teams overlooked in free agency, late rounds. But once, I guess, everybody gets into the system, the organization just believes in them. I don't know what it is and how they do it and what they see in the players that the other teams don't, but it's just something that he has a knack for and everybody always talks about it, and I'm just happy that he picked me."
(on players just needing an opportunity to play somewhere)
"Exactly. Everybody's going to have a different story. Everybody can't be drafted (as a) number one pick or in the first round. Everybody's going to have their own story, and I think all those guys, they have their own, including myself. And I think just coming into the league, that's all I asked for was an opportunity. If somebody gave me an opportunity, I'll show them that I can play in this league, and I believe that the rest of the guys have done the same thing."
