HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY(opening comments) 1/3/05
"Right now, you have 20 teams that are wrapping things up and 12 teams that are still working. So, it's great to be one of those 12. We're very appreciative of the opportunity we have. I think it's an opportunity our guys created and we're looking forward to it. Looking back at yesterday's game, I was a little disappointed that we didn't play better. We did some good things early in the game, but we couldn't sustain it and the game really turned out like the regular season game last year, where we didn't play well enough defensively to give our offense enough chances with the ball, and consequently, the score got out of hand in the second half. I thought Jim Sorgi did a lot of good things for us. He threw the ball very accurately and got us in the right plays. When he played with the first line and first receivers, he did a really, really good job. So that was probably the most pleasing thing to come out of the game. I think we'll get down to work, really study that game, and see what we can change to play a little bit better. But, we're looking forward to this week and I think we'll be ready to go."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY(on if he changes the schedule at all for the playoffs) 1/3/05
"Not really. I think it's great. We're happy to be playing on Sunday. That gives us a full week of preparation. It lets us practice the way we normally do. I think as long as we can stay in that mode, the better off we are. So, I think we'll be right back to normal on Wednesday and have three very good practices and be ready to go."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY(on if it's any different playing the same team back to back in the regular-season finale and the first round of the playoffs) 1/3/05
"That's usually what happens in these games. You read a lot of things into it: 'Well, who won the first game? Who has the advantage?' To me, it's just like playing a double header in baseball. The first game doesn't really help you in the second game. You have to go out there and play and win. The team that plays the best will win."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY(on if there is any nervousness in losing after having an eight-game winning streak) 1/3/05
"We're disappointed about losing, and I can tell. Our flight was a little different than it normally is. You can say, 'Well, the game really didn't mean anything,' but when you've won a lot of games, the guys expect to win. They were disappointed about not winning, and I think that's good. We have the chance to build another streak. This is just like after the Kansas Citygame. We didn't play as well as we could play, we lost, and we have to bounce back and start another streak."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY(on if Peyton Manning learned anything by acting as offensive coordinator on the sidelines) 1/3/05
"I don't know that he learned much from that part of it. I think being able to sit on the sideline and see some of the things develop, the way they tried to disguise some of their blitzes, staying in contact with Jim (Sorgi) and trying to get in touch with how he was thinking…I think that was good for him. We'll find out. But again, it's not going to help on Sunday. What's going to help is us blocking, catching the ball, running the proper routes, protecting the football and all of those things. If we can execute a little bit better on defense than we did yesterday, I think we'll have a pretty good shot."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY(on his reaction to DB-John Lynch's hit on Dallas Clark) 1/3/05
"Well, it's a difficult thing, and as you saw with (the officials) trying to figure out exactly what it was, 'Is it a penalty? Isn't it a penalty?' That puts those guys in a bad position, because depending on the timing of the hit, it's either a clean hit or a penalty, and one hundredth of a second is the difference. Once they got it sorted out, it was a penalty. The unfortunate thing is we have a chance to lose a player. If Dallasis not able to play, does that give them an advantage? I think it does. That's a difficult thing."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY(on how the crowd affects the game, especially in the playoffs) 1/3/05
"Our crowd and our home field is very good, and I don't know that there's anybody in football that wouldn't rather play a playoff game at home than on the road. The thing you can't do is think, 'Well, this one's easy. We have this one in the bag. We'll win this home game and then we have to get ready to go to New England.' You still have to come out and play, and you have to use those advantages. You have to use the noise. You have to use your surface. When we play well, we do that. So, we're excited about having this game at home. We're excited about our fans being a factor in the game, but we still have to go out there and play and win. Then, if you're fortunate enough to win the game, you have to understand how to win on the road, and I think we do that."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY(on if the home crowd has made it one of the louder stadiums) 1/3/05
"I think it has. To me, it started with the Tennesseegame, our first home game in 2003. That was when Tennesseehad quite a few fans here, and I thought our fans really rose to the occasion and started getting behind the defense. As our defense has started to create things and force turnovers and be exciting, then the fans have gotten into it. And they've been great the last two years, definitely."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY(on how DB-Bob Sanders did) 1/3/05
"We got him about 25 plays and got him some special teams plays. And he was a little bit rusty. He missed a couple of tackles he normally doesn't miss. I think he was really hyped up about being out there. I think it was good he was able to get that activity in and I think he'll be even sharper next week."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY(on if Jake Plummer is dangerous when he is out of the pocket) 1/3/05
"He is, and they do a great job. They have a running game you have to defend a certain way and that leaves you susceptible to him getting out of the pocket. They build their offense around that. He's very creative out there. He makes things happen. He can run with the ball, and we're going to have to try use our speed a little bit better on the turf and keep him in the pocket."
