I'm so obsessed (trying to cope with the offseason) that I find myself looking for clues to the syche of a certain QB to make sure opposing teams wont assume he can be rattled easly in a tight game or pushed to anger and big mistakes...
At 3:37 AM
I DID find this OLD press conference: After ASU lost to USC a couple of seasons ago..
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Derek Hagan And Sam Keller Press Conference Quotes
Offensive leaders talk about this week with media on Monday. Oct. 3, 2005
Derek Hagan PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES, OCT. 3, 2005
ARE YOU GLAD LAST WEEK IS OVER? "Not really. We put the game behind us
already. We know that if we finished the game we would have come out
on top."
DOES THE TOUGH LOSS MAKE IT HARDER TO PUT THE GAME BEHIND YOU? "It
might be a little harder, but once practice gets started Tuesday, guys
will get going. There's still a lot of season left to go. We have
Oregon coming up this week, so we have to put the game behind us no
matter what."
TALKING ABOUT Sam Keller BOUNCING BACK "I think he'll be fine. Sam is
just one of those guys, when things go wrong he'll keep playing and
he'll just put it behind him, we just got to be prepared, he's already
in the film room watching film on Oregon. He needs to do the things he
needs to do, some of the mistakes he made last week, he's going to
make those corrections, and hopefully not make the same mistakes this
week."
AS A LEADER, TALKING ABOUT CALMING EVERYBODY DOWN "I think the
veterans, we know what we have to do, but some of the younger guys you
know haven't been in big games like that, and we just got to make sure
their keeping their heads up, not letting that game bother them.
There's going to be other opportunities in the years to come for them
to step up and make some plays for this team."
ON THE INTERCEPTION OVER HE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD IN THE 4TH
QUARTER "That play was very strange, that's just one play I feel like
I should make no matter where the ball is, it's just one of those bad
breaks, the ball just happened to fall right into the guys hands, he
really wasn't paying attention, he was falling down and the ball just
hit him right in the gut. Its just an interception, but it's sad to
see that guy got hurt, you don't want anyone getting hurt, especially
not when they blow their knee out. I guess you can say he made a great
play. It's just one of those lucky plays that happens and I think that
was the turning point of the game right there. I jumped up and I was
just trying to bring the ball in, I guess my momentum just caused the
ball to fly out."
TALKING ABOUT HOW TOUGH IS IT TO PUT THAT PLAY BEHIND YOU "After that
play it was rough, I went to the sidelines and watched the replay and
you know it was just one of those plays I felt like I should have
made. Sam put the ball on the spot where I was the only player that
could get it, I jumped to get it but the ball just didn't get up in my
hands."
TALKING ABOUT ANY POSITIVE THINGS TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE GAME "We know
we can compete. We know that we got six or seven more games and we can
win those games. Our two losses came to the number one and number five
teams in the country, we know that if we had won those two games we'd
be in the top five right now so we just have to put those games behind
us and keep playing. We need to keep getting ready for Oregon this
week because we know they're another good team that jumped on top of
USC, they just didn't finish."
TALKINGABOUT IF THIS LOSS FEELS BETTER THAN THE 45-7 LOSS LAST YEAR TO
USC "Well losing feels bad anyway you go, you don't ever want to lose
you know especially when the number one team comes into your house.
You are up on them and the game just gets away in the end and you lose
the game. Last year after we lost, a bad loss, just getting blown out
like that on television 45-7 guys just really didn't want to be on the
sideline anymore when the game got out of hand in the first half. We
know we competed with USC and we felt like we should have won that
game but we just got to finish, you know they're not number one for
nothing. They play four quarters of football."
Sam Keller PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES, OCT. 3, 2005
EXPLAIN LOSS TO USC "It's hard because we know we had it, you think
for a couple of days how life would be different if we had won these
games, even though you go back and try to rewind and pick out some
things that you wish you could just do over, but once you get over
that you know that's what yesterday is and today is for, come tomorrow
it's time for the Ducks so you got to have a short memory when you are
a quarterback and I have one so, it's not as hard as you may think."
ON WHAT THE USC LOSS TEACHES "You know that I'm not perfect, I'm not
going to be perfect everytime. I fought hard. I was over aggressive
sometimes and I just got to learn for the future even though you're
playing an excellent team just stay within yourself. Everyone was
talking about how we were going to coward down and flinch and stuff,
that really got to me because I never do that, so I was not scared for
one minute the whole game. It never hurt any of my confidence, and
maybe that hurt me a couple of times because I was too aggressive on
some of the throws. I just wanted to win so bad, so in the future just
stay within myself, trust the offense."
ON OREGON'S QUARTERBACK KELLEN CLEMENS "I haven't seen him that much
from what I hear he is pretty good, he's running the new spread
offense which gives him a lot of options, he can run a little bit. I
haven't seen much of him it looks like he's got a good release, he's a
good Pac-10 quarterback."
ON SENIOR ASU WR Moey Mutz "He's one of my best friends on the team,
you can't say enough about him, we played ball all the way back
against each other in high school, I think that last time I had more
that five picks in a game is when I had three, and [Moey] had all of
them when they played against us, just a little side note (laugh).
Moey is a great guy, he's one of my best friends and he's a stud, he
comes to work everyday and he's one of those reliable guys, he's very
smart, he gets open, he finds little holes and sits down and he has
deceptive speed, so he's a great receiver, he'd be a starter in a lot
of offenses in this country, he'd be the number one go to guy in a lot
of offenses."
ON INTERCEPTION IN THE FOURTH QUARTER "I got hit after I threw that
ball, after I got hit I was on the ground I looked up and I saw it in
his hands after I got hit, and I was like `nice', that's one of those
freak plays that just happens for a really lucky team that is number
one and they haven't lost and they've had a lot of breaks go their way
and so it's another one that went their way, it was the turning point
in the game, I wish it didn't have to happen that way, the kid that
caught it you know was in the right place at the right time and so,
it's just a bummer that it didn't go our way."
ON TAKING ANY POSITIVES AWAY FROM THE GAME "You know everybody in the
world can see, everybody in the world wants W's and that's pretty much
what everybody cares about is wins, but when you look at it, and coach
Koetter said it, we fought and we competed and we were with them. If
they want to call USC on of the best teams ever we had them on the
ropes and the same thing goes for LSU, so what we can take from this
is that we're just as good as them, it's horrible that we couldn't win
them, but I can look anybody dead in the eye and say that we are one
of the best teams in the country, and you know if somebody wants to
disagree with me that's fine, but I really believe that and I think
everybody on our team believes that, as well as our coaches and that's
what we can take from it, you know it's just painful to lose that way
though when you know your as good or better."
TALK ON IF SAM WAS GLAD THAT LAST WEEK IS OVER? PLAY REST OF SEASON "I
really liked last week because I kind of like that stuff, the big
atmosphere and everything going on, we finally had a gigantic crowd
with as many people as I've ever seen in an upper deck section, I like
that stuff I like all the stuff surrounding if I could go back and do
it all over again I would you know now that it's over it's over and
it's time to move on, that's just part of the season, this week's a
very critical week we can't let USC beat us twice. We have to come out
and practice hard and go just as hard as we did last week, because
this is not a slouch coming in here and these guys are really angry at
us for beating them ever since I've been here, two times at there
house. There going to come down here with a lot of fight so we just
got to look forward and be ready for this week."
TALKING ON PROBLEMS WITH THE HEAT "I didn't have any problems with the
heat, because I was so focused on the game, the outside factors that
you can't control you learn to block out. I can block anything out
pretty much when I want to, so the heat wasn't bothering me. I was
just sweating a lot and I had to towel off a lot which is fine but
that's one of the things about being a Sun Devil you play in the heat
and you love it, that's for the other teams to come in here and moan
and cry about. I don't have a problem with the heat that's part of our
deal."
TALKING ABOUT A CHANCE OFA LETDOWN VS. THE OREGON DUCKS "Derek and I
and the leaders of the team aren't going to let that happen. It's not
going to, we are going to come out just like we did after people
thought there was going to be a letdown against Northwestern, we are
going to come out and were going to be firing on all cylinders,
because that's the kind of team we have."
TALKING ON YOUR BIGGEST GAME OF YOUNG ASU CAREER "Purdue was huge
because it was my first one and it was a bowl game, but you know when
you look at everything surrounding the game on Saturday, I'd have to
say that game that was pretty huge and it was a lot of fun. I was just
loving it. We were winning and everything is going good, even when
they scored I said that's fine we're just going to come back and score
and we did, then they came back down scored and I though we were going
to go right back and score again, and so I was just loving that game.
It was the biggest game I've ever played in, wish we could've won, but
given all the circumstances in them being the number one team and how
we were right with them, I can say that was the biggest game."
SAM ON SEEING Lee Burghgraef SCORE A TOUCHDOWN "It was great to see
Lee get a touchdown and the way it happened too. He just held on to
that thing so tight, that was good that was fun. I was happy to get
Lee the touchdown, and number one I was happy to score the touchdown,
because we had to go ahead with five minutes left in the game, we were
first and goal on the foot yard line, I thought the coach was going to
call a running play. He called a pass play and I was kind of surprised
but, hey anytime he calls a pass play I'm happy, and then it went to
Lee and it was just pretty fun."
CAN ANY TEAM CAN BEAT USC "No I don't think so, those running backs
are just too good, and the defensive scheme is very good, and they've
got athletes on defense, they wanted to knock their defense all week
for being inexperienced and not having all those guys in there, those
guys were good, those guys were real good. Bing and Wyatt, their
linebackers, were good, and their d-line was real good. They want to
say their weakness is their defense I'd say you're wrong, and so I
don't think they're going lose, that's just the way I see it.
TALKING ABOUT WHO HAD A FASTER DEFENSE: LSU OR USC? "Darn close, I'd
say they are both fast, I don't know that's a great question, because
it's so fresh in my mind, USC. Maybe but I think their both close,
real close, as far as team speed on defense."
TALKING ABOUT COMING BACK AFTER A TOUGH LOSS "I think we're good at
that and I think it's because it's so important not to go into a
tailspin, and we had leaders last year and leaders now that won't let
that happen and I think it's just part of our team psyche that when we
lose you know rather than feel sorry for ourselves we feel sorry for
the team that has to come in here and play us. We're going to be ready
and it's just part of who we are not stay down in a rut."
TALKINGABOUT Lee Burghgraef AS A RECIEVER "He's not one of our first
three options (laugh), but he's got good hands. I'm not going knock
Lee, he's a stud, he's an athlete he just not as fleet of foot as Zach
or Jamaal, or B. Miller, but you know he can do anything, put him in
the right position and he'll catch the ball. He's a fantastic blocker
and he's so reliable, he's just always in there, but you know as a
receiver he can catch just about anything, so you know you just got to
pick the right spots to get him out there. He's probably not going
match up well against most of the safeties in the world, but he's got
great hands, he's an athlete."
OREGON'S FOCUS ON RUN, NOT PASS "Oregon State dared us to pass, so if
you dare us to pass were going to pass, so you know, but my eye's
light up any week because we have the capabilities of going out and
racking up yards and touchdowns against anyone we want, just as long
as we don't shoot ourselves in the foot. Look how good our guys are.
There's ways to beat any defense that they put out there against us,
so if there style is to be aggressive and put a lot of guys in the box
and play downhill like Oregon State did, and force us to throw and
make plays and that's probably what were going to do, so we'll be
ready."
MINDSET IF POCKET BREAKS DOWN "My mindset is that it's probably better
to wait and see if somebody else is open who's a little bit faster and
more athletic than I am, that's just my thought process, and I feel
like I can make more plays with my arm than my feet, when I scramble
around a little bit sometimes really big plays can happen out of that,
so sometimes you give them a chance or throw them away. If you can get
five yards you just duck your head and run, but that's just part of
it, they were covering us really well, they dropped into their
coverage, cover 2, cover 1 a few times and their linebackers got into
good positions to take our over the middle routs away. Sometimes you
know when our pocket breaks down, you got to get out of there and run
you know that's just part of being a quarterback. You got to make
plays on the move sometimes."
TALKING ON INTERACTING WITH ANY USC PLAYERS "Not really I kind of got
off the field kind of quick, Lawrence Jackson came up to me after the
game because we play the Cal/Florida Bowl on the California team he
did well that game and played hard, he was in the backfield a lot,
more of my interaction with him came verbally with him during the
game, that's the way they are, they like to talk a little bit, so I
talked right back at them, I'll always remember this game, the crowd,
the way my linemen fought and we fought hard and had that game and
should've had that game, you know just take back 3 or 4 plays and it's
a totally different game."
TALKING ON TRYING TO FORCE PLAYS "I could have made that throw, maybe
just a little earlier, but you know some of them were not open, some
of them made great plays, the one that came out of Derek's hands and
that was a freak play it fell in that guy's hands and he got hurt at
the same time. I feel so bad, you never want anybody to get injured
but the ball falls in your hands and you blow your knee out, if that's
what happened to him, I mean that's just a weird play. The one on the
sideline the first one in the second half that was a force because I
mean, in scramble rules you know your rolling out and the play broke
down. I thought Derek was going to keep coming towards me and you just
put it in a spot where he can get it but that was a total force on my
part just trying to make something happen when I shouldn't have.
There's another pick where they tipped it and the guy got it that's
just them getting their hands on the ball and making plays. I had to
check that one because there was a lot of guys in the box on a run
play, going back I wouldn't have even checked it, I would've kept the
run play, because we probably could have got it off, I just checked to
a pass play I wanted to get it to Derek but the guy got his hand on it
and made a pick. I'm trying to think of all the other ones because
there seemed like there were so many, but that's part of football and
give credit to them for making those plays."
TALKING ABOUT HOW BIG WAS SPECIAL TEAMS "Oh man, you watch the film
and our special teams really beat them in all phases, you know
kickoff, punt return, punt, everything we handled them well on special
teams, and that showed, and that's just credit to how hard we play, we
know guys like Terry Richardson, the guys that you don't hear about
working their butts off on special teams, it really shows up on film."
TALKING ABOUT THE INTERCEPTION ON SIDELINE TO HAGAN "They were running
this coverage we hadn't seen, some three deep weird coverage, the one
time were going take a shot they pick that coverage to put in there,
you know it didn't work so I came back to Derek and he comes back
towards me and I threw it and tried to make something happen on the
sideline. That kid Wyatt kind of snuck in the back door, I don't even
know how he did it, It was just a force and a bad throw, bad decision
I should say I should've just thrown it away, but that's me being
overzealous I guess."