Nashville Kats Luncheon Quotes
June 6, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release
NASHVILLE KATS HEAD COACH SPERDUTO
On coming off of a bye week and the remaining three weeks
The first thing that it did was it healed up a couple of guys, so that's good. We're coming back healthy so that's good. We still have two guys that are questionable but we have a bunch of guys that are ready to go and help us with this push. I told everybody from week one that we needed to be at our best the last three or four weeks. It's the last three weeks and we have no choice but to go out and play a good football game this week.
On playing in front of a hostile Las Vegas crowd
For us it's critical (that we win). We're going up there to play and Las Vegas is a tough town. Hopefully, our guys stayed focused in a tough environment and do what they do.
On the type of team that Las Vegas is
They're in a situation where those guys are fighting for jobs and we're in a situation where we're fighting to keep our playoff hopes intact. For us, it's a playoff game.....It's our first playoff game and the most important game of the season for us... no questions about it. We have to find a way to get a victory.
On the way the Kats are playing as the gear up for a possible playoff run
We played a real good game in Chicago. We executed well and won the turnover battle. We did the things that we expect to do as a good football team. The first half against San Jose, we actually executed... near flawless for us. We made some defensive plays that we needed to make and we made a bunch of offensive plays that we needed to make but in the second half, the wheels fell off and that's unfortunate for us. When you're playing with the momentum that you had from the week before, along with the first half of San Jose which was well executed, to play the way that we did that second half (against San Jose), it's probably a good thing that we had a bye week to let everybody flush it out of their system. Now it's time to focus on football. The pampers are off, the training wheels are off and whatever you want to say...it's time to go out and play 60 minutes of football in Las Vegas.
NASHVILLE KATS QB JEFF SMOKER
On the team's young players stepping up
They pampers have to come off. Whether we want them to come off or not, it's time to take the diapers off for us rookies. We have ourselves in a little hole and basically, we have to win these three games.
On the pressure of their match-up with Las Vegas
Personally I approach every game the same. I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform. I'm going to do the same this week as I did last week.
On if the bye week came at a good time for the Kats
I've always liked to have bye weeks closer to the end of the season than near the middle or the beginning. It gave a lot of the guys time to relax and it gave some guys time to get healthy.... I think it was a great time to have a bye week.
On playing Las Vegas and if they are a threat
You have to take everyone as a dangerous team. In Arena Football, anybody can be anybody. I know it's true in most sports but especially in this sport. You have to take every opponent as if they were the best team in the league. To be honest, I didn't know that Las Vegas' record was 2-11 and to tell you the truth, it really doesn't matter.
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