Ernie Accorsi Player Quotations

When you sign on here, you understand this organization. There is so much soul to it, ... It's just the way it is. Players understand that. This has been very emotional for all of them. That's what makes this organization the way it is. There is so much personal feeling in this place. They understand and value that.

Date of birth is very important to us. In a sport that's as physically taxing as ours, the correct date of birth is critical, not only in determining the physical maturity and growth potential of an athlete but also his longevity. We project body shaping and size, especially weight, and growth potential when we evaluate a player and project them. We make sure we know the correct date of birth and we do a lot of research to verify it.

I think that (the) whole combine demands you to have incredible self-discipline in decision making. It's invaluable, No. 1, because of the medical (exams). But you better discipline yourself to evaluate a player on the tape of a game. This will indicate what kind of athlete they are, but usually what that does is support what you've already seen on tape.

We are not going to pick a linebacker just to pick a linebacker. That is just not going to happen. We are going to pick a player that is decidedly higher rated. We have options.

I was entrusted with the legacy of the franchise. I simply picked the best player in the country. If the Baltimore franchise was good enough for John Unitas, the greatest quarterback in the history of the league, it was good enough for John Elway.

There is a lot more dead money now. You're basically married to a player for at least two or three years.

He has had a physical with us. That's all that's taken place. If this triggers another round of hysteria, it will be inaccurate just like the last round. Nothing has happened in the negotiations. Obviously, you're not even going to think about a player without a physical examination. Now we have that.

That's our ready list. We call every so often to check on those players we might want to bring in for a workout, to see what kind of shape they're in, and their agents are always calling us to remind us about them.

I would never have traded him. I would have waited until the next draft if need be and found out how good a baseball player he was.

He is such a cornerstone player and he's such a great representative, ... He's a leader. He has so much class.... And he's still productive. It's not like we're just giving him a reward for the past. We are, to a point, but he's still productive enough that he deserves what he gets.

If we have a player that's decidedly higher-rated, we're going to pick the player that's higher-rated.

He's just a relentless 'heart' player with a lot of talent.

I really have never bought into that San Francisco game, and maybe players might have a different view, ... My feeling coming out of that game, as heartbreaking as it was, was that I thought we were pretty good.

I think the players had to get to know him, and once they did, they'd trust him. I've known him, so I knew what kind of person he was. In the beginning, he came here with somewhat of an image.

We came to an agreement that acknowledges what everybody wants - the player being rewarded for performance.