Jeff Fisher Quotes

Back in the '80s and '90s, you could hit the quarterback low, you could hit the quarterback high. You could hit him pretty much late.

Defending isn't just about tackling and heading, it's also about getting the ball down and playing - starting the attack from the back.

You can't put a running back in there and have him not know who to pick up. You can't get your quarterback hit.

It's a tough situation as a defender to be put in. I understand what they're doing trying to protect quarterbacks. I've been on the receiving end of a few of those where you appreciate them trying to take care of you a little bit, but I do see the conflict that it puts a defender in.

When there's pressure on the ball, you can go man-to-man on your striker; you've got the advantage because the ball pressure means it'll be a difficult pass to play.

Keeping up your concentration is one of the hardest tasks when you're a centre-back because a team like Bayern tend to dominate and can give you sense of false security.

I don't know that the referee can be watching holding on the offensive line and get back to the quarterback. I think watching the quarterback is a full-time job.

The name of the game is 'kill the quarterback.' Every football team tries to knock the guy out of the game that's handling the ball.

I like every aspect of defense; I enjoy shutting down the offense.

We need to let the referee's sole thing be to protect the quarterback and get those late hits out of there. They even have a stat on television that says 'knockdowns.' Knockdowns means that you knock him down after he throws the ball. The assumption is, if it's legal, we'll make excuses for them.

Quarterbacks are untouchable nowadays. If you hit a quarterback too hard, or if you fall on him with too much weight - which is a judgment thing from a professional standpoint - you're going to get flagged.

We have rules in the rule book that are very specific. If the quarterback is in a throwing position, he gets protection. But in the event that the ball is handed off, at that instant, there's no telling whether or not he is a runner or not, so he loses that protection.

It's good to be good at playing defence, but the best defence is a strong offence.

When I don't have control of the ball, what do I do? I press to get it back. It's a way of defending. But more important is that I like to have the ball. That's why I believe in individual coaching sessions to prepare players properly.

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

As a young centre-back at Ajax, I played with Wim Jansen, and of course you learn a huge amount. I made some mistakes, because we Dutchmen want to solve situations by playing football. So we look at the ball, try to judge where it will come.

You know what? For myself, I kind of like the spy because it takes another guy out of coverage or another guy out of rushing.

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

I feel like I've improved immensely in terms of my defending, not only in one-versus-ones but also with my positioning.

For me, it is very important to control a situation in defence. You can always score goals, but you have to add stability in the defence.

That's how you get better on defense; not just 'oh, man, my guy beat me,' but you have to think about, 'okay, my man beat me, so I either have to pick up the next man, or I'm going to give somebody a foul.

It doesn't make much sense to blitz a guy that gets rid of the ball in less than 1.5 seconds.

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

It's just always been a knack for me to play defense.

I think my wingspan helps me out on defense, because I can cover a little more ground and block a few more shots.