Mike McCarthy Quotes

When you're dropping back and everything's going on, part of you wants to force it, but you have to make the right decision and not force the ball and sometimes throw it away.

The game of football, especially in the NFL, is all about situations, and coming out on the big end of that stick.

I worked at a place that followed a system where the quarterback was taught to take the sack rather than force the throw. That's kind of an old-school theory, but it has existed in this game.

Third down is a big thing with a quarterback: pinpoint accuracy, making good decisions.

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.

A defensive coordinator is always going to try to throw you something different and get you out of your element, and I have to do better with the pass protection.

I don't want to get good at throwing off schedule because I don't want to be off schedule. I want to have my protections to be solid, I want to be in the right play, and I want to get the ball out of my hands as quick as possible.

You don't want to give the defensive back any signals about what route you're going to run.

It's a challenge for all quarterbacks, though: You want to make the big play; you want to throw a touchdown every single play. But at the same time, you have to know that it's a process.

I've got to be smarter with the football.

It's always a danger when you've got a great quarterback that throws the ball well, that scrambles well. You may push him into his asset. You may force him to do what he does best. So you've got to be able to throw curveballs and stop the pass as much as stop the run.

If you pay a QB $10 million, you don't want him to run the ball.

You take your shots when you have them, and I threw a lot of touchdowns, but I'm always going to take care of the football in the red zone.

When I carry the ball, I don't just take a direct hit. I get out of bounds when I can, get to the ground, try to avoid taking a pounding on my shoulders and legs. If I do that, I think I'll be fine.

Rick Neuheisel was recruiting me, and he told me something, and I'll never forget it: he said you make your money in the red zone. If you're down there, that's already three points, so don't turn the ball over. I kind of took that to heart, and I'm always very careful in the red zone.

Any time a quarterback can protect the ball and not throw interceptions, that's huge.

We need a Moneyball revolution in the NFL. We need Spread teams and Run and Shoot teams and Option teams.

If you play every time, long balls, you lose possession and you lose momentum. I don't want to be like that.

It's just boring to see a team punt the ball and have the returner fair-catch the ball all the time.

You put a real tough tight end with good hands in the hash area, and there won't be anyone who can cover him. Then you really control the passing game.

Beyond studying, though, I think a coach should mainly have knowledge of football: if you do not know what to say to the players then you are not going anywhere.

Some coaches and quarterbacks over-analyze things at times. Sometimes it can be pitch and catch, let the play-makers make plays.

Coaching was always intriguing to me as a kid. Watching 'Monday Night Football' with my dad and hearing him talk through the game management and watching the Tom Landrys and Don Shulas on the sideline was more intriguing to me than watching Troy Aikman or Dan Marino throw the ball.

Football's always been cerebral. The most important thing is thinking fast.

You've got one football and a lot of times, defenses dictate where the ball goes.