Skins.com:Post-Game Quotes, Redskins-Giants

[TK]

http://www.redskins.com/story.asp?ContentID=12361

Post-Game Quotes, Redskins-Giants

12/07/2003

HEAD COACH STEVE SPURRIER

Opening Statement:

"Obviously, we’re happy to win one after three tough losses. When Jeremiah Trotter ran down Tiki Barber on that screen pass, that was one of the big plays of the game. I thought [barber] was gone when I saw him go down our sideline. Jeremiah was our last hope and he forced him out of bounds. We were able to hold them and they got no points out of it."

On the offense:

"What a performance Tim Hasselbeck had in this bitter wind and cold. Our receivers caught just about everything. Laveranues Coles made some unbelievable catches. And our defense was very solid. LaVar had a couple sacks. Of course, Bruce Smith set the record today. Like Bruce said, it was so nice to set it in a victory rather than just another game that maybe we’d lost recently."

On beating a NFC East opponent:

"It was a good win, we hadn’t beat the Giants since I’d been here. Overall, I’m proud of our guys. The way Tim handled the ball and the way our running backs protected it was really a nice performance, as far as ball security."

On whether the weather conditions dictated the emphasis on the run game:

“Certainly. It was a game where we hoped to run the ball enough and hit a few passes here or there. And the receivers did a good job catching the ball. We didn’t make a lot of yards, I think we were under 300. With these weather conditions, to make it to 280 yards is pretty good. But it was a cold bitter day and our guys hung in there tough. I’m really proud of them.”

On whether Hasselbeck’s performance will affect the status of Patrick Ramsey:

"Patrick Ramsey is set to have his surgery at the end of the season: If there’s a chance he’ll try to come back and be able to play [before the end of the season], I think he’s going to try and do that. Tim is a very solid player and he can get the job done. We feel comfortable with this young man at quarterback."

On what Bruce Smith means to the team:

"He’s a leader. He’s a veteran player. It was nice to see him set the record."

On the performance of the defense:

"The defense has played well most of the games, but we haven’t been able to finish. As you know, the other teams have been scoring in the fourth quarter recently, but today Jeremiah Trottermade one of the big plays of the game because if Tiki Barber goes all the way—I think there were nine minutes left in the fourth—who knows what would have happened.”

On the character of the team:

"Our guys like to play. That’s never been a problem—just finishing and winning close games. We’re 5-8. That’s what we are. We think there’s hope. We think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We still have a ways to go to be a real good team. I think we’re pretty close to having enough real good players to be a pretty good team. Overall, there should be enough talent here to compete in this division, and we haven’t done it. So we need to do better."

On Tim Hasselbeck:

"Tim has played well all three games. We were hoping to give him the game ball each of the last two weeks, but it didn’t work out. I think his performance was very consistent with how he played the first two games. Obviously he’s becoming very knowledgeable about our offense. He’s played well most games and maybe played a little bit better today."

On the injuries:

“Ladell got bumped on the arm. He was out. Trung re-hurt his ankle, so Chad Morton came in there. That draw play was a good one down there to get out of a situation where we wouldn’t have to punt. And Rock was a tailback also. There’s a good chance John Simon will play last week.”

On Trung Canidate’s status:

“I’m not sure what Trung’s status will be for next week. He re-tweaked his ankle sprain, and we’ll have to wait and see.”

On LaVar Arrington’s knee injury:

“He tweaked it a little bit but he was able to come back into the game. He had a couple of sacks.”

On Giants' defensive end Michael Strahan’s two sacks:

“They were naked bootlegs and our tight end was supposed to shove him before he left, and I don’t think he touched him.

JESSIE ARMSTEAD (LB, #98)

On the satisfaction of beating a division opponent:

“It’s good to get a win. We still have three more games that we need. Hopefully we can get something going in these next three games.”

On whether the win can provide a spark:

“It gives you a chance. That’s what you need. We still have an opportunity to finish strong and finish up the season 8-8.”

On how the defense closed out the game:

“Coach George Edwards was on us all week: ‘You guys have to learn how to close out games.’ He harped on the sidelines in the third quarter, ‘Hey guys, we have to step it up after halftime. Don’t wait for something to happen. Go out there and make a play.’ We hadn’t closed out games well the last few weeks and he made sure that he illustrated it and said it the whole time.”

TIM HASSELBECK (QB, #11)

On his first NFL win as a starting quarterback:

“It feels real good. Not just for me, but for everyone involved in this organization. When you get on a losing streak, it’s easy to start getting down. The guys have been coming in and practicing hard and the coaches have been coaching hard. We just need to come out and play well. So it feels good.”

On the wide receivers:

“They came up with some great catches in traffic today because the ball was moving around a lot due to the wind. They really showed up today.”

On his comfort level with the offense:

“I’m definitely getting more comfortable. I’m able to call the play and get up to the line of scrimmage and see what’s happening. I’m feeling more comfortable as time goes on. That’s going to happen. This is my second start. I haven’t played a ton of football in this league, but I think I can play and I think I’ll continue to get better.”

On the weather conditions and the winds at Giants Stadium:

“It was difficult. It was hard to read how it was going to be. Early in the game, I threw a go route to Laveranues Coles and I thought I threw it perfectly. But I overthrew it. I thought I threw another good one to him, but it was an underthrow and he ended up making a great play on it. It was hard throwing into the wind. We were able to put some drives together because guys were making big plays. But throwing with the wind was difficult too because I overthrew some guys. So either way it was difficult to judge the wind whether it was with you or behind you.”

On Bruce Smith’s sack record:

“He’s been so close the last couple weeks. I grew up watching him. Being able to be around him for a little while and being on the field when it happened, it’s one of those things that is going to be shown over and over again and I won’t have to say I saw it in my living room.”

On whether playing cold weather games at Boston College helped him Sunday:

“I’ve played in cold weather games before and I’ve played in wind before, and I think that helped because I wasn’t shocked by it all or intimidated by what the factors were going to be. The only adjustment I made was wearing a glove because I needed to get a better grip on the ball. When you’re out there, you don’t really think about it too much.”