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The Tampa Tribune, published 16 December 2002
Jon Gruden
On the game: "We did not play our best game. Hand it to the Lions – they played extremely hard and made some big plays. At 10-0, Mike McMahon came in and takes them down with some great throws. This was a great win for our team but costly because of some of the injuries. We are thrilled to have qualified for the playoffs. It is a great accomplishment to win eleven games in the NFL. This is a hard place to play. The Lions beat the 3-0 Saints here and came from behind to almost knock Green Bay off here. They are a very physical team on defense and have a unique scheme on offense. We expected a great dogfight. There were inexcusable and crazy penalties on the first two drives of the second half. The guys rallied and made some key drives when they had to and with that said I’m glad to get out of here with a victory.”
On Lions’ QB Mike McMahon
“We know McMahon from playing him in the past. This is a real mobile guy who can generate some offense with his legs. Obviously the bootleg that they emphasized today we didn’t expect but I tip my hat to Mike (Mc Mahon) he played really well.”
Brad Johnson
On the game “This is a big win for us. For us to win our division we needed these last three games. They beat some good teams like the Saints and they have had some other games that they should have won. We didn’t play our best but that says something about the team when you don’t play your best and still win. We are happy to get the win and get out of here.
On moving the ball “I felt like we were running the ball well today. In the first half we were moving the ball very well – scoring on three of the first four possessions. In the fourth quarter then we had two crucial drives that iced the game. As bad as things were going for us we didn’t give in and stayed within the system.”
On the Lions “I have played against Detroit for years – when I was with Minnesota and Washington. Those guys beat you up. A lot of times they don’t have to blitz to get to you. Our guys did a good job up front. I had to throw the ball away eight-to-ten times today. I felt like I just had to do that.”
Keyshawn Johnson
On the game “If I know that I’m going to get hit I can still hold onto the ball. If I tried to run through it and not be aware of the secondary then chances are I wouldn’t have caught it. It was very important, that catch, we got a touchdown on that drive. Anytime you have the opportunity to make a play that will put your team in the position to score some points you always feel good about that.”
On escaping Detroit with a victory: “No one ever said that this game would be easy. We’ve played them (Lions) four times since I’ve been here (Tampa Bay) and they have beaten us once but none of them have been easy. We know this is the kind of team that you cannot put away when you’re on the road. The fact that you are playing on the road against a team that has a lot of pride – they showed character and heart and played tough.”
On the remainder of the season “We need to look at Pittsburgh next week. You know it’s going to be hard. They are a good team and fighting for a playoff spot. We need to just worry about them. We want to keep fighting for the playoff games at home. The less games you have to play the quicker you get to the Super Bowl. We’ve controlled out own destiny so far and we have the tiebreaker against Green Bay. Hopefully Philadelphia will drop one here soon.”
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