Joe Theismann Quotations

Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.

Rugby is great. The players don't wear helmets or padding; they just beat the living daylights out of each other and then go for a beer. I love that.

This is a game, first and foremost. There was only one Vince Lombardi, and he died.

I worked hard. I worked late. I went in early. I did everything I could to gain an advantage.

No matter how great you are, the next great one is already sitting there waiting to take your place.

I was always told that I was too small, too skinny, too slow, not tough enough, and I never ever believed what people told me.

When I can 10 or 11, my mom was the one out there catching passes for me. She was my prime receiver.

There are excellent football coaches out there, and excellent assistants that could do a good job. But it's going to take time. With Tice, you have an excellent football coach. I think he should be given a chance to come back and coach that football team.

The Cowboys have to draft a quarterback. What happens if Bledsoe gets hurt?

When you can take a wide receiver and make him a nickel back, ... when you can take rookies and make them starters, when you can take free agents off the streets and win a world championship, that means the philosophy and the scheme is bigger than the players.

Look, the magic age is not 35. It's all about your health. You first have to recognize what is so obvious this year was how unhealthy Mark was last year, and he never really said a lot about it. He was hurt, and he obviously compounded it by continuing to play. Now the legs are back, the arm strength is back.

For me, Monday night still is the big night for football in the NFL. It's the last football game of the week and it's a showcase for all the players.

He's away from the game for 12 years and we expect him literally to walk on water his first time back.

He's playing the best football now. Maybe he doesn't get the records, maybe he doesn't have the yards or have the most touchdown passes, but from a game operational standpoint, I think Tom Brady throws the ball as well as anybody in football, manages the game as well as anybody in football, and has three rings on his fingers in the last four years, and he's a winner.

He wanted those of us who have had some history here to talk about the pride we felt when we put the uniform on,

Guys there would never want to say they are rebuilding because they are competing. But the truth is they are totally retooling that operation.

Laveranues and Rod didn't want to be here and be a part of what was going on, but now Mark has two guys that want to be here and will do anything to help him. Plus, Mark can anticipate the speed of the receivers better than Patrick can. He'll be able to get the ball out where Santana can run to it.

I think they have the foundation of a really good-looking football team. His (West's) first (offensive) unit is pretty good all the way around ... receivers, running backs, line, quarterback. I think the Tigers should be a fun football team to watch, they really should.

Over the last three years, I found myself getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. After a while, I began to accept that going to the bathroom so frequently was simply part of aging after hitting 50.

Terry Bradshaw, college. Do those two things belong together? I have this vision of Terry sitting there with his Hooters wings and a person giving him a haircut from his race car and 50 TVs in front of him.

Martin seems to have a very, very good base of the quarterback position. I think the position looks like it's in pretty darn good hands.

My biggest question wasn't about the organization, the work ethic, none of the things that have been part of Joe's life. My biggest question had to do with how he would adapt and adjust to calling plays in a different time in football. That really was one of the greatest challenges that he faced last year was, 'Can I run my offense as I knew it in this modern day and age of football'. And the answer was no.

Mike has grown a lot this year. Mike needs to be given a chance to create some stability and create some future. Right now, that organization lives day to day.

We're a family at ESPN. For me, to take this property and move it to Monday night is a great honor.

Today's helmets are a lot different. The league has really worked hard to protect the players from head injuries.

Those guys are good, and the elements up in Chicago make them even more scary. I look at Chicago, Tampa and Indy all running the same basic defense, and it starts with four guys up front causing problems.

When they did Monday Night Football , it was all about three networks. You didn't have 600 choices. Today, the market share is smaller, but we still believe the product will be just as good.

Those were guys, maybe not in as much of a publicized way, that were the heart and soul of the defense. Yeah, they added Chad Brown. They added the athletic ability, but do you have the cohesiveness that's necessary?

The Denver Broncos just aren't going to allow Kerry Collins to complete a pass in the middle of the field.

Believe me, those 20-some minutes make a difference. It's the difference between you falling asleep in the fourth quarter or being awake for the end of the game.

Everybody knows it takes 49 players to make a team, but without Big John this would not be a championship squad.

During a routine physical, I asked my doctor about the signs indicating an enlarged prostate. He explained the symptoms, which basically matched what I was experiencing. During my checkup, he found that I did indeed have an enlarged prostate.

People remember what they were doing the night my leg was broken.

Back when we played, they were like molded to your head. Football players are a finicky bunch. A running back likes his leg pads to fit just right. Some players like their shoulder pads to fit a certain way. We all have our idiosyncrasies and quirks.

That's ludicrous. When you sign a contract, your job is to play to the best of your ability. What about if an athlete underperforms? Do they give some of the millions back?

You need the hammer, and you need the other guy, too. If you can have that, it gives you versatility on the offense. One of the areas I don't think people really, really consider a lot is converting third downs. You have to be able to convert them.

Donovan's been put in tough situations his whole career and he's dealt with every one with class, and I don't think this will be any different,

efficient way they mix the pass and run.

Everybody I talk to, the thing they say that impresses them most about Cadillac is his humility. All I ever hear is how he's never gotten caught up in the notoriety and the status that he's earned.

It was pow-pow, like two muzzled gunshots. That was my leg breaking.

They went to the NFC Championship game without T.O., they went to the Super Bowl without T.O. - I don't know what makes him think he's so important,

It's really bittersweet. It's been such a privilege to work with Mike and Paul all these years, but I'm really looking forward to working with Al, too.

I like the idea of these guys getting an opportunity. They have a chance to spearhead the next frontal attack of coaches.

I played one game, and one snap in the shotgun. I'm the only quarterback that ever did that for him. I tried to get him to incorporate it into our offense back then, so it took him eight more years and 12 years away from the game and one (year) back to realize maybe he should do it.

his accuracy, leadership skills and the way he manages a football game.

Can they co-exist? Absolutely. They've been together for a year, T.O. knows the offense, he's an incredible athlete in fabulous shape, and I think he understands now that the best thing for him is to shut up, play football, help this team get to another Super Bowl and win it.

Kirk Cousins has played much better at the quarterback position than Robert Griffin III has,

The term 'genius' is inapplicable to anyone in this game. A genius is Norman Einstein.

Great players make great plays.

You gotta score to put points on the board.

I'm going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes.