STEELERS - JAGUARS POST-GAME QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 18, 2006

STEELERS QUOTES

 

STEELERS PLAYERS

QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER

(following loss to Jaguars) "I was a little under the weather, but I felt okay.  I just wasn't making plays I should have been making.  No excuses.  The ammo of this team is running the ball and a lot of mistakes were made tonight on my part.  I couldn't get the offense going.  I have to apologize not just to our offense but to our defense.   We didn't keep them off the field very long. We didn't convert very many third downs, and a lot of that is on the quarterback's shoulders. When the quarterback is not making plays, that's hard to do.  A lot of it was my fault.  I didn't get on the same page as the receivers and I made some throws I probably shouldn't have.  I told coach not to worry about me and I'll be okay with another week of practice."

 

 

(on pressure from Jacksonville defense) "You have to give them a lot of credit.  They're a great football team and a great defense.  They brought a lot of pressure, but I thought our offensive line did a great job.  I have to make sure I get rid of the ball so the guys don't get to me."

 

 

(on his first game since Super Bowl) "Hopefully, I'll feel a lot more comfortable. It's been a while since my first full game. It's not going to be easy.  We have to make sure we play better and I need to do that as well."

 

(on first loss in a while) "I forgot how this feeling is.  It's not a fun feeling but it's how you rebound.  We didn't play our best football.  I wanted to do everything I could to be out there.   I think I came out okay physically.  We'll have to wait until the adrenaline wears off.

 

 

 

WR HINES WARD

(following the loss) "You can't do anything but to try to get better.  The season is long.  It's been a while since we lost. We still had a chance late in the fourth, but offensively we couldn't do anything.  We couldn't convert third downs and left a lot of plays on the field.  Just couldn't get it done today!"

 

 

(giving credit to Jaguars) "They played solid.  We knew coming in that they were going to be hard to run against and hard to mix it up against.  For me personally, it wasn't my best game and I left a lot of plays on the field.  I just have to look at it, learn from it, and get better."

 

 

 

LB JOEY PORTER

(following the loss) "The only thing good we can take from this is that of all the bad positions we were in, we kept them out of the end zone and held them to three field goals. It's not a good feeling. That's what the long season is all about.  Each week, you have a chance to redeem yourself.  It's a tough loss.  We look forward to putting our focus to Cincinnati, the first divisional game we'll play this year.

 

 

(on tough defensive football game) "We knew at halftime when it was 0-0 that this was exactly what we expected. We weren't budging and neither were they.  It was the type of game that if you make any mistake on defense, the other team is going to capitalize.  Jacksonville did that three times with field goals on us.  Missed tackles hurt us."