rskinsfan10
01-04-2008, 12:42 AM
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TT21- I suppose we both need to sit down and eat our generous portions of humble pie, because we both doubted a month ago whether this team could wind up where they are, which is in the playoffs.
DW- Well, they did it all on their own. They didn't get any help from anyone. They went out and approached the game against Dallas as if they had to win it to get in. They didn't wait to see what happened with Minnesota. I thought that was a good approach by Joe. They are playing well man. They are blocking well, the play from Santana, CP, everybody for them is getting the job done. They've had the most unusual circumstances, but they are playing their best football right now.
TT21- Do you think that there is a hotter team in all of football right now, outside of the Patriots of course?
DW- Well, no. I thought that if the Eagles would have got in, they would have been tough, as evidenced with going down to Dallas and shutting them out of the endzone when everybody played for Dallas. I think you have to look at it and say that with Washington, it was a well deserved win. I mean, when you hold the Cowboys to 1yd with Barber on their team, that's a significant effort. The 12th Man was outrageous, and they have to carry that spirit over to Seattle. Seattle is a tough place to win, it's a tough place to hear, and they are going to have to go in there early with the mindset that they are going to have to cut the Hawks. They have to go in there really savage, to continue to do what they have been doing. They've had brilliant QB play, and they all have to continue to do what they've been doing. They have to figure out a way to win the game, even if they turn the ball over and something goes wrong. Right now, nothing is going wrong. They just have to keep this thing going.
TT21- I know that during the week with the people that you talk to during your travels and on your radio show, you've dealt with a few people that implied that Dallas really didn't try that hard and that they essentially handed us the game. What has been your response to that type of rhetoric?
DW- Well, there is some truth to the fact that they were without some of their best players, but so were we. We were without The Tarantula, Todd Wade, our LB McIntosh from The U, our CB Rogers, our RG and RT, and our starting QB. They were where they wanted to be. They had homefield advantage locked up, but it's still a rivalry. Their defense didn't make plays, and it is what it is. If we go to Seattle and handle our business, then there will be no excuses down in Irving, TX.
TT21- What sticks out to you as being obvious when you compare this 2007 team with the team in 2005, especially considering this return trip to Seattle for another playoff game?
DW- This team is far more balanced. They throw the ball better, Clinton is really running as good as he's ever ran, and our defense is better. This a better football team. I don't think that Seattle is as good as they were then. They clearly can't run the ball like they used to, but all of that really doesn't matter because in that one game, Seattle may come out and Alexander may have been saving himself. They are still very dangerous, despite not being the same offense as far as the ground game. That's a fact, but that are better at throwing the ball, and they are really hot right now. Defensively, Peterson, one of our homeboys from Maryland is playing exceptional. Tatupu is playing well. Kerney is a new addition and he gets pressure. Stephon Heyer is going to have his hands full. The kid has played well all year, and he's going up against a real physical player. A Cavalier against a Terrapin, and it should really be a heckuva match.
TT21- I suppose we both need to sit down and eat our generous portions of humble pie, because we both doubted a month ago whether this team could wind up where they are, which is in the playoffs.
DW- Well, they did it all on their own. They didn't get any help from anyone. They went out and approached the game against Dallas as if they had to win it to get in. They didn't wait to see what happened with Minnesota. I thought that was a good approach by Joe. They are playing well man. They are blocking well, the play from Santana, CP, everybody for them is getting the job done. They've had the most unusual circumstances, but they are playing their best football right now.
TT21- Do you think that there is a hotter team in all of football right now, outside of the Patriots of course?
DW- Well, no. I thought that if the Eagles would have got in, they would have been tough, as evidenced with going down to Dallas and shutting them out of the endzone when everybody played for Dallas. I think you have to look at it and say that with Washington, it was a well deserved win. I mean, when you hold the Cowboys to 1yd with Barber on their team, that's a significant effort. The 12th Man was outrageous, and they have to carry that spirit over to Seattle. Seattle is a tough place to win, it's a tough place to hear, and they are going to have to go in there early with the mindset that they are going to have to cut the Hawks. They have to go in there really savage, to continue to do what they have been doing. They've had brilliant QB play, and they all have to continue to do what they've been doing. They have to figure out a way to win the game, even if they turn the ball over and something goes wrong. Right now, nothing is going wrong. They just have to keep this thing going.
TT21- I know that during the week with the people that you talk to during your travels and on your radio show, you've dealt with a few people that implied that Dallas really didn't try that hard and that they essentially handed us the game. What has been your response to that type of rhetoric?
DW- Well, there is some truth to the fact that they were without some of their best players, but so were we. We were without The Tarantula, Todd Wade, our LB McIntosh from The U, our CB Rogers, our RG and RT, and our starting QB. They were where they wanted to be. They had homefield advantage locked up, but it's still a rivalry. Their defense didn't make plays, and it is what it is. If we go to Seattle and handle our business, then there will be no excuses down in Irving, TX.
TT21- What sticks out to you as being obvious when you compare this 2007 team with the team in 2005, especially considering this return trip to Seattle for another playoff game?
DW- This team is far more balanced. They throw the ball better, Clinton is really running as good as he's ever ran, and our defense is better. This a better football team. I don't think that Seattle is as good as they were then. They clearly can't run the ball like they used to, but all of that really doesn't matter because in that one game, Seattle may come out and Alexander may have been saving himself. They are still very dangerous, despite not being the same offense as far as the ground game. That's a fact, but that are better at throwing the ball, and they are really hot right now. Defensively, Peterson, one of our homeboys from Maryland is playing exceptional. Tatupu is playing well. Kerney is a new addition and he gets pressure. Stephon Heyer is going to have his hands full. The kid has played well all year, and he's going up against a real physical player. A Cavalier against a Terrapin, and it should really be a heckuva match.