Redskins
Head Coach Jim Zorn
On
what he appreciates most about Steeler’s wide receiver Hines Ward:
“His production, because
he comes to play everyday. He’s not up and down, hot and cold,
and when you watch him from television and focus on him, he is very
much into the game. You love that about him and other players
like that who can pay full attention and really want to win.”
On Redskins’ wide receiver
Antwaan Randle El:
“I followed him once he hit
the senior bowl in Columbine and that was a guy I thought that not only
could be a good football player, but with his enthusiasm, leadership
and consistency as man, was the kind of guy you want on your football
team. He’s going to play until he chooses not to play anymore.”
On the size of the Steelers’
quarterback Ben Roethlisberger:
“He’s got the same size
as John Elway, but John moved a lot better than him. He can intimidate
you because he can stand in the pocket, take blows and still be strong
with the throw. He is pretty impressive.”
On
the defense of the Steelers:
“It’s so hard because they
do so many things. You never know where Troy (Polamalu) is going
to be and they really utilize a sense of mystique utilizing all their
different players in different places. You have to play steady in order
to move the ball on them.”
On the Pittsburgh Steelers’
3-4 defense:
“In their 3-4 fronts they
don’t sit back and let you have your way with them. Their 3-4
defense is active and attacks much like and offense that wants to attack
a defense. I’m not talking about just all out blitzing, but
any one of those combination of linebackers can come. You have
to communicate that and be able to identify what formation the team
is in and make any adjustments you have and they do that seamlessly.
It’s difficult to run on that kind of defense because they are always
changing and maneuvering.”
Redskins
Defensive Coordinator Greg Blache
On
the Pittsburgh Steelers:
“They are very balanced.
They have some big times receivers in (Santonio) Holmes, (Nate) Washington
who’s come on in the last few weeks and always Hines Ward who is one
of the tough possession receivers who’s been around for a long time.
They have a good tight end in Heath (Miller) and Big Ben (Roethlisberger)
although he’s been banged up has had a pretty good year. I think
their passing game, unlike the traditional Pittsburgh team, is like
a 50/50 product of what they produce from week to week.”
On whether he is worried
about the Steelers’ run game:
“Without question, (Mewelde)
Moore has done a great job for a young back and has been averaging five
yards a carry. Willie Parker, we know, we played against him in
the past, he’s a great back and will be coming back in. He’s
averaging four yards a carry even though he’s missed some time, He
will come back with some fresh legs and give them a one-two punch in
the run game. We have to be at the top of our game and compete
at a high level to have a chance to do big things on Monday, but it’s
a huge challenge and it’s up to us to be up to the task.”
On the teams’ status mid-way
thru the season:
“We have to be able to focus
this week and the next eight weeks to give ourselves the chance to make
it to the playoffs. Regardless of what happened in the past we
are only at halftime. We are only at the halfway mark of the season
and we have so much more to go.”
On the magnitude of the
game against the Steelers on Monday night:
“This game Monday night is
huge. A big game, great opponent at home and our offense understands
the challenge. Our offense is going to face a number one defense
in the league that’s very stingy with points and that gets after the
quarterback and pressures them. We have to stand up, be the big
brother and do what our offense has done for us all year, stand tall
and help alleviate the pressure off them.”
On how much the
team needs a bye week:
“We are tired and we’re
a very beat up football team at this point in time, which is why we
need to take a deep breath and make one more push before the bye.”
Redskins
Tackle Jon Jansen
On
protecting the quarterback against the Steelers defense:
“We’ve learned that if
we keep Jason (Campbell) healthy and hit free that he will do some good
things for us.”
On his thoughts about playing
on Monday Night Football:
“There is always something
special about playing on Monday night no matter who you’re playing.
You are the only show in town and everyone is going to be watching.
It’s a statement game, no matter who you are playing and especially
for us because people want to see what the Washington Redskins are all
about and if we are for real. This is when we have to come out
and let people know what we are.”
On whether the game against
the Steelers could be ugly because of two good defensive teams:
“It could be. Our goal is
to go out there, clean things up and make sure that it’s not. Anytime
you play against a defense like theirs or one like ours it could be
slow at the beginning you just have to come out and attack.”
On whether it’s the scheme
or the personnel that makes the Steelers more effective:
“I think that it’s a little
bit of both and I don’t think that you can point to one thing.
The 3-4 defense is not the most common defense because it’s not one
that you see all the time. They had the 3-4 defense for a long time,
so they built the personnel around it.”
On whether quarterback Jason Campbell and running back Clinton Portis are MVP candidates:
“I don’t think that there
is any question. Jason (Campbell) hasn’t thrown an interception
and Clinton (Portis) has ran very well, but we’re only half way there.
An MVP has to do it for the whole season and that’s what we are counting
on those guys to do.”