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98 DT Sedrick Ellis:
On the play of the defense today
"I think our defense played really well. The defensive line went after it today and I thought we played really well. The defense stepped up and the offense stepped up. It was a great game"
On the pressure the defense put on Jeff Garcia
"We played a lot of base coverages. We went after them mainly with a four man rush. I think our defensive line did a great job of getting after him. I thought overall it was a great experience."
94 DE Charles Grant
On the defensive pressure on Jeff Garcia
"A lot of people have been harping on the defense to put pressure on the quarterback. We worked hard on that in the offseason. We have a great rotation between Bobby (McCray), Will (Smith) and myself. The guys inside did a great job today as well. They changed their whole game plan at halftime. They went to quick passes. Our defensive backs played an outstanding game. We are going to get better and better each week."
On the importance of play on the defensive line
"Every game starts with the front four on offense and defense. You are going to have a great game if your guys up front dominate the line.
51 LB Jonathan Vilma
On the importance of sealing the victory on defense
"It was very important because Tampa Bay started to get into a rhythm on the offensive side of the ball. They hit a couple of big plays. It was very important for us to finish the game like we did. We finished on a good note. That is really all that you can ask for. We stopped them on downs and it was great to get the victory the way that we did. ."
88 TE Jeremy Shockey
On how it felt to be playing today
"It was good to get back out there. It has been a while since I played a regular season game. It felt good, but I have a lot of areas I need to improve on. It was a great feeling playing out there and contributing to the team. I think I answered a lot of questions today about still playing at a high level."
On his emotions after making big plays
"That is how I have always played. Obviously, it felt a lot better on the drives where we punched it in the end zone. We have a lot of work to do as a team. I thought the defense played great. On offense we did some great things, but we let some situations control us instead of us controlling the situation. The talent on this side of the ball is amazing. It is exciting to be part of something explosive."
9 QB Drew Brees
On the importance of the win today
"It was a great way to start the season off. It was great to start out fast and beat a divisional opponent at home. It was important to get a win after the city of New Orleans was displaced all week because of the hurricane. It was great having the fans back in full force."
On the importance of Reggie Bush's play today
"It was great for him and his confidence. The one-two punch of he and Pierre (Thomas) was very effective. That opened up some things in the passing game. Reggie out in space is a big weapon. We are going to try to utilize that. Once we get (Aaron) Stecker back and Deuce (McAllister) in the mix, then we have a pretty formidable group of running backs."
25 RB Reggie Bush
On the touchdown scoring play
"It was really nice to make a big play in a crunch time situation. I was trying to be patient all game and wait for my opportunity. We ran a play that we worked on all week and we thought we could take advantage of them if we had the right coverage. We called it and I was able to make a play. It was a huge play for us. It obviously feels great."
