Andre Patterson Quotations

We knew this was a big game and that's why we wanted to dominate underneath. I think we just wanted to separate ourselves.

When I came to Denver, he was one of the guys I brought up. (The Browns) were going to the 3-4 (alignment); this guy is 6-foot-7 (and) it's going to be tough for him to make the adjustment to be a defensive end, so when they released him, we were ready to sign him, so we signed him to the practice squad and he did an outstanding job for us on the practice squad.

My first experience truly around professional players was the New York Giants in their Super Bowl year with Lawrence Taylor and that great front that they had. Seeing how much of technicians these guys were, they were students of the game. So that was a great place for me.

People wanted to see him play. They paid him a bunch of money. But he's not a guy who misses because he's got a hamstring that's always hurting. When he's out, it's because he breaks something.

I was surprised to see them here. I was like, 'Man, we beat Kentucky, and the fans come out.' It was great. This is the most people I've seen at Georgia. Last year, it was like a ghost town in here.

If these guys couldn't play, they wouldn't be here. And I think that's what people forget. Everybody buys into the hype that comes out of the Cleveland media, and nobody here in Denver has truly sat back and evaluated the situation. If they did, they'd say it's a great thing Denver did.

I got him to close the distance on the tackle as quick as possible. He wants to get on top of him as quickly as he can and then work his swim move or use his physicality. He's got long arms, and he's powerful. Before, he was just getting ridden off the quarterback, and because his steps were off, it made him look mechanical. But he's not. He's a really fluid athlete.

But we knew they were tough. Those guys just kept coming. It was like they thought they should win.

Chris is a sharpshooter and everybody in the country knows it. We're going to have to start getting used to him getting all the attention.

We try to get the tempo going with our press. It isn't just to cause turnovers. We want to get the game going up and down... try to get them running.

We've been wearing teams out. That's a big part of our system. You can't out-work anybody if you're not in shape.

He's going to play hard and compete, and that's all I want. How it all plays out as far as tackles and pressures, I don't know. But I know if he's on the field, he's going to give me everything he's got.

J.J. makes a lot of open 3's and off of picks. C-Lo just discourages defenses because guys will be hanging all over him, and he's still going to make it. He's a tough cover for anybody.

Our main focus has been getting better every time we get on the floor. We don't look at where we're playing or who we're playing. We just look at it as five-on-five and that we're going to work harder.

Our line should get a lot of credit. We've been saying all week that we wanted to have the eye of the tiger and we did that. We want to have it all year.

Starting just helps me get into a rhythm faster. But anything this team needs, I'll sacrifice and do.

It feels really good. We wanted to beat teams like Florida and Kentucky in the SEC, but we also want to win championships. To be No. 8 in the nation is hard to believe.

It doesn't mean anything. I want to win the whole conference. That's our goal. We've got three games to do that, and that's what we're trying to do. We'll just keep going one game at a time.

I think he's played the best ball he's played in his career this year. I think he's playing as well as anyone in the league.

That was one of my goals, to fill up the arena and bring it back to the Ernie and Bernie days. That's why I came to Tennessee.

We've done it more than most teams I've worked with.

When I first got here, he was coming off the injury and being hurt every year and hearing all the things about himself, so yeah, his confidence was a little bit down. But it's back up there, and he knows he's having a good year. I think if you ask any team we've played, he's the first guy on our defense that they would mention.

We got rattled in the Kentucky game. We got rattled in the Arkansas game. We got rattled in the Alabama game. Coach Pearl has been preaching that we can't get rattled. We have to stay aggressive.

I've told every one of these guys to make the most of this. You never know when you're going to get back.

People thought I was putting my career on the line by recommending those four guys. But if I'm going to put my career on the line, there's no other four guys I would have chosen.

Coach put the confidence back in me and told me what he wanted me to do. When Coach wants you to go make plays, it makes it a lot better for you. I've got a lot more I'm not giving, so hopefully I can get it all out.

You've got to win at home if you want to do anything and then get a few on the road. But if it's going to be a special season, you've got to protect your house.

They're going to slow the ball down and not want to run with us. They're going to use 30, 35 seconds on the shot clock. Any time a team is that patient with the basketball, it's hard.

It's been that way ever since I've gotten to Denver. It goes with the territory now. It's almost like being a college coach again. If you can do a good job of talking players into coming to your team, it kind of helps you.

It sends the message that he's ready to work and do whatever it takes to win. Him staying up all night scouting, we can believe in him because he's got our backs. The first time I saw that, when he worked out with us, it was great, because we're all in this together.

It's one thing when you play a team with a big back and it's going to be him packing that thing 40 times. You get ready for it. But they only give you Bettis for 15 and Parker for 25. That's a big adjustment the defense has to make.

They whipped us last year. It's always tough to lose to an in-state rival, but that was especially bad. I think we all remember that game. It pretty much messed up the rest of our season.

Anytime you've got a back listed at 265 who's probably 280 and still has nimble feet like a 225-pound guy, it's going to take more than one guy to take him down. He's got great size and great feet. That's the combination that makes it so difficult. That's what makes him so special.

I'm not getting pushed around as much, and I still have the quickness I've always had.

I'm not even sure why I still need to go. I might as well stay home, because we've got our guy.

I remember being at the Senior Bowl when it came across that the Saints didn't pick up Glover's option. I went up to the New Orleans defensive line coach and said, 'Man, you guys just turned Glover loose.' He looked stunned. He was one of their best players and most dependable guys.

But you know it's coming. And when he's on, it's something to see.

Hopefully our younger guys have turned the corner and will be able to handle this. It's only one week. We've got to keep our composure and let it go. You let this one linger too long and then we're not ready for Dallas. Then we're right back to the same old spot we've been in. We're better, but we've got to keep improving. We're not there yet.

Gerard's smiling, laughing and really into what's happening here in the defensive game plan. He feels like it's all for one and one for all, and I can see that.

If he goes 0-for-100, I still want Chris taking that shot. Great shooters make that shot.

I can't think of four guys I'd rather stake my career on. I know they can play. I know they're good people.

I do feel good about things working out the way we want them to work out.

He only played one year of college football -- 12 plays. Six plays at tight end and six plays at defensive end.

You've got to play 40 minutes with us the whole length of the floor. If you can't do that, it's going to be trouble.