QUOTES FROM STEELERS MEDIA DAY
LINEBACKER LAMARR WOODLEY
(on third down pass he broke up in the AFC Championship Game) “Usually on third down situations most teams are going to run. The offensive lineman is usually going to be in the three-point stance ready to charge at you. I just read the offensive line and I saw that he was standing up in a pass set so I decided I wasn’t going to rush up field because it had to be something quick in that situation. He threw the ball and it hit me right in the chest. I should have caught it and ran 99 yards.”
(on the New York Jets’ right tackle being in a two-point stance and tipping the play) “Yeah, he was standing up like it was a pass stance almost.”
(on if the Jets’ play calling was a little confusing in some situations) “I really can’t say. I think we did an excellent job playing defense. They tried to run the ball on us and we stopped them on fourth-and-one. We had a great goal-line stand.”
(on his relationship with linebacker Lawrence Timmons) “It’s great with me and LT coming in together, and both being linebackers. He’s funny. He’s quiet but he’s definitely a comedian. I had an opportunity to meet his family and get to know everybody. It’s just all fun and games with Lawrence and I.”
(on achieving a little more success before Lawrence Timmons) “I knew Lawrence’s time was going to come. When Timmons and I first came in, he was playing outside linebacker. Then he moved to inside linebacker so he had to learn more. He had a few injuries here and that was slowing him up. Once he overcame all of that, he really got rolling and you see now he has turned into a great player.”
(on his ability to play well during the playoffs) “It’s just that time of the year. You win or you go home. It’s time to go out here and play. A lot teams and a lot players wish that they can be in a postseason game. It leaves an opportunity and you’re in that postseason game so you got to turn it up and just really show up.”
(on if he reflects on the sack of quarterback Kurt Warner in Super Bowl XLIII) “Oh yeah. It gets overshadowed because you have the big catch by Santonio Holmes.”
(on the impact Kevin Greene had on him) “The fire and desire that Kevin Greene had out there when he was coaching, he was ready to play right then and there. When I heard he got the job at Green Bay, I knew what type of coach he was going to be because he expects the best out of you. The week that he was coaching us was aggressive football, showing us how to bull rush, really how to attack the player.”
(on if the Packers offense looks different on grass as compared to turf) “I really can’t say. I can’t tell a difference when a team is on grass or on turf.”
(on the experience of playing in a Super Bowl) “We were in Super Bowl XLIII. The veteran guys were telling us how to prepare this week. Don’t get caught up in all of the things going on around the city because those guys had been there before. This is my second time. I’m telling the young guys the same things that the veteran guys told me. Just stay focus and prepare for this game.”
(on quarterback Aaron Rodgers) “Not only can he throw the ball but he can beat you with his legs. We have to a great job of keeping him in the pocket. When we get back there we have to wrap him up because once he gets out of the pocket he can really move around. “
(on running back James Starks) “He’s been doing a great job. We have to do a good job of wrapping him up. We have to make sure everybody is on their job and, this year, I think we’ve done a great job against the run. We just got to continue to do it.”
(on the best thing about Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau) “Just his attitude, the way he approaches the game, the way he coaches every player. Coach LeBeau is not one of those guys that’s going to come into the meeting room yelling, screaming and cussing at players. He’s just kind of relaxed. When your coach is out there kind of relaxed, that’s how the players usually are.”
(on how the aggression is shown from a coach who is relaxed) “It’s just play calling, the way that he thinks. We usually come in there on a Wednesday and something that he has drawn up from the fire zone is just unbelievable. You’re looking forward to going out there and running it because you know you are going to be successful.”
(on how difficult it is to get pressure on Aaron Rodgers) “Everybody needs to do what they are supposed to do. It starts with the secondary when you think about covering the receivers, and the guys up front making sure we get back there and wrap him (Rodgers) up because he had been doing a great job of scrambling out of the pocket and beating teams with his legs.”
(on how the Steelers’ defense combats a multiple wide receiver set) “We have been in that situation before. A lot of teams are trying to spread us out trying to get the linebackers on the receivers. Lately, we still have been doing a great job of applying pressure.”
(on the history of the Packers and Steelers) “When you come to Pittsburgh, you learn about the tradition and history of the defense and definitely the linebackers. Me, being a linebacker, I have to live up to that. I don’t know much about their group. I know about our group.”
(on Troy Polamalu winning AP Defensive Player of the Year) “I found out on Twitter. The fans told me. I had no clue. I asked Ryan Clark, ‘Did Troy get Defensive Player of the Year?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’”
(on if the Steelers’ offense has an advantage because the Packers run a 3-4 defense) “It’s hard to say that because their offense is up against a 3-4 all of the time, too. It kind of works both ways. Players have to show up and everybody has to be on their A game. We just have to continue to play like we have been playing each and every week.”
(on linebacker Clay Matthews) “He just constantly gets after quarterbacks. He’s constantly rushing, rushing. He’s not one of those guys that’s taking plays off. They are moving him around a lot, not only just rushing him from the left, rush from the right, moving him up through the middle. You have to keep an eye on him on offense.”
(on if the weather affects them) “Not at all, we’re playing indoors. We’re not worried about the rain or snow. Outside it’s just like it is back home, nothing but snow on the ground. We’re used to it.’’
(on his NBA Finals prediction) “Detroit [Pistons] is my team, but we’ve been struggling this year. I got Orlando [Magic], [Los Angeles] Lakers.”
(on an NBA player that could play quarterback in the NFL) “Chris Paul. His ball handling skills, his vision, how he sees everything on the court. I definitely believe he can be a quarterback.”
(on if Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s age helps him relate to the players) “I think it’s the way that he approaches it. He treats players the way they want to be treated. Being a young coach sometimes you can relate to the people around you. It does have an advantage.”
(on his pick as a halftime performer for the Super Bowl) “The Temptations, for real, I like old music. I saw them perform one time in Arizona.”
(on his appearance in Wiz Khalifa’s video for “Black and Yellow”) “They told me like a week in advance. I went over there because I know some of Wiz’s people. I was pretty much up there all day. I went up there for my radio show and after I came back from my radio show I went up there. It was a great time. I was there the whole time. When they were on top of the building, I was actually up there too but you can’t see me. I’m hiding in the back.”
(on his favorite music to get ready for a game) “My two favorite artists are Ludacris and Gucci Mane. That’s what I bump most of the time.”
(on the importance of establishing the rush early in the game) “I think the guy that you got to get uncomfortable first is the guy you are rushing up against. He’s got to feel you from the very first snap. You have to set the tone the first snap. Whether you hit him with a bull rush or whatever, you got to let him know that’s what he’s getting all day. Once you get that first sack early you get him off his heels a bit because now everybody is looking at him, blaming him like you could have got the quarterback hurt. Now he’s really trying to stop you. You need to keep beating him, physically and mentally.”
(on the progression of his career) “Coming into the league sometimes people are worried about how much money you make. My big thing is when I’m done playing in the league, I want to be known as the one of the greatest linebackers. I want to be in that group. You have to continue to work hard and do that each and every day, and everything else will fall in place. When you start worrying about other things, things don’t happen. You have to put yourself around a good group of guys. I think when you put yourself around positive people, positive things start to happen.”
(on his offseason routine) “During the offseason, I like to work out by myself, one-on-one. I don’t like to go to a gym where there are a lot people. I don’t want them to see my strength nor my weakness. I like to work by myself. Having the bad season we had last year, losing five games in a row and not making the playoffs, I had a chip on my shoulder. I knew the things that I needed to work on. That’s what I focused on during the offseason.”
(on how James Farrior has achieved long-term success) “The way he treats his body during the offseason and during the season, eating right, taking care of himself. When you take care of yourself during the offseason and do all of the things that you need to do, you are able to play for 14 years. Not everything is physical when you get to that age, it’s mental. He’s been around for a while. He’s seen everything. He knows what to expect.”
(on the importance of a player like Farrior) “It helps out a lot just in communication. You got to have communication. I know on our defense the leader is right there in the middle, the guy who is calling the plays. He’s been doing a great job at that since I’ve been here.”
(on the perception of him being a winner increasing his value as a free agent) “I think when guys go into free agency and they are looking at certain players, they are looking for guys from championship teams because they can bring that to their locker room. Give them advice, things that they need to do in order to be a championship team.”
(on if someone in Pittsburgh instilled in him a winning attitude) “Everybody, the coaches , the owners, the players, everybody had that winning attitude. They are not talking about going to the playoffs. They are talking about winning Super Bowls, the ultimate goal. You go other places and they are talking about making the playoffs. Here it is about winning Super Bowls.”
(on the Steelers’ success in the first half of the AFC Championship Game) “Great play calling, taking advantage of opportunities whether it was turnovers, getting to the quarterback. I think we did a great job of getting to the quarterback early. Usually when you start hitting the quarterback early, they start to make mistakes and that’s what happened.”
(on Cowboys Stadium) “It’s nice. The visiting locker room is bigger than our locker room. It’s really nice.”
