S. Walker Team Quotations

Until our kids start believing in the potential they have, that's exactly what it will be - just potential, ... We're getting some good individual efforts from a handful of guys but we're not getting it from a lot of others. Everyone, including us coaches, expected big things from this bunch. But if the players don't realize the opportunity they have, we might end up being just another better-than-average Hilliard football team that wins seven games or so.

We were trapping at bad times. I don't know why we did that. We don't play like that. We play good team defense.

Naturally, coming out on the first day, you're going to be a little rusty. You've got to get the butterflies and the kinks and things out, but I think as a team our morale is up. We're definitely excited about coming in.

If they weren't playing Florida, I'd be pulling for them. That's how everyone feels. A team that has come so far like that is gonna be the darling of the tournament.

But they don't care which one it is, and that's what makes this team dangerous.

We made some mistakes to let this thing get to where it was, but last time I looked, we had more points on the scoreboard. We were playing a top-15 team in the country, and that's no small achievement. It wasn't a work of art, but we won.

I was mad I got in foul trouble the past two games. But my team had my back in those games. Coach told me to not put my head down and the team needs me. So I went back out and played hard.

Jim has always been good in that if something's about to happen, he'll call and talk to you. I haven't heard anything. There aren't too many teams I want to play for. This team has a chance to win, number one, and it's also a fun team to play for.

Playing a top-15 football team in the country, not a small achievement. But we do have a way of making it interesting. 'Why can't we do this easy?' I kept saying in the fourth quarter.

That was a nice win. They're undefeated, so there's always some doubt against a team like that. They have already beaten us once, so this is a big one for us. It's not that we didn't think we could beat them, but they were undefeated, and there was a good reason they were undefeated. They are a very good hockey team.

That's the thing about Steelers fans. They cheer the team on no matter what.

My body is really telling me no. Playing for Team Canada would be a great honor. Not being able to do that, I knew I was done. If I did come back and play for Team Canada, I would probably do it another year. But I just feel like I can't do it. My neck is still achy.

You can be in shape, but you have to be in Miami Heat shape; it's a little different. If everybody on the team is making that commitment, you want to make that commitment, too. So we're all trying to be on the same page.

When you're going into a game and another team has another receiver who's great, of course you want to do that. I think it's a good motivator. If he's on the other side making plays, it makes you want to make plays, too.

We have two outstanding coaches who will lead our team to success in an exciting and challenging competition. This meet will be a significant test for our team. Not only are we are facing our biggest rivals in their backyard, but this is also the last opportunity these athletes have to test themselves on a major international stage before the Beijing Olympics.

We were sporadic because we have one returning starter. It's tough. We've got a lot of guys working hard. When you open up with a great team you have to execute every down. We had some opportunities in the red zone and we didn't take advantage of them. Our players made some bad decisions. That's part of it. That's what the first games are about.

The players on the Maryland football team all made straight As. Their Bs were a little crooked.

We've had a great week. We've had a little bug running around the team this week. But I think by and large, it's dissipated. We're ready to go.

We just want the kids to attack. We'll count up the takedowns at the end of the year. We want them to be aggressive, to not shut down for six minutes. We want them going for major decisions instead of regular decisions, tech falls instead of majors, falls instead of tech falls. We want them getting team points, to buy into the team concept, and they're starting to believe in it.

Brett has come along way in being unselfish, a team guy. He'd say the right thing, that he doesn't care about records, but sure he does. Anyone who's touched a ball, if they tell you differently, they are lying. ... If he throws for 3,000 yards, I like our chances.

The team really came out focused and it was nice to score in the first inning. We kept going and never looked back.

I wanted my team to specialize in particular areas and stick with particular functions, but that wasn't me. And Mike wanted to be more sensitive to his team and be more collaborative, but that wasn't him. Ultimately, it's not a matter of which style works better than the other. It all comes down to which style works best for you.

As a team we are feeling very confident in our returning group. Our four freshmen coming in bring a lot, adding into a team that's had one of the best performances we have ever had. We return all of our outfielders and pitchers and have added in some great talent. I think we have put a mix together that will be very exciting and dynamic to watch.

You're not sleeping in your own bed. You have some typical logistical issues that are gonna take you out of your normal routine. We have a young football team and I've tried to explain to them how important it is to be able to handle these 'adjustments' the right way.

There's a lot of new players that I haven't played with. I didn't know half of the team when we started.

It's been taxing on me, having to watch, ... Hopefully, I won't have to watch any longer. It's tough because when you're on the outside looking in, you think every bad play, you could have made. That's not realistic. It hurts when your team is losing. The only thing I can do is to try to have the mind-set that whenever I get back, I'm going to try to be a difference-maker.

It was redemption. She felt like she let the team down by not getting any points (Monday).

It's a flawed method, but if any other method were used I think it would be worse. All the way up and down the line there would be decisions and you could be debating it forever. And a team could be ranked fifth or 105th, but if they're the best team, they're going to win.

It's tough to see team captains on the sidelines. After seeing Andrew get taken out of the game like that, it took our heads out of the game.

It was a great team effort. The most important thing is that we are getting better at the right time of the year.

On a team like this, I can be satisfied with that role. This team is capable of a lot of good things and they need a guy like that. It takes pressure off the starters if they're having a tough day and those late-inning relievers don't need to be in earlier. I'm hoping that I can be the glue between the cracks.

That's an explosive team with a lot of weapons. Once they got a lot of momentum, they had us on our heels.

I'm going to agonize over this, ... It's going to be a difficult decision. We will be a better team next year, no question. The difficult thing is cutting the kids. You've been with those kids for two years. You've been friends with the family.

I'm not worried about the depth chart right now. I'm just worried about getting better, and helping my team get better.

I personally didn't overlook them, because we overlooked a game last year and we ended up losing. I don't think the rest of the team did because they understand that this is our last game to get to Peoria. I thought we came out and played hard.

If you can beat the Steelers, you know you've beaten the best. Year in and year out, they're the most physical team in football. They play the game the way it's meant to be played.

Hopefully everyone has the same mindset. Hopefully we can get this thing turned around. We're in the fourth year of this franchise, and we've got the best team we've had since we started. So I tell you, I feel good about our team and our season. And I feel good about playing this week and going up to Buffalo.

Carroll is the better coach, I believe, and he will find a way to neutralize Young. This team is used to playing in this type of environment.