Press Conference 1/14/07

Injuries/opening remarks: “Really the only injuries that we’ve got here, we’ve got a couple of them is [RG] had a contusion in his neck. He’s not sure exactly when it happened, but he had a tremendous amount of swelling there at halftime. He actually was having a tough time seeing. So, they rushed him to the emergency room and had him checked out and tried to get some of the swelling down in his neck. You saw him around today; you probably saw that he had a pretty good lump there. [LB] Shawn Barber has an ankle sprain. It happened on the last play of the first half and he was not able to return.”

“I thought the effort yesterday was good. It was a heck of a game, back and forth. We give a tremendous amount of credit to [Saints head coach] and the Saints. They played very good football and their staff put together a nice plan, offensively, defensively, and special teams. We wish them the best down the road. They sure have a good football team, so I think they are going to do very well. On the other hand, I was proud of our football team for the way they handled the last few weeks here. They showed a lot of grit. When it wasn’t looking too good, when [QB] Donovan [McNabb] went down they were able to bounce back and take their game up a notch, coaches and players included. They really took their game up a notch and really did a nice job down the stretch. It was too bad we came up short yesterday. We, on the other hand, thought we had a good plan going in and things just didn’t quite bounce the way that we needed them to bounce. Also, I would like to thank the fans. They have supported us down the stretch. I thought they were phenomenal and their support sure helps the guys out.”

On whether the finality of losing in the playoffs, like last night, is the hardest part: “It’s a little bit like running into a wall. You’ve got this routine, just like you guys [the media] have, for the last six months and then all of a sudden it’s over. From the players’ standpoint or the coaches’ standpoint, you never think you are going to lose, so when reality sets in it’s a big letdown. That’s how the guys feel and I talked to them about it today in a team meeting. You do feel low and that’s what happens when you sell out, you give it your all and you have to expect it. But, on the other hand, don’t forget where you came from and what you’ve done.”

On whether there is a play or plays in last night’s game that he is beating himself up over: “There are always plays that you come out, and I’ve said this before – whether you win or lose, there are always plays that you come out with that you wish you could have done over, but I’m not going to get into all of those. But, I was obviously asked last night about the last offensive play, 4th and 15. That is one in hindsight that you probably should have gone for since the other way didn’t work. You could probably make an argument out of either.”

On whether the 5 yards added to that play from the penalty made it that much longer for him and affected his decision: “That’s part of it. You don’t have a lot of 4th and 15 plays that you draw up in the game plan. The other thing that I thought of was that you get the ball back, possibly with a minute and three seconds. And you know that they are probably going to run the football at the end and I thought we could shut them down on that. It would have taken a little bit of the guessing game out, if it was going to be pass or run. We weren’t able to do that. They did a great job of blocking us and getting that first down and running the time out. It worked out well for them.”

On whether he thinks that the team is back on track and where the team is heading: “I do, I like the mental make up of this football team and I know every year it’s different. But, I think the atmosphere is ready for success, if there is such a thing in the . So, I think people realize, on the team or in the building here, realize that we’ll play together and we’ll work together.”

On whether he will change his game planning next year after seeing what RB has been able to establish in the running game: “We’re going to do what’s best to try and win a football game. We’re going to run, we’ve done that over the years. I think things got a little bit blown out of perspective from last year. I think that the run and pass game is working well and that’s where this offense is headed. And listen, I don’t want to take away from Brian Westbrook when I’m saying this. This guy is as fine a football player as there is in the National Football League. He catches the ball well and he runs the football well and he’s very valuable to this football team and I have a lot of trust in him doing either one.”

On whether Westbrook eliminated any doubts that he may have had about his durability: “I didn’t have a lot of questions on that. It’s just a matter of him staying as healthy as he could obviously, and he was able to do that this year. I would say that about any . That’s a tough position to play in this league.”

On how tough it will be to retain the chemistry they have for next year: “You’re going to keep most of your guys. Most of them are going to be here. There is probably an average between 5-10 guys that won’t be here, somewhere in that range, so you have to bring in the right people, draft the right people, and so on, and re-sign the right people.”

On how important it is to bring back QB next year: “We’ll see how that works. But, he sure did a fine job for us.”

On who stepped up down the stretch and showed him something that was maybe unexpected: “You have to remember in the first half of the season, the first few games were pretty good. There was just a lull in the action after sort of the fourth or fifth game there. But the beginning was pretty good. I would say collectively that guys stepped up. Now obviously, [QB] Jeff [Garcia] was the new one into the mix. He had a lot of pressure on him, coming in and filling in for [QB] Donovan [McNabb] who was on a record pace for his career. It was a matter of him stepping up and keeping that energy level up and giving the offense that hope that good things can happen. He did that and I think he probably had the most pressure doing that. But everybody stepped up. Everybody stepped their game up. I’m talking about coaches and players.”

On whether he learned more this year than in any other year as a coach: “Well, the fun part about this job is every day is different and you’re learning something new every day. I learned things this year that I hadn’t seen in years past. They were refreshing, they were good. There were some good times and there were some bad times mixed in there that made the good times feel even a little better down the stretch. I was proud of the guys and how they handled everything.”

On how far away he thinks they are from having the defensive front seven to where he would want it to be: “We’ll get [DE] Jevon [Kearse] back into the mix in there. The fellas, they did a pretty good job when you look at the overall picture there, without one of the best defensive ends in the game. As much as we talk about Donovan, you also take away a pretty big part of your out when you lose a defensive end like that. The guys stepped up around him and did a nice job.”

On where ranks strengthening the run defense on his list of offseason priorities: “We’ll see. We are always going to try to make sure that we are strong on both fronts. That includes the front seven and we can do some better things there and we can put them in better position and so on. It’s going to be a joint effort to get the thing done.”

On whether he expects any coaching changes and whether special teams coordinator has any years remaining on his contract: “He has another year, yeah.”

On where this loss ranks among other playoffs losses: “You get this far and you want to keep going. You want to get to that and win that thing. As we talk today, I am disappointed. On the other hand, I am proud of what the guys did to put themselves in this position. It’s disappointing today. It ranks up there. I really thought we could go the whole distance. But on the other hand I am slowly looking at it that we did some good things on the way there.”

On whether a close loss feels the same as a blowout loss: “I’m not there. I’d rather have won the game. If you get blown out you don’t have a chance to win the game. We were at least given a chance down the stretch, to turn that thing around, or to win the game, and we weren’t able to do that.”

On whether there is any concern that RG Shawn Andrews’ injury is more than a contusion: “Well, yeah, you have to look at it and make sure you get the swelling down. I think he is going to be okay, yeah. They did a bunch of tests on him and he was stable to fly and then they checked him out again today. The swelling is going down a little bit. At halftime it was large and it has gone down a bit.”

On whether the injury is a disc injury: “No. No, it was a contusion.”

On whether play-calling is now assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg’s job, or if it is a year-by-year decision: “He did a great job of it and he will probably continue to do that.”

On QB Donovan McNabb’s recovery process: “It’s too early right now. He’s making good progress, but there are ups and downs in these rehabs, in every rehab. I can’t sit here and predict. I’m not going to predict anything. We’ll see what time does to it and everybody is different. But right now he is on schedule and he is working hard and doing a good job of it.”

On whether he thinks QB A.J. Feeley would be okay as the number two if QB Jeff Garcia doesn’t return next season: “I think A.J. could step in and do a heck of a job. Again, I’m always looking at strength at that position. I think that’s important and having two is better than one. I wouldn’t mind that either. I think we have a pretty good situation there and I think the team was very confident - whether it was Jeff or A.J - that they could come in and win football games. And that’s a good thing. That’s a good thing to have.”

On whether there will possibly be a market value change as far as backup are concerned: “Probably, there probably is - and I am not speaking for the whole league – I am speaking from our standpoint that we think it is important. That’s why we went and did what we did this year. We will keep that in mind as we go forward through this offseason.”

On how he approaches the offseason: “I feel good about. I feel good about the mindset right now of the team, knowing that they are back in the swing of winning. I think winning is contagious and I think losing is contagious, too. When you’re losing, that’s not an easy thing to change around, coming back off the year we had last year. Everybody’s got to buckle down and really focus to get that thing changed and strengthen yourself. I look forward to that coming into next season. And then, you’re always going to have a guy leave, or a guy stay, that you like and so on. That’s all part of the offseason. We’ll see how thing work out. That’s something we look at and try to take care of.”

On what WR Donté Stallworth meant to this WR corps: “Donté did a nice job for us down the stretch. It was just a matter of him being healthy and being out there. Once he got that worked out he did a pretty good job for us. I felt good when he was in there. I felt good when he wasn’t in there. We had some good young players that could play and Donté was a nice addition to the whole group.”

On whether it is important for the young players to have had a winning season: “When I talked about that – the mindset of that – that’s really what I am talking about. You wanted to get things changed around this year, or you’re dealing with two classes of players that had not had success. You don’t want to do that in this league. That becomes very difficult to change around. The guys that were here last year, that’s all that they knew in the NFL. It was important to get them some success. It allows you to keep building. It’s hard to win consistently in this league and it takes a little bit of an extra jolt from you in the offseason and during training camp and so on. It is important the guys, the young guys, learn that.”

Head Coach Andy Reid Press Conference 1.11.07

Injuries/opening remarks: “[CB] is out for this game and then [FB] will be a game- time decision. His leg is feeling a little bit better and we’ll just see how he does in the next couple of days.”

“Again, we look forward to the challenge of going down to and playing the Saints. They’re a very good football team. Our players understand that and they’ve had a good week of practice and it will be a nice challenge for us.”

On the specifics of the injury FB Thomas Tapeh suffered: “He’s just got a little swelling on his knee.”

On the plan if Tapeh can’t play: “[RB Correll] Buck[halter] would be in there.”

On RB ’s ability as a FB: “You know what; we’ve been using him in there all year, sparingly and in lead situations and other things. We’re comfortable with him in there.”

On the buildup of anticipation and whether he feels the guys are ready to go: “Yeah, they’ll be ready to go. It’s a long day on Saturday – we’re playing a night game, so you just have to make sure you stay off your feet and so on and be ready to go.”

On how they keep the team occupied with such a long wait for the game on Saturday: “We do just like we do for a Monday night game, or a Sunday night game. We have meetings during the day and get them up and move them around. At the same time, we give them some time to get off their feet and relax a little bit.”

On what he remembers about their trip to Chicago five years ago for a game under similar circumstances: “Not a ton. I kind of remember the process of what we went through getting there and then the game itself. But if you want me to recollect every play, I can’t do that for you.”

On what the factors were from that game that was important to winning that game: “Well, the guys stayed focused and came out an played a good, solid football game.”

On whether potentially not having Tapeh changes their game plan at all: “No. We’ll do the same thing. And Buck throughout the year has done all of it. We’ll just do what we do there.”

On whether the potential absence of Tapeh would limit some formations: “No.”

On the year Jim Johnson had as defensive coordinator and whether he ever felt like Johnson might have lost the ‘magic’ when the team was 5-6: “I never felt that way, about the magic part of it. He’s a great football coach. We all needed just to pick our game up. It wasn’t just defensively, offensively – you can’t point your finger at one area, or one person. But I thought as players and as coaches, and starting with me, that we all needed to do a better job.”

On whether there is a drop-off in blocking with Buckhalter as the FB: “Other than he is just not quite as big, but he gets in there and he’ll bang it around. That fullback position is not – Thomas does not play every snap of the game. We have enough different personnel groups where you’re only in there 30 or 40 percent of the time.”

On whether C Nick Cole could be a fill-in at FB: “He won’t do that. It would be Buck.”

On whether there is any chance of FB Zach Tuiasosopo being added to the roster: “No, not right now. We think Thomas is going to be ready to go, so I’m not too worried about it.”

On whether the knee problem Tapeh had was a strain or a sprain: “He just had some swelling in there. We’re just letting it settle down. I would probably compare it a little bit to [LT] William Thomas and his situation the week before.”

On how Saints QB ’ style of play affects their blitzing philosophy: “You do what you do best and whether that is playing regular or bringing people. We’ll stay aggressive and he’s a great player, so you really have to be on your toes and play well. Again - I’ve always told you this - that it starts up front with the guys and how they go about it.”

Special Teams Coordinator John Harbaugh Press Conference 1.10.07

Opening statement: “The Saints are very good. They’ve played well on special teams all year. Obviously, they have two of the most explosive returners in football, [WR] and [RB] , great players. They’ve got a good, young , and a good, veteran kicker and they brought back [K] Billy Cundiff to kickoff, so they are stocked up on special teams.”

On whether special teams units change what they do over the year: “I think there is an evolution to everything. Obviously - with all three phases and within the six phases of special teams - they’ve changed what they’ve done and they’ve grown and evolved. They’ve had some personnel things with injuries and stuff like that, but they have done a great job with what they have done all year long.”

On whether RB Reggie Bush has changed as a returner throughout the year: “Well, he is a lot more experienced. He catches the ball better. I think he is doing a better job of tracking the ball, catching the ball and is more secure back there then he was earlier in the year – which you expect him to become. They’ve also got Mike Lewis back there, so it takes a little pressure off of Bush, in terms of how much offense he is playing. To be blessed with two returners who really, are as good as anybody in the NFL – they have two guys that are as good as anybody else in the NFL. That’s a testament to what they have done personnel wise.”

On whether he has seen a difference in their kick coverage and how have they got better as the season has progressed: “I think they understand what they are doing a lot better now. They react to schemes much more quickly, much more efficiently. We’re tackling a little better, for the most part. I think it is just a matter of playing more aggressively. I think they see things sooner. They react sooner and then it is easier to .”

On their philosophy as to when they use RB Brian Westbrook on returns or when they use RB Reno Mahe on returns: “I think you’ll see Reno in there on most of the backed-up situations, where they are pooch-punting down into our end. That’s kind of Reno’s role for sure. After that it could be either one of them. It depends a little bit on how Brian is feeling. If he feels fresh enough to do it – how long he has been off the field or what [head] coach [Andy Reid] has planed for him at the start of the next series, or whatever. We’ve talked to coach about it, talked to Brian about it and whenever we can put him out there we will.”

On whether it depends on the game situation as well: “Well, yeah. If we get out in front a little bit, if we’re in control of the game, we’ll probably be less apt to use him. But at this time of year it’s hard to envision a scenario where we wouldn’t try to get him out there as much as we could.”

On whether the penalty called on Westbrook’s return for a against the Giants affect the play: “It was a heck of a block and I think [LB] Tank [Daniels] tried to do exactly what you try to coach a guy to do in that situation. Maybe a slight bit more aggressive than you want him to be. I’m not sure that particular player would have made the play on Brian in space, but if you’re the blocker you don’t know that and you’re going to do everything you can to get your guy blocked. There were three or four nice blocks right in front of Brian and then he has the speed, obviously, to get it across the field. I don’t know if they play would have been made or not.”

On whether a guy putting his hands up in the air on a play like that is a signal of guilt: “No, not at all. When you put your hands up in the air, what you’re doing is making it very clear that you didn’t put your hands on his back. That’s the point. It’s kind of a track finish, but we try to punch through and get our hands in front. We always want to get our hands in front and that is what the returner is trying to do, get his hands in front. Now if there is incidental contact in there, it shouldn’t be called. Whether or not his hands actually got in front or not, or got in the side or not, that is what the official has to decide. Obviously, he decided the other way, but that was good technique by Tank.”

On whether officials have been more lenient or less lenient with block-in-the-back penalties: “It’s almost like it is kind of cyclical. They tighten it up, then it loosens up a little bit, then they tighten up. I think they are trying to become clear on what they’re going to call. And what they tell us now is they want to see hands on the back, or helmet contact on the block. If they see that they are going to call it. If they see that on the side – if it initiates on the side or in front they are not going to call it, no matter what happens after that. But it happens that fast and an official has to make that decision that fast.”

On who has raised their game on the coverage units: “It’s hard to sit up here and pull guys out of the air because I think a lot of the young guys are doing a real good job, but [CB Joselio] Hanson has been tremendous. But as a gunner – which is a tough thing to play – he’s a perimeter player, so he plays gunner, he plays contain on our kickoff cover. He’s kind of got himself in the mix on a lot of plays. That’s totally different then what a [former Eagles LB] Jason Short would do, but I think he has made a bunch of plays and he almost had a huge turnover in the game when he got down there in front of [Giants CB R.W.] McQuarters on the long punt that we had going to our left. He’s done well and I think recently, guys like [WR] Hank Baskett have really started to learn how to play on special teams. [LB] Omar Gaither is playing defense but he has also improved on special teams. Torrance Daniels has done a real good job. Then the last two games, [WR] Jason Avant, who is a big, physical receiver, has kind of just jumped in there and knew what he was doing. I guess all that practice does pay off. Guys are getting better but that is no guarantee for anything on Saturday night.”

On the explanation of the rule where the Eagles were flagged for illegal contact on a punt and the Giants would be rewarded the ball no matter what they did: “We teach our guys – and I think every special teams coach teaches his guys – that is a no consequence opportunity. If the coverage team touches the ball on a punt, like they’ll do a lot of times – they’ll tap the ball and try and tap it back in the field of play – the return team should look for an opportunity to try and pick it up and run because you can pick it up and run, or whatever and the worst that can happen is it goes back to that original spot. There have actually been returns for in the NFL, where guys have picked that ball up and run it all the way back. There have also been returns where a guy picked it up and ran it all the way back – I think it happened to the Bengals five or six years ago – and their guys were running back on the field and they were halfway on the field and it got called back because they had too many guys on the field. They didn’t realize their team was going to try to make that play.”

On whether that rule makes sense to him: “That’s the thing about it, I felt our fans were going crazy and I wasn’t sure about what, but then the official came out and said illegal touch. And I was like, ‘hey, hey, that’s okay. We’re supposed to do that. It’s not a penalty. We did the right thing.’ I don’t know why they call it illegal touch?”

On what keeps them from putting Westbrook out there for all punt returns and whether it has to do with not being used to catching the ball in that situation as much: “No, Brian has great hands. Brian is an excellent catcher, but those are situations where the punt team is only covering 35 yards, it’s usually a high punt with gunners going at you, you’re not going to have a great return opportunity anyway and Reno is a very secure catcher, too. It’s one less situation where you have to put Brian out there. I think there is less upside for putting Brian out there, so you let him rest and Reno can do it just as well.”

On the Saints getting Bush into open space: “Well, I think it is a brilliant philosophy by the Saints to try to get Reggie Bush into space, and there is probably a no more obvious opportunity than a punt return. And the same goes for Brian Westbrook. Anytime you can get an athlete like that, with a ball in his hands, in space, he is going to have an advantage over every other player on the field. When you cover a guy like that it has to be a group effort. It has to be team tackling. We’ve got to get everybody to the football. It’s not just Reggie Bush, it is Michael Lewis the same way. Both those guys, in space, are dangerous.”

On S Quintin Mikell being named to Dr. Z’s All-Pro team in Sports Illustrated and what Mikell has done this season to warrant that honor: “In the NFL you get the awards when you make plays and Quintin Mikell is the leading special teams tackler in the NFL this year, from what I understand. He’s done a great job just making plays. I think he’s also our leader. He’s the guy that holds the extra meetings for the guys at lunch and they watch tape and do those kinds of things. I guess as a coach, you always look for guys like that. Quintin Mikell is a great football player in my mind. Not just a great special teams player – you’re going to find very few really good special teams players that aren’t really good football players. It is nice to see him have that opportunity to have proved that on the defensive side this year, too. He’s a heck of a football player.”

On whether he has taken it up another notch this year: “It is probably opportunity and preparation, the old saying. He’s been preparing himself since he has been here and he has had the opportunity this year to prove it. It’s probably both.”

On his opinion of the play where Daniels was called for the block-in-the-back: “I thought Tank did what he was coached to do and tried to do it right. It was real gray and the official on the side saw it one way and he threw the flag. It is what it is.”

On the importance of the relationship between a kicker and his holder: “I think everybody saw it. I think the physical part of it is big because those guys have an unspoken communication, in terms of what it means with the wind coming from that side to that side, on a muddy field and exactly how the ball is going to be leaned, because they literally had thousands upon thousands of reps together and the other guys haven’t had that kind of number of reps together. It’s also the fact that [QB] Koy [Detmer] is really good at it and [K] Dave [Akers] just knows that ball is going to be there and he can swing a little more confident.”

On whether having the two of them together gives them more of a window to try a longer in the setting that the Superdome provides: “There’s no question you’re going to have a chance to make longer field goals down there than you would here. The footing is going to be very sure, there’s not going to be any wind. If it comes down to that, you have to make a decision field position wise because long kicks are going to be tough no matter what the conditions – and there is a higher percentage of those that are going to be missed. When you miss them, bam, they have good field position. But later in the game, later in the half, I think either team would probably try a longer field goal.”

On whether there is a greater distance range for K having QB Koy Detmer as his holder and being in the condition the dome will provide: “There’s probably a greater distance with Detmer and there’s a greater distance with the fact that we are in a dome.”

Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson Press Conference 1/10/07

On whether the Saints are the toughest team in the NFC to prepare for: ”They’ve got very skilled people and, of course, [Saints head coach] Sean Payton does a great matching up, moving people around. He’s a lot like [Tampa Bay head coach] . I’m sure he learned a lot of stuff from Jon. All of that shifting and motion and all they do with skilled people, yeah, it’s tough to prepare for them, no question.”

On how the Saints use RB’s Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush and how Bush’s role in their offense has evolved: “They’re using Reggie as a running back, but also as a wide receiver. Sometimes they split him all the way out as a wide receiver, they are both in the backfield at the same time and sometimes Deuce is a running back [and] Reggie is a wide receiver and sometimes Reggie is just a running back. So, [there are] a lot of different personnel groups. So, the biggest thing is making sure that you’ve got the right match ups with those guys.”

On how much the crowd noise in the Superdome affects the defense: “It affects it. It just depends on what kind of crowd it’s going to be, as far as their discipline. A lot of times the crowds not loud when their offense is up. Yet, if they are noisy it does affect our calls and checks and stuff like that. So, we still have to work on anticipating the crowd noise, not as much as the offense, but somewhat.”

On how they are going to try and prevent a fast start from the Saints offense and how much of an advantage it is for the Saints that they had two weeks to prepare their offense for this game: “It’s an advantage, no question. But, I think we’ll be ready. I think last time…sometimes you have to be mentally ready right away for a fast-paced game. I think we got into a fast-paced game right away. We had to settle down a little bit, we settled down in the second and third quarters and played pretty good. But, we got off to a slow start, no question. Part of that was enthusiasm and part of it is just guys making some good plays and we didn’t make the plays. But, it’s important to get off to a good start and try to take that crowd noise out. It’s going to be tough, but it’s one of our goals.”

On how much it hurts to not have CB Lito Sheppard for this game: “That hurts. Lito has had a great year, a year. We have a lot of confidence in [CB] Rod [Hood] and Rod’s done a good job. And we’ll play [CB] Will James in there sometimes too, but Rod’s doing a good job and I think he’s up for the task.”

On what they expect of Will James this week: “I can say, hopefully, he’s going to give us that big size corner that can match up sometimes against some of their taller receivers. Will, as long as he stays healthy, he’s got good cover ability. He’s a big, tough guy. So, hopefully, we can get him on the field. We’ll have to see how it goes. “

On why James didn’t play in the Giants game: “[We were] not completely comfortable. We were still kind of concerned about it. I’m not sure; he was probably about 90%. I think in his mind he was about 90% too.”

On whether the Saints’ scripted first 15 plays are different from what they call as the game goes on: “Yeah, I think what they do, most teams script 15 plays like we do sometimes. Sometimes you want to see what personnel, how they are going to match up stuff like that. After they kind of settle down, they kind of go to their normal plan. Most teams script 15 plays. They want to see how you are going to match up against different personnel.”

On how does not having Lito affect what the defense can do: “It’s not going to affect us, it really isn’t. We lost Lito at the beginning of the year for awhile. It’s not going affect that much. We’ll miss his cover ability. He’s a great cover corner.”

On whether he sees anything different on film from Reggie Bush this time around: “He’s still a feature guy. I think you see him catching the ball a lot more than he was last time. You see more reverses, you see him running the football more. He’s still a leading receiver on his team; there is no question about that. But, the thing you see [is he’s] more involved. He’s just running the football.”

On what he saw from Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Washington that allowed them to win in New Orleans this season: “Every game was a little bit different. The Redskins were very physical in that game. It was one of those games where all of a sudden the Saints didn’t make a play. They had some dropped passes, which hurt them. And the Redskins were very physical; they eliminated a lot of long plays and kind of hung in there. It was just a close ball game. [The Saints are] a team you don’t want to give a lot of big plays to because they are a very big play type team. That’s one thing the Redskins didn’t do. They didn’t give up a lot of big plays. When they didn’t, it seemed like there was a drop here or there. Cincinnati was a little bit different. They kind of controlled the ball a little bit more. But, the Redskins just were very physical.”

On whether he thought they had fixed the problem of allowing the opponent to score right away before the Giants went down the field and scored a touchdown at the beginning of the first quarter: “It’s one of those things I can’t put a finger on. They came up with a couple of big plays. Teams come out with different things sometimes you don’t work on, maybe you didn’t adjust quite as good. But, it’s hard to put your finger on. I really tried to be more aggressive; make calls, the second play was a blitz and they hurt us on the blitz. So, I wish I could put my finger on it. It’s something that I worry about, but I don’t worry about. I’ve seen some teams sometimes that score easy and all of a sudden they kind of relax. It kind of perks our guys up too. I don’t want it to happen, but it doesn’t bother me that much unless it keeps going on. It really doesn’t.”

On whether he took any offense when people were doubting him while they were 5-6 and the defense was struggling: “No, I don’t take it personally. I felt that our tackling was bad; I’ve said it before, the only time I really felt teams were really running through us was the Colts. I think the other ones, we had some long runs, just mistackling, but I never felt we were knocked off the ball. So, that stuff didn’t bother me. The Colts [game] bothered me.”

On the chess match between he and Sean Payton over the years: “I’ve got a lot of respect for Sean. He’s always been a guy that presents problems. I kind of know him; he kind of knows me and we will kind of see what happens. But, I have a lot of respect for him. He does a great job, as far as a play caller and moving people around.”

On whether he ever shows match ups against the scripted first 15 plays that aren’t true match ups: “Sometimes we’re kind of finding out what they are going to do, so we are going to see how we match up too. Like I said, it kind of goes back and forth. But, I know a lot of times they shift people in and out just to see how we are going to match up. And after about those first 15 plays sometimes, we kind of see what they are doing a little bit and how we want to match up. So, it kind of goes back and forth, it really does.”

Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg Press Conference 1-10-07

Opening remarks: “Going into New Orleans is going to be a challenge. This defense is an excellent defense, very fast, very quick, very aggressive. So, we’ve got to counteract that a little bit.”

On what the issues were early against the Giants when the offense couldn’t seem to get it going: “It was a combination of things, but we didn’t do very well early. We’d like to start a little faster. However, every game is different. Sometimes you start a little faster. Sometimes you don’t. I was proud of the guys battling through that. We could certainly play better. We’ve got to get better every day, but I was proud of the guys at the end. That was a character drive right there at the end. I kind of put it right on the offensive line there. [QB] Jeff [Garcia] did a nice job of kind of maneuvering a few times and then [RB] Brian Westbrook did a heck of a job. Both tight ends did a heck of a job there. We threw a couple passes and completed them, so it was a good drive to end the game. So anyway, we battled through early and kept at it and ended up winning the game.”

On how much different they are as an offense since their first game against the Saints: “A little bit different. Every game is different though, even if you’re playing the same opponent. However, you take the Washington game a couple of weeks ago, we threw the ball all over the place. So, each game plan is specifically for the next opponent. Last week it was a pretty good mix. We like to run and throw the football.”

On whether he agrees with head coach Andy Reid’s comment that they didn’t run enough against the Saints in the first game: “We certainly could have run the football a little bit more. However, we had multiple opportunities in the pass game to break the thing open just a little bit and score some points. So, it took a little while. We’ll try and do both well.”

On how difficult it is to try to overcome the noise in the Superdome: “That’s part of playing on the road. You prepare for it and you practice it and you work on it. I think Jeff Garcia and [C] Jamaal Jackson and the offensive line have done a pretty good job with that and we’ve been pretty good there on the road and in a loud environment in the recent past here.”

On whether there is any advantage of having previous experience playing against a lot of dome teams: “Sure. The more experience you have - and sometimes you have to overcome some failures to get better at it – and we certainly have. But, absolutely. You get better with the more experience you have.”

On whether the crowd and the turf changes anything they do on offense: “Yeah, there’s a whole host of things that happen in a dome, starting with the crowd noise, starting with the turf. And every turf indoors is different as well. Yeah, there’s a little bit of a difference there.”

On whether they need to use the offensive line to control the game and help keep the Saints offense off the field: “We’ll see that. We’ll see how the game goes. There are some games where we’ll throw the ball a bunch. There are other games where we’ll run the ball a bunch and then mix it in.”

On how important it is that the wide receivers are a big part of the run game and are willing to be blockers down the field: “That’s a good point. [Wide receivers coach] David Culley is doing a heck of a job with those receivers that we have. [WR] Reggie [Brown] is in his second year. [WR] Hank [Baskett] is a rookie and [WR] Jason Avant played well against New Orleans last time. He was up and dressed and playing. So, David’s done a heck of a job there. The run game starts up front. It sort of starts and ends there. You’ve got to be pretty good up front. Then the tight ends and fullbacks are a big part of that. Then the receivers make a 5 or 8 yard run into a 14 or 15 yard run or even more. Much of the run game goes on the ball carrier. Is he getting taken down by one defender? Is he making misses? Is he getting the 2 extra yards? So, that’s how we view the run game.”

On whether there is something that they look for in wide receivers when they evaluate them: “Well, that’s toughness. We like tough receivers.”

On whether they’ve been able to run more passing plays in the middle because of the success of the run game: “Yeah. That’s a good point and that is true to some extent. Just because there is eight men up in the box doesn’t mean we can’t run the football either. You can scheme a little bit and then your back takes care of that as well. The ball carrier does on occasion. We expect that to happen.”

On whether he expects to throw as much as they did in the first game: “We are a little different that way, but we will expect to run and throw.”

On whether he expects to have the same offense they had with QB Donovan McNabb in there: “We’ll see. I don’t want to get too much into the game plan. We’re playing these guys in a few days. That’s hard for me to do.”

On whether there is any gratification for him that he has been given the credit for the success of the offense: “Personally, I’ve been fortunate. I’ve coached maybe three of the best quarterbacks ever to play. [Packers QB] Brett Favre, [former 49ers QB] Steve Young, two Hall of Famers. Donovan McNabb most likely will be a Hall of Famer. Jeff Garcia, three time Pro Bowler. He’s also great. I’ve been pretty fortunate, so I don’t ever look at it that way. We look at it offensively. We don’t care who gets the credit. We don’t care who gets the football. We don’t care if we run or throw. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win the next game and that’s the type of mentality we have and we’re going to keep that mentality.”

On whether QB Koy Detmer is prepared to come in if he needs to: “Yeah, he’s prepared. Koy’s a pretty natural player, so he’ll go in and do fine for a few plays. You know there’s a plan there. If Jeff’s out for an extended period of time we’ll go a different way. If he’s out for a period of time we’ll go another way.”

On RB Brian Westbrook’s performance against the Giants while being sick: “Brian Westbrook is a tough guy, man, and I’ve talked about this. I think he’s an elite player in this league. He was hurting big time. I was concerned that he wouldn’t be with us down the stretch there in that particular game and he gutted it out. We gave the ball to him quite a few times there late in that game and he got the job done and he was hurting pretty good.”

On what Baltimore, Washington, and Cincinnati were able to do to have success in New Orleans: “There are several things, but teams change. Their game plan will be different and it is a different game, and our plan will be different every game as well. But, there are certain things. You get out of those films a couple of things. How you can attack them is what you have to see. What are their strengths? So, you’ve got to take care of that as well. And then you have to take into account what we do best. What we do best is most important. And then you can take some things that other teams have done and are successful at and kind of go that end as well.”

On what the Saints did really well against the Cowboys and the Giants: “The Cowboys game kind of snowballed just a little bit. They got ahead really quickly, so you have to take that into account as well.”

On not having WR Donté Stallworth for the first game against the Saints: “Donté was a game time decision and he wasn’t ready to go. Donté certainly has added to our offense. He’s a playmaker, very consistent. He’s got excellent speed. He catches the football very well.”

On whether not having Stallworth available in their first game handicapped their game planning at all: “You’re always ready for those types of situations and you better be ready for those types of situations. They played well last time and you have to give them credit. They beat us. They did a heck of a job at the end of the football game. There was a time in that game where I felt we kind of weathered the storm just a little bit and got over the hump there, and got ahead. And they did a heck of a job in the fourth quarter and they beat us. They beat us in the fourth quarter.”

RB Brian Westbrook Locker Room Quotes 1/10/07

On how sick he really was during the Eagles games vs. the Giants: “It pretty much bothered me the rest of the game. I just couldn’t get my energy. I felt kind of weak. I couldn’t really catch my breath. I was lucky enough that the trainers were able to get me some medicine and calm it down a little bit, but it still was pretty bad.”

On how he was able to play through the sickness: “It was a playoff atmosphere and I had the adrenaline going a little bit. I didn’t want to leave my team hanging. The guys, they depend on me. I wanted to go out there and try to help them as much as I can and try to get a win.”

On whether he ever felt like he wasn’t going to be able to finish the game: “No, I wasn’t feeling good at all. I got better after the game, I felt kind of weak. I wasn’t feeling well and I was hoping I would be able to finish.”

On how he was sick prior to the Falcons game and whether his sickness against the Giants was related: “I was better before that (game). I think I might have eaten something bad or something happened before the game. It wasn’t from a couple weeks ago.”

On whether he feels that his role and his stature are much greater than they have been in playoff runs in the past: “I think we are running the ball a little bit more than playoff runs we’ve had in the past. Going into the playoffs, we’ve been putting the ball in my hands a lot more than we have in the past. This team feels as though it’s a lot stronger. We’re on a six-game winning streak right now and we’re trying to make it seven. We have to go out there and try to win another football game. I think that we’re a stronger football team than we were in the past.”

On whether he feels that with Donovan McNabb sidelined, it has give people around the country the opportunity to see what kind of player he is: “I think the country will realize how good a player I am. Donovan is such a phenomenal player that he takes a lot of the attention because he is such a phenomenal player. I think that people will see that I am a very good player, a very capable player, the more they see me play.”

On whether he feels he has shown people enough already to see how good he is: “Hopefully, I’ll show some more, continue to show people that I can play at this level, that I can great things at this level and make a difference.”

On whether he sees similarities between him and Saints RB Reggie Bush: “I think we do some similar things. Reggie’s an exciting player. He’s fast and makes some people miss, returns punts, catches the ball well out of the backfield as well as running the ball. He’s a very exciting player and we do a lot of the same things. Actually (jokingly), they’re stealing all of our offensive plays where Reggie’s getting the ball out of the backfield. A lot of those plays, if you watch them, came from us.”

On whether is it flattering to see the Saints use plays for Bush that the Eagles use for him: “It’s flattering for the coaches. It’s been working for them. And because we are similar players, they are able to make it work.”

On how he has been able to grow as a player over the years: “I think experience has really helped me a whole lot. The more and more you go in your career, you are able to see things differently. You are able to see the scheme a little bit more. That experience has allowed me to be a better player.”

On how he feels about Bush being compared to him: “I’m not a comparison type of guy. Like I said, I think we do a lot of things similar. It doesn’t really bother me or anything like that.”

On whether his toughness is an underrated characteristic he possesses: “I think I get a lot of credit for a lot of different things. I’m a very tough player. I try to play a good brand of football that people will appreciate, but will also help us win football games. Hopefully, people will see that and take note of it.”

On how important it is for the Eagles to control the ball and keep it out of the hands of New Orleans’ playmaker: “I think the last game they dominated the ball a lot. I think they had the ball the last eight minutes of the game which didn’t allow us to get back on the field. For us, we have to know that every time we touch the ball we have to take advantage. We have to go out there and score points, because they have the type of offense that has the ability to do that. Hopefully our defense will get off the field and have a great game, and that’s what we’re hoping for as a team.”

On how the turf in New Orleans will affect his game: “For me it doesn’t really play into it too much. Hopefully I’ll be a little bit faster down there on that turf than I am on the grass up here. For me, and my joints and my knees and everything else it doesn’t really play too much into it.”

On how disappointing it was when New Orleans finished the last game by controlling the ball for the final eight minutes and whether it was nice to be able to do that to the Giants last week: “It was good because it really set the tone to let us know that we can control the clock, we can drive the ball down on a pretty good defense and finish the game with a game-winning field goal. We have the ability, we have the players to do that and this last game gave us the opportunity to show it.”

On why the offense got away from running the ball in the first matchup with the Saints: “I think we were just at a different point in the season. We were doing different things. Sometimes during the season you run the ball a little bit more and sometimes you pass the ball a little bit more. At that point we were throwing the ball a little bit more and we never really got the running game established.”

On whether it will be an advantage because they have a different quarterback now and are running different looks at this point in the season than they did in the first meeting: “Hopefully, it will be an advantage. They’ve had an opportunity to see what we’ve done with Jeff (Garcia) out there. And so they’ll be coached up and they had an extra week so they’ll be definitely ready. Hopefully, we’ll have an advantage and catch them by surprise. They’re a very well-coached team, a very athletic team that can play good. I wouldn’t count on catching them by surprise.”

On whether he feels he has put his durability issues to rest this season: “I think people have questioned the things I can do as a player as far as my durability. Can he play 16 games? Can he last a whole year as well as be productive? Hopefully, I have. People are always gonna doubt me. They always have. I went to a small school. I wasn’t a number one draft pick. Right now, all that matters is my ability to help this team win football games and I’m going to go out there and give my team all I have. Hopefully, we’ll win.”

On what the noise in the Superdome was like in the last game: “It was a pretty noisy environment. They had a capacity crowd. They had everybody jammed in there. It was a pretty noisy environment, but we practiced in the noise so we were pretty well used to it.”

On why he has chosen not to do his media availability in the team’s auditorium as other player do, and continue to do it in the locker room: “(Jokingly) I feel closer to you guys (the media), man. I feel like a family out here. I’ve been doing it all year. I like to stay consistent. It’s been working for me. You guys have been bringing me luck every week.”

On the play of the offensive line this year: “They’ve probably played the biggest role, more so than me myself. Those guys have done a great job of stepping up and filling gaps. They’ve been really pushing the other teams lines down they field. They’ve dominated these last few weeks. That’s what we need from them. We have one of the biggest offensive lines in the league and they have really proved their worth this year. It’s the best offensive line that I’ve been around since I’ve been here. Those guys deserve a lot of credit.”

On whether the offense thinks that they have become a different unit than the one that faced the Saints the first time: “I think that we are a different style of offense right now. We’re running the ball more effectively right now. I think we are a better offense now than we were then. That was still early on in the season. I think it was the fifth game. So we’re a better offense right now. We have to find a way to compete with their offense so that when they’re scoring points, we’re scoring points as well. We can’t go into a drive thinking that we want to kick a punt. We want to go down there and score touchdowns. Hopefully we’ll do that.”

On whether it’s nice to see the offense run the ball the way it has: “It’s nice to finally get the guys going a little bit. I think the offensive linemen look forward to run-blocking. They look forward to beating up the other team. The thing about our offensive line, because they are so big, when we start running the ball effectively early on in the game and we continue to do that, we will wear another team down, just because of the size we have up front. It’s been working.”

On playing a postseason game on the road after having hosted so many in Philadelphia in recent years: “We’ve been doing a lot of different things this year. It hasn’t really worked out for us being at home these last couple of years so hopefully this change will be a good change for us.”

LB Press Conference 1/10/07

On what Saints head coach Sean Payton does in his offense: “He’s obviously a very good coach. We’ve had our battles over the year, he0 and [defensive coordinator] Jim Johnson. He does a great job of knowing his personnel; what they can and can’t do and getting the most out of them and mixing things up. We obviously know they script the first 15-20 plays at a very high tempo, very fast. So, we’ve got to come out ready, ready to play early.”

On how difficult it is for the defense to communicate in the environment of the Superdome: “It affects us most times at home. On the road, it’s normally pretty good because the home crowd is going to be quiet while their offense is at work. So, we really don’t have a problem when we are on the road.”

On what RB Brian Westbrook has done as a leader in the last month: “You know what? I think Westbrook; he’s always been a quiet leader. He says a lot when nobody is watching, in the huddle, when you really don’t pay attention much to the guys in the huddle, but he’s out there getting guys going, getting them fired up. And I think he has stepped it up even more. He’s become a more vocal leader once [QB] Donovan [McNabb] went down and he’s been doing a great job at it.”

On his feelings after their first game against the Saints earlier in the season: “It wasn’t a good feeling, just the guys converting third down after third down. It seemed like we couldn’t make a play and when we did make a play, we had too many guys on the field. It seemed like everything was going wrong for us that particular day, especially that drive.”

On what makes Saints QB Drew Brees so tough to get to: “Sean Payton does a great job of protecting quarterbacks. I remember when he was with New York, he max protected a lot. He kept Jim’s blitzes off of [former Giants QB] Kerry Collins when he was down there. With Brees, they do a lot of three step drops; try to get rid of the ball quick. And Brees does a good job of managing the offense, getting rid of the ball, giving the ball to the receivers. When you are getting rid of the ball that quick, it’s tough for the defensive line to get into the pass rush mode and try to get a feel for what they are trying to do.”

On how desperate the veterans are to get a win and keep going in the playoffs: “I’m just getting started (jokingly). We’ve been at this thing a long time; we’ve been right there at the doorstep and couldn’t close the deal. You never know when, the year you think you’re going to do it, it ain’t going to happen. The year you think you don’t have a chance, it could happen. So, you just try to take every day one day at a time and enjoy the ride along the way and just hope for the best.”

On Jim Johnson’s ability to come up with a plan for a game like this and whether Jim has changed since the Colts game: “I can’t say if he’s changed or not. But, Jim is a…I’ve talked about Sean Payton a lot this week, even with the defensive guys. But, Jim is a genius in his own right. Those guys have had their battles, they’ve won some, lost some and Jim is always going to come up with a great game plan to put us in position to make plays and to make the defense seem easy for us.”

On whether any of the storylines matter to him when the whistle blows: “No, you know what? You can easily get caught up in the hype. If you don’t listen to any of that anyway, it doesn’t matter. So, right now, I’m sure they are down there, they are focusing on a football game and we are doing the same thing. You can’t get caught up in the hype.”

On whether the Saints run some of the same plays for RB Reggie Bush as the Eagles run for Westbrook: “I can see some similarities. Yeah, I can definitely see some of the similarities; the way [Payton] tries to split him out, we split out Westbrook, run screens, and that sort of thing. They run a lot of pony personnel with two tailbacks in the game and we do some of the same things with Westbrook and [RB Correll] Buckhalter.”

On how they will compensate for losing CB Lito Sheppard: “You know what? The next guy steps up. [CB] Rod [Hood] gets in there, he’s starting and he is going to have a great game for us and [CB] Will [James] will to come in on third down and take some nickels. So, we’ve got to keep moving. Everybody else has got to step it up.”

On whether he sees any resemblance between the Eagles this year and last year’s Steelers: “Yeah, you can see that a little bit. The Steelers got hot at the right time and every game they won, they won on the road and also they were the underdogs. So, when a team is hot and they have some talent and they are playing together at the end, they are tough to beat. But, we understand the competition we are going up against this week and we’ve got to bring our ‘A’ game.”

On whether the three-step-drop can be beneficial towards coverages, knowing the ball is coming out quicker: “You know what, you just have to do your film study and make a play on the ball. When the ball comes out quick like that you don’t have a lot of big plays, but the offense is still moving the chains and their keeping the defense on the field a long time. So, we have to make sure we do a good job of getting them into third-and-long and getting them off the field.”

On whether there is any reason they have had trouble defending on the first drive: “Not sure. A lot of times teams come out with a very high tempo offense, and we just have to make sure we come out and match that tempo. Match that speed and we’ll be ready to go at the snap. We have to make sure we’re relaxed but playing at a high tempo.”

On whether he feels they have to win this game to get the team back to the level of success they’ve had over the last few years: “Well, you know what, right now we’re not thinking about the past or the future. We’re just thinking about preparing right now. We feel that if we prepare now the way we’re supposed to, that everything else will take care of itself on Saturday.”

On whether post season games stand out more in his memory: “Yeah, you do remember a lot of the games. I remember the Chicago game when we went up there. We were big underdogs and those guys had a great season and we really took it to them at that time. I remember going to St. Louis. We were right in there with those guys. They were ‘the greatest show on turf.’ You always remember a lot of the playoff games. More so than regular season games.”

On whether there is any difference playing on field turf as opposed to grass: “Yeah, field turf is a lot faster. The field wasn’t in great shape last week. It took a beating pretty much the whole season and then it started raining there at the end. But, when you’re playing in a dome it is definitely a lot faster.”

On whether the Saints have an advantage playing on a more familiar turf: “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that – that’s the home turf so they should be comfortable with it, but that won’t be a factor in the game”

On whether it gives the team an edge already having played there this season: “I wouldn’t say it gives us an edge, but it helps us to know what to expect. We aren’t going to be walking around looking at the stadium or anything like that. We kind of have a feel for the city. We’re going in there for one reason and that’s to win a ball game. I don’t think you’re going to see many guys out wondering around. It’s been a short week so we have to make sure we get our rest to try and catch up.”

On whether he’s happy with the way the offense has been playing: “Yeah it definitely helps you when you’re running the ball and using up the clock. Especially on the defensive side. They’ve been getting those first downs, so I’m definitely excited about that.”

Head Coach Andy Reid Press Conference 1.9.07

Injuries/opening remarks: “Really, [CB] Lito Sheppard is the only one we need to talk about and he has the dislocated elbow, as I mentioned yesterday. He will be out for this game.”

“We look forward to the challenge of playing the Saints and we know they are a heck of a football team. We have to get ourselves ready to go - we’re playing in a very intense environment down there – and that’s what we are going to go about doing this week.”

On whether they will practice with simulated crowd noise this week: “Yeah, we’ll do what we normally do when we have to go to an away game.”

On whether even he feels a little more excitement than normal because it is the playoffs: “I think anytime you’re in the playoffs – everything is faster, quicker and more high- tempo – and you have to coach a little bit better and players play a little better and that’s just kind of the nature of it. I guess you’d be a little bit more excited.”

On whether they plan on using the offensive line to try and control the ball: “We’re going to run our offense. We always try and do that, every week, the best we can”

On whether teams ignore their seeding in the playoffs because of the nature of the NFL: “Well, I would think so. I would think teams - they are in the playoffs and think they have a chance of winning a game. I think anybody that saw this last year – the whole year – it feels like you have an opportunity every week. That’s the way that things work, particularly in the NFC. I would imagine that’s the way people feel.”

On whether playoff experience is overrated: “I don’t know how to rate that. I’ve been on both ends of that. You just prepare yourself and go play. I don’t get caught up in all that. I don’t know how you do that as a coach. It doesn’t really matter. You’re not going to change one thing or another.”

On whether they watch the film from the first game against the Saints, or the Saints most recent film, to get prepared for this game: “You look at their games that are similar to what you do and you’re last game. You mix it in. You try looking at as much as you can and you feel it.”

On what he thinks the biggest thing is that Saints coach Sean Payton has done to turn things around in New Orleans: “Sean’s done a great job turning it around. Not only has he turned around the football team, but he has also given a city that was down a little bit something to be proud of. It’s a tough thing to do and he has stayed strong and stayed consistent with what he has done. He’s coached the guys well. I think he has done a great job of calling the plays, from an offensive side, which he always had, even when he was at New York and he went through that whole thing. I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for him. He’s a heck of a football coach.”

On whether RB Brian Westbrook is over the stomach virus he had: “Well, knock on wood. But we had it go through quite a few guys and it’s slowed down so far. I hope it stays that way. All’s good today with that. Brian is a little sore today, but other than that there are no repercussions from the flu.”

On the low percentage of teams that have beaten the team coming off a bye and playing at home and him being associated with two of the teams that have: “I didn’t even know that was a stat and that even happened. I know that you have to practice hard and do what you do. You don’t change a bunch of things. You go about coaching your guys up and your guys go about working and doing their thing and studying, and you go play.”

On playing a team that isn’t a division rival for a second time in a season: “We’ve had quite a few games between us, so they are looking at our game and we’re looking at the game we played against them. There have been a few things that have changed in between, some for the good of both teams and some for the bad for both teams. You go through that and you come up with what that team is doing the last few games and what is making them so successful.”

On how important it has been that S Michael Lewis has stayed with the program throughout the season: “Michael has been great and he has been a big part of things. You saw what he did at Washington and he made a big hit the other night. He’s a big influence in the locker room and he’s been awesome.”

On whether TE L.J. Smith has become a better blocker this season: “He’s been doing a good job there, he sure has. Better, I’m not going to say he was a poor blocker before. I thought he did a pretty good job before, but he is doing a nice job right now.”

QB Jeff Garcia Press Conference 1/9/07

On him saying after the Giants game that he thought his emotions got the better of and whether that surprised him: “I think anytime that you play in the playoffs, you are going to be excited about the opportunity. You want to play well. You want to go out and do the right things to help your team win a football game. I think it was just a matter of us calming down and getting ourselves collected and really figuring out what we needed to do in order to be effective as an offense. Fortunately, we found those things out in time to win the football game.”

On whether this something that he has dreamed of doing during the past few years or whether this is beyond what he could have imagined: “I think you always dream and really look forward to being a part of something special. I think that’s really what we have going for us right now; a great group of guys that work extremely hard, that are extremely focused on doing the right thing in trying to attain that ultimate goal. We all want to be able to achieve that ultimate goal, as far as being a professional football player, and that is something that would be awesome to be able to experience. To be part of that whole thing right now truly is something special.”

On whether it is an advantage to have played in an atmosphere like the Superdome in the past: “I think anytime you go into domes where the other team is having a successful year… Obviously, I used to play the Rams quite a bit when they were rolling and then [playing] in New Orleans a couple of times when they were part of our division. It’s going to be loud. It’s going to be somewhat of a hornet’s nest, but I think having finished the way we finished this year with three tough road games, in difficult places to play, helped prepare us for what we are about to see this weekend. As much as you can’t necessarily say it will be the exact same thing, we got a glimpse of it. And I think that we’re better for it. I think going into this situation, we realize and know what we are about to see. Also, having played there earlier in the year when [the Saints] were on a roll and they were doing good things, doing great things, and their crowd was truly behind them. This is a situation that is going to be exciting for all of us and we are looking forward to it.”

On how the role of the offensive line has played in the success of the offense: “The offensive line has been tremendous. I think anytime you look at a team’s success, it starts with the offensive and defensive lines. I think you have to have those foundations in place in order to have effectiveness in other areas. Our offensive line has done an outstanding job this year, especially this latter part of the season where we have run the football more effectively. We’ve been able to throw the football effectively and just have a more balanced attack. So much of that is attributed to those five guys up front working together as a team.”

On how much the receivers have impacted the running game: “The receivers have done a great job of blocking down the field. I think anytime you look at the long runs that are taking place, you’re seeing [WR] Reggie Brown, [WR] Dante Stallworth, [WR] Hank Baskett, [TE] L.J. Smith, all of those guys trying to get on people down the field, trying to make blocks that will spring [RB Brian Westbrook]. They’ve done an excellent job. I think that just shows the unselfishness of the players that we have on this team and the character that we have on this team, as far as knowing their job, knowing their responsibility, and willing to pull through whether it is a run or a pass.”

On whether he knows New Orleans QB Drew Brees and whether their seasons parallel each other at all: “Honestly I don’t really know Drew all that well. I just have watched him; I’ve played against him a couple of times. I feel and believe that he’s done an awesome job in his career. I think he’s a very smart, a very intelligent quarterback and he has the abilities to back it up. He’s been a true team leader to that team this year and it has shown by what they’ve been able to do on the field.”

On whether he learned anything from watching rather than playing in the Eagles’ first game against the Saints this season: “I think you have to truly eliminate certain mistakes, based upon crowd noise or just the excitement of the game. We have to be more disciplined in certain areas. You can’t afford to give them a short field like we did the other night with New York. We have to be better as an offense in sustaining drives and trying to keep their offense off the field. Their defense has done a great job this year also in not allowing teams to convert third downs, getting [their opponent’s offense] off the field so their offense can have opportunities. And it’s just one of those things where efficiency is going to be a must in this sort of game.”

On his impressions of the Saints defense: “I think that they are a group that plays well together. I think that they have a defensive line that is just a never quit sort of group. They just keep coming after you. They keep trying to make things happen. Their linebackers play hard, they’re aggressive, and they are good tacklers. Their defensive backfield is experienced. Those guys have pretty much all, except for [Saints’ FS Josh Bullocks], everybody has played in this league for a number of years. So, they are definitely experienced throughout that group on the defensive side of the ball. I think anytime you know that you have an offense that is going to score points, I think it takes some of the pressure off of [the defense] and they can just fly around and make things happen.”

On whether one of the keys for the Eagles’ offense is to sustain drives and keep the Saints’ offense off the field: “I think it really is. I think it’s a situation where we need to be good with the football. We need to find ways to be effective and efficient and sustain drives that don’t allow them to get hot and continue to be hot.”

On whether he thinks Westbrook is driven by not getting the respect he deserves: “I think Brian is just a guy who is truly driven within himself to be the best possible player that he can be. He’s a true football player. He understands the game. He understands the intangibles of the game; what he needs to do in order to be successful. He’s just an awesome player to have on this team. As much as it wasn’t acknowledged as for as a Pro Bowl invitation, he definitely is an MVP here. We truly appreciate what we have in Brian in the backfield.”

On why this teams embraces situations like a tough game on the road in a tough environment: “I think just the fact of having our backs up against the wall, having that underdog mentality, having the mentality that we have to come out swinging and matching blow for blow, and [we are] not going to back down from anybody. It’s really a situation where the pressure is not really on us. It’s something that we are just going in, excited about this opportunity. We’ve overcome a lot of obstacles and persevered in a lot of ways this season. I think we’ve grown up together as a team. I think in those ways, we’re very supportive of each other, we’re very focused and very driven to create success on the field.”

On how important it is for them to play well early in the game: “It’s always important to get off to a strong start. We can’t afford to put ourselves in a situation like we were in last week against a good New Orleans offense. It’s one of those things where, like I expressed earlier, about efficiency and effectiveness on the offensive side of the ball. We need to find a way to create success and that is not going to be easy against a good Saints defense.”

On how having a short week alters the way they prepare for this game: “It doesn’t really change anything. I think you can’t even think about it. You have to just keep focused and keep working on the things that we’ve been working on throughout the season. We got our day off on Monday and Tuesday becomes our Wednesday. It’s one of those things where you can’t worry about whether we should have been playing on Sunday or how the NFL could have helped us out or anything like that. It’s the playoffs, we move forward, our next opponent is the Saints and let’s get ready and get after them.”

On how important it was for the younger players to get their first playoff game under their belts: “I think it’s very helpful for them to understand the speed of the game and how it increases in the playoffs and how important it is to take care of yourself throughout the week and study and do the right things throughout the week so that you are mentally and physically fresh and prepared come game day. I think having that one [playoff] game now under their belts is going to be definitely helpful to them.”

On some people saying after the Giants game that he is going to need to play better this week in order to win: “We won the football game. That’s all that matters.”

WR Donté Stallworth Press Conference 1-9-07

On whether he could have imagined the Saints turning it around like they have: “When I was down there we always had the players to make things happen to win ball games, but it was just late in the game, whenever the play needed to be made, for some reason we never made it. And that’s the thing that they’re doing this year is late in the game they’re continuing to make those plays and they’ve got a lot of talent down there and they’re playing well.”

On whether it will be a challenge for him to keep the emotions out of it: “No because I know it’s a mistake [to do that]. It’ll be fun going down there. It will probably be weird, but when the game starts it’s just playing football. It’ll be 11-on-11 guys trying to advance in these playoffs.”

On how tough it is for a visiting team to play at the Louisiana Superdome: “They get pretty noisy in there. With it being a dome, that also keeps in a lot of the noise. But, the fans, they’re going to be real loud. It’s the first playoff game in six years I think. It’ll be real loud, but we practice on certain things like that during the week to prepare for what’s going to happen down there, try to prepare I should say.”

On who he keeps in touch with on the Saints: “A lot of guys, too many to name really. But, mainly I’d say probably [WR] Joe Horn, [WR] Devery Henderson, [RB] Deuce McAllister, [RB] Reggie Bush. I can go through the whole roster. I stayed by those guys. We all pretty much stayed within walking distance of one another, so we were obviously real close too. [CB] Fred Thomas, [CB] Mike McKenzie, a lot of guys, [DE] Will Smith, [DE] Charles Grant, pretty much their whole roster really.”

On whether he’s talked to any of the guys this week: “I got a couple of texts [messages] from a couple of the guys after the game. I’m really just trying to focus in on my job. I’m not really going to go out of my way to make phone calls or anything like that. I’m just going to take this as a normal week and prepare for my business.”

On what role Hurricane Katrina factors into the Saints team: “There are a lot of guys on that team that weren’t there with us last year and obviously none of the coaches were there. They feel some responsibility as we did last year during the whole season and they’re kind of feeding off of that. Obviously, they have great players and they’ve got guys that are teaching them good things, but they’ve been feeding off of that and they’ve played exceptionally well this year. So, I think that definitely has an effect on their play, that they feel some sort of responsibility to the city.”

On whether Hurricane Katrina was a factor on the Saints team last year: “Yeah, it was. When it actually happened at first, just going to some of the places where a lot of the evacuees were, some of them had lost family members. Some of them had lost children, lost everything that they had ever worked for. And the things that surprised me the most going down there talking to those people was that they didn’t even mention anything about that. They were just wondering about how the Saints were doing, how we were doing and is everybody healthy? Is everybody ready to start the 2005 season? So, we felt some responsibility. And like I said, I’m sure now with them being back home they feel the same kind of responsibility.”

On how much of a disadvantage it is to have the short week and play a team that had an extra week to rest: “Well, they didn’t know who they were playing until after our game, so they’re getting the same preparation time as we’ve gotten. They’ve gotten a little more rest, but they’ve earned that. They’ve earned the right to have the bye week, but when the game starts it’ll all be football. [Head] coach [Andy] Reid has done a good job throughout the year of resting us when we need to and things like that. So, he’s been in this game for a long time. He knows what to do with his players. So, as far as preparation goes, we’ve gotten the same amount of preparation as they have for us.”

On how good it makes him feel to be a big part of the run game as a blocker: “That’s a responsibility that we have. We go out there and we want to get the double moves and all that, things going downfield as receivers. So, that means that the running back has got to stay in sometimes and block those guys that are like 100 more pounds than they are. So, it’s our responsibility. It’s a team effort. It’s our responsibility to go out and block those guys because the running backs that we have, they can make a lot of guys miss, so you’ve got to make sure you’re really accountable for your player.”

On what coming here has done for his career: “I’m a lot happier now obviously being able to display my talents a lot more than I was down in New Orleans. Just coming here first off was a good thing for me with this organization only being two years removed from a Super Bowl and me not playing in the playoffs my first four years in the league. I had some success on the field, but at the same time you can only have so much success individually to where it doesn’t even matter. The main goal is to win a championship and when I got here I knew that I would have a really good shot at making the playoffs. I’m not saying that’s all that I wanted, but we have a chance to play for a championship. That’s what the playoffs are.”

On his impressions of the Saints defense: “They’ve got a really good defensive line. Those guys can really get after the passer. They can get after the quarterback. They can stop the run. They can do some good things and a lot of those guys are high energy guys, (jokingly) except for [DT] Hollis [Thomas]. But, Hollis has got some good energy. Hollis is going to be fired up for this game too. I spent some time down there with him before I actually got traded here. Good guy. Their secondary is playing well. Pretty much everybody back there, I think with the exception of [S Josh] Bullocks, has got at least eight or nine years in the league, so they’ve got some experience. So, as far as receivers go, we really have to be on top of our game as far as running routes and not really showing anything too early.”

On how hard it was to not be able to play in the first game against them in the regular season: “It was hard. It’s always hard whenever you can’t play, regardless of the situation. But, with it being against the Saints it was exceptionally hard. And not winning that ball game didn’t help out any either. So, it was hard, but that game is gone now. We’re moving on. Obviously, we’re playing them again this week, a really good team, and we’ve got a really huge challenge ahead of us.”

On whether he can take anything from practicing against the Saints defensive backs and vice versa: “Yeah, you can if you know a guy well enough. You know certain things that they want to do in certain situations, but it pretty much evens out because they know me just as well as them. So, there won’t be any advantages or disadvantages from that aspect.”

On whether there are things that he does better now than he did earlier in the season: “Yeah, I always try to go out and get myself better every day and every week. So, there are some things that I feel I have gotten better at. But, the old adage is, ‘the eye in the sky doesn’t lie.’ And they’ve got our film. We’ve got their film. So, I’m sure they’ll be studying a lot of the film that we’ve had and we’ll be studying a lot of their film. It’ll be a good game.”

On whether he could tell early on that Saints WR would have the impact that he had: “Yeah, I did. I couldn’t tell right away, but after the first minicamp and after coaching sessions started getting going, I could tell that he was going to be really good. Then training camp came and he really flourished. He came into his own with me not being able to do much. He was in and out, switching, alternating with Devery [Henderson] at the starting spot. Then they moved him to the 3rd receiver, or the inside receiver, and he was really doing some good things in there, so I could tell that he definitely had potentially to be a really good player. He’s a good guy. He wants to learn and he’s always looking at ways to get himself better. That’s especially key for a young guy like himself and he’s done that. I know when I was there he was always asking questions of me and Joe [Horn] about certain things. So, he has a willingness to get better.”

On whether there is a possibility he could still be in New Orleans if Colston hadn’t done what he did in training camp: “Yeah, that’s a big possibility, but also, Devery Henderson had played well too and both of those guys are young and playing really well. With the way they were playing it made it easier for me to be here now, which is definitely not a bad thing.”

On how much more he thinks the offense needs to produce this week as compared to last week against the Giants: “I won’t say we need to do more. We just have to play more consistent, just come out and start faster, eliminate some of the penalties that we had and I think we’ll be fine. Like I said, it will be a rough environment with the crowd and the crowd noise and things like that. On top of that, they are a good team, too.”

FS Press Conference 1/9/07

On whether they fed off all of the perceived negativity when they had three consecutive away games at the end of the season and whether that builds character: “That definitely builds character. It challenges you in a lot of different ways. When you lose a guy like [QB] Donovan [McNabb] and you have to go on the road, you have to band together. When you are going through difficult games, losing [to] last second field goals, that type of thing. All of that stuff; it builds character. You can go two ways. You can either learn from it and build from and come together or you can start pointing fingers and backbite each other. And we haven’t done the latter, so it has definitely built us up to the team we are right now, playing some pretty good football out there.”

On how that character can serve them this week in a tough environment: “Mentally, we know that we can go on the road and win games and that’s the first thing. You have to believe that you can do it in order to go out and do it. You can practice and prepare, but if mentally you think that you don’t have a shot going in or you have to get lucky to win a game, then you are already defeated before you touch the field. So, going into division rival’s homes and being able to win tough games on the road like that; I think that has served us well. So, we can look back at the schedule now and look at those three games, I think they are more beneficial than before [when] you look forward to them and are saying, ‘This is going to be a hard road.’”

On what he takes from the Eagles’ loss to the Saints earlier in the season: “Just the way we started out, the way they started out, we knew they were going to come out fast like that. But, we just had too many mistakes defensively and it took us too long to get going. We finally got going and then, once again, that mistake [a penalty for having 12 men on the field] at the end that gave them a chance to prolong that last game- winning field goal drive that they had. [It was] a mistake on our part defensively that gave them that opportunity. So, we know what to expect now.”

On what he has seen from S : “He’s basically learning on the job right now. He’s doing a good job at it, but he had a missed tackle this past week; he’ll learn from that and that’s what it’s all about. When you get out there, you are going to make mistakes; you are going to do things that you are going to wish you could do better. But, you learn from them and I’m always there to help him out. If I see something or I think that we can work on something together, then those are the things that we do and talk about. So, he’s doing a good job right now actually. He finally got that [against Atlanta] before the regular season ended, which was on his mind a little bit. So, I think that was a plus for him.”

On how important it is that LB Omar Gaither has come back from his mistake in New Orleans and that SS Michael Lewis has stuck with the program to play the role he has: “That’s huge because, as a young guy, with that type of mistake [penalty for having 12 men on the field] – and I don’t believe that was just his mistake, that was all of ours. Somebody should have seen that and been able to help him get off the field, so that wasn’t just on him. But, for him to be able to come back and now we are counting on him to do the things that he’s doing - whether it’s playing that weakside the way he’s doing it. For him to be able to come back and be able to contribute as a rookie after all of that scrutiny and people talking about him like they were talking about him – it’s huge for him. And as far as Mike goes, I’ve talked about what Mike had to go through and what he’s doing for us now and what we count on him [for] when he touches the field – to make plays for us. So, I think, once again, that built something up in both of those guys; that they can go through tough ordeals and still come out smelling pretty sweet.”

On how New Orleans RB Reggie Bush looks more comfortable in their offense now compared to the first time they played them this season: “He was comfortable the first time. I think [Saints head coach] Sean [Payton] did a good job of not putting too much on him too fast. I think that is the role that [Payton] wanted to have [Reggie Bush] doing in that offense anyway. But, it’s smart to not throw everything at him at one time and say, ‘these are all of the things that we are going to do with you. Learn now.’ He brought him in slowly, so now they’ve expanded it. I think that, if possible, they are probably going to try to expand it a little more with all of this time they had off.”

On whether he could have imagined Sean Payton becoming the head coach he is today even when he was the Eagles quarterbacks coach in 1997-8: “No, I never said that I knew exactly that he was going to have this type of success. But, I knew at some point that he was going to have success when he was here. Even when he went off to the Giants, I know that he would always help with the game plan with the Giants and we would always have a tough time against him. When he went on to Dallas, the same thing. Every time we played him, we would always have a tough time with that offense and he was one of the masterminds behind it. So, I knew at some point that he was going to have success wherever he went.”

On what he saw in Payton while he was with the Eagles that made him think that he would succeed: “I think to me, just the confidence. Even in the midst of all of that stuff, he was always, I don’t want to say chipper because some people look down on chipper, but he was always upbeat about the situation. He was always, ‘let’s see what we can do today to get better,’ that type of attitude. And [he] would try to pick guys off the floor who looked like they were down and he was always that way when he was here. Now I don’t know if he’s still that way now. I’m not in that locker room. But, I can only imagine that he’s – you can’t change too much from who you were. I think that he’s probably that same way; picking guys up instead of beating them down.”

On whether it is more of an advantage to have the week off or to have just played and started some momentum: “It depends on how you are going to look at it. Obviously, we are on this side of the ball and we’re saying that we’ve played a game, so we’re feeling like we’re still in the momentum of things. And obviously, they are going to say that rest helps. I’ll tell you what, at the beginning of the season if you ask any team what they would want to be doing last week and they would all say resting – get home field advantage. So, that being said, I think that both of us are going to look at the positives instead of the negatives of the thing.”

On S Quintin Mikell’s play this season: “The things that Quintin is showing are the things that I saw that he would be able to do once he gets his opportunity. That’s basically what I’ve always told him, ‘when that opportunity presents itself, just be ready. Just be ready to show the talent that you have’ because he’s a talented young man, seriously. [He has] some really nice feet, great hand- eye coordination, and will come up and deliver a hit on you if he gets the opportunity. So, all of those things were there. He just never really had a true opportunity to show it. Now he’s showing it because he’s getting those opportunities and he’s doing what I said I believed was there in the first place.”

On the threat that a healthy Saints WR Joe Horn presents: “He just adds another weapon to Sean’s offense. [He’s] a veteran guy, an excellent route runner, [has] excellent hands, and is a tough guy. So, he just adds another weapon for Sean to utilize in that offense [and] he uses everybody. That’s evident with what [Saints FB Mike] Karney did against Dallas and scoring all of those touchdowns. So, he uses everybody.”

On the problems that Saints RB’s Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush present: “They utilize both of those guys in different ways. But, when you have two capable running backs that both are able to – one grind it out, but at the same time Deuce can get loose also and Reggie, man, he is a blessed young man. He gets outside and if you don’t cut him off from getting outside, it is going to be a long day for you. So, I think having faced that tandem already, we have a better understanding of how they try to utilize each guy. But, you could probably ask any coordinator in this league whether they would want to have two backs like that and I’m pretty sure every last one of them would say yes.”

On whether he thinks that defensive coordinator Jim Johnson took it personally when they were 5-6 earlier in the season and people said offenses have “caught up to him”: “I’m pretty sure he took it personally, he didn’t let us know it. He doesn’t talk to us about people talking about him. That’s not what it’s all about with Jim. All Jim kept talking to us about was correcting the things that we could correct. And I’m pretty sure he’s told you guys this, is tackling. We weren’t tackling worth a darn at one point. Those are the things that we took pride in and we were going to start doing and getting people on the ground when we had the opportunity. And then playing aggressive football behind the other team’s line of scrimmage. It’s funny how all of a sudden, we are playing good defense and we’re doing exactly what Jim has been asking us to do in a defense and that is being successful. Now, I guess, nobody has caught up with it. I guess they lost him again. At one point they caught up to him, now they’ve lost him again. So, when we do what it is that Jim asks us to do, that defense works. It wasn’t Jim; it was us. We weren’t doing what we needed to do to make that thing work.”

Head Coach Andy Reid 1/8/07 Injuries: “[CB] Lito Sheppard has a dislocated elbow, will not play this weekend. [OT] William Thomas made it through the game well, and then feels good today. I mentioned that [RB] Brian [Westbrook] was ill. He feels pretty good today, and then really that’s it on the injury side.”

On last night’s game: “I was proud of our guys, we started off a little slow and were able to finish well at the end which is important in playoff games: that you support one another, and I though that our guys did a good job with that against what I consider a very good, very talented team. And [Giants head coach] Tom Coughlin had a heck of a game plan. I thought he did a really nice job with it and the players executed and he’s a heck of a football coach. And, [Giants RB] Tiki Barber, congratulations goes out to him for a great career, not that I’m tying to talk him out of it or anything, but a great career. He ended it with a lot of yards and I hate to see him go on one side but on the other side I’m okay with it. I know he’s going to make a good living doing the TV broadcasting part of things. He’s a very talented young man. I thought the offensive line and Brian Westbrook and the receivers, and full back, I thought they all did a nice job at the end when we needed it. I thought Brian’s overall game was very good. He ran for a lot of yards. He wasn’t feeling the best but he kept pushing through. [K] David Akers and that whole crew right there- it was good to see David have a chance to make a game winning kick. He hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to do that over the last couple of years, but he had the opportunity to do it. He nailed it right through the middle. The snap and the hold, they all looked good so that was a positive there. [CB] Sheldon Brown I thought had a good game. He had the big interception and then the deflection in the end zone. He was around the ball quite a few times making plays.”

On the upcoming game against the : “So we’re on to a short week. And we’ll get started tomorrow. The team will be back in tomorrow and be ready to practice. Then we go down to New Orleans and play a very explosive Saints team on both sides of the football and special teams. We’ll finish up the Giants game today and get on with the Saints after today. Our coaches are well into the Saints preparation.”

On how he plans to get the team’s legs back with a short week: “Well you obviously cut down a little bit on tomorrow’s practice. It’s going to be a little bit shorter. You give them the opportunity to bounce back and then you get back into a normal look on Wednesday and Thursday.”

On keeping an even keel throughout the Giant’s game and where that came from: “I don’t know. I don’t know that, where it came from. My mom and dad.”

On whether CB Rod Hood will start for injured CB Lito Sheppard: “Yes” On whether CB Will James is healthy: “Yeah, Will’s healthy. It was important that we got him through last week. He was able to practice all last week and he felt good and so we were being a little bit cautious with the calf. Those are tricky injuries. He’s back and ready to go.”

On whether he will play in nickel and dime situations: “Yes”

On this team’s depth at the position: “Yeah. [CB Joselio] Hanson’s played very well for us. He doesn’t get a lot of pats on the back but the kid is always around the football and really does a nice job. [CB] Rod [Hood] we’ve always considered him to be somebody that can go in and start for us and do a good job, and he’s done that. Will James, he hasn’t had a chance to play much, but when he did he sure made some big plays. At Washington with the deflection to [S] Michael Lewis. When he has opportunities to get in there he’s done a good job. We know what he’s all about because we’ve played against him so much. He’s a heck of a player.”

On whether there is any chance of getting CB Lito Sheppard back in this post- season: “We’ll see. We’ll see how that goes. That’s a little tricky. This week for sure he won’t play. We’ll see down the road. If there is a down the road, we’ll see how that goes.”

On how happy he was with the pressure the defense got on Giants QB : “Well, you know, I say this about our quarterback: anytime you can pressure a quarterback and make him move around a little bit, that’s a good thing. I don’t think there’s a coach in this league, or a quarterback that will disagree with me. I was happy to see our guys get to the quarterback yesterday. Eli made two great throws, I thought, under the gun. But we were also able to get to him a couple times which I thought was important.”

On [DE] Juqua Thomas taking some snaps in place of [DE] Darren Howard: “We’ve been doing that. We’ve been rolling him the last few games. They’ve both been very effective for us. We ask Darren to take a lot of snaps because he plays inside on that nickel. So, we’re trying to find ways of spotting him. And JT was the answer.”

On RB Brian Westbrook’s ability to carry the team even when he was ill: “He’s done that all year. When [QB] Donovan [McNabb] got hurt he took it up another notch and I know there were times out there when he was hurting and it was all that he could do to stay out there and focus in on what he had to do. You can’t say enough. He’s a tough nut.”

On whether the team knows what they are going up against: “Sure. They understand. We’re not too worried about the short week. Those things happened and we’ve been in that situation before. You just don’t worry about that. You take care of the news. You have to put a little bit of time and effort and concentration into that, and we’ll do that. And we’ll go out and play. There aren’t a lot of teams playing right now. You work your tail off, and then go down there and give it your best shot.”

On what has changed on this team that allows them to sustain drives better than they did going into the last game against New Orleans: “Well you know what I think it will be on both sides. They’re a little different and we’re a little different. They weren’t quite sure what kind of football team they were at that time and I think they know what kind of team they are now. And we’re a little bit different just with the quarterback situation. So, we’ll see. We’ll see how it all works out.”

On whether he talked to the team about their emotions after the personal foul called on OT Jon Runyan: “I sure like the physical play, Jon’s very good at that and that one got away form him a little bit. Jon’s going to play to the whistle and he didn’t hear any whistle blow. But that’s what’s made him such a great player in this league. He’s a tough, tough nut and if you’re standing around he’s going to answer the door.”

On how have the New Orleans Saints changed since their last meeting: “Well, just what I’m saying. They weren’t quite sure what kind of team they were. They were feeling their way through with a new head coach and some new players at different positions and I think they’re playing a lot more confident now. [QB] Drew Brees has settled into the offense and had an MVP type of season and they’re just that more confident and familiar.”

On whether he feels like they dodged a bullet yesterday: “I don’t want to say that we dodged a bullet. I think that our guys played very hard and we knew it was going to be one of those knock down, drag out fights. That’s how it is when we play the Giants. They’re all the same. The games come right down to the end and this one wasn’t any different.”

On whether the end of the Dallas game reinforced his decision to bring in QB Koy Detmer to hold: “I don’t know. That’s a tough thing. [Dallas QB Tony] Romo’s a really good holder. I don’t know what happened there. I’m sure coach [Bill] Parcells and Romo feel sick about it. But, he’s pretty good at what he does. On the other hand, it was good to see Koy do a nice job and I know they have confidence in each other, Koy and David [Akers] do, and that’s a plus”

On how the Saints are different with [DT] Hollis Thomas in the lineup: “Well, you know, Hollis is really coming off one of his better years since I’ve been around and watching him. He’ll be rested. He’s had four weeks off or so. He’ll be excited to play, I’m sure. He’s good against the run. That’s what Hollis is about.”

On whether having already played in the SuperDome this year helps in planning for the noise: “I don’t think it hurts you. Especially at that time, I think they had as many people as they could get in there so you’re going to get that same noise level. There’ll be that same energy they had when we went down there. So that part won’t be a shock for our guys.”

On whether his teams in the past have been rusty coming off a first round bye: “I don’t remember that. I can’t give you an honest answer on that. You’d have to go back and look at that. It doesn’t jump out at me that we were rusty coming out.”

On whether there is an advantage to having the bye week in the first round of the playoffs: “I don’t know what the stats are on it. So, I don’t know if it’s an advantage or not right now. I not sure I want to know right now. I just want to go play.”

On whether he’s felt good about having a first round bye in the past: “Yeah, you feel good about it. You get a rest in there. It’s just like a bye week during the season. You always feel a little fresher coming out.”

On whether there is more pressure on the Saints to win because they don’t have as much playoff experience: “I don’t know that. I haven’t even gone in that direction I just want to make sure that we take care of business. We’ve got a few days to do that and we’ll go play our best game. I’m not to concerned about all the things you’re asking as much as I am just getting ourselves ready to go.”

On how comfortable he is going into this game without CB Lito Sheppard: “Yeah I was fine with that. Lito is a Pro Bowl player. Everybody needs to step up a notch there but Rod’s [Hood] a good football player and so we’ve always got a lot of confidence that he can go in and do a nice job and that hasn’t changed.”

On whether Saints DT Hollis Thomas was able to read the offense the last time they played: “Well, I don’t know if that’s accurate. When we ran the football, we ran it pretty well against them. I just didn’t call enough runs there. ”

Head Coach Andy Reid Vs. New York Giants January 7, 2007

Injuries: “On the injury front really it was Lito [Sheppard] who dislocated his elbow. Tomorrow he’ll have an MRI in the morning and we’ll see how he is. It probably doesn’t look too good for this coming week though.”

Opening Comments: “Credit goes out to the entire football team but also the Giants for battling. These games are always “knock down, drag out” battles and this was no different. It was a heck of a football game, you got to love it. Tiki Barber, what a great career he’s had, and if he truly is going to hang it up, he sure had a heck of a game to do it after. I thought that our team battled through a little bit of adversity, you know the ups and downs of a typical New York Giant type of game. Guys hung in there and it was good to see David [Akers] get the winning kick there at the end. He was sure poise and did a nice job with it. Sheldon Brown had a big interception; a big deflection in the end zone I felt was big. The O line and Brian Westbrook, and the receivers and L.J. [Smith] and [Thomas] Tapeh on that last drive really buckled down and took it under their wing to seal that thing. They went in very positive and it worked out well for them. We have a big challenge coming up this week against New Orleans on a short week so we’re back in practicing on Tuesday.”

On getting the offensive rhythm back on the last drive: “Well we did. You know we were struggling a little bit there getting things together. It looked like we were just off by a hair on a few throws. The guys never got down. They kept pushing and when you’re in one of these types of games, where you know it’s going to be back and forth, and tight, you’ve just got to keep a positive attitude and keep pushing and hopefully something good happens. That’s what happened on our last drive.”

On whether he thought of trying to kick the winning field goal on third down: “I thought about getting that clock down there as low as we could get it to be honest with you. I didn’t want to give them the ball back with any time left.”

On the impact of bringing in Koy Detmer: “It’s tough on all three of those guys. Jon [Dorenbos] is new with us and David [Akers] has kind of been the cog in there. He has been there a while, but the other guys worked it out and Koy [Detmer] did a nice job. That is the reason we brought him here, he’s got great hands.”

On whether he had though about how Dallas had lost last night: “That’s tough. That’s a tough way to go out for them. They battled like crazy also.”

On Brian Westbrook being ill at halftime: “He was hurting a little bit at halftime. He had an upset stomach and had to use the restroom quite a little bit there during halftime. That’s why he was late coming out. He was cramping up a bit and he battled though it. He was a big part of that last drive and he was the one encouraging it along.”

On the performance of quarterback Jeff Garcia: “He did a good job. He was off by a hair on a couple throws but he’ll make those. That’s going to happen. Give credit to them. They did a nice job on a couple of long balls, defended them. He battles, he doesn’t really care, and he’s just on to the next play. He doesn’t worry about what happened in the past.”

On the work of the four minute offense: “It was working those couple of games. It’s a mindset there and the guys came out and everybody has to do their job. It would be nice to say it was just the O-line and the running back, but the tight ends, fullback and wide receivers, they have to do their job. I saw Reggie [Brown] with a couple of huge blocks down there and LJ [Smith] and [Thomas] Tapeh.”

On whether they will have to play better next week: “Every level you go to in the playoffs you’ve got to keep getting better. The New Orleans Saints are a great football team. We’re going to have to play our best game against them.”

On how Brian Westbrook was able to go around and through the Giants defense: “He did a nice job. He was very patient. He let things develop in front of him and hit it. We always talk about ‘it’s not speed to the hole, its speed through the hole’ and he’s developed a good feel for that over the years and you saw it today.”

On whether the plan was to use Brian Westbrook on the last drive: “We were going to test that and see how it went. They put an extra guy up in the box and we were going to see how things worked out and run the football and it worked well.”

On whether he felt lucky that John Runyan did not get ejected: “I'm not going to question the officials.”

On whether he thinks the team is playing better now than when they played the Saints earlier in the season: “We were playing pretty good at that time. They did a heck of a job against us. They beat us. They did a real nice job against us.”

On whether David Akers was more confident having Koy Detmer as a holder: “They’ve done it for so many years. They have so much confidence in each other. I’m sure it’s a comfort for David [Akers] from that standpoint. Not taking anything away from Dirk [Johnson] and what he did. He’s only been doing it here for a few months. Koy’s been doing it for six years or so.”

On why Donovan McNabb was on the sideline: “He wanted to be down there and one reason is because he can stand up now. He was struggling before with the swelling. He was able to move around on it a little better now. He and [Jevon] Kearse were both down there.”

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jeff Garcia 1-7-2006

On his attitude towards the players in the huddle on the last drive: “We just knew we had to get after them. We knew we had to create some lanes. The offenseive line did a great job of coming togethter right then and creating some holes. As much as we were inconsistent throughout the game offensively, when the time counted, we did what we had to do. We completed a couple balls. But, more than anything, [RB] Brian Westbrook and the offensive line just taking control at that time of the game.”

On where the confidence came from to put together the last drive: “Well I think it was just one of those things where we had been there before. We had been there before in New York, having to put together a drive in the final minutes. Knowing that we were very capable of doing it. It was just a matter of being effective one play at a time. We couldn’t look at it as trying to get it all in one play or anything like that. It was a matter of being efficient, controlling the clock, controlling the ball, putting the ball in one of the best players on our team’s hands, and letting him do what he does best. And that was really the key at that point. There where times during the game where we had oppurtunities to create points and we just weren’t efficient enough, and that falls upon me, and that falls upon us. And that is something that we need to get better at if we are going to be able to compete next week.”

On whether he knew when things started to slow down for him in the game: “I don’t really know when it was or what it was, but I think that’s just one of the things about the playoffs. You’re excited to be there. You’re emotionally high. You want to make plays, you want to do the right things, and you need to just allow things to slow down. Things are definitely at a fast pace. Things are coming at you fast. And they played a little bit differently defensively than they had previously, but that is something to be expected. And that’s something that we just need to adapt too.”

On whether he was frustrated on the first scoring drive when they got a field goal rather than a touchdown: “I was. I was frustrated. I think that we should had got the ball in the endzone. We had opputrunities to get the ball in the end zone. I had an oppurtunity to get the ball to [WR] Hank Baskett on the third down early in the game and I didn’t get it to him, and unfortunately we lost out on that oppurtunity. And those are oppurtunities that you can’t miss out on. When you get the ball with first-and-goal inside the five yard line, you definitely have to take advantage of it.”

On how much adjusting was needed in the offensive gameplan: “Well they did a good job of taking away some of the routes that had been successful all through the season. And it forced us to be more patient with what we were doing offensively, and that’s something that at times we were good at, and at times we weren’t. And so, we live for another day, that’s all I can say. We did enough to win.”

On what he likes about this team over the last six weeks: “I just like the attitude of everybody, The attitude of not getting down when things aren’t going right, being able to overcome adversity, being able to meet a challenge head on and fight through it. Nobody got down on the defense in that situation when they had a hard time at the end and they [the Giants] were able to get points. We just knew it was upon us. It was the offense’s opportunity to step up and do what we need to do. We hadn’t been doing our job. It’s really a team effort with this team. You look at every aspect of the game. We may not have played great in certain areas but there were other areas that picked up the slack. Special teams did a great joob tonight of pulling us through this one.”

On whether he talked with QB Donovan McNabb on the sideline: “We were talking on the sidelines moreso about defensive schemes and what they were trying to do to us. And what we felt like we could do to maybe have some effectiveness on the field. We were definitely communicating and I appreciate that. Donovan is definitely a guy who I’m going to listen too and we’re going to listen to eachother, and we’re going to talk things out and I thought that was a very positive thing to have out there tonight.”

Philadelphia Eagles MLB Jeremiah Trotter 1-7-2006

On what he said to Giants RB Tiki Barber after the game: “I just told him that I loved him and you know, good luck in his second career, and that it has been great going against him.”

On what he was thinking during the last drive: “Man, we were excited. Any time your offense can take four minutes off the clock and drive down to kick a game-winning field goal, it’s great. We felt like they had got a little bit of momentum on the offensive side of the ball. I don’t think they passed the ball but a couple times. They just did a great job of smash mouth running the ball to get them in field goal position ”

On whether he was concerned after the Giants first drive: “We didn’t get concerend. They made some great plays. They got a couple big plays on us. We wish we could have held them out of the end zone, but that is going to happen sometimes. And you just have to keep fighting until the end”

On whether he was still confident after the Giants had tied the game: “Yeah, it really didn’t shake us any. We understand in this game that you have to fight for four quarters. They’re going to make some big plays. You know, we were on the field for a long time. We definitely should have gotten off, I think they had a second-and-30 at one point. So we have to take advantage of that as a defense. But, like I said, our offense came down and did a great job moving the ball and kicking the game-winning field goal.”

On how they were able to overcome giving up second-and-30: “Yeah, fortunately the offense was clicking at that particular time when it counted the most. Right now it’s the playoffs and no game is going to be easy. We’ll take them any way we can get them.”

On whether the defense executed their game plan the way he had expected: “Somewhat, I’d say about 50/50. You know, [Giants RB] Tiki [Barber] had 150 or so yards rushing. About 60 or 70 yards of that came off big plays. They caught us in some blitzes that got guys out of whack. But, you know, we still have to do a better job executing our defense.”

On Saints head coach Sean Payton’s success against this defense in the past: “Any time you play any body it concerns us. Obviously, he’s a great coach. He has a good team, and we have our work cut out for us. It’s going to be a tough task going down to their place and getting the win.”

On whether he thought about the end of the last night’s Dallas game before the game- winning kick: “It did cross my mind at one point. But, I was confident in our special teams with [QB] Koy [Detmer] holding and [K David] Akers kicking. So we were just ready to party.” On what he thinks the team’s chances are going into the next game as an underdog: “We’re not worried about being underdogs. The bottom line is we still have to go out and play. We have to execute our offensive plays and our defensive plays. We just have to go out there and fight, and play our style of football.”

Selected Quotes from FS Brian Dawkins Press Conference 1/7/07

On whether today was a miniature version of the season since it seems that nothing comes easy to them: “We expected a dog fight. All the stuff of writing this team off, the Giants that is, we weren’t buying into that. We knew they were going to come in here and fight for everyone, but especially fight for [Giants RB Tiki Barber]. So, we knew it was going to be a dog fight.”

On whether the Giants did anything different today: “They did some different things that we tried to make adjustments to and we did for the most part. But, they did some different things. But, you expect that. We playe a team three times in a season, they are going to have to do something different. So, we expected that.”

On what kind of blow it is to the defense to have CB Lito Sheppard hurt: “It’s a big blow, especially when you know his playmaking ability; and returns for touchdowns as he has done throughout his career. But, everything happens for a reason. There is a reason why we brought [CB] Will [James] in. There is a reason why [CB Joselio] Hanson got to play so much earlier in the season and [was] getting that experience, so that when he steps in now, we are going to expect him to play the way that he is capable of playing. The things that he did against Atlanta, stopped the plays, those are all of the things that we are going to expect from him.”

On he and Tiki calling each other warriors: “I’ve always said that I respect that dude. That will never change. He’s a warrior. A lot of people have written him off time and time again on what he couldn’t do. I’ve always respected him. He runs hard, he’s hard to bring down and week in and week out those guys can count on him. To me, he’s accomplished a lot in his career and for him to be able to step out the way he stepped out, rushing the way he rushed today, as hard as he ran today. He’s a warrior.”

On whether he thinks the Eagles have a chance against New Orleans: “We definitely feel confident about what we are able to do. We’ve been down there, we know what to expect from the crowd. We know what to expect from the noise and all of that good stuff. We know what to expect from that fast break offense at times. So, it was beneficial for us to play them earlier. So, we feel confident. We are a confident bunch.”

RB Brian Westbrook Press Conference 1/7/07

On how sick he was and whether there was a chance that he wasn’t going to be able to come back out in the second half: “I wasn’t feeling very good. My stomach was bothering me a little bit. I felt like I had a cramp and it was pretty bad. But, I wouldn’t miss being out there with my teammates for the world.”

On whether he knows why he was sick: “No, I’m not sure.”

On how he feels now: “I’m feeling better.”

On getting into a rhythm on the last drive: “It was a critical situation and big time players step up when you need them the most. [Head] coach [Andy Reid] put the ball in my hands and I leaned on the linemen so much. I told them to keep pushing their guys and I was going to get on their backs and just ride their backs. [FB] Thomas Tapeh did another excellent job of blocking down field, basically holding off that linebacker. We were running the outside zone. We ran behind [T] Jon [Runyan], [G] Shawn [Andrews], and [C] Jamaal [Jackson]. [ G] Todd [Herremans] did a great job of cutting off, as well as [OT William Thomas] and we were able to get a couple of first downs.”

On the evolution of the offense and how they are now confident running the ball: “We’ve been doing it these last few weeks and we’ve gotten better and better. Coach Reid has confidence in it. The offensive line has confidence in themselves and they have confidence in me. If they cover up their man, then we will get the job done. And they’ve been doing a great job these last few weeks.”

On whether he was sick coming into the game or whether he started to feel sick during the game: “I think it was probably right around the second quarter or so. I just started feeling kind of weak. I just wasn’t feeling well.”

On whether his sickness tonight had anything to do with what he had last week: “No.”

On whether this is an opportunity for him because the team is leaning on him: “It’s definitely an opportunity for me. We’ve always preached to the guys that if one person goes down then everybody else has to step up and play a little bit better, a little bit harder. It’s really my turn to step up, play hard, and take a load. We didn’t throw the ball as well as we have in the past, but we were able to run the ball just enough so we could get a win today.”

On whether the Giants’ defense was worn down on the last drive: “That front four played a lot of snaps. I believed that if we got our offensive lined up on them early and often during a game - we have a big offensive line - we would wear the team down and it showed in that last drive.”

On what play was called in the final drive: “That was an outside zone play. We’ve run it a couple of different ways with one back and with two backs. When we had two backs in, we were basically trying to get our fullback on the outside linebacker and we counted on Jon and Shawn to seal their men off. At that point, it’s one on one with the safety or the next linebacker inside. And those guys have done a great job of basically sealing those guys inside and I’ve been patient enough to find a lane.”

On whether that play is something that is read at the line of scrimmage: “You read it as you go. Really, that’s almost the same play that New York ran on us when [Giants RB] Tiki [Barber] was stretching it and then he finds a line and runs up the outside.”

On whether this is more satisfying for him because of the position that he is in on the team: “Anytime that you win a playoff game, no matter if you run for 20 yards or 100 yards, it’s going to be rewarding. I think we’re doing it in a little bit different fashion, but we’re still fighting and we’re still playing Eagles football. And that [is] really showing a lot of character and never giving up. We didn’t play the best first quarter that we could have, but I told those guys, we are going to keep fighting, keep rallying around each other, everybody do their job. And if everybody does that, then we will be fine and we were.”

On whether this is vindication for him since none of the NFC Pro Bowl running backs are left in the playoffs: “I don’t think it’s a vindication of anything. I told Tiki after the game, he has had a great career and if I could be half as good as he has been in the past, then I would have a good career as well. He’s done a great job. Those guys just didn’t have as strong of a team as we had.”

On his touchdown run: “It was another outside zone play. We were able to seal the edge with Jon again and I made a couple of people miss. Really the big part of that was that the receivers came down and got a good amount of open field blocks for me and I was able to basically follow them in.”

On whether it is more exciting to face New Orleans now because of their tough late loss to them earlier this season: “We are excited to go down there and play those guys. They are a very good football team. They score some points on offense and they are very good on defense. So, we have our work cut out of us. We have a short week, but we are excited to go down there, the second round of the playoffs for us, and we are going to compete.”

On what he was thinking and feeling when K David Akers went out to kick the final field goal: “When David went out there, I already knew it was a wrap. David, he’s a very good kicker. We’ve got [QB] Koy [Detmer] back, a great holder. I already knew it was going through the uprights.”

On how much he was cramping in the final drive: “I wasn’t feeling very good the whole second half. I was able to lean on my offensive linemen a whole lot. I couldn’t do it without those guys. And now we are able to fight for another week.”

On whether this is his best game considering everything: “It’s another win for us. Hopefully, there are more good games to come. I’m excited about this team, really excited, [it’s the] playoffs. We are going to make a run hopefully.”

David Akers Press Conference 1/7/07 – NY Giants

On how bad the conditions on the field were due to the rain: “It’s not the greatest condition out there but you kind of get used to that in this area during this time of year and know that you’re going to have sloppy conditions. The last kick, I definitely didn’t swing as hard as I could; the 48-yarder – I kind of went after it a little bit. It started picking up with the wind at the end a little bit but I just told Koy hold it like a normal hold and it felt pretty good hitting it nice and easy from there.”

On how much he loves being in a situation to kick the potentially game winning kick in the playoffs: “I don’t know if you love it. You love it when you make it. But tonight it felt kind of light about the game, inside, and just said lets go out and have fun. People always say I have fun playing the game and sometimes I don’t do that – I just make sure that once I make it kick it like “alright, lets go onto the next one” and if you miss its like “alright, gotta go onto the next one”. Tonight I was kind of pumped up. I don’t know, it’s just the playoff atmosphere and all but after every kick I just got more and more excited; watching the defense make a great play or [Jeff] Garcia or [Brian]Westbrook – I was just fired up tonight, so it was kind of fun to actually end the game that way.”

On how nice it was to have that [a playoff game-winning FG] happen after having a trying season: “It was a great night as far as the field goal unit goes, but even better for a win for us. That’s six [victories] in a row for us. I feel like we’ve had that back to the wall mentality the whole run we’ve had and the togetherness with the team – it’s really been neat to see that gel together, you know. Yeah, I’ve missed some kicks this year that I would’ve liked to make. You can talk to all kickers – they’re all going to say that. Adjusting to new holders, snappers, and all that, that’s all excuses. I’ve got to make kicks, bottom line, and tonight it was nice to make the kicks.

On whether there was more attention to the mechanics of the field goal unit, given the combination of a new holder and snapper: “Well I watched that [fumbled snap by ] this morning. I was actually asleep when that went on last night, but seeing Romo drop the snap, that happens, and I don’t know if you all realize it but kicking balls are very, very slick. They have a lot of wax on them because they are brand new, you don’t get to work them in very much, and you see a lot of that happening and that might be something that needs to be addressed. But when you think about it, a lot of people take for granted the snap, the hold, the kick – the whole operation and it’s just whether you make it or miss it. It just shows you how technical the game really is with the line blocking, the good snapper that can get the laces out in front, a holder that can get it down in the same rhythm – that’s huge – and then of course the kicker has to come up and make the kick in the end.”

On his reaction when he saw the botched hold by Tony Romo: “Oh, I feel bad for the guy, because especially as a QB, playing the position, then moving it down to get in range then all of the sudden you think you’re going to win the game on a short field goal and then you drop it. It’s one of those things he’s definitely going to remember for a long time. I don’t think that that necessarily lost the game for them.”

On adjusting to Jon [Dorenbos] as long snapper: That’s really not as big of an adjustment for me as it is for the holder [and accounting for factors like] the change of velocity, spotting where he snaps the ball. The velocity is a bigger issue than anything. For me, I just had to figure out the timing when I needed to leave and I feel like the last three or four weeks it’s kind of been coming together. I missed that kick last week that people keep reminding about (jokingly). You learn from your mistakes. Sometimes you don’t swing as hard, and if you’re on unsettled footing and things like that, you just need to keep things under control and I felt like I learned from that last week to this 38-yearder tonight where I felt like I kept things without trying to hit it real hard, just nice and easy, keeping my feet under me and trying to make the kick.

On the snap and hold of the last kick: “Everything went great for me.”

On whether there are differences in holds based on who is holding: “I think there has been a little undue criticism on Dirk a little bit as far as his holding this year. Management made a decision to bring Koy in. We’ve had six years of actual on field experience together and one year where we’ve just kind of worked together. Going into that kick, the 48-yarder, I just said, “Koy, I need a little bit more lean towards you” because the wind was coming left to right, kind of in our face, and he knows what that little bit is. He just knows how much to do. The last one he said, “Do you want me to give you a little bit straighter lean?” and I said, “No, just give me a normal one” and see – he knows those things – just cause we’ve done it a thousand times together. It’s great to have him out there but I’m not going to take anything away from Dirk. When he puts the ball down I have to make the kicks.”

On what went through his mind during that last drive as the clock was winding down: “I wanted to kick it. The way that we were moving the ball down – I wanted to get in to arrange where we were because I thought if I really needed to get after a 52 or a 53- yarder it would be kind of tough to really get the footing to make the accuracy with the distance as well. To get where we were, Jeff made a little dive to get it right in the middle of the field, and it’s just great when you look up from a kick and it goes between the uprights, it’s just a great feeling.”

On whether anyone talked to him before the game-winning kick: “Actually Dirk came up. I’m not like that at all. Dirk just said “you know what, those goal posts are really wide, aren’t they” and I said, “they’re going to be celebrating in a minute.” I felt good about it. I felt like Jon Dorenbos was going to throw a good ball back there for us, and I know Koy’s going to hold the ball great, and our line’s been spectacular all year, so it was just up to me to make the kick.

On if he told [Eagles Head Coach] Andy [Reid] or [Eagles long snapper] Jon [Dorenbos] where he wanted the kick: No, they just kind of put it there. I think actually you just kind of look at it when you get in that situation. Most of the time I prefer to be in the middle of the field. You just kind of line up straight, no angles to it, just try to make the kick kind of like an extra point.

Quotes from the Eagles Locker Room LS Jon Dorenbos, RT Jon Runyan, RB Correll Buckhalter, WR Donté Stallworth, WR Reggie Brown 1.7.07

LS Jon Dorenbos On whether he watched the Cowboys game last night: “I did and I feel for that team, those guys. It happens. It is part of the game.”

On what he was thinking as he was standing over that football getting ready to snap on the game-winning field goal attempt: “It’s either them or us going to the Super Bowl. These guys - you watch them practice everyday, and these coaches - you just do whatever you can to make the play and we made it today and we came out with the win.”

On whether he had butterflies in his stomach before the final snap: “It’s time to win baby.”

On his excitement level after the kick was good: “I Lambeau-leaped for the first time - barely made it. I had to get pulled over. It was a great feeling and [K David] Akers and [QB/holder] Koy [Detmer] and [P] Dirk [Johnson], we are all a team and we worked hard for that play. Every field goal we go out, that’s what we envision, that it is that kick right there. Dave is such a good kicker and he put it through. It’s a good feeling.”

RT Jon Runyan On the physical play of the game today: “Well, especially in these conditions, you know you’re going to need to move the ball on the ground. When we had the opportunity there, with five minutes left to kind of run the clock out and get in field goal position. It was just a matter of us upfront pushing them around. Too bad for them little, fast guys because they can’t cut on that kind of stuff.”

On the play where he drew off-setting personal fouls: “That’s one thing, trying to make a play and blow the pile up. It’s the same thing. If they are standing around a pile they are trying to rip the ball out. I think you’ve seen it happen a couple times this year – Chicago this year. You’ve got to knock that pile down or bad things happen like that. It was just one of those things. I was airborne and there was no stopping me.”

On the last drive: “That’s all you have to do. We knew we were going to run the clock out. They only had one timeout left. You get it inside two minutes the game is over as long as you’re in field goal position, so you have that going for you and you just keep plugging away getting yards here and there.”

On what he was thinking when the game-winning field goal went up: “I was lying on the ground [jokingly]. It was just one of them things. You know, Dave is real comfortable with Koy being back there. You knew it was good as long as nobody blocked it. It was just a matter of tripping everybody up enough to let them get it off.”

RB Correll Buckhalter On what he was thinking before game-winning field goal attempt: “Dave’s a great kicker, man, and Koy is a great holder and [we have] a great snapper in Dorenbos. I just had faith he was going to put it in. There was no doubt in my mind.”

On why the Giants weren’t able to complete the comeback in Philadelphia this time around: “It is playoff time. It is crunch time. You just have to dig a little deeper. That’s what guys did. They just dug a little deeper and was able to go out there and execute.”

On what was going on in the huddle and on the sideline on the last drive: “The main thing [head] coach [Andy] Reid stressed was that whoever had the ball to keep two hands on the ball. We weren’t too worried about scoring a touchdown. We wanted to drive the ball, run the clock out, and let Akers kick the field goal. It was just a matter of holding onto the ball.”

On his perspective of RB Brian Westbrook’s performance today: “He kind of had a couple things going on, but the guy has a big heart and you know I am in his corner. I think I pray for him on the sideline more than I do for myself. I’m always with him. He was hot today and he did a great job.”

WR Donté Stallworth: On how he feels about going to New Orleans for the divisional round: “It’s cool. It’s just another playoff game. They’re a really good team and they’ve been playing good ball all year. It will be interesting going down there.”

On how it felt to get this victory: “It’s my first game in the playoffs and I was excited. It’s good you all came now [to ask questions] because my voice is probably going to be gone later on tonight [jokingly]. It was fun. It was a big win for us. I’ve been hearing all these commentators and stuff, jumping on the bandwagon now, but we still – in our minds – we still feel like the underdogs. In our minds nothing has changed. We’re still the underdogs and people have still doubted us. We are just going to keep that same mentality and we’re going to play a hell of a team down in New Orleans.”

On what was going through his mind when they were lining up for the game-winning field goal attempt: “We all held hands on the sidelines. I didn’t want to watch it but [LB] Shawn Barber called me over and once I saw everybody holding hands, I just came over there with them. Everything was good, from the snap, to the hold, and the kick obviously was good.”

On the inconsistency of their passing game today: “I was always told a long time ago, by my college coach, to never talk too much about how you played until you can evaluate the film. But we played well enough to win. Guys made plays when it counted. Obviously, [RB] Brian Westbrook played his normal game. With all due respect to the other guys, whoever made the NFC roster for the Pro Bowl, somebody needs to give up a spot for Brian Westbrook. He’s never been talked about, but he doesn’t care about that stuff. He just wants to win and that’s the thing that I think separates him from a lot of different people.”

On whether he knew how RB Brian Westbrook was feeling today: “Yeah, I mean, he’s a tough little guy. To me, he is the most underrated player in the NFL. Like I said, he is not going to get all the Pro Bowl’s and that stuff. But I guarantee you - if you ask these other defensive coordinators about Brian Westbrook then they are going to tell you that he is one of the most feared players in this league.”

WR Reggie Brown On whether playing in a close game is beneficial to them, to keep the edge that they have had down the stretch: “We like to attack first and we like games that are going to be gritty and we are going to have to get nasty, because that’s the team we have and that’s the personality of team. We love a fight and we’re going to take it on no matter who we play.”

On whether he watched the Cowboys game last night and whether that made him nervous on the game- winning field goal attempt: “Yes I did. That was weird. Nervous, no, I had no reason to be nervous. Not really. It didn’t really matter to me. I knew he was going to make it. That’s another game. We are a different team. I was confident.”

On whether he would ever want to be a holder or snapper: “Oh no, I mean, the pressure is horrible. Everybody is waiting and if you misplace the ball you’re Ray Finkle [jokingly]. I would never want to play that position, ever.”

On whether he was keyed up for his first playoff game: “I think I was a little jittery at first. It took me awhile, a couple series to get into my groove. I was kind of all over the place at first. Once I just settled down and realized it was just another game then I was able to go out there and be productive.”

Quotes from the locker room CB Sheldon Brown, QB Koy Detmer, DT Darwin Walker, DT Mike Patterson, DE Trent Cole 1-7-07

CB Sheldon Brown: On his feelings right now: “Exuberant. You know what? (Jokingly) If there’s one thing I took out of this game, I know why I didn’t try to be a field goal kicker because I would have peed myself. Much ups to the kicker, the holder, [QB] Koy [Detmer], excellent job of coming back. Obviously the coaches realize how important that phase of the game is.”

On how physical the game was and how tough the conditions were: “It’s an [NFC] East battle, rivalry. They come down the [New Jersey] Turnpike and they brought their A-game. They have an excellent wide receiver core. Obviously, they made some plays today. But, in the end our offense definitely did a great job of winning the game.”

On the wide receiver core of the New Orleans Saints: “They’re tough. We went down there earlier this year. They have something special going on there. They have a 12th man with their fans and it’s going to be a very difficult football game. We’ll have to be mentally focused and prepared and it’s important that we rest.”

On the fact that they held the Giants offense in check for most of the game: “Yeah, but they get paid to make plays. Obviously, [WR] Plax[ico] [Burress] has been a thorn in our side all year. He’s an excellent football player. [QB] Eli [Manning] made some throws. He takes a lot of heat, but no one notices the great things he does.”

QB Koy Detmer: On whether there is any difference handling TE/LS Jon Dorenbos’ snap to handling TE/LS Mike Bartrum’s snap: “Certainly with the change in person there’s always going to be a little difference, but Jon is a great snapper and did a great job out there tonight. Everybody worked real hard all week to try to prepare for a situation like this that we could go out and execute and do the job we needed to do. I think Jon should be commended. There’s been some things said and what he’s gone through over the past few weeks, and I thought he did a great job to go out there and handle the situation the way he did.”

On whether it feels good to hang around another week: “That’s awesome. It’s just a little bit surprising. I’m just excited to get a chance to come back and be a part of things. Those are the moments that you miss being away. So, I’m just real excited to be a part of everything that’s going on.”

On how hard this would have been to watch if he wasn’t playing: “I guess it would be hard. Certainly, like anybody that’s on [Injured Reserve] or whatever, away from the team for the first time in awhile, it probably would have been difficult. But, it was exciting. These are the types of moments that you miss when you’re away. I’m extremely excited to be able to come back and be a part of what they’ve got going on here this year and contribute where I can.”

DT Darwin Walker: On how it feels to be heading to round two of the playoffs: “It just goes to show you that if you keep working and keep plugging and keep preparing and you don’t get down on yourself and you just keep at it, things will change. Things can get turned around and I think that speaks volumes to the character of the team. It really does.”

On how they turned it around after their struggles early in the game: “They came out and did a lot of different stuff. They came out and did some things that we hadn’t seen. They did a lot of different things and they were pretty successful on that first series, but we settled down, made the right adjustments and I think we were okay from then on.”

On the reason this team is where it is now: “I think it’s been the character of the individuals in the locker room here, the players. This has been a huge, huge success to this point and we’re not satisfied. We want to get all the way to the championship.”

On whether he was nervous lining up for the game winning field goal: “It was just nervousness because that’s just part of it. But, I actually just knelt my head down and was praying and I didn’t even look. I just listened for the crowd to start screaming and I knew we had it.”

DT Mike Patterson: On what makes Saints RB Reggie Bush a special player: “I think it’s his speed, his speed getting out there and getting on an island with another guy. He makes a lot of guys miss. So, he’s going to move around and he’s just real fast.”

On whether he was surprised the Giants were able to put up a good fight with them today: “They’re a good squad. They have a good running game and they have a good passing game. Eli’s still coming up and stuff and he’s doing a pretty good job. They have a good squad and we knew we were going to have to work for this. The last two games against them it came down to the last play.”

On the challenge of stopping Giants RB Tiki Barber today: “We just feel like once we stop him than anything could be in the air. And so, as soon as they start passing everybody’s just going out there and playing.”

DE Trent Cole: On playing against Barber today: “It was do or die. Either we were going to win or we were going to lose. It was just a great football game. He ran hard and we just came out and fought him.”

On the play of Eli Manning: “He had a good game. He was getting the ball off. He was getting back there and getting the ball off and moving around the pocket, trying to connect some passes to Plaxico. Some parts of their offensive scheme worked out well and I thought they played a good game. They fought hard.”

On how difficult it is for a defense playing on a short field like they did early in the game: “It’s really intense. It was our first playoff [game] and it was really fast like they said it was going to be. It was fast. It went so fast. It was intense out there every play and every play was just fast and hard. When we got in that short field situation we just had to put it on the ground. We can battle it out and it starts with the front [four].”

On how much better this team is now than when they went into New Orleans during the regular season: “I think we’re just getting better and better every game. Everybody’s clicking together, so that’s good when you have the defense and the offense clicking together. Everybody’s playing with each other, playing as a family. We key on playing as a family. When we play together you see great things out of us.”