They Said It: week of Nov. 22

Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, acknowledging that he has discussed with MLB Ray Lewis the possibility of limiting Lewis' snaps in an effort to extend his career, as quoted in the Baltimore Sun: "He's humble enough to say, 'The time is going to come,' and he also is humble enough to admit that he won't be the first one to recognize it, that I'll be the first one to recognize it as the coach. Now, whether we agree exactly at that point in time … but let's just say it's five years from now. Maybe it's when he's 40 years old we have to have that conversation. We'll probably have a little fight, and I might lose at first. But ultimately, I think he'll be willing to cut down on the number of snaps and keep playing and extend his career and help the team any way he can. That's just who Ray is." Added Harbaugh: "He's not going to easily admit that he's not the best player on the field. And right now, if I tried to make that case, it'd be an impossible case to make because he's playing so well."

Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, who had a verbal altercation with QB Vince Young in the locker room following Sunday's overtime loss to the Redskins, quoted in The Tennessean when asked if he is frustrated with his QB: "All I've done here since Vince has walked through the door is try to help him be to the best player he can be and stood behind him and defended him from the get-go, so there's no frustration." Added Fisher: "My focus is on this football team. He's not going to play anymore games for us this year because of the injury. We can deal with all that when the season is over."

Buccaneers offensive coordinator Greg Olson, discussing the maturation process of QB Josh Freeman in his second season, as quoted in the St. Petersburg Times: "It was his willingness and desire to come in on off days and come in on vacation to get his work done in the offseason. He wants to be a great player, and that's half the battle. He doesn't want to just be good; he wants to be great. He wants to be in Tampa his entire career and be the face of the franchise. He's taken on that challenge and taken on that responsibility." Added Olson: "He wants to study the Peytons and the Bradys and the Breeses. Those are the guys he's looking at. He's not looking at the average quarterback or the quarterbacks who came out in his class. He doesn't care about those guys. He wants to be the best."

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, quoted on TwinCities.com describing interim head coach Leslie Frazier: "He's got great football smarts and players can relate to him and vice versa. He has a certain vibe and energy that everyone can feel when they're around him. When he speaks, guys perk up and tune in."

Chargers QB Philip Rivers, quoted in the St. Petersburg Times following his club's 35-14 rout of the Broncos on Monday night: "This was the most complete game we've played in all three phases. We are in a lot of ways in playoff football already. You almost can't afford a step back at this point."

Monday, Nov. 22, 2010

Jets head coach Rex Ryan, quoted in the New York Post after his team's third consecutive come-from-behind victory, this time a 30-27 triumph over the Texans: "We keep finding ways to win, and that's what championship teams do. If I have to apologize for every week I will — all the way to the Super Bowl."

Raiders DT Richard Seymour, telling his side of the story after he was ejected from Sunday's game for punching Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, as quoted in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "I just turned around and he just ran upon me quick, and it was a natural reaction. There was a lot of stuff going on, and you have to protect yourself, but it is still no excuse." Added Seymour: "I want to apologize to my teammates. You never want to do anything to hurt the team. That's first and foremost."

Texans S Bernard Pollard, sharing his frustration after the Houston defense surrendered another late fourth-quarter lead, as quoted by The Associated Press: "This is ridiculous. We should not be leaving this place with a loss. All we had to do was play perfect for 49 seconds. How in God's name can we not get that done?"

Colts QB Peyton Manning, quoted on wsbt.com taking full blame for the interception he threw late in the fourth quarter in the red zone that ended the Colts' comeback bid and sealed a 31-28 victory for the Patriots: "It was just a poor throw and its really sickening. No excuses. If you have the opportunity to do it and you don't, then it's disappointing and I take the responsibility." Manning added: "We did a good job until the end. Had a chance to win it and it's just sickening that we didn't have a chance to extend the game."

Vikings QB Brett Favre, discussing what he plans to do next after his team fell to 3-7 following an embarrassing 31-3 defeat at the hands of the Packers, as quoted on TwinCities.com: "I'm just gonna try to go home, as tough as it may be, digest what has happened, not only today but in the last few weeks, come in tomorrow and kind of re-evaluate things." Added Favre: "I'd like to finish the season differently than today. There's still some hope. I don't want to sit here and tell you I'd love to finish the season and then go out and lose 31-3. I want us to somehow turn this around. We, us, this team, we all have to play better, me included. I don't want to finish it the way we've played up to this point."

Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2010/11/23/they-said-it-week-of-nov-22

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