Grant Wistrom Quotations

When we have a 21-point lead at halftime, those are football games we have to win on defense. Our offense can go out there and go three-and-out every series, but defensively we should still go out there and be able to win those football games.

We blew a number of games we should have won defensively. It all goes back to that first game when we lost and people like to make a bigger deal out of it than it was.

We're getting better coverage. Our linebackers are more sound. We're getting better checks and better coverage. Guys like Rocky (Bernard) and Bryce (Fisher) have obviously picked it up for us, and they're rushing the quarterback really well.

We really don't know what it's all about. We haven't experienced it, the letdowns and heartbreaks.

We have a number of guys who have been cut by other teams we signed off the street. Guys who were not given a chance in other organizations to play. These guys come in and have been stars for us.

We have a number of guys on this team that have been cut by other teams that really we picked up off the street, guys that weren't given a chance in other organizations to play, for whatever reason. The powers that be decided they didn't have the talent to play at this level, and these guys have come in and been starters for us.

Losing the Super Bowl is the most depressing thing I've ever been a part of. I was the biggest jerk in the world after that for months. I didn't want to be around anyone or even think about football.

Last year, the only reason we weren't in the Super Bowl was because of our defense. This year, we wanted to be part of the solution and not the cause of the problem.

Nick Going?s going out really put a damper on their running game.

I guess it is superstition in that regard. I like 98. I had my best years in 98.

I don't feel bad for anybody getting that. I dealt with it all through training camp, too.

I don't know (what people are saying), and I really don't care. I would just assume keep sneaking up on people.

I'd appreciate a blowout every now and then. It would make it a little easier on the stomach. But as long as we keep winning, we'll take them any way we can get them.

If anybody can do it, Seneca can. Without question, Michael Vick is the best athlete in the NFL.

For whatever reason, all year long our defense hasn't been given the credit it probably deserves. But if we go out and play well on Sunday, we'll get all the recognition we need. That's fine.

He's just venting when he leaves. It doesn't matter what he says. We're a different team this year, and I don't think anybody really cares about what he said.

Karma is never more evident than in a kicker's life. I think that shows up more (with kickers) out of any other demographic of society.

John Hall recovers a fumble, does a somersault, spikes the ball and goes out and chokes on a big kick his next play. I thought that was beautiful.

I think we might not have as much talent on our defense this year, but I think we have much better team players this year. Guys aren't going out there and freelancing. They're spending more time in film study and playing good assignment defense the only way it should be played, and that's at 100 miles per hour.

Just be under control when you're rushing the passer. When he pump fakes, you've got to keep your feet and just run right through him.

Kurt is the engine in that offense. He makes them go. We wanted to get to him. We wanted to get shots on him. Because Kurt, when he gets a little pressure on him, when he takes some hits, he's not as careful with the football.

Our new guys have come in and believed that they belonged from the first day. They practice like it and then they go out there on Sunday and show it. Without those guys, we are an average football team, a little above .500. I think we owe them a lot.

I think so. I think they have a lot of confidence in what he's doing.

I think guys are going to be very ready to play this week.

We can't blame this game on anyone but ourselves. Losing the Super Bowl is about as bad as it gets.

Without a question it's the most comfortable, best-fitting helmet that I've ever put on. I'm not even aware I have it on -- and in that way it does enhance my game.

We had yet to come out and play well in the second half, offensively or defensively. And if you're going to win in this league you have to play a complete football game.

With the exception of you guys (in the media), it's a regular game. The only difference is the media attention around it.

With the team we had last year, I think he did everything he could with that team. There were just some things happening that just weren't conducive to a championship-caliber football team. Those things have been addressed this year, and that's why we're winning.

When Goings went out, that really dampened things for them. Then they have to be one-dimensional and that plays right into our hands.

We're not going to blame this game on anyone but ourselves. We lost the game. They played better than we did. They didn't make the mistakes. ... They didn't make the penalties, and we did.

We're not going to blame this game on anyone but ourselves.

We still gave up way too many points. We gave up (two touchdown drives of 70-plus yards). We gave up too many big plays. We've still got a lot of work to do.

We had some guys before who weren't team players. The 53 guys we kept may not have been the best 53 athletes but we're the best 53 team players.

This season has been different for him for any number of reasons. He's a lot more fun to be around right now. I'm happy for him. I think he's feeling a lot less pressure this year than last. That's good. It's good to be a part of.

There has been such a release of joy and energy from this city. It sure feels good to bring these fans what they wanted.

We had a bunch of guys out there who weren't really sure what they were doing (last season). We've got a bunch of guys out there right now that are much more responsible to their assignments, and that's why we were able to go out there and execute when we had to.

This really isn't that complicated of a scheme. If we're not a good defense, it's not because of him. Ray Rhodes always puts a good product on the field. If we're not a good defense, it's because we as players aren't executing what he calls and we're not getting the job done out there.

Without question Michael Vick is the best athlete in the NFL. But Seneca is a pretty darn good athlete himself. So he gives us a pretty solid look out there, probably better than anybody else.

You can't dwell on those things. We can't dwell on last week, let alone last year.

We all have a lot of thoughts about it. We'll keep it to ourselves. We'll wait until we play Phoenix.

We knew it going in that they were going to run some kind of trick plays. Guys didn't handle their responsibilities and that's what happens. If everybody plays and does their job out there, you cover those plays and those things don't happen. But people got out of position and it was a big play.

Whatever you do, you just have to be under control.

You have to really know who's in the ballgame because that's going to affect what type of plays they're going to run. The guys on the backside really have to keep the edge because Parker's not afraid to take it all the way around the other way.

Big plays at the end and big plays in the middle of the game. You're like, 'If I had just done this a little bit differently.' But that's why there's always next year.

There's really no home-crowd feel to it. Not a lot of energy. But you're really not focusing on the crowd anyway.

There's a couple of restaurants that won't take our reservations. I don't know why. I'd never turn down a tab that big.

There's no question we're playing better team defense. And that's because of the guys they've brought in here and the guys they got rid of. It's a lot of fun again. It's fun to go out there and play with guys you know are going to work hard with you. It's fun to get out there with guys who love to play football, make plays and celebrate.

These are the games that help build confidence. But also you look back at them later on down the line and they're the reason why you have home-field advantage or a first-round bye in the playoffs, because you win those close games.

I've seen a lot of (stuff) in my time in the game, but ... .

Ray got sick at the beginning of the season and we all felt horrible for Ray because we all love him. But at the same time, you've just got to keep moving on, and John stepped up and took his place and has done a great job.

A game like this last year, who knows if we win it or lose it? We couldn't have gone 0-2, and to go out and have the defense finish a game for us, it's a step in the right direction.

Anytime I took the field when I played at Nebraska, I felt like I was going to win the football game.

This group, from day one, we believed in ourselves.

A lot of rookies come in thinking they are the man, pounding their chest. He didn't do that. He didn't talk any sort of game. He just showed up to work every day believing he belonged. He had a quiet confidence.

They really brought in guys that are going to play team football. Guys who are going to put the team before themselves. And I think it's reflected in our practices, our meetings.

It picks up. You're facing these guys twice a year. They know you, and you know them, so the intensity is there. It's a game we've got to win.

It's kind of tough to say it's all for nothing, but we're back at zero now and we don't have anything to show for it.

It's going to be a 60-minute battle. I practiced against him for six years, but Orlando's practice speed and his game speed are two different things. I'm going to have to work.

That's something we lacked in years past. (We) let down a little bit. I don't think we're doing that right now, and if you want to go deep into the playoffs you can't do it.

Steve Smith is arguably the best receiver in the game right now, and we just shut him down completely.

It lends instant credibility to the Lions. I think he can do a number of good things for their offense and I hope he does it. I love coach Martz. He'll do great things for Detroit.

They have one of the better, if not the best, offensive lines we've faced all year.

After (today's) practice, it'll be nice. We still have to go through all these (interviews) again (today), but it's part of it.

That set the tone early on. From then out, we pretty much knew they would be throwing the ball around.

That's Bryce for you. Now, I don't know much about his athletic ability ...

Their running game was rendered useless early on. Any time you can force a team to be one-dimensional, it sets the tone for the entire game.

If you are looking for silver linings, I think that went pretty darn well. It was a much better job of getting our checks out there on defense than we had all of last year.

I love playing for Ray. I just hope he gets better. I know he'll be better when he can. With Ray, they'll have to tie him down to keep him from being here right now.

I know it affected him pretty deeply, and I felt bad for him. It was one of those things where I knew he was going to be important to us the rest of the season. I really tried to pick him up.

I promise you, everybody made a much bigger deal about it than we did. We weren't really that concerned with it. It's a new team, a bunch of new guys on this team. Everybody else is bringing it up, but we never did. We don't care about it. It was really never an issue to us.

Honestly, it won't be any different than hitting anybody else.

He's an overachiever. It's the best label you can ever have in your life.

For the coach, I'm sure it's nice to coach when there's a lot less egos on the field.

You turned on the film and you just got sick from the lack of effort. You had some guys here that couldn't be coached last year, and they're not here now.