Ron Rivera Quotations

What we really like about him is he's an explosive guy.

We decided Alfonso, being a big body, was probably going to be the best bet for us. (Defensive line coach) Don Johnson felt very confident in his ability. Alfonso's a very sharp individual out there, and he did a tremendous job.

With the tools he has out there ? the wide receivers, the tight end and the running back ? you don't want the quarterback to get comfortable. You've got to try to get pressure one way or the other.

As we said all the way through training camp: We felt we were a good team. We felt we were on the rise. ... We talked about where we felt we could be as a defense ? being in the top 10, being in the top five, being No. 1, finishing No. 1. The ultimate prize has always been the playoffs and getting to the Super Bowl.

It's a good thing there's only one football at a time. This is a very dangerous group.

I hit for the cycle. I got a D-lineman, I got a linebacker, I got a safety and I got a corner.

It's not just the impact he has statistically. People talk about how they game-plan, how they attack, and you hear them talk about how Tommie was a devil to block.

One of the things we talked about was not giving the guy (Smith) a chance to make big plays, and he did that. You see why he's a Pro Bowler, an All-Pro.

Some of the guys we counted on stepping up or needing to step up really didn't show up, and that was disappointing. We can't have that kind of drop-off between the first group and second group.

It's football. It's kind of the nature of the game, the nature of the beast, and we'll find out.