Philip Rivers on the San Diego Chargers Hiring Mike McCoy: “This Was the Guy I Was Hoping For”

After another disappointing season in the AFC West, the San Diego Chargers have taken a step toward trying to get back on the right track by hiring one of the greatest offensive minds in the division away from the rival Denver Broncos. Quarterback guru Mike McCoy steps in to coach the Bolts, which makes quarterback Philip Rivers a happy man.

Philip Rivers joined Darren Smith on XX 1090 in San Diego to discuss the hiring of new head coach Mike McCoy, what he knew about McCoy and his belief that he’s the right guy for the job. He also said he’d like to talk to Peyton Manning about his former coordinator from Denver and touched on the idea that the Chargers have to “fix” things this offseason.

On the hiring of Mike McCoy:

“I’m fired up. … You go from disappointment, not only in the season we had, but disappointment of losing your coach, and then you slowly start to gear up and get excited again. Now you get a new GM and a new coach in a matter of days. It’s exciting. I’m looking forward to meeting him and getting things going.”

On knowing McCoy by way of his reputation:

“Being a fan of just the game in general, I certainly knew a lot of his background. … It’s exciting. I know it’ll be different in a lot of ways, and it’ll be good.”

On his belief that McCoy was the right man for the job:

“It’s always easy to say after the fact, I know that, but of the potential candidates that were made public or that we all knew of, I can honestly say this was the guy I was hoping for.”

On why he feels that way:

“I just feel great about it from a standpoint of where we are as a team and what we need. From a standpoint of energy, from a standpoint of newness, from a standpoint of — I don’t know — you got a guy that’s been in the division, that’s been on the inside in Denver. Obviously we know Denver, along with the other two divisional opponents, is who we have to beat to get to the postseason. And we were winless there this season.”

On if he has spoken to or plans to speak to Jacob Hester and/or Peyton Manning about McCoy’s offense and coaching stlyle:

“I’ve already talked to Jake. And yeah, I would love to talk to Peyton. … I’m not looking for info so much as you just get a feel, and the best way to get a feel is one-on-one. And I love people, and I am excited about the relationship that’s gonna come.”

On the notion that he and the team have to fix something:

“I like ‘back on track’ a lot better than ‘fix.’ Fix is for something that’s dilapidated. I don’t know that that’s the case. But I gotta play better and I will. The ‘fix’ word I get a little aggravated at, but certainly get back on track and play better and all those things certainly apply. I need to be better and I’m going to. … Fix is a strong word. … I don’t read much about myself but certainly I’ve heard it.”

On having some direction now:

“We have some direction now. … As a quarterback, I accept a lot of responsibility and I should, and I’ve been responsible for a lot of the shortcomings of us getting to the postseason.”

Listen to Philip Rivers on XX 1090 here

Read the original interview, here

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Rob Ninkovich: Patriots Have Brushed Off Brendon Ayanbadejo’s Comments Regarding Their “Gimmick Offense”

Elite players always find ways to come up huge in big games. You can put Rob Ninkovich in that category. The Patriots linebacker came up with an important interception off Matt Schaub midway through the third quarter of a 41-28 win over the Texans.

Before the Pats could even celebrate their victory in the AFC Divisional playoff, Ravens linebacker/special teams player Brendon Ayanbadejo started taking shots at New England in a series of tweets that questioned the validity of the New England’s’ hurry-up offense. Despite Ayanbadejo’s apology on Monday, New England doesn’t want any part of this story. Ninkovich gives his thoughts on Ayanbadejo’s comments and the Pats’ rematch with the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game in the following interview.

Rob Ninkovich joined ESPN Chicago with The Carmen, Jurko & Harry Show to discuss his superb play in the postseason for the New England Patriots, Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo’s comments regarding the Pats having a “gimmick offense,” his definition of a “gimmick offense,” playing against Joe Flacco this Sunday and not being concerned with Ray Lewis’ retirement.

What is it about the postseason and your play rising in January? Would you agree?

“I mean, I definitely go out there every Sunday and give it my best effort every week, but in the playoffs it’s win or go home. You’re trying to do everything you can to make a play and keep your team to continue in the playoffs and it’s whatever it takes. If that’s extra film study, extra preparation for the guys you are going against, and I am happy to make that play for our team on Sunday. It helped us out and I am just happy I was able to do that. Every week I am trying to make big plays like that to help my team out.”

When a guy like Brendon Ayanbadejo comes out and says the Patriots have a “gimmick offense” and he’s tweeting to the world that the Ravens are ready, does that mean anything to you guys?

“You just kind of brush it off because those guys can say whatever they want and we are going to play a game next week, and this week is going to have to be a great week for us to prepare and get ourselves right for next weekend.”

Do you think what you guys do is a “gimmick offense?”

“Laughs I mean, no comment. I think the numbers speak for themselves.”

What do you think of Joe Flacco as a quarterback?

“I think he is a good quarterback. He can definitely make a lot of throws that you need to make at that position. He’s a big guy. He can stand in the pocket. I think the biggest thing on the defense is you gotta get pressure up on him and not let any quarterback get comfortable. That’s when they can get comfortable in the pocket. The key to affecting any quarterback is getting them off the spot and not letting him step into his throws.”

If you guys win on Sunday, that is Ray Lewis’ last game. Is Ray Lewis the best linebacker of all-time?

“I think he is up there. He has definitely played for a very long time at a very high level and you gotta respect a guy who is able to do that for such a long time, but again, over the next week you are not really thinking about Ray Lewis or anything that has to do with outside of just going in there and trying to win that game.”

Listen to Rob Ninkovich on 1000 ESPN Chicago here

Read the original interview, here

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Baltimore Receiver Torrey Smith: “We Never Doubted for a Second”

The Baltimore Ravens were huge underdogs this past weekend against the Denver Broncos. Not too many people outside of the state of Maryland gave the team a chance. Denver was coming off a bye and they were one of the hottest teams in the NFL, but it was the Ravens who advanced to the AFC Championship game against New England for the second year in a row.

It wasn’t easy, though, and when Baltimore was down seven points with under one minute to go, on their own 30, without no timeouts remaining and facing third down, it looked bleak. However, that’s when Joe Flacco made the biggest throw of his career to this point. “The Bomb” to Jacoby Jones sent the game into overtime and it sent the Broncos into a state of shock. Denver never recovered, and in the second overtime the Ravens won the game and earned a shot to avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss in the AFC title game.

Torrey Smith joined ESPN Radio with Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo to talk about whether the Ravens’ game plan was to attack Champ Bailey as much as the team did, what the feeling was like when they had the ball down seven late in the game, what he saw on the touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones at the end of the fourth quarter, what the atmosphere was like on the trip back to Baltimore, the feelings heading into New England after what happened to the team last year and what the win against Denver and Peyton Manning means to Joe Flacco.

Whether the Ravens’ game plan was to attack Champ Bailey as much as the team did:

“No, it wasn’t a part of the game plan at all. We just kind of called the plays and it was just progressing. We didn’t change anything because he is as talented as he is; we just attacked him and played our offense.”

What the feeling was like when they had the ball, down seven, with little time left:

“You guys might think we’re lying, but no one doubted for a second. We have been in some crazy situations and this team is very resilient; that’s just who we are as Ravens and it showed all year long. We never doubted for a second that we didn’t have a chance at winning and we weren’t going to win.”

What kind of view he had on the touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones:

“I had a great view of it. I was on the other side of the field and I saw the safety flat-footed and I knew there was a shot at it. He kind of misjudged the ball a little bit, it crept right over his hands, and Coby made a great catch, brought it in and I couldn’t wait to meet him in the end zone.”

What the reaction was like on the return from trip from Denver:

“It was crazy. Everyone was having fun still, everyone was checking their Twitters, seeing pictures from Baltimore, and it was just crazy seeing the reaction from all of our folks back home. It was fun. Everyone stayed awake the whole trip even though it was pretty late. It was a great time. Even Harbaugh jumped in the picture we always take on the way back. It was pretty fun.”

On the feelings heading into this weekend’s game against New England after what happened last year:

“That feeling of being that close — you’re so close and guys work so hard. Everyone works so hard to get to that point and it’s not a guarantee that we would ever be in this position again. There are guys who have been playing in this league for 10 or 12 years who have never been to the playoffs, so when you get to it you want to take advantage of it and to be here a second time. Obviously you want to win — everyone wants to win — but we’re going against a tough team in the same environment we were in last year and they have been here before. Their experience, they know how to win and we’re trying to get to their level.”

What the win over Denver means to Joe Flacco:

“I think that win means we are one step closer to the Super Bowl. It’s not about pleasing everyone else on the outside; it’s all about winning. I think Joe is one of those quarterbacks who is going to have to win a ring before people really give him respect because we’re not the offense that throws the ball a million times per game. If we throw the ball too much, people complain because Ray (Rice) is not touching the ball. Joe can’t win. It’s on us to go out there and help him look good and it’s a team thing. When our offensive line plays well and our receivers play well, then we make it easier for Joe and that is our job.”

Listen to Torrey Smith on ESPN Radio here

Read the original interview, here

Frank Gore Knew Colin Kaepernick was Special Pretty Quickly, Believes the Falcons Finally Got Over Their Playoff Hump

The San Francisco 49ers made a loud statement on Saturday night by blowing out the Green Bay Packers in the second half of a 45-31 victory. Colin Kaepernick had a coming-out party, running for 181 yards along with two rushing and two passing touchdowns.

Frank Gore had a day himself, with 119 yards rushing and a touchdown. The franchise’s rushing leader believes Kaepernick brings something special to the table and expects a tough game against Atlanta in the NFC Championship Game this Sunday.

Frank Gore joined The Dan Patrick Show to discuss going back to the NFC Championship Game for a second straight year, the 49ers’ run game being too much for the Packers, Colin Kaepernick being a special player, Alex Smith losing his starting position because of an injury, Kaepernick taking advantage of an opportunity, what he expects from the Atlanta Falcons and the Falcons stopping the run.

Congrats on the win over the Packers. How do you feel?

“I feel great. Going back to the NFC Championship Game and I feel good.”

What was the game plan against Green Bay? What did you take advantage of?

“Going into the week we knew we was going to play Green Bay, and our coaches and our offensive line and everybody on the offense knew we had to run the ball to win the game and that’s what we did.”

At what point did you realize that Colin Kaepernick was something different?

“When he first got here. We always knew when he got here that he was taking up the offense pretty fine, so he loves to compete and he just loves the game.”

In the case of Alex Smith, should you lose your job due to injury?

“Well, that was Coach Harbaugh’s decision. He made the decision to go with Colin Kaepernick. We had to roll with it. He makes the decisions for the team and that was his decision.”

Was Alex Smith’s injury a blessing in disguise for the team?

“I won’t say that, you know. I thought Alex did a great job also. It just went that way and Kaepernick got an opportunity and took advantage of it.”

What do you think about the Atlanta Falcons? What do you expect from them?

“They are a good team. They are a good team. They finally got over the hump. It’s going to be a close game. They’ve been successful and done a great job all year. They play well together and it’ll be a good game on Sunday.”

Do you expect the Falcons to stop the run?

“They did a great job Sunday with Marshawn Lynch. In a playoff game, everybody gets up. I know they’ll play extra hard and we’ll see.”

Listen to Frank Gore on The Dan Patrick Show here

Read the original interview, here

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Seattle Center Max Unger Can’t Stop Thinking About Seahawks’ “Horrible First Half of the Football Game”

The Seattle Seahawks nearly pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in NFL playoffs history. They trailed 20-0 and 27-7 in Atlanta Sunday, yet briefly led 28-27 before falling on a last-minute field goal that ended their season. The comeback was impressive, but to many, like Seahawks center Max Unger, the story is all about Seattle’s troubles in the first half, particularly in the red zone.

Max Unger joined KJR in Seattle with Dave “Softy” Mahler to discuss what cost the Seattle Seahawks the game in Atlanta, not being able to get a yard on third or fourth down late in the first half, not putting points up right before halftime, if the Seahawks should’ve whittled more clock down before scoring the late touchdown to take the lead, the mood on the sidelines after taking the lead and just how much the loss hurts.

What are the top one or two things that maybe cost you guys the game at Atlanta?:

“It really isn’t that many things, man, just our inability to score in the red zone in the first half. That’s the name of the game right there. If you don’t do that, you’re not going to win in the playoffs. That’s pretty much what it came down to for us.”

Did they do anything you weren’t expecting?:

“No, no, not at all. And that’s not really their style of defense, either. Their defense isn’t built as a big, crazy blitz machine or anything like that. It worked in the first half; they did their thing and it didn’t break.”

How big of a turning point was it when you guys couldn’t convert on third-and-1 or fourth-and-1 late in the first half?:

“It shouldn’t have ever even really coming down to that. We should’ve been better in there — should’ve converted that third down and fourth down and at least gotten points out of it. We weren’t able to do that, and we missed pretty bad right at the end of the half when time expired, too. If we could’ve just got any points out of either of those two situations, it would’ve been a different game.”

What happened on that last drive of the first half when Russell Wilson was sacked and you guys couldn’t get the snap off before time expired?:

“We just ran out of time. … That was a tough series. We’re trying to spike the ball. We just can’t give up a sack in that situation; that’s really what it comes down to. And that’s on all of us. And it’s just stuff like that. There is a bunch of small plays like that that had a pretty profound impact on the game.”

Some people are saying maybe you guys should’ve whittled the clock down at the end of the game before scoring to take the lead. Does that make any sense?:

“No. We’d come back from so far and we’re knocking on the door and we had to score a touchdown, obviously. To think that we’d burn time off the clock and almost take a touchdown for granted is a tough call to make. You never know. That’s a coin flip. … That’s the coaching staff’s department. We had a bunch of stuff going on. Just to be honest with you, I wasn’t looking at the clock too often. We’re just trying to go as quickly as possible and get in the end zone.”

What was the attitude on the sideline after you guys scored and you’re getting ready to kick it back to Atlanta in the final minute?:

“Everybody was obviously flying pretty high. You never know, I guess as we found out. It was a little bit in check, also. We knew it was a possibility — a good offense is on the field and they’ve got a little bit of time and some timeouts. But we were pretty fired up. We scored 28 points in a half, a couple really nice two-minute drives. This is something we’ve practiced … and finally executed one and got in the zone, but it didn’t work out.”

How much did it hurt to the guys in that locker room?:

“This is probably the worst. I can’t think of a loss that affected me this much. We were right there. Unfortunately, I just keep going back to our horrible first half of the football game. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Obviously the future’s bright — there’s stuff to look forward to — but this is a tough one.”

Listen to Max Unger on KJR in Seattle here

Read the original interview, here

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Tom Brady Doesn’t Seem Worried Despite the Loss of Rob Gronkowski

The New England Patriots cruised by the Houston Texans and into the AFC Championship Game, but the victory didn’t come without a price. Running back Danny Woodhead was hurt but hasn’t necessarily been ruled out for this weekend as this post was written, but more importantly the Pats lost stud tight end Rob Gronkowski for the rest of the postseason.

Still, quarterback Tom Brady has plenty of weapons around him. He’s expecting the toughest challenge to date when the Patriots square off with the Baltimore Ravens, but also says opposing teams have “got to stop all of us.”

Tom Brady joined WEEI in Boston with Dennis and Callahan to discuss losing a couple of key players in Sunday’s victory over Houston, Ravens’ Brendon Ayanbadejo ripping the Pats on Twitter, the success of the team’s hurry-up offense, an AFC Championship Game rematch with Baltimore and passing Joe Montana for most playoff victories by a quarterback.

On the Patriots winning despite injuries to Rob Gronkowski and Danny Woodhead:

“We’ve played a bunch of games now; we’ve never really been fully healthy yet — and obviously now won’t be — but you know what? We’ve still got a very good team. When there’s different guys that step up and make those big-time plays — whether it’s Wes Welker or Brandon Lloyd or Deion Branch or Shane Vereen or “Rid” Stevan Ridley or Woody. Aaron Hernandez had another big game — they’ve got to stop all of us. And I think that’s what we have to continue to do this week.”

On Baltimore’s Brendon Ayanbadejo calling out the Patriots’ no-huddle offense on Twitter:

“We’ve had a lot of people comment about our team and our players this year. I think the best thing that we do is we ignore the noise, we go out and we try to prepare. Nothing, really, that anybody says or does is going to affect what’s going to happen next Sunday. I think it’s best for us just to focus on what we can do, and that’s prepare and work and do what we’ve done all season. People want to say things or write things — they have the liberty to do that — but it doesn’t really have any bearing on what we do.”

On the success of the hurry-up:

“I think they’re both important — I think the pace, the play and the execution, certainly. Like I’ve said before, it does no good to go fast and not do your job. It starts with us executing well, being able to do our job effectively. I think as long as we can stay on the field and make a few first downs, then we’ve got a great tempo and momentum to the drive. And it’s hard to stop us at that point. We’ve just got to get into the drive, and once we’re into the drive, we feel like we’re going to put points on the board.”

On facing Baltimore again in a rematch of last year’s AFC title game:

“They’re playing their best football right now. … I did see a few of those Torrey Smith catches, and those were incredible. He had a great game against us in Week 3, and he had a great game on Saturday. They’ve got a very good offense, very good defense, they’ve got some Pro Bowl special teams guys. They’ve got a great team and they’re very well-coached. That’s why they’re in the same position that they were last year. I feel the same way about us. We’ve got, I feel, the best coaching, we’ve got a lot of mentally tough players and physically tough players that are going to be facing our toughest challenge of the year. And I know we’ll be ready for it when the ball’s kicked off next week.”

On passing Joe Montana, his boyhood idol, for most playoff victories with the win over Houston:

“To grow up as a kid in the Bay Area with the 49ers winning all those games is probably a lot like the kids in New England growing up now. I think that’s really where my love for football started. My parents loved football and loved taking me to the games. There was nothing more fun for me than to go to Candlestick Park. Our seats were about on the 10-yard line, about eight rows from the top of the stadium. There was just so much excitement every week because the team won. Those two quarterbacks really set the bar for how the position is to be played. I’ve always admired both Montana and Steve Young. I have a good relationship with those guys.”

Listen to Tom Brady on WEEI in Boston here

Read the original interview, here

Falcons Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon Shrugs Off Idea of Playoff Pressure

When you taste some success over a matter of years in the NFL, but struggle in the postseason, the pressure when you get there becomes stronger and stronger — at least from the outside looking in. Such is the case for the NFC’s top seed this year, the Atlanta Falcons. They’re looking to shake off their lack of playoff success in recent years this Sunday when they host the Seattle Seahawks, though linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is looking at the game as more of an opportunity than as a pressure situation.

Sean Weatherspoon joined 790 The Zone in Atlanta with Archer and Bell to discuss slowing down the Seattle Seahawks, squaring off with Russell Wilson, having the week off last week, the difference in preparation for this game and why he isn’t necessarily feeling the outside pressure being placed on the Falcons.

What is the main point of emphasis when trying to stop Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle Seahawks?:

“I think it starts with stopping the run, securing your gaps and make sure you tackle and tackle well. Marshawn, he’s broke a lot of tackles this season, the quarterback is elusive, so the key will be just wrapping guys up and getting them down to the ground. That’ll help us … to get in those third-and-longer situations where we feel like we can be more effective.”

You knocked RG3 out of the game against Washington. Do you blitz a guy like Wilson or play assignment football?:

“I think you have to mix it up. You want to show him a lot of different looks and you obviously want to come at him when you can. I think when we can get into those situations when it’s third and a little bit longer, where we can pull out some of the cool Mike Nolan blitz packages, I think that’s something that we can do a little bit more if we stop the run early.”

How big was the week off?:

“Man, I think that was very big. I think that’s awesome. We got a chance to kind of work on ourselves. We didn’t know who we were playing, so we had a chance to just go out there and work on the fundamentals, work on the cornerstone of everything that we do. … I think that was something we can definitely use to our advantage, because we got a chance to get off of our feet a little bit, but at the same time, get something done.”

What’s the biggest difference to you in how you guys are preparing in what is now a third year in a row in the playoffs?:

“Last time we were in this situation, where we had the bye, we maybe had two practices. I didn’t take it as seriously. … I didn’t understand why we were practicing. But this year I think everybody gets it. … Now that we have our opponent and this game coming up, it’s all about just going out there and being a physical football team.”

How do you and your teammates handle the outside pressure being put on you based on previous lack of success in the postseason?:

“I won’t look at it as pressure; I look at it as motivation. You get what you earn in this league, and we put ourselves in the position that we wanted to put ourselves in. For everyone to be not really talking about us and saying we’re the team that could potentially drop one — because we haven’t won in the playoffs — that’s something that you’ve got to use as fuel to your fire in order to get over that hump. I don’t look at it as pressure; I just look at it as a great opportunity.”

Listen to Sean Weatherspoon on 790 The Zone in Atlanta here

Read the original interview, here

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Knowshon Moreno Says He Is No Longer Trying to Go Too Fast and It Has Been the Key to His Success

Knowshon Moreno was a first round pick in 2009 that was on the verge of becoming a bust. Not only did Moreno look lost on the field at times early in his career but he also had a problem staying healthy. In the first two games this season Moreno gained just 15 yards on eight carries before being moved to the inactive list for the next eight straight games. It was that point where Moreno finally got his big break that might’ve saved his spot on the Broncos roster. A season ending injury to Willis McGahee gave Moreno the opportunity to become Denver’s bell-cow and while he hasn’t been spectacular, Moreno’s been reliable, durable and his effectiveness has given Peyton Manning and the Broncos the running game needed to make Denver one of the most potent offenses in the NFL heading into their playoff game this weekend against Baltimore.

Knowshon Moreno joined 102.3 the Ticket in Denver with Les and Nalen to talk about whether he thinks the impact Ray Lewis had on the Ravens defense last week will carry over, whether he was healthy at the beginning of the season, on the amount of carries he received in his first game back from injury, how much it helped him playing the role of Jamaal Charles, Darren McFadden and other running backs on scout team and how much better he feels now than the beginning of the season.

Whether he thinks the impact Ray Lewis had on the Ravens defense last week will carry over:

“Of course. He brings that spark to their defense. He is a competitor and he’s a great player but at the same you still have to execute. Whoever goes out there and executes the gameplan and makes those plays that they need to do to hopefully come out with a win. I guess that spark that he brings or whatever can only last so long and then it comes back down to football.”

 If he was healthy at the beginning of the season:

“I was pretty healthy. I felt pretty good out there. I wasn’t 100 percent and I’m not 100 percent now but I felt pretty good. At the same time getting those weeks off and not getting my body banged up so much was definitely a help.”

On the amount of carries he received in his first game back from injury:

“As a running back we’re ready to carry it as many times as we need to. If you’re number is called then that’s what you need to do, you need to carry the rock. I haven’t carried it that many times since college but we’re always ready and that’s what we’re prepared for.”

How much playing on the scout team helped him:

“It helped me running scout team because we’re running against our defense. Just going against them and reading it out that helped. I think the time I had just growing, being in the league for a bit and being able to just slow down and use my eyes a little more and let things develop and then hit it as fast as I can was the main thing.”

How much better he feels about his game right now compared to the beginning of the season:

“I feel better like I said earlier using my eyes and being more patient. The last couple of years I was trying to do too much and trying to run too fast and this and that and not let things develop. I feel different the way I’m using my eyes and letting things develop more.”

On his excitement for this weekend’s playoff game:

“I’m jacked. Never played in the playoffs before so I’m definitely going to be amped up. It’s going to be fun, we’re going against a good team and that’s what we want to do, go against good teams and execute and come out with a win.”

Listen to Knowshon Moreno on 102.3 the Ticket in Denver here

Read the original interview, here

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