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1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
| Packers |
0 |
17 |
0 |
3 |
20 |
| Vikings |
0 |
0 |
10 |
13 |
23 |
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PACKERS-VIKINGS POST-GAME QUOTES
Head Coach Mike Sherman
Tice: Before I begin I want to congratulate Mike Tice and his staff. Under adverse conditions to come in here and do what they did in the second half, I take my hat off to them. They did a great job.
Q: Can you give us a run down of injuries today?
A: Robert Ferguson severely sprained his ankle and couldn't return to the ball game. During the course of the ball game Nick Collins banged his quad and was trying to come back but couldn't come back. Tony Fisher got poked in the eye was out of the game for a while. Vonta Leech had a stinger and was out of the game for a while. Ahman Green at the end of the 3rd quarter or the beginning of the 4th quarter re-injured his quad tendon severely. We have to evaluate that when we get back. I am not a doctor as I can't give you the medical explanation right now. But, we will evaluate that further when we get back and make a decision on that some point tomorrow.
Q: Did the Vikings make adjustments at Halftime or did Daunte Culpepper finally have a hot hand today?
A: (Daunte) is a Pro Bowl quarterback, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. I have said that before the game. We had great concern about him before the game, during the game, and after the game. I was concerned about him when we came out in the second half before every thing happened. But, he did a great job managing the game. He was accurate, made good decisions, and also ran and completed some third down conversions for them. Hats off to him, he is a great player.
Q: What was going on with the offense in the second half?
A: First of all we couldn't run the ball effectively throughout the ball game. That contributed somewhat to our flaws. We weren't able to get the ball much because of the fact they moved the ball pretty well against us. And when we did get it, we missed two field goals at different points in the ball game which didn't help matters much
Q: Did you get an explanation from Ryan (Longwell) or B.J. (Sander) on the missed Field Goals?
A: No, I didn't get an explanation on that other than we missed it.
Q: You got two guys carted off with injuries today, with all of the injuries this season do you ask your self "why us"?
A: No you can't say that. This is the hand we are dealt. Some years you are dealt other cards. This year we are dealt with these cards. And these are the cards we have to play with. This is the way it is. Whoever is out, we need to replace them with somebody who can step in and do the job as well if not better than the person that left. Sometimes that is very difficult. We have to adjust as coaches and go in a different direction from an emphasis standpoint. Everybody has to play with the cards they are dealt. Whether it is on the football field or in life. We have to play our cards.
Q: You blew a 17 point halftime lead and you are now 1-5, is this the lowest point this team has been since you have been here?
A: No, because I feel that our guys battled in the ball game. If I look on that field and I saw our guys didn't try or quit I would say that is a low point. This isn't a low point for me. There is a lot of football left to play. We have to figure things out. Obviously, we are down from a personal standpoint. We have to figure this thing out and get a win. But no, I look on the field and look at practice as guys are working and trying hard They are trying to win football games. No, that is not a low point to me.
Q: Did the first half go exactly as you would have preferred it?
A: No, we should have scored more points in the first half. Also, converted a third down run that we did not convert. And, we should have kicked a field goal.
Quarterback Brett Favre
Q: What happened in the second half?
A: First and foremost I don't want to take anything away from them, they played exceptionally well in the second half. We played about as flawless as you can play in the first half and that is what we had to do win but we didn't do it for four quarters. We gave our self a chance at the end. We had some opportunities that we didn't make the most of (them). It seems like every week, one big one against the Saints but here we lose by three points, we were up by seventeen at one point and we just couldn't close the deal. I don't know exactly what happened, we all have our say in plays we made and plays we didn't make. The first series in the second half, I threw a crossing route for Donald (Driver) and had David (Martin) wide open on a underneath crossing route and they weren't even covering that. Of course I threw it to Donald (Driver) but that would have kept the drive alive. I know it was early in the second but from my standpoint I would love to keep the offense out there and get some momentum, to go three and out it gives them some motivation and some momentum but there are numerous plays that we could point to. We made some plays but we didn't make enough.
Q: Is this a low point to give away a seventeen point lead and go 1-5?
A: I don't know, the answer right now would be yes, it would be the easiest answer but this is going to take awhile for this one to sink in. I was shocked, I really thought we had this ball game. But we also knew and guys said this when we came in at halftime, this is not over. We said that against the Saints, we said that before, we said that when we were down by seventeen. It is kind of a generic saying. I knew it was true, I knew we had to go out and make plays and we didn't. At 1-4, with an opportunity like we had today it is very, very disappointing. The thing is, I know you guys are going to say what your going to say and there won't be too many things written and said about us and that is okay but for us we still have football to play. We can try and turn it around or we can just give in to what people think about us. I hope that our guys continue to fight.
Q: Would you have thought you could come in here and complete eighty some percent of your passes and not throw an interception and lose?
A: Once again the easy answer would be in this case no. It seems like this season and dating back to last season, anything can happen and has happened. Today would be one of those cases. It just goes to show it takes a total team effort and at times we played well and at times we didn't. As well as my statistics may show I still feel like I left a lot out there and that is what is disappointing. I can never settle for whatever, I always feel like I could have done something better. One more and play and that field goal at the end of the game for us an opportunity to go into overtime but I wanted the touchdown and it will be tough to sleep tonight thinking about missed opportunities on that drive just like Carolina. It was a great fight back and put ourselves in position but we should have made one more play.
Q: What happened on that quick snap on third and short?
A: I don't think Scott (Wells) could hear me, I know he couldn't hear me. At times this afternoon the noise was fine, we could hear fine. Several times on third down situations when they got back into the game, we couldn't hear it. When (Mike) Flanagan is in there, with Flanagan we have had our moments too but you get to where you don't hear me but you just go off the timing. He kind of watches and has a feel for second wise when to snap it. There came a point where I told Scott I know you are not going to hear me but if you hear the first color number just go off of it and give it a couple seconds and it just didn't work out. Unfortunately we didn't get an opportunity to run a play and who knows what would have happened but we would have liked to given ourselves that opportunity. I could have gone under center on that play and there were some times after that I went under center and would have preferred to go in gun because of that rush I was not able to. We practice with noise and we knew it was going to be difficult and that was one of those times where we didn't handle it and I mean we.
Q: Is this as bad injury wise, you lost another two guys getting carted off, is this as bad as it gets as far as personnel?
A: It is disappointing losing guys and losing ball games but I have to tip my hat to the guys who stepped in and played. We had every opportunity to win that game and that is without Ahman (Green), (Robert) Ferguson, fifty percent Bubba (Franks), Najeh (Davenport), and so on and so on. We lost Nick Collins during the game but hey life goes on and so does football. You try and make amends and go on and that is what we have been able to do and we just have to some how get over that hump.
Q: What was your reaction when the field goal went through?
A: To be honest with you, when we kicked off, I felt like they might take two shots, maybe try a Hail Mary or something like that. I don't know much about their kicker, it was a great kick. I don't know how far he can kick or what his spot on the field is or his limit. We were talking about overtime, okay we get the ball and we go down and score. I felt like whoever got the ball probably would win the ball game. I really wasn't paying a lot of attention at first but I did watch the field goal. When it was half way there I felt like it was good unless he missed it left or right. It was a great kick, a great hold by Brad, especially with what they went through last week. You give them credit but I was already planning on winning the coin toss and getting one more shot.
Q: With two wins, is there a sense that the Vikings may have saved their season?
A: They may have, there is a lot of football left not only for those guys but for us. We haven't quit yet, I don't foresee this team quitting. The Vikings didn't quit, I knew that they would give us. They struggled early but they fought and they didn't quit just like when they played us in the playoffs last year. Everyone had written those guys off but they played their hearts out and beat us. I knew would get their best today but I felt like we gave them our best but our best was not good enough. I know there are some things that we can correct and do better but I think the effort was there. We gave our self every opportunity to win and if we continue to do that I have no idea on what will happen the rest of the season but I am not even going to make predictions but if we give it our best that is all we can do and the same for the Vikings. I give them credit for winning that football game but we had every opportunity today and we didn't make the most of it and now it is a sprint to see who wants it. I don't know what happened with the other teams but it doesn't matter. It matters what we do.
Cornerback Al Harris
Q: What was the difference in the second half?
A: They caught passes and made plays.
Q: With 23-seconds remaining and they kind of go for broke, how tough is it to defend that?
A: It is not tough at all. We just got to come up with the plays.
Q: With a 56-yard field goal coming were you guys thinking overtime?
A: You do not think about overtime. You just think about stopping them and going to the next play.
Q: How do you guys rebound after a game like this when you know you have lost so many weapons on the offensive end?
A: Guys are going to have to step up and we are going to have to put more pressure on those guys to step up.
Q: With these injuries do you feel you guys are going to have step up even more on the defensive side of the ball?
A: We have pressure on us regardless. If guys are hurt or not we have pressure for us to step up.
Q: Do you do anything different on that last drive or last sequence of plays?
A: They caught a pass and Culpepper seemed to be in rhythm. We could have... we could sit here and say we should have done this or should have done that, but I am not a coach. I am a player.
Q: Did you feel comfortable with the plays that were being called defensively in the second half?
A: Like I said, I am not a coach. I am a player. I always feel comfortable with what was called. Whatever the coaches want to run I feel comfortable with. Like I said, we could have, would have, should have all we want but it comes down to we did not get the job done.
Q: How hard is it to take a loss like this?
A: It does not matter if it was the last second or just in the last quarter. A loss is a loss.
Kicker Ryan Longwell
Q: Regarding kick...
A: On the first kick I was aiming a little right-center expecting it to hook a little bit, but it caught off my foot and went right. Between Rob (Davis), B.J. (Sander) and myself we expect perfection and between us we share in success and failure. The game is hard enough the way it is to make it a two-way miss. You never want to be able to miss both right and left. I have been able to through the years been able to eliminate the left miss. It comes down to just starting off online and it is just not quite there right now.
Q: You are refusing to place any blame then?
A: I will never place any blame. It is too hard of a job between the snap, the hold and the kick. We have to take credit for misses along with credit for the makes.
Q: But anyone that has watched you in the past has seen your success and there is obviously a little bit of a difference?
A: Certainly the kicking game is a big piece of the puzzle and we have had an amazing run for 8-1/2 years so obviously we have a very high standard set for ourselves. We are working hard trying to get back to there and obviously right now it is just not there every time. It is there three out of five times but we need it to be there 100 out of 100 times.
Defensive End Aaron Kampman
Q: What do you think it is going to take for you guys as a defense to help start winning some of these close games?
A: Well, coming in I really thought this was going to be our day. Even in the fourth quarter I thought that we were taking steps in the right direction as a defense. For a number of reasons which we will hopefully know soon when we watch film we were not able to do that today.
Q: At this point what do you guys set for yourself for goals?
A: I think we need to believe that the division we are in that anything is possible. Last year we were 1-4 at this point but we were three games back and still able to comeback and win our division, but we can not really focus on that. We need to focus on one game at a time even more so now because our future is not looking so great.
Vikings Head Coach Mike Tice
Tice: Well this win belongs to the players and the coaches. They did a tremendous job all week of focusing on the task at hand, which was to win a (darn) game because that's what we all get paid for. I thought they practiced with better emotion all week. I thought they studied better, harder, and I thought they aided my warning and stayed home and off the streets. The first half some things didn't go our way offensively. We had really shot ourselves in the foot since the preseason, and we continued down that avenue today in the first half. But we hung in there, made a couple good adjustments in the second half and went to more I-back runs as opposed to single back runs. Defensively they tweaked a couple things; they put in a coverage to take #80 (Donald Driver) out for the most part in the second half. I thought that was a solid adjustment. Guys stayed patient in their pass rush lanes; they didn't do anything crazy. They minimized, didn't eliminate with #4 (Brett Favre), but they minimized the big plays, and we made enough plays to win. That's the key thing. We took away the running game. We wanted for two weeks in a row to hold a team to under 100 yards rushing. Their quarterback was pretty blistering in the first half. For quite a while I don't think he threw an incompletion, but if we can keep everything in front of us, those check down routes, those six-yard hooks and eight-yard hooks for the most part are not going to beat you. I'm very proud of the players and the coaches; I'm proud of them all for sticking together for this week. We're still only 2-4 and we have to go on the road. You know how we are on the road, so we need to carry this energy and this preparation through next week so we can go down to Carolina and play better on the road than we've shown so far this year. Injury-wise I haven't heard anything.
Q: What was the key to the second half? The team seemed to show more energy.
A: I disagree; I thought they had energy in the first half. I've said this before, in all due respect, you can't tell energy unless you're down on the field. I thought the energy was great the whole game.
Q: What were you like in the locker room at halftime?
A: I was a little annoyed. I think they were fired up to go back out, and fortunately - things couldn't have worked out any better - we had the ball first. We talked about going down and getting some points. We needed two touchdowns and a field goal. We would have rather gotten seven there, but the three was fine. We wanted to go down and get some points and then stop them again and go back, and we did. When you talk about that as a coach and then it goes and works out, I think guys start believing then. I think that's really what happened. We talked about scoring, holding them, scoring and making it a one score game, and then when it played out that way, guys started saying, "All right, let's go do this thing."
Q: Is that the Daunte Culpepper you want to see every game?
A: I thought Daunte played smart in the first half. Unfortunately, I don't know if that was the second time he had been stopped on a quarterback sneak in his entire career. I think the ball was snapped between his legs, quite frankly, but we won't be able to see until we see the film. But we didn't turn the ball over in the first half, and I thought he played pretty well the whole game, quite frankly.
Q: What kind of effect will the win have on the players after everything that's been going on both on and off the field?
A: I think it will help relax them; I know they've been pretty uptight. We started talking last Saturday night before the Chicago game about having more fun. We still have some things that we have to get behind us, and we'll keep battling our way through it, but as far as athletes are concerned, athletics is about confidence and momentum, and the National Football League is a one-week league. Right now this week we won a game and we feel a little better about ourselves, but as I told the team before I left the locker room, if we don't go down to Carolina and play well, this win means nothing. It means absolutely nothing.
Q: Did the distraction motivate the team this week?
A: I think their motivation is to do their jobs better. That's what their motivation should be, to do their jobs better, and that's what I think our mantra was all week. Everybody needs to do their jobs better. If we do our jobs better, then we can be the team that we supposedly are on paper because paper doesn't win any games for you, quite honestly.
Q: Will this win change the headlines?
A: I don't write the headlines and neither do the beat writers. Their editors write the headlines. They usually don't even know what the headlines are because they come apologize to me twice a week.
Q: Talk about the start in the second half.
A: I've said all along it's been unfortunate that we haven't been able to get things going in the second half of road games with our defense in both of our blowouts...I thought we'd be a work-in-progress with the offensive line things and the running back stuff. Losing Nate Burleson hurt us, so we're still a work-in-progress. We have some things we need to continue to clean up. Yeah, that's good rhythm on offense. We're getting the ball out quick, calling some quarterback draws. We still have to get our screen game going. I can go on and on; there are still plenty of things we have to do better, but we won the game, and that's really what counts. We won the game. We didn't play sloppy. I don't know how many penalties we had; we couldn't have had that many, so we didn't play sloppy. We made some mistakes, but I've said before that no one plays the perfect game. I haven't seen one yet.
Q: Talk about your confidence in Paul Edinger.
A: I know he can hit it from 56. He hit one from 60 yards in practice two weeks ago. I think last week he let the pressure of going back to Chicago get to him. He seemed a lot more relaxed this week. He's a great kid; I'm really fond of him. His kickoffs were excellent, 4.15 hangtime. I'm just pleased with him. I knew if we got to the 38 (yard line), we'd have a real chance at it, so we called a play to get to the 38. It was a great call by Steve (Loney) and the coaches, and it was a good job by Marcus (Robinson) getting out of bounds. It gave us a shot to line up and kick the field goal. For once we won the game on a last-second field goal. It feels pretty (darn) good. We've been on the other end of a few of those.
Q: Talk about your tone at halftime.
A: It doesn't matter.
Q: What did you say to Daunte at halftime?
A: It doesn't matter. I'm not going to tell you what I said at halftime. The tone was stern, stern. I didn't throw anything, but I talked negatively for the first time in two years.
Q: Talk about the hail mary at halftime.
A: Gosh, we almost made that play. We almost made the play on the 789 to start the second half too. If we could have made one of those plays or even drawn the interference call on #19, which I thought maybe could have been. I think if he had made a little better attempt to go for the ball, they might have called it, but if we could have made one of those plays that would have helped. I didn't see these guys down at halftime. There was a lot of chatter in the locker room; they were trying to talk some things through. We gave up a couple things that were fixable. Getting the double on #80 helped. We had to make a choice; do we send everybody after him and rattle his cage or do we play better coverage? We chose to play better coverage and mix in the dogs and blitzes. I thought it was a stellar job by Teddy (Cottrell) to make that decision.
Q: Was there a point in the second half where the confidence returned?
A: After the second drive, when the defense came over to the offense, I felt like now we were starting to relax a little bit. That's the key word for this team over the last couple of weeks is relax a little bit, settle down.
Q: Was that as complete a half of football as you've had?
A: I don't know, we've played some good ones. This was as complete a half of football as we've played this year.
Q: Talk about the offensive line.
A: Well adjustments are going on all the time. Not every time there's a mess-up is it a personnel adjustment. Sometimes it's just you're staying too long on the three technique; you have to get off to the linebacker, or you're turning your shoulders too quickly and you gave them a short edge. Most of the time on the offensive line, those are the type of adjustments you make. You don't just change a guy out. I like the way these five guys we have in there now are battling, and I like how smart they're playing. We're not a very athletic offensive line, but I like the way they're playing together right now, and they're getting better every week. I think Melvin (Fowler) has really settled things down there. He still makes mistakes. On that first drive he didn't open up a protection; he knows it, but he's only been with us for a few weeks. But they're playing better together; they're communicating better together. But most of the time when you're working with the offensive line, the adjustments are, "Don't stay on this guy too long. You have to go get that guy a little sooner. Don't turn your shoulders. Keep that second hand out of there." Those are the types of adjustments that happen with offensive linemen as opposed to, "Let's take the right guard out because he got beat." This is physical; it's like wrestling. It's man-to-man, me on Jim, play after play after play. I'm going to win all of them; Jim's going to win none. I mean I'm going to win some and Jim's going to win some. That's most of the time what it is.
Q: How are you going to deal with the off-the-field issues this week?
A: I'm not even going to think about it right now. I'm going to think about hugging my wife. She deserves a hug because it's been a rough go for her for the first six weeks.
Q: How satisfying is this win for you?
A: I'm happy for the players and for the coaches. I'm not worried about me; I'm fine. I'm happy for the players and for the coaches. I'm very pleased for them. They went out today and won a big game for us. We're 2-4; we have an opportunity to go on the road this week and get better, and hopefully we can build on this. Like I said, if we don't go on the road and play well, this game is for nothing. It really is for nothing.
Q: Was the second half as good as you've seen Daunte play?
A: No, he's played great before.
Q: Were you worried that the team wouldn't be able to recover from the fumble right after the long kick return?
A: No, the one thing I noticed today is that they were all running off the field. They were happy to get on the field. We stressed all of those little things over the last two weeks. They were carrying that over to the game. They wanted to do well today for each other. No, I was not; I was not.
Q: Talk about the crowd reaction today.
A: I thought the crowd was great today; I really did. I was surprised how wonderful the crowd was to start the game. I even said that to the players.
Vikings Quarterback Daunte Culpepper
Q: Can you talk about the emotion of this game...
A: I think it started on Wednesday. We had a great workday Wednesday. We have a short memory, about losing the game in Chicago. The only thing I was talking about after the game on the plane is we have to have a short memory. In this league you have to have a short memory from week to week. You have to get ready to go out and put forth your best effort to get a victory the next week.
Q: Would you describe Coach (Mike) Tice's message at halftime?
A: He said, basically let's just pull together. That's what I got out of it. Let's pull together. We tried this and we tried that, let's pull together. Offense, defense and special teams and let's get it done. That's what we did. We settled down on offense. The defense kept firing away at them. Special teams got us a great return out to midfield on the opening kickoff and we put it all together. We chipped into their lead and got some momentum.
Q: How did you feel going into the locker room at halftime versus coming out after halftime?
A: Going into halftime we were losing 17-0. I still felt we were right there, all we needed to do was come out on the opening drive and get points. That's what it takes for a good offense to get something going. Get one little spark here and there and boom the next thing you know you are making plays all over the field.
Q: What changed in the second half offensively?
A: Nothing changed personnel-wise, it was just our attitude. We just settled down and said, hey let's just play winning football. And we did that.
Q: Did you pump fake more today than usual?
A: I don't know. I pump fake whenever. I don't even think about it. I do it subconsciously sometimes. I will have to watch the film before I tell you.
Q: How does this effect the team with all that has happened off the field?
A: We just need to worry about winning and beating Carolina this week. That's all we should be worrying about. That's all the guys should be thinking about. Nothing else.
Q: Take us through the last drive.
A: We only had a couple seconds and we had one timeout. We were able to check it down to Mewelde (Moore) and let him run for 10 or 15 to get us right around the 50 yard line. I knew if we could get inside the 40, Paul (Edinger) has a great leg, he would have a chance. Marcus made a great move. He got behind the guy and I hit him on the sideline. He was smart to make the catch and get out of bounds with two seconds on the clock. Paul did what he was supposed to do. He made the kick. It was a textbook win. That is how you practice it all the time. The two-minute drill and end of the game drills and we were able to be effective with it. We executed in the second half. That was the big thing. We executed a whole lot better in the second half than we did in the first half.
Q: What were you thinking on the check down to Mewelde Moore?
A: We sent everybody deep. We sent four verticals. I was looking for them, but Green Bay covered it. Mewelde was right there for the check down and I got it to him. He is a shifty runner and he made a couple moves to gain positive yards and called timeout. We got the next play to Marcus Robinson. Then the rest is history. Paul came in to make the great kick.
Q: Did you watch the field goal the whole way and what was going through your mind?
A: I just said a prayer. I knew he was going to make the kick. I'm always on the positive side. I always feel like we have what it takes to do it.
Q: How is your knee?
A: My knee felt better this week than it has since training camp. It felt real good this week.
Q: Talk about your scrambling today.
A: I was trying to take one play at a time. You don't want to be the guy to waste a play for the other ten guys out there. That's the way I look at it. Everybody has a job to do and if we execute, everybody executes their individual job, that works real good. The team gets to rolling and on its way.
Q: Were you starting to get frustrated and wonder when the offense was going to click?
A: You get frustrated when you don't win, obviously, and when you're not successful. You have to keep battling. You don't give up. You don't start second guessing yourself. That's what is important. Guys can't start second guessing themselves thinking we don't have enough talent. There are other people that are saying that. I have never doubted our talent. I came into this season and looked in our locker room and saw a lot of talent. It's all about what we feel, the teammates and the coaching staff. The coaching staff did a great job. We have to give them a lot of credit for the game plan and what we did offensively.
Q: How big was Koren Robinson and his kick returns?
A: There are three phases; offense, defense and special teams. Everybody picked their game up and everybody manned up and did what they were supposed to do.
Q: How did you anticipate the crowd would act today and what did you think of them today?
A: I came out here to play winning football. I don't really get caught up in a lot of the other stuff.
Q: Can you recall a play in the second half that that got team going?
A: I don't want to say it was just one play. I want to say it was our overall attitude mentally. We just went out there and said let's play football. We cut out the stupid mistakes, this and that. Let's just play football. What we did in the second half, that's Vikings football. When I got here that is Viking football. That is what we have always played.
Q: Was your protection better in the second half and if so were there adjustments made?
A: We didn't make any adjustments personnel-wise. We used the same linemen. A lot of times people think protection is just about the offensive linemen, but it could be on me holding the ball for too long or receivers not breaking on a hot route when they are supposed to. It is not just the offensive linemen and I think people need to know that. I give the offensive line a lot of credit because when people talk bad and say this and that, these guys come out and fight everyday. That's it all I can ask from them.
Q: Can you talk about the boat incident at all?
A: No.
Q: What happened on the quarterback sneak when you fumbled?
A: It happened so quick. They had those two big tackles in the A gap. He didn't get it to my hand good or something. It just didn't work for us. They stuffed it.
Q: So you never got the ball in your hands?
A: No, I was trying to get to the ball on the ground. It was a good job by Nate (Burleson). He ran over there and got on top of it. It was a heads up play by him.
Q: As (Ryan) Longwell was lining up for the field goal, did you think you should've called a timeout?
A: I'm glad we didn't. It worked out for us.
Q: Even though you are only 2-4, isn't this one of the biggest win you've had in quite some time?
A: It was a huge win, huge win for a couple reasons. One, it was a Division game and what we were trying to from the beginning is accomplish our two goals that we set in the beginning. One, to win our division and two, win the World Championship. I look at our record and we are 2-4. We have to work on that. This win really means nothing if we go down to Carolina and don't do what we need to do to get a victory there. So we have to keep building on this. It was a huge win, but we have to get over it and get ready for Carolina.
Q: Given the situation, have you ever played a better half than you did today in the second half?
A: I don't know. I've played a lot of football. It is sticking out in my mind because we played today. It was a great win for our team and hopefully we can build on it and keep the same confidence coming out of this game.
Q: Was the offense any different with Nate Burleson back?
A: Nate is the type of guy that lifts people up. He is the guy that loosens people up. He is a jokester, but everybody knows he is all about business. Everybody knows he wants to make a play. When his number is called he is going to do what he needs to do to make it happen. He did that the drive before the last field goal drive. He made that third down catch. I put it there and I knew he was going to go up and get it, and he did. He took a big hit, but he didn't care because he is a player.
Q: How much momentum does this game give the team?
A: It was a great win, but we need to build our own momentum. It starts Wednesday. We have a great week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday we travel and get ready for another big game on Sunday.
Q: Hasn't the thought of playing "Vikings" football come up before?
A: It is easier said than done. We say it all the time, but you still have to go out and execute and work hard during the week. That is a job well done. Like I said, we just need to be consistent with it.
Q: Coach Tice said he was negative at halftime for the first time this season. Can you explain that?
A: I think what he means by the negative he was pointing out things not to do. He has the right to do that because he doesn't want the guys to get a mental picture of something bad happening. That's what I think he meant by saying he said negative things. In my eyes they are not negative things because you don't want to turn the ball over. You don't want procedural penalties. That's basically what he was saying. Guys have to think in their minds they don't want to do that stuff anyway so just do the right thing and do what you're coached to do.
Vikings Safety Darren Sharper
Q: How will this win affect the team after all you guys have been through in the past few weeks?
A: Hopefully we can build off the game today and get some confidence and continue to play well. Sometimes it takes a big win against an arch-rival like Green Bay here, and keep playing. Playing with confidence. I think the last couple of games we weren't playing as a confident team. We're a talented team, but we weren't playing as a confident team. It takes a win like this to build that confidence up. And, hopefully we can get out there and start winning.
Q: Can you give us an honest assessment of what happened at half-time?
A: I said something a little bit, not saying I changed the game around, but we came in at halftime and a lot of guys had their heads down. Looking around looking for answers. We have to play with some pride. They came in here and handed it to us in the first half in our stadium. So I said go out there and play with some pride. And that's basically what we did when we went out there in the second half.
Q: Especially in the fourth?
A: Exactly, exactly. We tightened up and we got off the field on third down when we needed to. We kept them to a field goal and that's what we have to do. Everyone speaks about their offense. They have a good offense, especially when you have No. 4 pulling the trigger. But we did a heck of a job in the second half on defense.
Q: To you personally, what does this game mean to you?
A: It felt good. It always makes it a little sweeter when you beat a team that you played for and have such a history with. I'm just happy to win. We haven't had that experience around here in a long time. Everyone knows what turmoil we're going through. A win makes it feel a lot better.
Q: Winning kills a lot of ills.
A: It doesn't satisfy all of them, but it does kill a lot of them. We have a lot of ills. We need to keep playing and keep winning, and those ills will go away.
Q: Did your 20 pages of notes help out today?
A: A little bit, I hope they did. I don't know how much it helped out. I don't know if I'm going to get another salary, but I think it helped out a little bit. We just have to continue to believe and continue to play how we play. That's a big win for us. The gods need to appreciate it and relish it for awhile.
Q: How nice was it to see the offense flip the switch and put some points on the board in the second half?
A: We have to score points to win this thing. We have to. If you have an offense like they have, with the players they have when they're up about 17 points, a lot of times you should win. We started putting points on the board and got some confidence going. Hopefully we can keep out momentum and our offense will continue to put points on the board.
Q: What did coach have to say at halftime?
A: He raised his voice a little bit. He told us to keep our heads up. I said a little bit about going out and playing with pride. You're at home, playing against your arch rival, if you can't go out there and continue to fight even though you're down 17-0 at halftime, then you don't need to go back out there. The guys went back out there and kept fighting and grinding and making plays, and we just got that ball rolling. We were able to get Mr. Edinger at the end kicking a 100-yard field goal.
Q: The field goal was impressive, wasn't it? Especially after what he went through in Chicago.
A: Exactly. A lot of times it's tough to go back to your home place. He struggled a little bit in Chicago, but this definitely makes up for it. I'm going to treat him to a dinner or something because he definitely made my night.
Q: How strange is it to be on the purple side of this whole thing and come away with a win?
A: It's a little strange because last year I kept getting into the situation and this thing with the yellow and white would come out on top with a last second field goal. I think I might bring some of that last second field goal luck, hopefully. I don't know about that, but it was a win.
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Click here for more Press Box Notes.
RB Ahman Green went to the locker room for x-rays on a knee injury sustained in the 4th quarter.
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FB Vonta Leach left the game in the 4th quarter with a stinger. His return is probable.
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S Nick Collins left the game in the 3rd quarter with a bruised knee. His return is questionable.
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WR Robert Ferguson left the game early in the second quarter with a knee injury. His return is uncertain.
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Packers-Vikings scoreless after one quarter.
The Packers in the first quarter sacked Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper three times, including Brady Poppinga's 14-yard sack. Ryan Longwell missed a 53-yard field goal attempt, wide-right.
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Donald Driver extended his streak of games with a reception to 54. The strech is the fourth longest in Packers history. Next up on the list are Hall of Famer James Lofton (58), current running backs coach Edgar Bennett (60) and all-time leader Sterling Sharpe (103).
Counting all recorded consecutive-starts streaks, Brett Favre surpassed the No. 4 streak, 210, held by the Raiders' Jim Otto (1960-74). Favre entered the game having started 210 consecutive games, the league's longest active streak, and longest ever among quarterbacks.
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The Packers won the coin toss and elected to receive.
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The following Packers players are inactive for today's game:
QB Craig Nall (third quarterback)
S Earl Little
C Mike Flanagan
LB Na'il Diggs
C Chris White
DT Donnell Washington
DE Michael Montgomery
Scott Wells will start at center in place of Mike Flanagan.
Paris Lenon will start at SAM linebacker in place of Roy Manning.
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The following Vikings players are inactive for today's game:
QB Shaun Hill (third quarterback)
CB Laroni Gallishaw
CB Dovonte Edwards
LB Dontarrious Thomas
C Anthony Herrera
G Toniu Fonoti
TE Jeff Dugan
DT Spencer Johnson |
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Shopko Kickoff Kid promotion
Packer fans 12 and under can win the opportunity of a lifetime: Packers Honorary Kickoff Kid! One lucky fan will be selected for each 2006 home game to run onto the field after the Packers first kickoff to retrieve the tee. Each winner will receive the opportunity to be on the field during pre-game warm-ups, four (4) game tickets for the winner and his/her family, and a Packers Goodie Bag. Visit participating Shopko stores for your chance to win! |
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Crunch Time Catch
The Crunch Time Catch presented by Copps and Pick 'n Save gives two contestants the chance to show their skills catching punts. Both contestants will attempt to catch a thirty yard punt. If they succeed they move on to a sixty yard punt for the chance to win Packer prizes. |
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Nicolet Water Boy/Girl Sweepstakes
Win a chance to be the Official Water Boy/Girl of the Green Bay Packers. Children between the ages of 8 and 14 may enter by sending in an official entry form available at participating retailers. |
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Verizon Jr. Captain
For every home game one lucky Packers fan between the ages of 7 and 14 is selected to be the Verizon Jr. Captain of the game and join the team captains on the field during the coin toss. Sign up at participating Verizon Wireless locations. verizonwireless.com |
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Badger Mutual Family of the Game
Seventh-graders in the state of Wisconsin are eligible to enter an essay contest to see their family named the Badger Mutual Insurance Family of the Game. Winners will receive four game tickets, pre-game VIP on-field passes, recognition on the video board during the game and much more. To enter, Wisconsin seventh-graders should write an essay of 500 words or less that tells "Why Education Is Important to Me." Print out a registration form on packers.com. |
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Kohl's Fan of the Game
Four randomly selected fans will be selected at every Packer home game to win Kohl's Gift Cards. |
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Coldwell Banker "Take it to the House"
Two lucky couples will have a chance to win a house courtesy of Coldwell Banker during halftime at every home game. The winning couple will receive either an Ariens snow blower or an Ariens lawnmower. Visit one of Coldwell Banker's Open Houses to sign up! |
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Kraft Best Seats in the House Sweepstakes
Watch the game from the "Best Seats in the House". Winners and a guest will watch the game from recliners in the stands. The area will also include a color TV and a fully catered picnic lunch. Entry forms available at participating retailers. |
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MasterCard Fan Photographer
All Associated Bank customers who make a signature-based transaction will automatically be entered into the sweepstakes. You and a guest will receive passes to be on the field for the Packers warm-up to take pictures that will be posted on Packers.com. |
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Miller Lite End Zone
Watch for Miller promotions throughout the season for a chance to be part of this exciting section. |
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Packers Dress Your Pet Contest
If your favorite pet likes to show his/her Packers spirit, send us a picture and see if he/she becomes a Packers Dress Your Pet winner.
Your pet could win the chance to debut their Packers pride on the Packers in-stadium TundraVision video board in addition to Packers.com, along with a Packers pet food bowl, pet leash and pet collar! |
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Packers Ultimate Playhouse
The Green Bay Packers have partnered with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, MasterFoods and Ashley Furniture to raffle off a 10'x10' playhouse which includes a couch, flat screen TV, Packers recliner and Packers memorabilia. Raffle tickets, priced at $1, will be available all season long at the house in the Atrium on game days and in the Packers Pro Shop on non-game days. A winner will be selected Feb. 16, 2007. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit Habitat for Humanity projects in northeastern Wisconsin. |
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