FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Super Bowl XLIII – Thursday, January 29, 2009
QUOTES FROM ARIZONA CARDINALS PRESS CONFERENCE
DE BERTRAND BERRY
(on what has not yet been asked this week) “No one has asked me if we can win this game.”
(on if he thinks they can win then) “Yes. I am confident that we can win, if we go out and do what we need to do. If
we execute our game plan a little bit better than they do, then I feel we have just as good a shot as anybody of
winning this.”
(on how he feels the focus has been of the team this week) “I thought it was pretty good. We went out on the field
for the first time yesterday and I felt the concentration level was pretty high. Guys really paid attention to details,
and it was a crisp practice. There were not very many mistakes or mental errors. You always want to have that going
into the game – you want to have guys peaking at the right time, concentrating at the right time, and not distracted
by what is going on around them, and I think the team did a great job of that yesterday.”
(on if it was good to get back to practice) “Yes, it felt good to get back to normal. Obviously with everything that
goes on with Super Bowl week – there are a lot of commitments with media, and appearances and things of that
nature – but this is a football game and the closer you can get to the game and the more of a regular routine you can
get to, the more comfortable guys will feel. It‟s really a matter of us getting back to what we do during a normal
game week and treating this more and more like a game as opposed to a spectacle, which it is for other people.”
(on what this year has been like for him, considering the start of the season when he lost his starting job) “It‟s been
gratifying because it‟s been my most successful season in terms of the team. I‟ve never been on a team that has
gotten to this point. For me to overcome the last couple of seasons and all of the injuries and to be productive again,
it felt really good. Obviously I would have liked to have played a lot more, but I made the most of the time that I
had. That‟s all you can do as a football player – take advantage of any opportunity you are given and when your
number is called, perform. That‟s what I was able to do and I‟m very proud of that. The fact that my team is in the
Super Bowl is the most important thing, regardless of individual success or individual gains. This is a team sport,
and my team has a chance to be the best team in the world this year, and that‟s something that I will relish forever.
Hopefully we will put in the time, the effort and the work these next couple of days and then go out there on Sunday
and earn it.”
(on having defensive end Travis LaBoy back in the defensive rotation) “It gives us more of our normal rotation that
we had at the beginning of the year, when I think we were playing our best defense. When you have multiple guys
who can go out there and do the job, it definitely takes the pressure of the guys who are out there. They know they
can go 100 percent knowing that the next guy is going to come in and do the same thing. The more bodies we have
out there that we can throw at the Steelers, the better our chances are. Travis has played great for us when he‟s been
healthy and we are going to need him to come in and contribute as much as he can for this game, because you need
all hands on deck at this point. You want to have all of your weapons available going into the biggest game of the
year.”
(on how the week has been) “So far, so good. For me, I look forward to the game, but I understand the things with
the media and the appearances come along with it. But at the same time, it can be a little overwhelming. For me, I‟m
most concerned about the game on Sunday and preparing for that and everything else is pretty much icing on the
cake. I‟m going to take it for what it‟s worth, but at the same time, my focus is on the game.”
(on the postseason roll for the Cardinals and if he feels they have one more left in them) “Absolutely. When you get
to this point, there are really no excuses. Both teams have had a tough road to get to this point, and a tough stretch of
playing and beating some very good football teams. That‟s what happens in the playoffs – all of the teams are good.
We feel like with one game left on the table, you can muster up whatever energy and focus you have left and go get
this thing done. I believe our guys have more than enough to do that; it‟s just a matter of going out and executing
and doing what we need to do to win this football game.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Super Bowl XLIII – Thursday, January 29, 2009
QUOTES FROM ARIZONA CARDINALS PRESS CONFERENCE
MORE BERTRAND BERRY
(on if stopping Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, receiver Hines Ward and running back Willie Parker are the
main keys to this game) “Well when you think about the Pittsburgh Steelers offense, those guys obviously play a
prominent role. When you think about the playmakers, first it starts with Ben. He‟s the quarterback, and he has the
ball in his hands. He‟s going to affect the outcome of the game more than anybody. You think about Willie Parker,
the Steelers have always wanted to be a team that can run the ball. He‟s an explosive runner for those guys. He‟s a
homerun hitter any time he has his hands on the ball. The consummate pro is Hines. He‟s the heart and soul of the
team, I believe, with his toughness and the way that he plays the game. So, we have our hands full. They have a lot
of weapons, and you can‟t forget Heath Miller on the outside, or Santonio Holmes. They have a lot of weapons for
Ben to pass the ball around to, so it‟s going to be important that we play with a lot of energy out there and that we
fly around the field and get a lot of guys to the ball carrier, and try to get some pressure on Ben as best we can.”
(on Steelers running back Gary Russell also being a factor) “He‟s playing really well. Whenever he‟s gotten an
opportunity, he‟s shown that he can make plays in this league. Again, their weapons are numerous. When you think
about a Super Bowl caliber team, they are going to have a lot of different weapons and a lot of ways to attack a
defense. Pittsburgh is no different. Their second level guys might not be as known, but they are definitely
productive. They caught our eye in the film room, so we are going to treat everybody with respect and whoever is on
the field, we are going to try to tackle him as best as we can.”
(on Steelers tackle Max Starks giving up a lot of sacks in the game against the Ravens and if that raises his antenna
since he‟ll be going up against him) “Sometimes you have good games and sometimes you have bad games. That‟s
just the nature of the business. We are all professionals and we all have a job to do. Sometimes you have days where
you feel like you can do no wrong, and then you have days where you feel you can‟t do anything right. I‟m sure he
just had a tough day that day, but that was two weeks ago and I‟m sure he‟s forgotten about it by now. When you
see things that they do, you try to do things that you know will be successful against them, but there are no
guarantees. You just prepare as hard as you can, and hope that what you prepare is enough to be successful. We are
no different. We know who they are, and we know who we are. It comes down to execution. If we put in enough
time and study the film and have a good feel for what we want to do from a defensive standpoint, then hopefully we
will have a good day.
(on what Saturday night will be like for him) “I know exactly what it‟s going to be like. It‟s going to be dinner with
my family who is coming in. It‟s going to be really quiet for myself, which is what I always do the night before a
game. I‟m sure there will be a lot of time spent in prayer, just me and the man upstairs, and me asking him to watch
over me and my team. I go over last minute details in my head and make sure I‟m up to speed with everything we
are trying to do from a defensive standpoint, what my role is and what those particular calls are. Then, I‟ll try to get
a good night‟s sleep because it‟s going to be a long game Sunday and I‟m sure I‟m going to need a lot of energy out
there to get this thing done.”
(on if this could be his last year in his twelfth season) “Oh no, absolutely not. I have no intentions of the „R‟ word
(retirement). I can‟t even say that word. I have no plans of slowing down whatsoever. I really feel like I am just
getting started. This is the second wind of my career