Kirby Smart Quotes

When I'm lined up in the middle, it's a lot of freelancing and blitzing.

Everyone thinks I'm looking for attacking football all the time. But the foundation is how you defend - keep a clean sheet, and you have a decent chance to win a game of football.

Our whole philosophy was to intimidate the quarterback. We were able to do it. We were pioneers. People still recognize us as, maybe, the best defensive line of all time.

Any team, if you can rattle the quarterback you have an opportunity to win the game.

Go back through football, and you will see that the team with the best defense wins.

In football, you don't hold on to the ball just to hold on to the ball. When you have it you need to be dangerous, create opportunities and score goals. And when you don't, you make sure the opposition doesn't.

You can't play man to man against Liverpool and out-pass them. You have to keep your shape and stop them.

I want to get to the quarterback and stop the run.

I think you have to go deep into the bag of tricks, so to speak, to try and slow down the quarterback.

The thing that's always struck me about Coach Marinelli's defenses is how fast and aggressive they play.

Playing defense, it was a tough job, but it was pretty simple: When the ball came off, get in the backfield and create havoc and find the ball carrier.

At the end of the day, I'm a good defensive football coach.

That's the key to defending any quarterback: to make them throw before they want to throw.

I've always stuck my arms behind my back anyway when trying to block a shot in the penalty area.

You have to make the strikers fear you. Make it difficult for them to get on the ball and go into different areas. That makes my job easier.

You've gotta play a head game; especially blocking shots, you've gotta make it hard. You're playing against the best of the best: they're not gonna go straight to the basket, do a layup. You've gotta lure them into some shots.

Sometimes you can get sloppy and control the ball right at your feet, and that gives the defenders a chance.

Teams that can run the football, stop the run and take care of the football will win in the playoffs.

The best advice I try to give a young quarterback is, you need to know what you're doing. You need to know what you're doing, because if you know where to go with the football, you can get rid of it and throw it and you won't get hit.

I recruit defensive players first. That's where most games are won. Then you've got to get the offensive linemen.

If I watch big games like the Champions League on TV then I'm definitely watching what different centre-backs are doing in certain situations.

That's something you want to preach throughout the whole defense - getting the ball back to the offense.

I like to get physical on defense. I like to get up on a guy as much as possible. I actually need to calm down, though.

Most of the clubs who have had success against Barcelona have relied on a highly organised and disciplined defence.

It's how I've been playing my whole life, guarding the best player on the other team.