Mike Holmgren Quotes (158 Quotes)

He is a lifelong football personnel man. Personnel people, they have a passion for it. They want to help the head coach. They want to give him the best players they can give him. And it creates a real healthy trust and working relationship. Bob's first love, as you know, was basketball. And he was taking on a lot of jobs. It's different now, because Tim is a lifelong football guy. We have a good relationship.

Talk about a no-name group. I know that phrase has been coined before, but we are kind of that group on defense right now.

The tough thing in this league about playing the linebacker position is that as a rookie you are seeing many things for the first time and you are going against athletes that you didn't always play against when you were in college. The physical part of it is tough, but they have handled that beautifully. Then it was just a matter if they could handle the volumes of material that are expanded a little bit when you get into our league.

We need Walter to feel real good. I always feel good when he feels good. I'm going to be careful with Walter.

I would be in better position to answer it on Wednesday, ... Except I'm not going to be here.

Really, what I told Mike was and I put myself in the same category you get so caught up in this that it, at times, appears to become more than life and death,

The impressive thing ... was that he was pretty poised. At times, it gets a little hectic in there and he starts making audible checks and he gets hit and you start going in the wrong direction in domes in particular, where it's real noisy. I thought he really handled it beautifully.

I think if I had showed him a picture of a truck, he would have said it was a truck and not a butterfly.

He is as hard of a working lineman as I've been around. Offensive linemen are usually that way, but he kind of goes over the edge in his work ethic. He is tremendously strong, very bright and he really wants it every play, every down. His ability to focus in is really very amazing.

Heck, I get excited about it just like any coach would, particularly if you think it cost you a ball game. The fact is, it's a tough job. Officials have a tough job. They're honest guys doing the best they can.

Anytime someone wants to compare me to Joe Gibbs, it's a compliment. He's one off the guys that if I could pattern my coaching after, he would certainly be one of the guys I've admired for a long, long time. He's one of the best ever.

I had made an agreement when we signed him that if he got a chance to be a starter that I would help to make that happen, and a deal's a deal,

Darrell had to go for a second opinion, so he's in Florida. And Bobby, he was getting treatment today and he can't move very well.

If a guy becomes available the caliber of a Peter Warrick, we're probably going to bring him in. I think then you're doing your due diligence. I'm looking for a guy to catch every pass we throw to him.

Our running back is, I think, pretty good. When I saw him at our meeting today, he said he feels good, he's fine, and unless something happens, I'm assuming he'll be ready to practice on Wednesday.

So, as a household, we are very sensitive, and as an individual to this sort of thing, as you might expect.

We've got to let the ribs heal. He's got to feel like he can run and those things. The area that now is rather large causing him discomfort has to shrink, so (doctors) can put the medicine in where they have to put it in. Right now, it's too large. But he's on schedule he's getting better.

He's coming back a little at a time. We're going per doctors orders on this. If they say 'No, he can't be there,' he's not there.

He's one of those guys that when you prepare for them, you better have a plan to make it a little more difficult for him. Otherwise, he can take over a game by himself.

That was very distasteful, our having to jump into something like that and retaliate, so to speak. I was very surprised that the special master came back with the ruling he did. It doesn't make any sense to me. But he did. And we lost a very fine football player.

The good thing is that his injury has healed up.

He came out of that game pretty sore. Washington is a tough physical defensive football team, and we got banged around a little bit, but both he and Engram practiced today.

I'm very proud of the job he's done, ... If he keeps it going, he could have his best year. I'm sure glad it worked out with his contract. We'd all like him to stay and he'd liked to stay. So hopefully it all gets worked out.

I think he's bright and courageous. I think Matt's best years are still ahead of him.

In Green Bay it was quite different than the situation in Seattle because they had a wonderful tradition.

They have you outnumbered just a little bit. Now it is safer, I suppose, than throwing a pass, but you can't worry too much about that.

So that was a little bit scary there. That should have been done a little sooner, in my opinion.

As soon as they make some arrangements, he'll know and I'll know. We have to see. That's the first thing.

Now our second season starts. Fortunately we have a first-round bye, so we can heal up a little bit and get ready to play in the playoffs.

I talked with (defensive coordinator) Ray Rhodes and we both agreed that that was as fine a game executed as we could remember, all around. They were better than good. They were really good. Physical, smart, and they made key plays. They just set their mind to it and did it.

I don't know. I honestly don't know. That's one of the reasons we're taking this trip. Kathy listens to me and understands me the most, and that's why we're doing it. I'll have a better idea of what's going on after we come back.

As he explained to me exactly what happened, I believe I understand what happened. At that point I have made the decision that he will play in the football game.

The media day, it's pretty wild. They get their fill of that and they settle into a practice routine on Wednesday.

Let's just wait on that and make sure what's written and what's said is correct.

Our receiver position is very competitive and it's open. None of those guys can afford to drop a pass in a game none of them. We did that a few times tonight.

Bobby has been so good to start this year.

I told him sometime in the season we were going to be in the exact situation, and he was going to make it. And he did.

Today Wednesday he felt better, he told me that. He was moving around and not doing bad. We're not going to rush him back to anything and we're going to do exactly what the doctors tell us to do, he is. He's never been a tremendous patient, so we just have to be real smart with this.

I think we have to wait on that. Let's just wait on that to make sure that what is written and what is said is correct.

I'm not sure that was the right thing to do, looking back on it. So I'm giving them Media Day off, and then we'll practice tomorrow, Thursday and Friday.

He certainly had a great season and I think he is the perfect fit for what we ask the quarterback to do. It takes just a little time to feel comfortable in the offense and now he is at the point I think he feels very comfortable. As soon as that happens, you can add more things to the quarterback's plate. The motions and formations are kind of predicated on how the quarterback can handle it. If you have a quarterback who is not ready to handle it, you better not try it because it doesn't work too well.

When something like Rhodes' stroke happens, if you don't think about things a little bit and it doesn't effect you a little bit, there's something wrong with you. You have to sit back and think about what this business can do to you at times.

With the numbers he has put up, I think if you don't approach it at the start that way, you're making a huge mistake. He catches 14 balls, 12 balls, 13 balls, that's a lot of passes in a game. Clearly, they want him to be a big part of what they do. ... You better have some sort of answer for playing them or they can make you look pretty bad.

Randy was, in my opinion, the best. He really was the best. We played against him so many times there aren't many guys like him around.

I've been fortunate enough to be around good lines before. Those guys on the 49ers' line were together eight, nine years. Since free agency, this group is the best.

Seneca Wallace is a good player. He just hasn't played.

My hope is, we'll have him down the stretch.

I think that can be overstated just a little bit. If you have a very untalented guy who is a high-effort guy, you are going to lose every week. You like them like that, but the better player is going to win more games for you. The trick is finding those guys that are really fine football players and really don't think they are that great they are always trying to get better.

There are times when I become frustrated when we get second (down) and nine, ... (But) I was bound and determined today to stay with it.

He was very sorry, apologized to me. This morning, he apologized to his teammates.