Head Coach Mike Martz
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
(Opening comments)
“Well, we knew going into this game it would be a slug fest for us. A typical Tampa-St. Louis game that goes right down to the finish. Offensively, as you watched (Tampa Bay quarterback) Brian Griese, I thought was terrific, and I think they are really coming together offensively. Jon (Gruden) has done a good job, and of course, defensively, they are the Buccaneers. What more do you have say. So to come out of there with a win like that is obviously terrific. And we haven’t beat Tampa in a long time, so we are very pleased. I can’t say enough about our defense. They had their backs against the wall throughout the game and responded. We got three turnovers inside the red zone, then coming out they created a turnover for us to set up the score. It just doesn’t get any better. It was a great job defensively. We had the one long pass, and a run for about 20 or 25 yards, but other than that, I think we held them to 2.2 yards per rush. I was very pleased with our defense, and the progress of our defense. We had the big sack at the end of the game, and then on the very next play was a throw into the end zone for an interception. Offensively, when we had to go down and get points at the end and we did. A nice drive, with a throw to Torry (Holt). Then we had to hold onto the ball and we were able to take it down to the 25, but we weren’t able to make the field goal. Special teams, we have some issues on kickoff coverage, and it needs to be addressed. Some of it is personnel. We will make the changes and adjustments that we need to make and get that fixed. I couldn’t be more happy with P Sean Landeta. He’s the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He averaged over 50 yards a punt, and two of them insid the 20 yard line. He kicked one out there about 61 yards that was called back, so what does he do? He follows it up with a 63 yarder. Sean was just terrific. I think this is the sixth time in his career he has won this honor. All in all, it was a good win, we’re excited about it. I was concerned about the focus of this football team, but again, they continue to get better and show the resolve a good team needs to have.”
(On the turnovers)
“We just keep working at (getting turnovers). It’s something we work at everyday at practice. I think you could see S Aeneas Williams on the last one just reach in and rip the ball out. We are not doing anything differently.”
(On S Adam Archuleta and Cornerback Jerametrius Butler
“This was the first time, this year, that I talked to him before the game, and he felt good. His back is much better, and he said it was the best it felt all year. And he played like it. He looked terrific in the game. Jerametrius was outstanding this game. Just superb. He had eight tackles, four assists, that’s 12 tackles. An interception, three passes broken up, and of course he had a fumble recovery, so he had a terrific night.”
(On QB Marc Bulger)
“He’s throwing the deep ball like he did in the past. For a while there, he didn’t throw it as well. I think he’s very confident. He started out that way, but got to the point where he was a little tentative with the deep ball. He would get a guy running down the field and he didn’t want to miss him. Right now he has a better feel for the speed and when to get rid of the ball.”
(On RB Marshall Faulk and RB Steven Jackson splitting time in the backfield)
“I don’t have anything to do with who’s in the game. (Running backs coach) Wilbert (Montgomery) mixes them in there, we try to keep them both fresh. Most of the time I have no idea who is at halfback, I can’t think of that, I don’t worry about that anymore. I used to have to worry about it, and think about it. I have absolute confidence that he (Steven Jackson) can function at the same level, in terms of knowing what to do, as Marshall. In our system, to do what we do as a rookie speaks volumes for Steven and the job he’s done. With not having mini camp and the OTA’s that he missed out on, he’s come in and has been professional and mature about learning this stuff. He’s studied it, been a student, listened to Marshall and Wilbert, and prepared himself significantly. This is the first time that I have felt like we could be in a situation where you’re not worried who’s in there if Marshall’s not in there.”
(On his thoughts on George Allen and being tied with him for third most wins)
“I don’t have any other than as a spectator, as many of us were. I know that he was a legend and a great football coach. To be mentioned in the same name with George Allen would be disrespectful to George. He’s one of the all-time greats. In terms of the 49 wins, we have a great organization that has given us terrific personnel both as coaches and players. It has been a thrill, and is a thrill, and will continue to be a thrill. I hope for many years to be a part of that.”
(On Marshall Faulk’s 100th rushing touchdown)
“That is so special to achieve that. Obviously that is something that we are going to embrace.”
(On resting the players after a Monday night game)
“We have a little system that we got into after Monday nights that has worked well for us. Talking to our trainers over the last few years, after these Monday night games, as coaches you want to get right back to work on Wednesdays, and go Wednesday, Thursday, Friday practice, and get back into the routine, but physically they’re not ready to do that. So what we’ve done is made Saturday morning a quarter or third of a Friday practice, it will be more of a glorified walk through. Then we will get on the plane, look at the tape at the hotel, and play the next day. That gives them two days to fully recover physically. Particularly, from mid season on, their bodies need that, they need that. It’s worked well for us, and they come back a lot fresher. Your slighted a little bit in preparation, but they’re focused and energized with it. When we didn’t do that, Wednesday was a struggle, and we struggled through that next week because they are fatigued pretty good and they’re still trying to get over from that game. You ask anybody in the league, it’s Friday until they start feeling decent. So you have to give them some time.”
(On if Monday night games affect the game planning for the next game)
“It does, but having these two days allows us to catch up and get into the regular routine. We still have the same preparation time that we normally would have. If you had practice on Wednesday it would cut you a day short and your staff would have to work on the next week on Monday, and that’s always hard to do for anybody.”
(On K Jeff Wilkins)
“He did sprain his ankle, and I was very concerned about it. In fact, on that kickoff that went out of bounds, it was a result of that. Actually, the more he kicked, the better he felt with it. That’s why before we attempted the field goal at the end, I asked him how he was. He was kicking the ball off very well, so I felt like he would kick it well enough. Obviously if he’s concerned, I’m concerned, but I felt like it was worth a shot at that point. It just didn’t work.”
(On Wilkins making special team tackles)
“I was teasing him telling him that he was going to have to start playing for us in the secondary. He’s a rocket, he took off. I didn’t realize he was that fast, and he had a sprained ankle. He took off and nailed him on the sideline, both of them. He really showed his athleticism and his speed. We’ve always said that he’s not just a kicker, he’s a football player, and he really is. A lot of times there is a difference, but not in this situation.”
(On DE Leonard Little)
“He had a lot of pressures. I don’t have the numbers on him, but I know he had a lot of pressures. He chased him out of the pocket, and forced a lot of throw aways.”
(On the defense line)
“They played well. Tony Hargrove played 29 plays, he had two tackles, he had a tackle for a loss, he had a pressure, and a quarterback hit, in just 29 plays. For a rookie, that’s a good evening.”
(On the run defense)
“I’m very pleased. Going into this game, that concerned us the most, was the hold up against the run and we’ve gotten better and better each week. The different things that we are doing defensively, our players are becoming much more familiar with now. Anytime something is different it is hard, but I think they are getting comfortable with it.”
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
(Opening comments)
“Well, we knew going into this game it would be a slug fest for us. A typical Tampa-St. Louis game that goes right down to the finish. Offensively, as you watched (Tampa Bay quarterback) Brian Griese, I thought was terrific, and I think they are really coming together offensively. Jon (Gruden) has done a good job, and of course, defensively, they are the Buccaneers. What more do you have say. So to come out of there with a win like that is obviously terrific. And we haven’t beat Tampa in a long time, so we are very pleased. I can’t say enough about our defense. They had their backs against the wall throughout the game and responded. We got three turnovers inside the red zone, then coming out they created a turnover for us to set up the score. It just doesn’t get any better. It was a great job defensively. We had the one long pass, and a run for about 20 or 25 yards, but other than that, I think we held them to 2.2 yards per rush. I was very pleased with our defense, and the progress of our defense. We had the big sack at the end of the game, and then on the very next play was a throw into the end zone for an interception. Offensively, when we had to go down and get points at the end and we did. A nice drive, with a throw to Torry (Holt). Then we had to hold onto the ball and we were able to take it down to the 25, but we weren’t able to make the field goal. Special teams, we have some issues on kickoff coverage, and it needs to be addressed. Some of it is personnel. We will make the changes and adjustments that we need to make and get that fixed. I couldn’t be more happy with P Sean Landeta. He’s the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He averaged over 50 yards a punt, and two of them insid the 20 yard line. He kicked one out there about 61 yards that was called back, so what does he do? He follows it up with a 63 yarder. Sean was just terrific. I think this is the sixth time in his career he has won this honor. All in all, it was a good win, we’re excited about it. I was concerned about the focus of this football team, but again, they continue to get better and show the resolve a good team needs to have.”
(On the turnovers)
“We just keep working at (getting turnovers). It’s something we work at everyday at practice. I think you could see S Aeneas Williams on the last one just reach in and rip the ball out. We are not doing anything differently.”
(On S Adam Archuleta and Cornerback Jerametrius Butler
“This was the first time, this year, that I talked to him before the game, and he felt good. His back is much better, and he said it was the best it felt all year. And he played like it. He looked terrific in the game. Jerametrius was outstanding this game. Just superb. He had eight tackles, four assists, that’s 12 tackles. An interception, three passes broken up, and of course he had a fumble recovery, so he had a terrific night.”
(On QB Marc Bulger)
“He’s throwing the deep ball like he did in the past. For a while there, he didn’t throw it as well. I think he’s very confident. He started out that way, but got to the point where he was a little tentative with the deep ball. He would get a guy running down the field and he didn’t want to miss him. Right now he has a better feel for the speed and when to get rid of the ball.”
(On RB Marshall Faulk and RB Steven Jackson splitting time in the backfield)
“I don’t have anything to do with who’s in the game. (Running backs coach) Wilbert (Montgomery) mixes them in there, we try to keep them both fresh. Most of the time I have no idea who is at halfback, I can’t think of that, I don’t worry about that anymore. I used to have to worry about it, and think about it. I have absolute confidence that he (Steven Jackson) can function at the same level, in terms of knowing what to do, as Marshall. In our system, to do what we do as a rookie speaks volumes for Steven and the job he’s done. With not having mini camp and the OTA’s that he missed out on, he’s come in and has been professional and mature about learning this stuff. He’s studied it, been a student, listened to Marshall and Wilbert, and prepared himself significantly. This is the first time that I have felt like we could be in a situation where you’re not worried who’s in there if Marshall’s not in there.”
(On his thoughts on George Allen and being tied with him for third most wins)
“I don’t have any other than as a spectator, as many of us were. I know that he was a legend and a great football coach. To be mentioned in the same name with George Allen would be disrespectful to George. He’s one of the all-time greats. In terms of the 49 wins, we have a great organization that has given us terrific personnel both as coaches and players. It has been a thrill, and is a thrill, and will continue to be a thrill. I hope for many years to be a part of that.”
(On Marshall Faulk’s 100th rushing touchdown)
“That is so special to achieve that. Obviously that is something that we are going to embrace.”
(On resting the players after a Monday night game)
“We have a little system that we got into after Monday nights that has worked well for us. Talking to our trainers over the last few years, after these Monday night games, as coaches you want to get right back to work on Wednesdays, and go Wednesday, Thursday, Friday practice, and get back into the routine, but physically they’re not ready to do that. So what we’ve done is made Saturday morning a quarter or third of a Friday practice, it will be more of a glorified walk through. Then we will get on the plane, look at the tape at the hotel, and play the next day. That gives them two days to fully recover physically. Particularly, from mid season on, their bodies need that, they need that. It’s worked well for us, and they come back a lot fresher. Your slighted a little bit in preparation, but they’re focused and energized with it. When we didn’t do that, Wednesday was a struggle, and we struggled through that next week because they are fatigued pretty good and they’re still trying to get over from that game. You ask anybody in the league, it’s Friday until they start feeling decent. So you have to give them some time.”
(On if Monday night games affect the game planning for the next game)
“It does, but having these two days allows us to catch up and get into the regular routine. We still have the same preparation time that we normally would have. If you had practice on Wednesday it would cut you a day short and your staff would have to work on the next week on Monday, and that’s always hard to do for anybody.”
(On K Jeff Wilkins)
“He did sprain his ankle, and I was very concerned about it. In fact, on that kickoff that went out of bounds, it was a result of that. Actually, the more he kicked, the better he felt with it. That’s why before we attempted the field goal at the end, I asked him how he was. He was kicking the ball off very well, so I felt like he would kick it well enough. Obviously if he’s concerned, I’m concerned, but I felt like it was worth a shot at that point. It just didn’t work.”
(On Wilkins making special team tackles)
“I was teasing him telling him that he was going to have to start playing for us in the secondary. He’s a rocket, he took off. I didn’t realize he was that fast, and he had a sprained ankle. He took off and nailed him on the sideline, both of them. He really showed his athleticism and his speed. We’ve always said that he’s not just a kicker, he’s a football player, and he really is. A lot of times there is a difference, but not in this situation.”
(On DE Leonard Little)
“He had a lot of pressures. I don’t have the numbers on him, but I know he had a lot of pressures. He chased him out of the pocket, and forced a lot of throw aways.”
(On the defense line)
“They played well. Tony Hargrove played 29 plays, he had two tackles, he had a tackle for a loss, he had a pressure, and a quarterback hit, in just 29 plays. For a rookie, that’s a good evening.”
(On the run defense)
“I’m very pleased. Going into this game, that concerned us the most, was the hold up against the run and we’ve gotten better and better each week. The different things that we are doing defensively, our players are becoming much more familiar with now. Anytime something is different it is hard, but I think they are getting comfortable with it.”