Mike Riley Quotations

We struggled defensively early, but the one stable factor that came back to us is our run defense. It's obvious that Alvin Smith and Henry Anderson and Trent Bray and Keith Ellison played big, big roles for us in that area.

We're just hauling out the last bits of debris.

One of our goals is to get the ball to Mike. We'll look at what Boise State does, and we'll try and find ways to do that regardless. And then utilize the rest of our people, too. And that will help Mike get open.

From one district to another, everyone is asking what are you doing about this. We are all scrambling to put this in place.

If we are consistent (in the running game) and grow there we'll be that much better in the passing game. We are going to find other guys who are play-makers out there. That will be the big issue offensively. We are strong in the interior, and we need to see who comes to the forefront at receiver.

He has a lot of intangibles but also a lot of tangible qualities,

We thought we would get the game started, but the ball wasn't rolling and the players were sliding and couldn't keep their footing and the likelihood was that someone would get injured.

Her maturity has really stepped up a notch or two, so has her leadership. She works diligently and she is very accurate. She hits the ball long and can always get on (with) her second shot.

He's hard-hitting, has good mobility, brings tremendous enthusiasm to the game and is never satisfied.

I think it's exciting for everybody. I think everybody realizes what Joe has meant to the program and what capability that Joe has.

I thought that was a great hustle play. That was a great example of making a major difference in a game.

I think we came out a little satisfied with that lead and we kind of eased up defensively. But I take my hat off to the Stony Brook club.

I was just looking for the best person out there. I know he's a fabulous guy, and I think he's a great coach. I heard a lot about him, and in the interview it was all confirmed.

Our secondary has a chance to make a big improvement. The secondary needs help from the linebackers and the rush. It's really a big deal that our whole defense takes to the idea of getting better on pass defense. Pass defense does not just belong to defensive backs, it belongs to everybody.

Pass defense starts with a rush and then good solid coverage down field after that. We feel we have a lot of good people who can take us where we want go.

Matt is a tough, tough player. If you're not tough, you can't play quarterback. I don't care if you can throw the ball 100 yards.

Matt did a lot of great things for us last year, and I'm glad we have him. With a year under his belt in the system, I'm excited for him.

Marcel gives us another bona fide receiver. He is a terrific route-runner, and at the end of the 2004 season became one of Derek Anderson's favorite receivers. The addition of Love will give our offense a tremendous boost, and I look forward to a big year from him.

I thought Matt played pretty darn well. I thought he managed the game well. I liked his competitive spirit.

I would never have believed he would be that good. He's completing 70 percent of his passes? That's just ridiculous.

You can go full speed with tackling for this long, but if you do everything but tackle, you can go this many more reps. And that's what we are looking for.

We have three coming back as the nucleus and core of the team.

We made it clear we were recruiting Mike for his overall athleticism.

We haven't had that high a percentage from our quarterbacks before.

What it boils down to is the student's discipline and their right to privacy. Therefore if your child is involved in an incident on the bus, the camera is going to have other children on the tape and their rights would be violated if you as a parent came to view your child and everyone else was visible.

We're looking at a 30 percent increase by FPL this year. That's huge when you're looking at your bill being $3.8 million this year.

UCLA has a very good offense and they're very balanced. Maurice Drew is an excellent player, their tight end (Lewis) is good and so is their quarterback.

UCLA has a very good offense and they're very balanced, ... Maurice Drew is an excellent player, their tight end (Lewis) is good and so is their quarterback.

Wear is looking to be our fourth spot on the team. She is a real strong contender for that position.

The pass defense belongs to everybody, but it starts with the rush.

To start three freshmen is a scary thing. They took their lumps, made some plays and got better.

You have to stop and think, with six schools being rebuilt and six major construction projects going on, when do you get these people in?

We should be ahead of the game with our quarterback back and all of our linemen back. We have to continue to get better. We want to build confidence and grow. And then we have to find receivers who will make plays. I think we have great candidates in that regard. The big factor for us is right down the middle with the front seven (on defense).

We should be ahead of the game offensively with all those people back.

We are very pleased to have Dave and Tom on board.

Even if it had been a legitimate story, it's not out of the question that it could have been wrong. Corrections are printed all the time. It behooves investors to check different sources.

It was a long process, ... I didn't want a transfer quarterback who first of all wasn't a good guy and secondly, couldn't compete for the job. When we thought both those things were there, we went after him.

Sound business strategy dictated we choose a historic, low rate increase to keep hard copy mail as the cost effective medium of choice in the 21st century.

This is something that's just come about. It's an honor, and this can only help our schools that she's been appointed. It is quite an honor and great for us for her to serve.

This is a big time of year for us. It's all about a focus on teaching without any games on top of you.

They have a lot of returning guys off a very good team. They didn't fluster or blink because we got ahead of them.

They don't take them to the ground but they are doing everything but that. We are trying to not create piles so it's not a big deal in that regard (to injuries). We prepare for tackling, even when we don't do much of it.

It's about fitting in, being a teammate, ... None of the other stuff matters if you're not that. Matt immediately became one of the guys. That's the most important thing and then he's a good player. He's done a remarkable job when you think of first-year quarterbacks.

It's been a long time since he's competed, but I'm very encouraged by it. Marcel had a good feel for it from the minute he walked in here, and he still has it.

It's scary. I don't know how one (player) could tackle that guy. Were going to have to really get a lot of people to the football.

Then it's a personal decision from there. I want him to feel, first of all, it's fixed and he can live the rest of his life with it. And if he wants to play football, we'll find out. We won't know that for a while.

As you see on the side of the pack, the Surgeon General says these things are dangerous to your health. We're trying to instill good health habits in the children and let them know this is not a good thing for them. It?s something that we wanted to do right away.

I'm disappointed I won't have the opportunity to coach Brandon for a year or two more. This does, however, open up an opportunity for someone else to step up and make an immediate contribution.

I hope Andy Darkins can come back and play from that. Right now we can't count on that. I'm hoping it's a worst-case scenario bringing up he can't play.

I have to give a lot of credit to Portland State. I knew it was going to be like this. I knew it was going to be harder that people anticipated.

It helps show students that with hard work, things that they want to do are attainable.

He's smart, tough and takes care of his business. Joey already has made the academic achievement list. All we had to do was show him the classrooms and the weight room, and he's taken care of the rest.

He's one of the more competitive people I've been around. He's always a little stronger than you think. And he gets open. He's got a lot of those intangibles that make him as good as he is.

I could not imagine (the Broncos) not bouncing back and being ready to go. ... They haven't had a game like that in forever, and I would imagine in their character they never want another like that. ... We will anticipate their best stuff.

I believe all along the best kind of offense is balanced. We will be at our best when we have a consistent threat both ways. We were close to that last year because of our line, and we had a productive runner. It started to feel good.