Matt LaFleur Quotes

Young quarterbacks do well because they have a great defense.

At some point, you're not going to be able to run the ball for 180 yards, even with the best running back in the NFL. That's when you have to be able to throw the ball.

To me, a good running back is a good defense. A good running back helps you keep your defense off the field.

The key word is 'control.' I have to get to the point where I can do it like Magic does. That means penetrating, scoring more, taking over on offense once in a while, increasing my range on the outside shot to open things up for the drive.

Some big teams prefer to be very strong defensively and have two, three, four counter-attacking players.

I go hunting for my opponents high up the field, and I put stock in physical one-on-ones and winning individual duels.

Wherever I am on the field, I'm just trying to be an attacking presence and constantly be on their back four and try to make a difference in that way. So it doesn't matter where I play for my club.

We need the ball even to defend; that's our objective: having the ball and having it as far as possible from our goal as possible.

When you put pressure on the quarterback, everything looks a lot better.

The confidence level that Steph is playing with now, obviously, you won't totally stop him. If I'm playing against him right now, I think I'd try to pick him up full court, get the ball out of his hands, try to be a little physical.

If you look at Dele, he does everything. He wants the ball into feet. Sometimes he'll run in behind; sometimes he'll get the ball in the box - he's all energy. He does everything.

Forwards do a lot of things intuitively.

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

It's really hard to go on a 10-, 12-play drive against a really good defense and put the ball in the end zone.

If you want a left winger who plays simple, I'm not the good player.

Any time you roll up a corner and you have a safety standing behind him helping out the corner, it's frustrating for any player.

I need to keep improving tactically, defensively and offensively for the last pass, the last shot.

I get a lot of front ball in a position that, normally, the opponent's defense is making the move outwards, and our attackers are getting in.

Coach K tried to implement a style where we passing, moving the ball, the open guy gets the open shot, running in transition.

The SEC is a line-of-scrimmage league. You'd better be good up front, or you're going to have some long days.

When you've got so many guys that can score the ball, you really don't want to get down and defend. You really don't want to get down and dive for balls. You really don't want to fight through screens every play.

When the opposition sits back and defends well and together, it's difficult.

We know it's impossible sometimes to have good defending against Cristiano Ronaldo but we want to keep the ball, with good possession, as then he can do nothing in attack.

My teams have always been dominant about having the ball but having the ball to create opportunities. That's always been the clear way of my work.

When I'm asked to be aggressive and shoot the ball, I gotta take advantage of that.