Daunte Culpepper Quotations

With the players we have right now, we've got a great opportunity to a good football team, to even be a great football team. ... Everybody just needs to file in line and get to work. I'm very excited about what we can do - right now, not two or three years later.

We tried a couple of things throughout the week. It ended up with Coach Tice doing it. Coach Loney was up in the booth, calling plays down. He is always bringing up good ideas and he is the (offensive coordinator). But the best way for us today was Coach Tice calling them in. It worked for us and got us in rhythm.

When you can run the ball, it definitely helps the passing game. The linebackers can't drop back into their zones as quickly. We're going to try to start quickly in the running game.

When things could go bad, they went bad. That's how it felt. It was almost like a bad episode of the 'Twilight Zone.' It was crazy.

When things could go bad, it went bad. It was almost like a bad episode of 'The Twilight Zone'.

When things could go bad, it went bad, ... It was almost like a bad episode of 'The Twilight Zone.

When things could go bad, it went bad,

Oh yeah, definitely, ... That is the plan. We are definitely going to use him any way possible. He runs very good deep routes, and he runs underneath things well, too. That's why he's such a weapon.

Mr. Wilf and I spoke by phone on (Tuesday) and we each shared our concerns about my present situation. He told me that the Vikings have not yet spoken to other teams about trading me. I shared my disappointment with the lack of communication and the false reports about me demanding more money coming out of Minnesota. I have requested further talks so that we can explore options for the future.

My job is to move the chains. If a guy doesn't understand that, he has to get on the same page as me. The good thing here is everyone understands that.

I have found over the years that people with knowledge of the situation are usually the most ignorant, and anonymous sources are usually synonymous with cowards who don't want to go on the record. My position has been and continues to be that I am focusing on rehabilitating my knee so that I can come back and play the game I love at the highest level.

I didn't like the way we weren't paying attention to detail at the end of the game like I know we can and I know we should.

I'd like to think I'd have made it wherever I went in the draft.

I look forward to meeting my accusers in a court of law, so they can be confronted with this lie. In the end, the truth will come out and I will be vindicated.

I have made a good faith gesture toward the organization by offering to move my roster bonus around if it will help clear more cap space to sign free agents. If I am not traded, I want to help coach (Brad) Childress make a serious run for the championship this year.

I feel very good, ... I've always spread the ball around. I want everyone involved. The guys here so far have done a great job. I'm excited about what we can do offensively. We have a lot of speed, and going deep is part of our game, so you need that.

If a trade does not happen then I am asking the Vikings to terminate my contract as soon as possible.

I give them a lot of credit for getting prepared and focusing on football with everything going on down there. But they understand also that we have a job to do, too. They are not going to feel bad for us that we are 0-2.

He had a tremendous second half,'' Burleson said.

Guys are mad and should be because we lost.

He's a great player. I've been saying it all along, and he's having a lot of chances to make plays. The more chances he gets, the better he's going to look, because he's that great of a player.

He's definitely a player, and he's definitely going to help us. I'm excited for him to be able to get on the field and play some football. He's definitely a player who can help out.

I almost forgot how it felt to win, ... but really, it's right back to the drawing board.

He can play any position. He stepped in and did a tremendous job tonight. He is a very smart player, very bright player. He stepped up to the challenge when it was thrown his way.

I think you'll see us showing more balance and being able to do even more with the ball.

I was confident when the legal process began that the truth would come out.

It has been an extremely painful process both physically and emotionally since the injury on October 30th.

Koren Robinson is a guy who has such great ability. His off-the-field things, everybody goes through something to get where they want. We have to welcome him and embrace him and hope that he understands the importance of him being successful and doing the right thing.

Koren Robinson is a guy who has such great ability,

Please believe me that when this stuff is resolved and the investigation is over I will have something to say,

Our offense is very rhythmic, ... We couldn't get into our rhythm.

Our offense is very rhythmic and we couldn't get into a real rhythm today. I have to give a lot of credit to Tampa Bay defensively for that. They did a great job getting us out of our rhythm. But the main things we have to focus on are the things that we can fix, like the mistakes we made.

Some people are saying that. Some of it might be true.

Nate is primed for a great year. He's worked very hard, and he has a lot of ability, so he's the type of player who makes plays.

Nate has always had a swagger, but I guess you guys are starting to notice it. I'm probably No. 1 or No. 2 in the swagger department. It's confidence because we work hard to be good, and we aren't afraid to say that.

Look at our first three drives today. We turned the ball over three times. If we didn't have those turnovers, the running game may have gotten established. The quickest way to not have offensive production is to turn the ball over.

I think he could do it. He's a warrior.

That wasn't us. It wasn't Vikings football. It isn't the way I've been playing throughout my career. We've got to be able to see the mistakes, own up to them and get ready to play a whole lot better next week.

I worry about what we got, ... I worry about what we got to work with. I feel real good with the players we have. We got to go out, keep mistakes to a minimum and playing winning football. Simple as that. If we do that, I think we'll be just fine.

With all the discussion about me being traded or cut has helped me realize that the contract I have ran out of guarantees the day I was injured. Therefore each year they pay you to play is a gift. I expect that if there are no changes to my present contract, then I should prepare for a year-by-year commitment. When I am ready to hit the field this year, wherever it may be, I plan on being better than ever and enjoying the ride.

You always want to be looked at as one of the best, but now it's about championships, and I haven't got one. I want to end the year sitting up in Detroit after we've won the Super Bowl.

When you're throwing things and spitting on people, it's distasteful.

We have to welcome him and embrace him and hope that he understands the importance of him being successful and doing the right thing.

We can still do what we set out to do. We have a lot of season left.

We had early mistakes, and it's tough to come back from those,

We have a veteran group with a lot of pride, and we're embarrassed with the way we're playing. I'm determined to fix it. One thing we've got to do is stay together.

We have a veteran group and I'm determined to fix it. We just need to stay together,

We're not trying to get just due. That's not our motive. We want to win the championship because we want to be champions as a team. It has nothing to do with individuality. Nobody on the team wants to be an individual. That's what I really like about our team now.

We don't have to search for a different personality. We just have to do what we do.

Now that I have confirmed that the Vikings have been seeking to trade me, I have asked for permission to speak to the interested teams. The Vikings have denied my request. If a trade does not happen, then I am asking the Vikings to terminate my contract as soon as possible.

You get frustrated when you don't win and when you're not successful. You have to keep battling. You don't give up. You don't start second guessing yourself.

I played seven years in Minnesota and I'm looking forward to a better, greater seven years down in Miami. I'm back home. It's great.

Nobody who was shooting dice wanted to get a dance.

UCF stayed with me all the way, so I felt I should stay with them.

Anybody can be good when things are going good, but a real player steps up when things are going bad.

You have to have quarterbacks who can keep up with everybody else. And I'm not saying that just black quarterbacks can do that, but more black quarterbacks are given a chance because they fit the mold.

You have to gain respect from your teammates. You have to earn it.

I don't use the word 'pressure.' I use the word 'expectation.' I have very high expectations of myself. It starts with me.

I don't think there's a limit as long as I keep my head right, don't get above myself, work hard and remember where I came from.

A guy like myself wants to make a play and be the difference, but the thing is I have to keep saying to myself to just do what I can.

I want to be the man. I want to do what it takes to win.

Nobody can put more pressure on me than I do.

My first option is not to run. I am not a runner. I'm a quarterback.

Loyalty is something you should always hold sacred in your heart.

There is no way I'm going to doubt myself at all.

I am a living testament you can be adopted and successful.

We just weren't on the same page. Things like that, it's not us; it's not Viking football.

Without the turnover it would have been perfect. One thing I'm really excited about that we did, is we came back the next drive and put seven on the board. We're really happy about that for the first offense.

This was a huge win, a huge win, ... This win means nothing though if we go down to Carolina and don't get a victory there.

We've got to get all 11 people on offense doing the right thing at the right time, ... If we've got 10 people doing it, it doesn't work. And we had that a few times.

Without admitting to the ridiculous allegations, I do apologize for any embarrassment that this situation has caused the community, the organization and especially my family. I can handle the personal accusations because I know the truth. I expect the legal process to clear my name so that I can move on.

With his athleticism and foot quickness, to be that big. When he makes his mind up to go, he's as good as anybody.

We just need to get away from football for a few days and realize what we've got here. The thing is, it's going to take some time. We've got a whole new team here when you think about it. We definitely didn't want to be 1-3, but we knew it was going to take some time.

We feel we've got a lot of talent on this team and we want to do it now. We took care of business in the offseason.

You look at him and he just has that stride of a sprinter. It makes me feel good knowing that I have a weapon like that out there.

We didn't lay down. A lot of teams would have just folded up in situations like that. We kept fighting through the whole game, and the one thing that is encouraging is it is early in the season.

Brad definitely, as much as he can and as much as he remembers, has been trying to help the coaches and myself recognize different things and different tendencies about their team. He's a Viking now, so he's going to help us do whatever he can to help us win and he's doing that.

Dr. (James) Andrews recommended a therapist in Orlando, and I've got a one-level house here, so I don't have three different flights (of stairs). There's also no ice on the ground, because if you slip, I'll be right back in surgery. It's better for my knee to be here.

I should have been on top of communicating better with the receivers.

I've been playing this position a long time, and I know how to get out of those situations. I was off my rhythm, but it's not because I was getting hit. I've been getting hit forever. I've just got to make the plays.

Things are looking good. I'm not going to predict, or rush myself ... I'm just glad to be making the progress that I'm making and hopefully it continues.

Things have slowed down, and I just see it now.

I've watched Nate develop, and he's developed real fast. His swagger and confidence are really what lifts him up and gets him going. He has a great mental game. He doesn't make mistakes at all. And he has just made some spectacular plays.

It was almost like a bad episode of 'The Twilight Zone,'

Sometimes it may look real bad, but those are decisions I have to make sometimes. Sometimes I have to eat the ball if nothing else is there.

Randy wasn't the reason we didn't win a championship. Randy had a Pro Bowl effort every year. But I do think we'll do better than we did last year. Not because Randy isn't here. I just think our defense is going to be better. That's why we'll be better.

People say what they want to say and people are going to make their own opinions.

As far as Randy not being here, personally, he's a close friend of mine and we spent a lot of time together, so it's definitely a little bit different in that sense. But time moves on. We have a goal to be NFC champions and Super Bowl champions. We don't have time to sit and worry about who was here last year and who's not here this year.

As far as being efficient and able to move the ball in the air like we always have, I think we will be. We've been doing it in the preseason and in the minicamps. I know we can move the ball. It's going to be fun and exciting to do that throughout the season.

That's why you play 16 games. It was only a matter of time before we got out there and did what we're doing now.

That shows I'm not perfect. I've just got to keep battling through it,

That's how it is. You might go through a stretch like that sometimes. Hopefully, I'll go through a stretch when I throw 12 or 15 touchdowns in a row without a pick.

That's hypocritical. We had those girls shipped in via Fed Ex. Next time, we're using UPS.

You still have to be opportunistic. What I mean by that is when the shots are there, we're going to take them. But when they aren't, I'm going to check it down and find open receivers and move it down the field that way.

Almost like a bad episode of 'The Twilight Zone'. It was crazy.

A lot of people on the outside are going to have their own opinions. It's not about who's not here. It's about who's here. We've got to find our ingredients, the right mixture. We can't worry about anybody who's not here and stuff like that. We've got to worry about what we can do with the guys who are here. We've got to figure it out.

I took some good shots. It's definitely disappointing. There's a lot of talent on this football team.

It wasn't that I wanted to get out. It's just, I think, for both sides, it was good for me to move on. Good for the Vikings, too. That's the way it happened, and I'm happy right now. I'm happy with the opportunity I have here.

It's all about the next time we get the ball, what we've got to do.

It's true, when it rains it pours, and when you're winning, everything seems like it works. It happens like that.