Ernie Accorsi Quotations

We're in pretty good shape. They're going to give us a cap number and we'll be ready for it. You always prepare for a worst case, no matter what the situation. You never want to be surprised by something negative, only something positive.

There is a lot more dead money now. You're basically married to a player for at least two or three years.

Lewis was different because he not only was a starter here a year ago, he had been here since the 2000 season. When someone like that walks back into your locker room, they're popular, they're known, they've been a teammate.

My feeling is that, because there are more injuries, because of free agency, because it is a dilution (of talent), it doesn't matter who's the best team during the season. All that matters is who's healthy and hot late (in the season). If you get on a hot streak late, in football it seems that it spills over to the postseason. You have to be hot at the right time and healthy at the right time.

If we have a player that's decidedly higher-rated, we're going to pick the player that's higher-rated.

I don't have to talk to Eli. If he were another type of personality, it would be different. But he's as poised a quarterback as you could want, and he handles every situation in an unflappable manner.

If that hit couldn't take him out, ... nothing will.

He would have loved that goal-line stand to preserve the shutout,

He has had a physical with us. That's all that's taken place. If this triggers another round of hysteria, it will be inaccurate just like the last round. Nothing has happened in the negotiations. Obviously, you're not even going to think about a player without a physical examination. Now we have that.

He is a clutch player, a class athlete, he's great in the clubhouse and he has three Super Bowl rings. He just adds stature to your team.

He's a good person, he has integrity and he's honest. He's not going to try to con anybody. Once they realized the quality of person he was, they'd want to play for him.

He said, 'When are you going to get your number one signed? I said, 'It's going to get done.

He's got great numbers, considering his injuries, ... If he's healthy he's on a course for a big-time career.

He's just got that quality, you think you have him trapped, and he changes direction from a dead stop and he's gone.

He's a two-way shot. If we get him in the weight room and get him down to 275, he could be a tight end. If he gets even bigger than he is now, he can be a tackle because he's got great feet.

He shaped nearly every rule and philosophy we have in our league today. Most of all, he was the moral conscience of the National Football League. He now joins the pantheon of incredible men who made this league what it has become.

His 'Take the Field' program was one of the most innovative and beautiful efforts in athletics in this country, ... His efforts provide fields of play for young New York athletes who otherwise would have no place to play.

He was the conscience of the National Football League.

He is such a cornerstone player and he's such a great representative, ... He's a leader. He has so much class.... And he's still productive. It's not like we're just giving him a reward for the past. We are, to a point, but he's still productive enough that he deserves what he gets.

I think it's a very solid and deep draft. I really think the top of it is very interesting.

I think the players had to get to know him, and once they did, they'd trust him. I've known him, so I knew what kind of person he was. In the beginning, he came here with somewhat of an image.

I was entrusted with the legacy of the franchise. I simply picked the best player in the country. If the Baltimore franchise was good enough for John Unitas, the greatest quarterback in the history of the league, it was good enough for John Elway.

It has been a long time since I viewed the top of the draft with more interest than this year. It is going to be a fascinating process to watch.

I think that (the) whole combine demands you to have incredible self-discipline in decision making. It's invaluable, No. 1, because of the medical (exams). But you better discipline yourself to evaluate a player on the tape of a game. This will indicate what kind of athlete they are, but usually what that does is support what you've already seen on tape.

Last year I lost three top guys, ... because I let them walk out of here. They just took my offer and shopped it around. It wasn't going to happen again.

I was just overwhelmed with not only his story but the way he told it. He's such a thoughtful, intellectual, moving person. You could hear a pin drop in our interview room when he was done telling us a story.

I said it's almost like people are numb,

That epic contest was not sold out. There were unsold seats in Yankee Stadium.

I think he's got a chance. We're not doing this as a gimmick. There was competition to get him. I'm pleased we got him.

I think he's going to be a terrific quarterback, ... He hasn't even played 16 games. He's getting better all the time. He has enormous talent and poise. I'm happy this franchise will have him as their quarterback for a long time.

Johnny Unitas. Sure, Johnny had the physical ingredients required: lightning quick release, a laser for an arm, good ability to avoid the rush. But what set Unitas apart was the feeling you got in your heart when you saw him walk on the field, something that none of us are capable of defining or explaining, we just feel it. You knew he came to win. And, from the moment he walked into the locker room, you knew you had a better chance to win than the other guy. He was the toughest man I have ever known - physically and mentally.

That was really, to me, the passing of the torch, ... This was the second part of it.

I was overwhelmed with him. Not only his story but how he told it. He's such a thoughtful, intellectual, moving person.

I was overwhelmed not only with his story but by the way he told it. You could have heard a pin drop in that room when he finished.

I would never have traded him. I would have waited until the next draft if need be and found out how good a baseball player he was.

You just have to do what's best for the franchise. I don't get involved with personalities. But I have a great deal of respect for him and gratitude for him. He took us to the Super Bowl.

We don't even count wins in a quarterback rating. That's why I have no respect for the quarterback rating.

Yes, ... That's the QB I saw at Mississippi. All the qualities were present: poise, quick recognition and release, crisp throws, strength and accuracy with the long ball. But mostly command.

We had more depth on the offensive line this year than ever, and we wanted to keep him.

Waiting for 25 can be frustrating at times, but you are there for the right reason. You just hope you are even further down every year.

You know, ... it all happened so fast that I didn't realize it at the time. But you're right. It's amazing. It's one of those things you'll remember for a long time.

We came to an agreement that acknowledges what everybody wants - the player being rewarded for performance.

When you sign on here, you understand this organization. There is so much soul to it, ... It's just the way it is. Players understand that. This has been very emotional for all of them. That's what makes this organization the way it is. There is so much personal feeling in this place. They understand and value that.

We are not going to pick a linebacker just to pick a linebacker. That is just not going to happen. We are going to pick a player that is decidedly higher rated. We have options.

We played with such passion in the fundamentals of the game - defense and the running game - which were the two things he loved.

Tomlinson has something Sayers had that is rare -- the ability to stop and, in one step, to have full acceleration,

There has been no evolution of the quarterback,

We're trying to be judicious. It's not fantasy football. This is about people making sound judgements. That's what we're trying to do.

When you have a chance to pick what you feel, at least in your own mind, is the franchise quarterback, you make it. If you hit it, you're set for 15 years.

We tried to get him four years ago. He wanted to come, but the coaches didn't want him. We couldn't get him past the coaches. So he goes to New England and wins three Super Bowls.

You have to proceed as if you are not going to have him. That's the only way you can proceed. We signed two veteran corners, obviously, to protect ourselves. But I think when you get into the draft you can never make a decision that is based on another player's medical uncertainty. You are really taking too much of a risk there.

Brandon has played on winning teams his whole career, including the New York Giants. He's a winner and a great teammate and it's terrific to have him back.

Even if you have extra money, it still comes down to making good, sound football judgments. We made all our evaluations a while ago and we're not going to change a player's value because we have more money to spend.

As it is with all of these guys, do they have the stomach for pro football? I remember Jack Ramsey introducing me to Charles Barkley. I said to him, 'You would make a great tight end.' He told me I was out of my mind. He said, 'Do you think I want to get hit in the mouth on every play?' It's a different world. It's all about wanting it badly enough.

These are two body punches we've taken back-to-back, ... We haven't gotten over Wellington.

I've always believed you look at things on a case-by-case basis. Running backs are no different. So we look and see what we see.

Teams that dominated, that won multiple Super Bowls, all had great quarterbacks.

Any team that blows the lead that we blew in the fourth quarter has no excuses, ... I don't want to hear about an official's call, O.K.? We have no complaints.

Young quarterbacks are going to be like this. Do I think he has to play better? Yeah. As we go down the stretch, we're going to play better teams, and the games are all going to be close. We're obviously going to play every game close, that's just the way we are. And I have a feeling he will play better. He plays better with more on the line.

They seemed like opposites, but Mr. Mara always had a twinkle in his eye when he was around Jeremy.

There was never any doubt in my mind, from the day he got here, that he was going to be a head coach and be a successful one.

It's great to make the playoffs, but it's important for us to win the division and get a home game in the postseason. We have it in our hands and it will be disappointing if we can't get it done.

Date of birth is very important to us. In a sport that's as physically taxing as ours, the correct date of birth is critical, not only in determining the physical maturity and growth potential of an athlete but also his longevity. We project body shaping and size, especially weight, and growth potential when we evaluate a player and project them. We make sure we know the correct date of birth and we do a lot of research to verify it.

Everybody has done what they can. We set up as many plans as we could for as many scenarios as we could.

That's our ready list. We call every so often to check on those players we might want to bring in for a workout, to see what kind of shape they're in, and their agents are always calling us to remind us about them.

The biggest thing about him, even last year, he doesn't throw the ball up for grabs. He doesn't take a lot of sacks when he shouldn't.

New York isn't like other places. The expectations here are higher than anywhere else. You have to know that coming in.

There was a receiver picked the year his brother came out. I heard, 'We picked the bigger receiver.' But he wasn't the better receiver. It is speed that kills. I'm not worried about (size).

The thing is, he knows the temperature of the water now, ... So we'll get a good sense of what he'll become (in his career) by the end of this season. Between the first and second season is where quarterbacks make their biggest jumps.

The fans are hooting and hollering, there are signs all over the place and chants against Elway, ... We knock him out of the game, and people are going crazy.

In a way, it was the Marine ethic. You know the rules? It's the officers who eat last. He would always consider himself last.

I knew we had one more play to make,

I never like to be too optimistic about contracts because you're really not close until you sign them. Sometimes you can get to the brink and never get it done. But we're pretty positive about our thoughts about him.

I may be wrong, and you might fool me, but I just feel like there's a slight difference in their body motion, ... But they are awfully similar.

I once went to a basketball game and told Charles Barkley he'd make a great tight end. And he said, 'No thank you.' Most of them don't want to do it because, in football, you get smacked in the mouth.

I like this football team. I think we've got a personality. I think it's got something to it. Now we've just got to go and prove it. But I like this football team.

I really have never bought into that San Francisco game, and maybe players might have a different view, ... My feeling coming out of that game, as heartbreaking as it was, was that I thought we were pretty good.

In today's world of professional football, you've got to go for it. When you have a chance to make a run, you take it.

If you really want a player, then go after him. We've done that here. But there is so much trading that goes on, particularly in the first round, that sometimes you have to trade up out of self-defense because someone else is trading up.

In 33 years in the National Football League, I don't know that I loved working with or knowing anyone more than Roosevelt Brown. The world knows he was a great player. But few know what a great scout he was. He was a treasure to have in our scouting department, full of wisdom and knowledge.

His brother was on a team that had a little better passing attack. He didn't get that chance as much. But he is an explosive, high-speed, tough receiver. He is just not real big. Normally you like big receivers, but you don't want to sacrifice speed and game-breaking ability.

But he is such an under-control, mature kid. He's just unflappable. What he went through last year and with the team just decimated around him, he's just a very poised young man. If it was a kid I really thought would be afraid of any situation, I might say something, but I don't think I need to. I won't say anything to (him).

He's just a relentless 'heart' player with a lot of talent.

But you still have to go play, ... This is a sport where you get hit in the mouth 15 times a day. I don't care how much emotion you have, you still have to go play. That's how I look at it.

He's very intelligent, and intelligent people have open minds. He's in a tough market, and he can't be thin-skinned about this thing. He's going to take his shots like we all do. It's a matter of sticking to your convictions.

He's a project. It's not going to happen overnight. Basketball teams are filled with great athletes. The question is, does he have the fortitude to play this sport, where you're getting hit in the mouth every play? It's going to depend on how hard he wants it and how hard he works.

He's a perfect example of what we've let slip away in the image of a coach - the job is a teaching job, ... Bill certainly has a great deal of self-confidence, but he's got the humility to know that he can always learn from somebody that's successful. To me, the smarter you are, the more you want to learn.

If he was an impressionable kid who didn't have a lot of maturity, it would be one thing,

If he's there when we pick, we'll take Reggie Bush.

He's moved the team for all three preseason games, ... We're fine with him.

How he plays is going to determine how far we go, absolutely.

You could see the difference right away. It was not just the things he can do that we didn't have any more. With Michael, the other team knows there is a guy they have to game-plan for. They have to devote resources to stop him on every play. Without that, the entire defensive unit is affected.

You could hear a pin drop when he was done. It was definitely one of the most impressive interviews I've ever been around.

The kid's downright unflappable, ... I mean, I've watched Eli since college and nothing ever seems to bother him. Not being in the NFL. Not playing in the New York spotlight. Not guys dropping perfect passes. Not hellacious hits. Nothing. You won't seem him pout or mope or shrug his shoulders, but you won't see him celebrate much either.

The key is to be able to avoid the rush if you have to, ... A lot of that is your sense of presence, not your ability to run. Elway killed you because he scrambled to throw, not to run.

You worry because you don't know how it's going to affect them when it comes down to playing, ... This is still a game where you're going to get hit in the mouth every play, and we weren't going to get any breaks from (Washington).