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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

ArenaBowl XIX quotes

June 10, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


Colorado Head Coach Mike Dailey
On Jackson - Harrell Receiving Match-up:
"Don't put too much emphasis on just those two guys. The receiving corps as a whole, not just Chris Jackson and Damian Harrell, on both teams will be a factor in the game. Now Chris and Damian are outstanding players, but there are a bunch of other guys on both sides that can come up with the big plays."

On the ArenaBowl XIX Quarterbacks:
"This is a quarterback league. You can't really go away from what your quarterback does best for you. The quarterback position is paramount when you are talking about Arena Football and I don't think you can change what you have been doing all year long just because your are in the championship game. There may be some advantage with us having John (Dutton). He's been in an ArenaBowl and he's won an ArenaBowl."

On his Kicking Game:
"Clay's an excellent kicker and has the big leg. I think that probably changed the way we approached things this year. Maybe we were content with kicking the three a little bit more often this season then I would have been in other years."

On Shutting down Georgia's Offense:
"Everyone is naturally going to say that getting a good pass rush is the key to stopping Georgia and that's so important. But I think you have to be sound in the defensive backfield. They have big receivers and when they are coming at you in high motion, you might lean just a little the wrong way and they'll cross in front of your face for an easy touchdown. At defensive back, you have to be sound, take the right angles and be smart."

On Getting Defensive Stops:
"Every game has it's own personality and flow. One or two stops could make the difference."

On Going against Georgia QB Matt Nagy:
"His ability to roll out and throw on the run gives Georgia an extra dimension to their office and certainly will be a cause of concern. He's a guy who played in a Wing T offense in college. He's an above average athlete for the quarterback position and can get out of trouble. He's not necessarily a threat to pull the ball down and run, but he's very good at keeping himself alive and buying time to make a throw."

On Preparations For ArenaBowl XIX:
"We tried to keep everything the same as much as possible. Obviously, certain things change because we had to come out here four days before the game, as opposed to the day before. But we tried to keep our practices the same as much as possible."

On Playing Georgia:
"They have some terrific receivers, they play sound defense and they make big plays on special teams. They had the top record in the league and were the number one seed from their conference. This is going to be a great challenge for our ball club."

On Playing on a Neutral Site:
"I think it's a good thing. Our league and growing and evolving and this is a natural progression for things. It has been something that was ultimately going to happen anyways. It's been fun and very professionally run."

Colorado Offensive Specialist Damian Harrell
On Playing in the ArenaBowl:
I'm extremely excited. I have been in this league seven years and finally I have a shot to play for a championship. I definitely am ready for it. It beats the days with the New England SeaWolves (laughing)."

On Being Named Offensive Player of the Year:
"I'm not worried about individual awards. I more concerned about playing well and helping this team win. It was a great accomplishment and something I may look back at and enjoy, but right now it is about the ring."

On Georgia's Defensive Backs:
"They are bigger than average and rugged, but it's not a major concern. They have playmakers on both sides of the ball and we do too. The game has to be played and we'll see Sunday."

On facing Georgia for the First Time this Season:
"I think it's good that we didn't play them. You know overconfidence or self-doubt won't be a part of the equation that it might have been if we had played them earlier and beat them or played and lost. It probably helps both of us that we haven't played each other."

On the talent level in the Arena Football League:
"Night and day from the time I came into this league in 1999. It's come a long way.








Georgia WR/LB Andy McCullough
On Playing for Coach Dailey:
"It's been such a pleasure. He has a passion for this game and a passion for his players. He wants us to be the best we can be and he cares so much about all of us. Last week in a team meeting, he told the guys on the practice squad that we would not be where we are without their efforts. He's so emotional, yet he's so passionate. He wants the best for all of us, so how are you not going to want to play for a guy like that. You don't find too many coaches that you truly believe care about you like Coach Dailey cares about us."

On Georgia's Defense:
"They are physical. We have a game plan for that. I think they tend to be a little too aggressive and we're going to try to take the ball down field on them. I don't think you'll see a lot of dink and dunk passes from us."

On Playing for Colorado:
"On my first go-round with free agency, it was a business decision. I don't think it ended up being in my best interest. I had heard so many good things about Coach Dailey, that when he said he wanted to sign me but didn't think they could afford me, I told him I would play for wooden nickels. I wanted to make sure that I selected a winning organization and this one felt right for me."

On Last Week's Playoff Game:
"Even when they intercepted the ball in overtime, there was no panic on our side of the ball. Coach Dailey has always broken games down in sections. It's like we just take games one play at a time and one quarter at a time."

On Playing in the ArenaBowl and Playoff Experience:
"This is the biggest game of the year and we're certainly not looking at this like it is just another game. But we're not going to change our mental approach to it either. We're going to try to execute our offense and defense the way we know we can. Although this is our first trip to the ArenaBowl, we have guys with ArenaBowl experience. Coach Dailey won a championship with the Albany Firebirds, John Dutton won one with San Jose. We have some players with championship experience in college and other pro leagues. Having those guys around has been a great asset in teaching the younger players how to deal with the pressure of a championship situation."

Colorado Crush DS Rashad Floyd
On ArenaBowl XIX:
"It's going to be a great battle."







On Colorado's Game Plan:
"We are going to try to start the game off fast. Our offense wants to score and our defense wants stops. We have to do a good job of putting pressure on Nagy and limiting the big plays."

"We have to make them work for it, make them drive down the field in nine or ten plays to get down there. Once they get down there we are going to be physical and try and beat them up at the goal line and make it tough for them to score."

On Stopping Georgia's Receivers:
"We are going to try to disguise our pass coverages. I'm the safety so I will be covering most of the motion. When Chris Jackson goes backside we will try and do something with him."

"We are just going to do our best. Every offense in this league has a great receiving corps so we have our work cut out for us every week."

"Defense is definitely going to be the difference maker in this game, and whoever gets the most stops and creates the most turnovers I think is going to have a better chance to win."

On the Recent Play of Team's Defense:
"We just picked it up. We got that fire and hunger inside of us and said look ‘it's gonna be on us.'"

"Last week we started off with three stops right away in the first quarter against Chicago and I think that was huge for us, we set the tone and let them know that look, our defense is going to hit you in the mouth, and I think there defense is going to do the same thing."


Colorado Crush K Clay Rush
On Kicking Game:
"There are a lot of variables. In Colorado you have the advantage of putting the ball over the net. Here the nets are pretty tight and I'm going to try and put it over and if not then hopefully I'll be able to put the ball in the slack net because they have some dangerous kick returners."

On Varying Kickoffs:
"You try to give your team an advantage because if you just make it easy for the return team it makes it harder for your coverage guys."

Colorado QB John Dutton:
On the Difference Between ArenaBowl XIX and XVI
"It's a lot different in that I've been the starter here for three years. This is my team. The one before was more just so many ups and downs where I didn't play too much that whole year then I filled in towards the end. This one is more because I started here with the franchise. I was the first guy. There were some bad times the first year then obviously some success last year and then this year. I think this one is so much sweeter just because this is my team and I've been the starter all three years."
On Neutral site ArenaBowl XIX:
"It's really exciting, especially being here in Vegas for the first neutral site ArenaBowl. It's been a fun experience for us so far. We're looking forward to a couple of fun days ahead of us and then on Sunday, the main reason we're here, to play a football game."

On the Georgia Force:
"They are not here by scooting in, they are a tough football team. They're just a great all-around football team. I don't see any weaknesses from them. Obviously they have a great offense. Matt Nagy's been playing great all year stepping in for Jim Kubiak, and their defense is real physical. Their secondary is big and physical. They'll probably be the most physical team we'll face and have the biggest DB's that we've faced. They are all 6'1" and above."

On playing in a second ArenaBowl:
"You know, now that it's at the neutral site, it feels a lot more like a championship game. My experience in 2002 with San Jose, we had a home game, so it didn't really feel a lot different except for the awards show. The way the league has grown, this is perfect for it. We're excited to be a part of the first ArenaBowl in Vegas. We hope that after Sunday we have good memories from it, but we're just excited to be here."

On a possible experience edge:
"It's hard to say because this environment is new. Once you get to the game, there will be a lot of stuff going on in pre-game, but I think we have some guys to have been to big games and we try to treat it as much as you can like a normal game. I think when you get to this thing its just a matter of playing the way you played all year. It's still just a football game."

On Having John Elway Looking over his Shoulder:
"Obviously having arguably the best quarterback of all time, a guy who has had so much success with two Super Bowls, the pressure is there because he played at such a high level. The great thing is he is there for me for support. He has supported me for three years and it's always an open-door policy with him."

On if he (Elway) Coaches Him at all on his Mechanics:
"You know, he really lets his coaches coach. He's not going to overstep the coaches. He understands that this is the Arena Football League and the coaches know what they're doing, having so much more experience than him."

On how the Crush finished off the season after slumping:
"You know, we still haven't figured that one out. It's just one of those things where, fortunately, a lot of teams went into slumps towards the end of the year and helped us out. With San Jose and Chicago losing some tough games at the end of their schedule, we got some help from a lot of teams. We really just went back to basics and started working harder. We had some intense practices, and it's carried over into this week even. We've learned that you just can't go through the motions and expect to win. That's what happened in those three games that we lost, I think we were taking it for granted. We just came out, coach was straight with us, and we got the intensity back."


Georgia Coach Doug Plank
On Defense and Playoff Experience:
"I think the team that plays the best defense -- and I am not trying to over simplify this -- is going to be the ones that win this game. I have had the benefit of coaching in the last three ArenaBowls and unfortunately we lost all three of those games, but ultimately it has been the defense and not the offense that made the difference in those games. We placed a lot of emphasis this week on defense. It's not to say that we haven't paid attention to offense, but this league is about making stops. Whether it's forcing a field goal attempt, making them go out on downs or creating a turnover. That's what's important. I think there's one dramatic stat when it comes to advancing in the playoffs. The team that does the best job of taking care of the ball is the team that advances."

On How May Defensive Stops are Needed to Win:
"The nature of the game will always dictate that. Sometimes you might need six or seven stops to win and sometimes one or two will do it. There were times in the last three years with Arizona, where we did not get any defensive stops, but we had the ball at the end of the game that's what we needed to win. There is not magic number to the how many stops you have to have to win. The important thing is to take advantage of the ones you do get."

On Colorado Focusing on Harrell As Main Offensive Weapon:
"Colorado has a great weapon in Harrell and will throw to him a lot, but you can't just focus on him. They did a great job this year, particularly in the big games, of throwing to him until their opponent started pressing him and mixing coverage on him, then they would go away from him. They are very good at moving their receivers around and creating match-up problems for defenses. This is a team game but it is also all about match-ups."

On Playing in the Southern Division:
"I don't think there's any question that playing in the Southern Division prepared us for the playoffs. We had to play Orlando and Tampa twice in the regular season and then faced them back-to-back in the playoffs. I don't think we could have picked two more difficult, challenging teams then those. I think those two playoff games and the second half of the San Jose game in the regular season finale have put us in a very good mindset for this game. I obviously think Colorado is a very talented team that will present a lot of challenges to us, but playing in the Southern Division is just a different feeling. Win or lose, you don't feel good after the game. It is a smash-mouth division."

On Facing Colorado, a Team They Did Not Meet in the Regular Season:
"Doesn't matter. We played them a lot when I was with Arizona and I can go down their roster without a scouting report and tell you about every player and what they like to do and what they do not like to do. You coach in this league long enough, you know every player."






On Preparations for Colorado:
"We tried to do everything the same as much as possible. In the last three ArenaBowls with Arizona, I think the biggest mistake we made was changing our routine. They were not major changes, but I think they had an adverse effect on us. Jim Mora Jr., the coach of the Falcons, gave me one piece of advice this week and that was stay as close to your normal preparations as possible and not to deviate, because little things can lead to a big thing."

On Consistency and Luck:
"We have been consistent all year, but I am not going to tell you we haven't had luck too. Look at last week's game with Orlando, that game could have gone either way. So many games this year were decided on the last play. The thing I feel best about is that we were never blown out this year. We never played in a game that we were overwhelmed. Not that you are happy with a loss ever, but every game we were in was close and I think that's a reflection on the character of this team. It's not how you start but how you finish."

On Playing in Thomas and Mack
"Anytime when you can come to an Arena where you have played before and won is a plus. I think we are a defensive minded team and we are very good in arenas with rounded off end zones. When teams get inside the 10, we can use those smaller end zones to our advantage and try to force everything inside."

WR/LB DEREK LEE
On Southern Conference Games:
"We played in the toughest division with Orlando, Tampa Bay and New Orleans. It seemed like every game we played in the division felt like a playoff game. It definitely prepared us for the playoffs."

On getting Chris Jackson at midseason
"Picking up Chris Jackson was definitely a great thing for our team. There was no jealousy or worrying about who caught the most balls. We just let the game take its course. Troy would have a big game and our next opponent would try to shut him. That gave Chris and I more opportunities. We didn't worry about who had the big game on any given day. You could not concentrate on stopping one of our guys because the other two will get you."

On his Team's Mindset for ArenaBowl XIX:
"Colorado is a good team, but we feel we've already played a lot of the best teams in the league. Our feeling is that is we come out and do the things we're capable of, things will work out for us."

DS KEVIN GAINES
On Facing Damian Harrell
"We'll take turns on him and give him some different looks. They have other weapons too. I think we may try to be aggressive with him early, catch him in high motion and try to disrupt his patterns, but we know that stopping him is not the total key to victory."


OS TROY BERGERON
On being Rookie of the Year and Making ArenaBowl in his First Season:
"I was very fortunate to sign with a great team. We're doing great things right now and it's been a blast all season. The award was nice, but I am not focusing on that or anything other than the task at hand. We're going to take this like a normal game in terms of preparation, but we know what's at stake."

On Obtaining Chris Jackson
"Chris Jackson is a great player and he really helped us out this season. Derek and I were off to great starts, but we were rookies. Chris came in and helped us become better players. You can place a value on that type of leadership."

GEORGIA WR/LB CHRIS JACKSON

On Joining the Force Mid-Season:
"It was a blessing. The main thing I wanted to do was make sure that I didn't mess up the chemistry. I think once we realized that the goal was not so much an individual one, but a team goal, and we focused, we are all doing very well right now."

On the Key to Sunday's Game Offensively:
"We need to make sure we protect the ball. I don't think that there will be much of a problem getting into the red-zone. Colorado really likes to focus once someone gets into the red-zone against them. If we can be efficient in the red-zone and protect the football, I think we put ourselves in a great position."

On if this is the Biggest Game of his Career:
"Definitely this is the biggest game, but at the same time, I am not taking it differently than I would any other game. The other 16 regular season games that we played, we prepared very hard for, so we just need to keep doing what we've been doing."

GEORGIA QB MATT NAGY
On Experiencing his First ArenaBowl:
"It's great being out here, getting to meet all of the players at the banquets and its here now, so we just have to stay focused and be ready for the game."

On Colorado's Defense:
"They're a physical team and have some good match-ups, but there is so much parity in the league a lot of teams are very similar. I think with the division we play in, the Southern Division, we play against some pretty good defenses. So I guess you could say those games trained us for this one. If we just play our game and not worry too much about what their defense is going to do, hopefully we'll come out alright."




On Playing on the Road after being Undefeated at Home:
"It's would be great to play the game at our place, being we were 10-0 at home, but I think it's great what the AFL is doing. We played here earlier in the season and got the victory. It's nice to have the home fans on your side, but we'll have our share of fans at the game."

On his Expectations for the Game:
"There's going to be lots of scoring. Hopefully there are no nerves to start off the game, but at the same time we want to just focus playing our game. We don't want to worry too much about how our offense matches their defense, or how Colorado is playing us offensively. We just need to go out and do what we've done all year long. If we do that, we'll be okay."

When Asked for a Prediction:
"Nope. No Joe Namath here. I love our chances. I think we're prepared and ready to go and we have a lot of respect for Colorado's team as well."

On the Addition of Chris Jackson Midseason:
"Chris' numbers speak for themselves. What he has done the past four years in this league is just incredible. When he called me the day of the trade deadline and told me that I was getting a new receiver, there was a smile all the way across my face. It's nice to be able to bring a veteran in and have him work with our two rookies, Troy and Derek. He's been a tremendous help to them and really boosted their game up."

On working for and owner like Arthur Blank:
"Mr. Blank is a phenomenal person. That's the thing that people can sometimes overlook. Above all, he is an exceptional human being. He is the type of guy that you want to play for. He really genuinely loves us like family and it goes a long way."

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 10, 2005


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