HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (general comments on the game at Baltimore)Monday, September 12, 2005
"As I said last night, we were very pleased to go into Baltimoreand get a win. They play very well at home, they have a tough defense and it was a great atmosphere. The game pretty much went as we thought it might, very tough to sustain things and get things going. We were going to have to rely on some big plays offensively and we got those, but I thought our offensive played very patiently and under control and played with a lot of poise. Our defense did a good job. We still have some things we need to work on, and we have got to be a little more precise in what we are doing. The energy level and flying around and hitting and our run defense was definitely better. Special teams we had some near misses that we have to get corrected, but I think some of that will come when we get some of our guys back and playing in the positions they are used to playing in. But overall, you can't be too displeased with an opening day road victory."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on the play of DT-Larry Tripplett)Monday, September 12, 2005
"I think he is getting better as a pass rusher. I know he made a conscious effort to come in a little bit lighter. He's been rushing the passer well, had some sacks in the preseason, and was actually our most consistent defensive lineman and probably our best lineman in the preseason with all the guys we had hurt. He just carried it over and he had an outstanding game. Larry had to call some games for us yesterday (with DT-Montae Reagor out with injury), and he did a good job with that."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on the defense beginning to learn the system)Monday, September 12, 2005
"(LB-) Cato [June], (LB-)Gary Brackett and (LB-) David Thornton did an outstanding job, and I think that is just more of being comfortable with what we are doing. Some of our new guys bring a lot of energy and a lot of passion. I thought our secondary, for not being together a lot in the preseason, did a good job. A lot of it is being familiar, but they still have a ways to go."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on the game plan vs. Baltimore)Monday, September 12, 2005
"Well, we talked about that all week, and we knew it was going to be that type of game. It wasn't going to be a 27-24 game, and so that was our plan. I thought our offense did a great job of taking care of the football, Peyton throwing it away when we had to, not taking sacks, not giving them momentum plays and if we had to punt, that was okay. We did a good job of making them start backed up; they were inside their20 four or five times starting."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on not turning the ball over against Baltimore)Monday, September 12, 2005
"That helps your defense, too. I think we realize that as a team, our offense has done a great job in the last two years of doing that and in a game like that, where it was going to be close, that becomes very important. Then once you get ahead, the other team presses a little bit and that's when your takeaways start to come. So it works hand in hand."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on being aggressive offensively)Monday, September 12, 2005
"I think we know how to be aggressive, but the big thing was when something wasn't there, we didn't want to turn the ball over. If you make a turnover playing aggressively that is one thing, but if you are just trying to make something happen in a long yardage situation, or because you don't want to throw the ball away or take a sack, those are the things that you want to avoid."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on DT-Corey Simon's performance)Monday, September 12, 2005
"I think (he played) pretty well. It was obviously different for him, but having only practiced four or five days, he did an excellent job, and he'll get better. I thought our linebackers played off of him pretty well."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on the tight end's play)Monday, September 12, 2005
"All three of them (Ben Utecht, Ben Hartsock and Bryan Fletcher) did a good job, and that is a very difficult team to play against because of the multiple things they do. There was a lot of information being passed and they didn't really blow any circuits, and they played with poise."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on his contract extension)Monday, September 12, 2005
"I think it's a win-win situation for everybody. It's great for me personally, it's great for our staff and I think great for our scouting department and the whole organization to know that we are going to precede a certain way in the future. We are going have the same type of offense and defensive players and the same type of schemes. I have never been one to focus on the contracts. I know I am not going to coach anywhere else. Hopefully it will be a long time here, but this will be my last stop for sure. This is it."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on RB-Edgerrin James' performance)Monday, September 12, 2005
"I thought Edgerrin did a great job. He made things happen and made people miss, blocked and picked up well, which was going to be critical in this game."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on the tandem of WR-Marvin Harrison and QB-Peyton Manning)Monday, September 12, 2005
"It'll be tough for someone in this day and age to get to some of the numbers they are going to put up. They are special guys. They both work at their craft, and it is important to both of them to be the best that have ever played. They're both really, really smart guys. They talk through situations, and because of that they have a lot of flexibility out on the field. They seem to know what the other one is thinking."
HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY (on Jacksonville)Monday, September 12, 2005
"They are a very good defensive team, they run the ball well, and they have added elements to their passing game every year, so it will be a good test. It is a big division game early in the year, and I think our guys know that."
