Certainly when you look at the success of our league, you have to be happy with the job (Tagliabue) has done.

No question. We're certainly appreciative. We're glad to have him. I think his presence has done a lot for our team. I think what he adds is a confidence. He's very confident in his ability, and any time your chief and your general is confident, the troops will follow.

Because we have been so humbled, because we have heard so many bad things about ourselves, you know our heads won't ever get big again.

I was glad we got back on the field because in those situations, you want an opportunity to make a play.

We're a better defense than we were at the beginning of the year, and that's because we've got so many young players learning a new system ( Ted Cottrell 's) and so many young players playing at this level for the first time. I don't know what everybody else would call it. I'd call it progress.

You've got to tweak your game to the rule changes. Now it's a flag if you turn into a guy while trying to make a play. It didn't used to be that way. I got flagged one time for turning my head. 'You didn't turn it away,' the official said. Now why would I want to turn away from a ball that was coming my way?