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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

ArenaBowl XVIII quotes

June 26, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


SAN JOSE HEAD COACH DARREN ARBET
Opening Statement...
"It's great to be back in the ArenaBowl. This is something our guys worked hard for all season long and it was our only goal for the year. We achieved it and now we want to finish it off."

On the injuries and rough stretch in the second half of the season...
"We kept our eyes on the prize, which was to get to this game and win. We had some guys step in and get the job done when we had some injuries and they got it done for us."

Can you draw on anything from playing Arizona two years ago in the ArenaBowl, or is this a totally new ball game?
"Whenever these two teams meet, it is always a great game. They are extremely talented, and I think we are too. We had some carry over in talent from two seasons ago, but I don't think either team is thinking about that ArenaBowl from two years ago. They are probably going to do what they do best, and we'll do the same."

"Now I will say that the experience from two years ago should be beneficial. For the guys to understand how this week was going to go and to understand the feeling of being on a big stage, I think it will definitely help. I had a lot of guys that played in that game on this year's team and I expect them to play well on Sunday."

What did you take from the two regular season games with Arizona this year?
"What did I take from those games? They're a real good team, that's what I took from them. They don't make a lot of mistakes. They were on fire when we played them in those two games at the end of the season."

Talk about MARK GRIEB and the season he had...
"Gosh, he was on fire this year. I knew he would be. He had a great off-season. He worked so hard."

"I believe he's the best quarterback in the League. He doesn't make any mistakes. He throws a great ball, he demands respect in the huddle and his teammates give it to him."

"I'm so happy for Mark. He had that great season in 2002, only to have to watch the ArenaBowl with the collarbone injury and then he struggled last year in the semifinals. He gave his heart, body and soul to us this year and he did whatever it took to win."

On the keys to the game...
"For us, we need to give Mark time to throw the ball. We also need to take care of business on special teams."


QUARTERBACK MARK GRIEB
On Arizona...
"We definitely have a lot of respect for Arizona, what they have accomplished as a team and the type of game that they play. They are playing extremely well right now."

On the game...
"I know we are going to see a team that is extremely disciplined and play very hard.
A team that can weather the ups and downs that come with an Arena Football game."

On playing in this AB XVIII after missing AB XVI...
"The reason I play this game is to get to this point and win a championship. It was disappointing that I didn't have the chance to play in this game in 2002. But to be honest, it doesn't play into it that much. This game is about this season and what Arizona has done this year and what we have been able to do this year in getting to this point."

On not being the number one seed and playing AB XVIII in San Jose...
"Being out ahead in the standings like we were, then losing three out of our last four was disappointing. But I think it is a credit to our team, the way we bounced back and have gotten to this point. Our goal was to get here."


WR/LB CALVIN SCHEXNAYDER
On playing his former team...
"I know every time I play here, the game is going to be intense and the crowd is going to be into it. You have to be able to put your friendships aside and go out and compete."

On the game...
"I think we have to take care of the ball and be able to make some stops on defense. It is very important for us to come out and start well. For us it is about not changing our game."

OS JAMES HUNDON
On the game...
"Arizona likes to control the game, throw short passes, take their time and then attack you. We like to attack you at all times. We like the game when it is played fast. Our goal is to score on every possession and that means no field goals. The only time we should be kicking is on PAT attempts."

On what SJ needs to do different to beat Arizona...
"There is nothing Arizona is going to do that is going to surprise us. We watch the film. Both teams know each other extremely well. It was things we didn't do lost those games for us...things like penalties, blown coverages. One or two things change the course of the game. This is different group then we were in 2002. We are a younger team, so you have a lot of players that were still learning the game early on in the season. Now, they finally understand the Arena game and how it is not over till it is over."


DS OMARR SMITH
On coming home...
"Leaving to go to Tampa really opened my eyes. Tampa Bay ran their organization totally different. It was great coming home. They do things different and have won games, so I guess there's not a right or wrong way, just different."

On playing in three straight ArenaBowl game and can he use that experience to help younger players...
"I think it does. I talk about my experiences and I think the younger guys listen. I would hope it would be of some help."


WR/LB BARRY WAGNER
On trying for a third ring...
"I used to believe that the first one was the best. But I've changed. The second one meant as much as the first and this one will mean us much as the last two. As an athlete, this is why you play the game...a chance to compete for a title. Win and it's the greatest feeling in the world. Lose and it's the worst."

On losing the top seed and traveling to Arizona...
"I dropped a touchdown pass that would have made us 12-4 and the number one seed. As an athlete, you have to deal with your successes and failures. Michael Jordan has made a lot of game winning shots, but you know what? He's missed some shots and the Bulls lost games because of it. It doesn't matter where the game is played. They beat us twice this year, but we have been given an opportunity to play them again."


ARIZONA HEAD COACH: DANNY WHITE
On taking his team to its fifth ArenaBowl...
"You would think it would get old but it doesn't. It just seems everyone is bigger and more intense than the last one."


On his "gut" feeling on Sunday and on getting blown out in the last two ArenaBowls...
"Everything tells me we are ready to play on Sunday, but to be honest with you I thought we were ready to play last year and the year before."

"This is a game that can get away from you very quickly and then you have an important decision to make. Do you do the things that you need to do to try to give your guys a chance to win, or do you do the things to try to keep the game respectable. It has always been my nature, especially in the championship game, to do whatever it takes to give my guys a chance to win. In both of the last two ArenaBowls, I was trying to get us back into the game. In a championship game especially, it doesn't matter whether you win by one of 50 and it doesn't matter whether you lose by one or 50. The question always comes down to whether you win or lose."

On Playing San Jose...
"We have played so many big games against these guys. This one on paper at least has all the makings of a knock down, drag out, down to the last play type of games."

On SaberCat Strengths...
"It's mostly their pass rush. They are solid across the board. They have great speed, a great quarterback, and good receivers. But they have built their team around a great pass rush and we need to counter that."


When you look at San Jose's organization, are there things you admire? White also comments on the rivalry...
"Sure. They take great care of their players. They have a great staff and they do a lot of things very well. They do a lot of things we would like to do but can't for lack of resources"

"There's no hatred between the two teams and organizations. This is a good, intense, healthy rivalry...the kind that is good for sports. When we play, it's a good spirited rivalry, the way a rivalry should be. When you get these players off the field and away from the game, there's a great deal of mutual respect. Now there's going to be some jealously and some envy between the organizations and staffs, but that's going to happen. They do the same things we want to do...they want to win, we want to win, they work hard and we work hard. There's a lot of mutual respect."

Are there any emotional ties between you and Calvin Schexnayder -- considering Calvin, a long time Rattler, is playing for them?
"There are no emotional ties but they got a couple of guys, Sebastian Barrie, Calvin, a few other guys that have been in our organization. But that's always been the case with them. They have taken quite a few players from us...Bob McMillen, Darrin Kenney...guys that have helped them understand what we do it and why we try to do it. It's not an emotional issue, more a practical one from them to help them prepare for us."

Can you compare and contrast Barry Wagner and Hunkie Cooper?
"Contrast is the word you want when you compare Barry and Hunkie. It's pretty obvious when you look at Barry and you look at Hunkie. You have Secretariat vs. Seabiscuit. Barry's got the body and got the speed and got the size and strength. Hunkie is just a great overachiever, a great leader, and a guy who we would be a very different team without, as they would be different without Barry. These are two of the great race horses of all time, going head to head."

How important is home field advantage in the ArenaBowl and to your team?
"I think it is huge. We played in front of Tampa last year in front of 20,000-plus and that certainly helped them. The fans are really getting knowledgeable in this league, they know when to make noise, when to be quiet and when to create energy. They are worth a number of points to the home team, I'm not sure how you would calculate it, but they are worth a lot of points. There's a big advantage, more so in Arena Football, then playing outdoors."

"Our fans are so loyal to us. Our players genuinely feel loyal to our fans and feel obligated to go out there and give them their money's worth. That helps me as a coach and an organization to have that drive coming from some place other than the coaches."


WR/LB HUNKIE COOPER
On rumors of San Jose's plans to celebrate in the end zone...
"I don't celebrate because I know I have to run down on the kickoff in a few seconds. If they want to dance and if they want to ride the bus, and if they want to jump on the stands, that's fine...let them. I play this game the same way I did when I was playing for $350 a game. I am going to make plays, and I am going to be physical, and if I score, I'll hand the ball to the official because I know I have to make another play a few seconds later. I'm not about dancing."

On being compared to Seabiscuit by Danny White...
"That's Danny and Danny's line of thinking. Not sure if he meant Seabiscuit in his prime or Seabiscuit as a broken down horse. I would hope he meant the Seabiscuit with the big heart that turned it on when he got behind."

On playing for the championship...
"That's why I'm here. Hunkie has always been about playing hard and playing for a championship. The "Ironman of the Game and Ironman of the Year and the All-Arena awards are nice, but I'd give them all back if I had to if meant getting a chance to play in the game on Sunday. "

On facing ex-teammate Calvin Schexnayder...
"No emotions. We had a great run when he was here and I love him to death. But he's on a different team now. I'll love him before the game and I'll love him after the game, but in between, there's no love."

On coming back from 3-5...
"It started in Week 9 for us. We were 3-5 and we were supposed to be a league powerhouse and instead there was talk of changing personnel and changing coaches. We knew the only way to solve it was to win and we did that. We won 10 in a row. The people that doubted us are now with us, but that happens in professional sports. The important thing isn't the people jumping on and off the bandwagon, but the 24 people who thought we could turn it around. We were the 24 people in the locker room and that's what they did."
On the rivalry...
"Emotions are going to high. It's the same with Los Angeles and it's the same with Las Vegas. To me every Sunday is a rivalry. Of course emotions are high...it's not about hate though and it's not about dislike...it's about winning. All we got out of the last two years was a T-shirt...those rings are worth a lot more."

"This is a rivalry. They're a talented football team. When we first started playing them five or six years ago, we dominated them. But lately, they have been punching us in the mouth. Those guys are good football team."

OL/DL MARK TUCKER
On San Jose and Motivation...
"There doesn't need to be any additional motivation for this game. They are just like us. They know what's on the line here and what it is going to take to win. We have a love-hate relationship. This is a classic rivalry. It's going to be a battle. People talk about Orlando – Tampa Bay, but this rivalry doesn't take a back seat to any other."


WR/DB RANDY GATEWOOD
On key to winning the game...
"Defense. I think the team that has played the better defense the last two or three years has been able to come out on top. Hopefully, we can come out and jump on them early and get a few stops and get our offense going and feed off of each other. We are just going to go out and play hard and see who comes out on top."


QB SHERDRICK BONNER
On the rival with San Jose...
"A lot of respect. They are the kind of team that makes you want to take your game up to the next level. You want to go out and give your best. It is like the old days when we were the team to beat and everyone was gunning for us. They have been the team to beat over the last five years, so we want to play at our best."

On if ABXVIII has the two best teams playing in it...
"I definitely do. We took care of business when we had, starting the season the way we did. We played a lot of tough teams to get here and they did the same. This is our second match-up in the last three years in this situation, so we are just going to go out and take advantage of this one."

On the team's current win streak...
"I don't think that matters too much. We know we are playing well. There are things we want to do and a way to proceed in this game in order to accomplish what we want. We don't want to come out too aggressive and make a mistake because San Jose is a team that takes advantage of every little thing. We want to keep them on their heels and just impose our will on them, do what we want to do on offense and be consistent."

On if he enjoys Media Day...
"I would rather be home sleeping (laughing). If it is good for the league and good for the Arizona Rattlers and helps put the league out there, it's awesome."

On the Rattlers ability to stay as one of the leagues top teams...
"I think if you look at other teams, there are not many that have four or five players with tenures of eight years or even more with the same team as we have here. With the philosophies that Coach (Danny) White has, guys are able to step into this system year after year and understand what we are trying to accomplish. Players have been loyal to the program and the organization has been loyal to them. It is a blessing what you don't always realize, but once you step back it is impressive that we have been this successful for so long. It is definitely an honor to be part of this team."


FB/ LB BO KELLY
On the franchise of the Arizona Rattlers...
"This franchise seems to keep their core guys around. Their core guys are the example of the team to be. They have been successful in doing that and it's working for them. That's what organizations should do."

On the franchise's future...
"I think this organization will always be one of the top organizations. Even if management can't afford to keep their core players, or they can't afford to do this or can't afford to do that, they will always have top-notch players. It's a matter of the players and whether or not they want to get here and compete for a ring."


WR/LB TOM PACE
On Hunkie Cooper...
"He's always helped me out with what I should do. He will tell me to do this or do that and when we get into a formation that the opposing team will probably do this. He's always helped me get ahead of the game. Outside the game he is pretty loud, he's quite the character. He can bring out the best in anybody. He's a great leader."

Comparisons of hype in the Aloha Bowl in college versus the ArenaBowl...
"There is a big difference. The Aloha Bowl was a bowl game; it wasn't anything near a championship game. We are playing for a championship here and this is everything out on the table. When you are playing in a bowl game like that, it doesn't matter if you win or lose because there is no champion. This one, we're playing for a championship."

Being a home town kid...
"It's a lot better because friends and family can come down. I have a lot of friends and family coming down. It makes it (the game) a great atmosphere and it makes it easier for my family to be able to watch me. It makes it a lot easier to play for the championship in the hometown. My friends and family can ask me some questions about the game and they are able to watch it."

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 26, 2004


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