Thursday, November 30, 2000

Q- Jim’s personality seems to be changing the last few weeks. He’s becoming much more aggressive. Is the team responding to that?

KC-Yeah, I think so. I think he’s always been that kind of way around here. I don’t think he’s ever really let it out publicly. You get beat down and get beat down and sooner or later enough is enough and I think Jim has pretty much had enough about a lot of things. He’s really taken the bull by the horns. He’s set the record straight and set the laws around here. He made the prediction that we were going to the playoffs. I think everybody appreciates that and everybody respects his leadership.

 
Q- Has there been more focus because of this?

KC-I think we probably played our best game the other night against Arizona. That is the first indication that there has probably been a little bit of change. We’ll see how it goes this weekend. But I felt it since he did what he did that we’ve been a better football team.

 
Q- Is this something the team needed?

KC-I don’t think it hurt. He certainly motivated us. At the time we lost two in a row and he kind of laid there for us so I definitely don’t think it hurt.

 
Q- Have you learned anything about yourself…

KC-This is really the first time in a few years that I’ve been in this situation and been in the playoff hunt. I’m looking forward to it and I think things went real well last weekend. Our confidence is high right now. I’m just going to try to continue keep going what I did last week and hopefully I’ll play a real good game this weekend.

 
Q- Teams are judged a lot on quarterbacks. So far would you agree that you haven’t beat a real good team yet and you need a win against a good team as much as the team does?

KC-I would dispute the fact that we haven’t beaten a good team. I think Philadelphia is a pretty good team. You don’t get to be 9-4 by being a bad team. I’m not going to apologize for winning. There are a lot of other teams and a lot of other quarterback’s right now that would like to be in this situation. I’m not going to apologize for where we’re at right now.

 
Q- You were in a playoff hunt once before earlier in your career. Would you say your role and responsibilities are a lot different this time as opposed to that?

KC-Yeah, but I don’t think it’s that much different. For a team to go as far as we did you have to have a good passing game and the quarterback has to be playing well. I don’t think there is that much of a difference although I realize a lot of how we go is how I’m going. That is fine, that is part of the job and that is what it’s all about. We’ll see what happens.

 
Q- Do you think about the next month of how you’re going to get through this because this is going to define a lot about you?

KC-No, I don’t think about the next month. The bottom line is I’m going to give everything that I have and I’m going to leave it all out there on the field and let the chips fall where they may. I’m going to prepare as hard as I’ve ever prepared this week. I’m going to play as hard as I can on Sunday and I’m going to do everything that I can to get it done. After that I’ll be able to look myself in the mirror and know that I gave everything that I had.

 
Q- When you say prepare as hard as ever, what does that mean? Are you doing that kind of stuff more so than any other part of the season?

KC-It’s that extra half an hour of studying. Instead of an hour and half of watching game film you’ve already seen one more time. It’s all that kind of stuff. No, but I think it picks up at this point of the season.

 
Q-You’ve said that you thought the team has played tight in some ways. Is that still a factor?

KC-I think we’re maturing. This is really the first year that this team has been in big games. This is the first time that this team has been together. In big games I think it takes teams some time to really get to the point where they can feel comfortable going into these games. I feel we’re getting closer to that. I think we’ll go into this game more comfortable than we have at any other this season. Whatever happened before happened and I think we’ve learned from it.

 
Q- You often hear a coach or quarterback say we’re going to take what the other team gives us. Is the philosophy here to take what we want because the Redskins aren’t going to give us much?

KC-It’s true and that’s the kind of football game it’s going to be. It’s going to be a tough football game. They are an awfully good defense. They’re going to do things to take things away from you. But we have to be able to keep pounding away. If things go bad or we don’t have a good series, we go three and out, we have to come right back and come back harder the next series. I definitely think that is important to do for us this weekend.

 
Q- So this game, is it more important to be mentally tough than other games in the past?

KC-Sure definitely.

 
Q- The guarantee of going to the playoffs has that had any affect on you?

KC-I think ultimately it has taken some the pressure off of us. We feel that Jim has put it on himself, put the bulls eye on himself. I think whatever he was trying to do he’s done. I think all of his players see that and appreciate what he’s trying to do.

 
Q- So you guys see his method in his madness?

KC-The bottom line is we’re still the ones on the field doing what we have to do. That is what it is going to come down to. I think what he did was a strong leadership thing and ultimately we’re going to have to do the performing.