Defensive Quotations | Page 2

We knew this game wasn't gonna be a blowout, so we went in at halftime and we said let's pick up the defensive pressure.

We knew they were going to have great defensive pressure. I think they got us out of our offense a little bit. So I think in those situations we need to stay poised and execute our offense a little bit better. I think that's what we are going to work on as we continue Pac-10s.

We knew they were capable of shooting, it was just a matter of us getting out and contesting shots. They made shots we just didn't get out. Our defensive intensity wasn't the same as it was in the first half. We were very active in the first half, getting our hands on balls. We didn't do that in the second half.

We knew they were a great defensive team coming into this. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We just couldn't get our shots to fall to keep it close.

We knew they were a good shooting team. In the first half we didn't get a hand up and we gave them good looks. In the second half, the defensive intensity picked up.

We know who we are. We know we're a defensive basketball club when it comes down to it. We just had a facelift so to speak with our offense. But we know who we are. When it's time for us to go up-and-down, we know where it's at. It's not getting extra possessions and extra shots, it's taking care of the defensive end.

We know what kind of defensive center fielder Chris Duffy is. To get him going offensively, it's not going to do us a lot of good, eight games in, to keep going back and forth.

We know we're capable of beating them. It's a matter of us playing our style of basketball. And they're kind of similar. They focus on the defensive end and share the ball a lot. It's up to us to enforce our will on them, instead of them doing it to us.

We know we're a couple of shots and defensive plays away from being a great team.

We know Columbus will attack with eight guys at times and defensive organization will be key (Saturday).

Ultimately, our commitment on the defensive end pulled it out for us.

We're still trading on the defensive and seeing more selling. As it appears, this second-quarter slowdown could be a mirage.

We're still in it at half, but every time that hole gets a little deeper, or you don't get a little bit closer, then you're playing that much harder on the defensive end. We'd get it to a point, then they'd go up by 11 or 12 again. Mentally, you get down on yourself.

We're running around in our own defensive zone and we just couldn't clear it.

We're not good enough to have defensive lapses. Normally, when we score 59 points, that's enough. Offensively, we're doing some good things, but defensively it looks like a circus sometimes.

We've very, very excited about Preston Wilson. He wants to be with a champion, and we are still committed to being that champion. We want to go back to that World Series. Preston is a great defensive player with speed, and last year he had 90 RBIs. This is exactly what we're looking for.

We've very lucky that John is a complete player. He can play an attacking role in the midfield and he can play more of a defensive role.

We've turned around our defensive play and our goaltending has improved with that. They go hand in hand. After some shoddy play early in the season, we've improved that (defensive) area.

We have to go up there and have another defensive mindset and get the job done.

We have to get aggressive. We have to deny passes. The last couple games, teams have been catching it too easy on the perimeter. We've got to knock passes down, put more ball pressure on and get more defensive rebounds.

We have to force them to be one dimensional. We need to take away the run, put them in passing situations and then let our defensive line and secondary do what they do best. We've had a good pass rush, and we have a good secondary.

We have some depth on the defensive line. We just don't have any game experience.

We have some big hitters and our top defensive players are back. We also have good leadership and (the players) are working hard. We surprised some teams last year and I think we'll surprise teams again this year.

We wanted to try to set the tone on the defensive end and really take it to Albany early. We felt like we wanted to establish our presence here at home and I thought we did a great job of that early on.

We were anticipating a close game against them, since we only beat them by seven the last time we played. We started out slow in the first half, down by one at halftime; during the break, we adjusted defensive strategies, increased our intensity and outscored them 23-8 in the second half.

We were trying to make our defensive pressure so great to put pressure on them.

We'll see when all of the playoffs settle down and the Super Bowl is done. You have some good sets of defensive ends out there and to get where we want to go we'll have to see them. We'll see after the dust clears.

The referee made the right call. Texas made a great defensive play. At the end of the game, the referees don't want to determine it and kind of let us play. It was the right call not to make the call.

With wings, the space between the lines is less, ... we had to run so much while on the defensive that we came up short offensively.

This was as good a game as I've seen us put together from an offensive standpoint and defensive standpoint.

We did not have enough effort at the defensive end of the floor in the first half. We did a better job in the second half. We had to do a better job defensively. They were rotating and their kids were running hard through the screens. (Nolan) does a nice job running their sets.

We did not have any zip in our step all night and it really showed up on the defensive end of the floor.

We did not do well on the defensive end. We gave them a lot of uncontested three's. We just didn't defend.

We did good, addressed some needs. Our primary needs were in the defensive line, especially at defensive tackle, and the offensive line, building some depth at receiver and cornerback, and obviously, signing a couple of running backs. I think we got those things accomplished.

We'd get close, then we'd make a bad decision or not be able to finish off a defensive possession with a rebound and things like that. They'd go from up one to five; then we'd have to fight back. It was just an uphill battle all night.

There are some signs that in recent weeks Saddam Hussein has been concentrating more on defensive measures rather than offensive measures.

There are some interesting teams in the field. The AFC appears loaded, and certainly the NFC has some great defensive clubs in this race and some offenses that can make big plays.

The only fly in the ointment was that goal in the first half in one of their infrequent trips (in the Wizards' defensive end). There were a couple of decisions we needed to make better. Then we got a little apprehensive after that. We were teetering a little bit. Two-zero leads in the recent past haven't been good to us.

The only pressure I put up on myself is to go out there and rebound the basketball, make my presence felt on the defensive end, make plays.

We decided last night to help inside because they're pretty physical. We knew they like to go inside so it was a defensive test for us, too.

We're playing Arizona basketball. It was more of an up-tempo game, run up and down the court, and we had a lot of defensive stops. We caused a lot of turnovers. Everybody played great, from the first guy to last. It was great. I had fun out there.

We've been in some close games when we've let down. When that happens you need to make plays. All it takes is one play. Today our defensive line played strong all day and their blitzing was very effective.

We've been improving on a lot of things, but there is still a lot of room for more improvement. This will give us a great opportunity to work on our attack and some of our defensive weaknesses. It's also a momentum builder. We have to continue to play well.

We've been hitting a lot better than last year, but we had four errors (Tuesday) and that is what I can't stand. We'll make great defensive plays, then make a mistake. We just have to be consistent.

We thought we could throw the ball a bit and mix in the run. We thought we'd pound their defensive line.

We really knocked the snot -- for lack of a better word -- out of each other on Friday,'' Chiefs defensive end Eric Hicks said.

We really had a good defensive first half which set everything up. The third quarter we came out and brought some intensity.

We're a defensive team. We take pride in that. And we just couldn't stop them. ...I've never had that feeling, where you just couldn't stop somebody.

We're a defensive team. We're not gonna score a lot of points.

We're a defensive team. We have to be a defensive teams. The other teams that win games are teams that are in the top, defensively.

We're a defensive team. I think we can stop anybody.

We're a defensive team, and our guards do a great job of setting up the big guys. Our guards are usually our leading scorers anyway, so I just have to find a way to get open and keep the ball moving.

We're a big question mark. We have no real identity at this point. We show glimpses of being very, very good defensively. ... But I don't think you can stamp us as a defensive team or stamp us as a team with an identity right now.

We're a better defensive team when we play full-court pressure defense.

We?re 1-0 up in the series. We were forced into being defensive and getting through this game and that?s what we did.

We ran the same offensive and defensive plays in the first six minutes as the rest of the game. We just started to play South Lenoir basketball. Tonight was just a good team effort. We showed a lot of heart tonight.

We're a solid defensive club. We make routine plays, and we're capable of making special plays.

We're a real good defensive team but we didn't show it. We know if we play the way we're capable of playing that we can win this tournament. I think we'll play a lot better than this.

We're a pretty dominant defensive team right now. It's not just one guy. It's a total team effort on defense.

We're a pretty dominant defensive team right now.

We're a perimeter-oriented team, so anything we get down low is very helpful. They defended Kyle pretty well ? Brunswick is a good defensive team ? but Nick really came up with some big plays.

We hit the mid-line a lot with Jared Kimmel up the middle and then we started hitting the rocket on the outside. We took advantage; the defensive ends were playing a little tight. We tried to get outside on them. We ran our rocket play - our quick sweep - and that really got us back into the game.

We hit the ball well and we had a good pitching and defensive performance. It was a good game for us.

We had a few defensive lapses, but the kids found a way to hang in there and battle.

We didn't work any harder or any different. As we said all along, that one game that we broke down last week was a tribute to the New York Giants, but that was not us when you've gone 20 games in a row without giving up a 100-yard rusher. The 20 was a lot better reflection than the one as far as the kind of defensive football team you are.

We didn't want to play him on defense last year. That was an emergency, desperation type of situation and of course Troy handled it wall...But he's a better receiver than he is a defensive back.

We've won some close games this year, and we're gaining confidence. It would be great to win a game by 20 points, but we'll take the wins any way we can get them. This was a great win for us, and the offense really stepped up. Some of the kids hit some big free throws and grabbed some big defensive rebounds tonight.

The fact is, we've been in every game. We expect more now. Our defense is what's gotten us to win games, and Arizona was our worst defensive game of the year. We just didn't defend in that game.

We have smaller defensive ends, but they're quick. They'll be OK. Everybody knows their job, and our defense is better this year. If we play better in the second half of the game this year, we'll do better.

The reality is, teams respect the defensive line. The quarterbacks have had to get rid of the ball quickly.

The real culprit is certainly the unforeseen supply disruptions that could develop out of the Middle East, so the crude-oil markets will remain on the defensive and prices will probably stay above $60 for the remainder of the first quarter.

We usually create our own luck with defensive intensity, creating turnovers. We got none of that and when we didn't get anything done in the first quarter it was like panic set in. We were waiting for the other shots to fall and didn't create our own luck.

We're just trying to hold teams under a certain percentage. It's a challenge for us and we take it out there every game. We study film, we have goals we set before every game and we try to reach those goals. We do reach those goals. As a team, we go out there and play hard every night on the defensive end.

There are universal truths of defensive basketball. If a guy is open, guard him. Don't leave him standing in the corner or out on the three-point line.

When he lines up in the backfield, you hear the defense changing the play. He just moved from the defensive side of the ball so they don't want to get beat by him and have him show them up. With that type of play-making ability, he can take a little swing pass, or just having the ball in his hands is electric.

We had beaten them by four the first time but that was when our defense was unpredictable and sloppy, it was actually quite good this time. We've put together two good defensive efforts in a row, which we hadn't gotten, so we're making progress. It took us a while but we finally did it.

We had based all of our defensive game plan on stopping the big guys and neglected to get on him early and he hit like five in a row on us.

We had a very nice third quarter. Our shooting came around a bit. Taylor is a tough defensive team and they play hard.

We had a very hard time defending La Salle. We emphasize our offense so much, maybe we're not spending enough time on defense. We want to get back to being one of the better defensive teams and shut people down.

We had a very good defensive stand. We didn't want anyone to be open. We were not to go inside the three-point line. It looked quirky with all the offensive players inside the line and all the defensive players outside.

When I came to Denver, he was one of the guys I brought up. (The Browns) were going to the 3-4 (alignment); this guy is 6-foot-7 (and) it's going to be tough for him to make the adjustment to be a defensive end, so when they released him, we were ready to sign him, so we signed him to the practice squad and he did an outstanding job for us on the practice squad.

We needed a burst. Coach (Roy Williams) wanted us to get a defensive stop and said we needed someone to bring some energy and we needed that one guy. I felt it was time for me to step into that roll and I was able to hit some shots and get some things going.

We were creating chances we just weren't finishing and on the defensive side of things we made a few mistakes that their leading scorer capitalized on.

We were concerned what it would do on the defensive side. The game plan was to catch the puck, push it up and let the offense take care of business.

We were coming off a loss, and it was important to get back to Delaware principles and playing our defensive roles. One of our goals is rebounding. We knew they'd shoot a lot of threes and if they miss the ball would come out long, so we had to attack the boards.

We were certainly trying to protect the football and not make a huge mistake. That played into it. Obviously, they made defensive adjustments. Everybody does as the game goes along. They certainly turned it up a notch late in the game and we never really responded too well.

We were caught off guard a little. We were disappointed with our defensive performance in the first half. You can't always tell how fast a team is on tape.

We need a right-handed bat to balance our lineup. We've been looking at this for a while. We're going to get a high-energy type guy, a good defensive left fielder that can run and steal bases.

We need to play a little better, especially on the defensive end. They came in and got into an offensive rhythm.

We need to make that defensive secondary better, we need to find some linebackers, and we need to compete and make those defensive linemen tougher.

When you defend you have a chance. I've said it, I've said it, and I've said it. We have a chance and its great to see our guys believe on the defensive end.

When you combine experienced guys who have gotten a lot of sacks in their career together, it just means more sacks for everybody. As a defensive front, we have the experience so we have to be the anchor of this team.

When you can't put the ball in the bucket you are going to have problems. It's hard to get excited on the defensive end when you can't score and then you have to continually fight back and we did that all season.

When we started the season, I said we needed two more offensive linemen and two more defensive lineman. When we ended the season, we still needed the exact same thing.

When we started the ball game it looked like a lay-up drill, the way they drove around us and over the top of the basket. For some reason this lineup hasn't been real productive on the defensive end of the floor.

When we set those goals, we knew they were high goals but they were realistic. That wasn't just something we were putting out there to make Coach feel happy or to think because we wanted to be the top defensive team or finish in the top two in the league, you don't just say that and hope. We knew we had to go out there and play.

When we saw him in Spring Training, we knew he had some thunder in his hands. But he's been really good for us all year. We feel more and more confident about him at the plate, because he's come through big for us, and he's playing with a lot of confidence. Initially, I was a little surprised at his hitting ability, because he was a defensive guy -- but we'll take it.

When things aren't going great for us we sucked it up and continued to push forward. That's what it's all about in this league. If things aren't going great for you on the floor, continue to be confident in yourself and keep forcing the issue. If we want to be a successful team on a night-to-night basis we have to drive to the basket, make plays for each other and make defensive stops.

When things are not looking good you have to go for defensive elements like strong balance sheet, high dividend yield and domestic plays.

When they went on that run, everybody tried too hard. Everybody tried a little harder to make that defensive steal or make that shot, even if they weren't in the best position. We tried to tell them to calm down and play their game, but once we got in the hole it was difficult. They almost tried too hard. And we got away from what makes us good, staying fundamental on offense and defense.