Bucs quotebook

By MARC TOPKIN
Published January 8, 2006

Coach Jon Gruden on whether the pass to Edell Shepherd should have been ruled a touchdown:

"The football background that I have that's worth challenging. The officials are going to officiate the game. And whatever rules that exist they're going to determine whether or not it's a catch. It's a sad situation if you're Jon Gruden right now. I felt that was a big play in the game and hopefully it would have sparked us to a victory. But it didn't work out."

Gruden on whether he would lobby to have the possession rule changed after Shepherd's score was disallowed:

"I don't lobby for any rule changes. There are so many rules now. I'm just very tired, very disappointed. I'll leave the competition committee and people involved in that aspect to do those things. I'm just very disappointed for our team and our players."

Gruden on whether he feels "snake-bit" in the playoffs given the Shepherd call and the controversial tuck rule call that went against him when he was with Oakland:

"I haven't had a lot of luck in some key situations."

QB Chris Simms on how the game unfolded:

"We were so close. I thought it was going to be just like the last one really - we were going to win it in the end there."

OT Kenyatta Walker on Simms' play:

"Chris Simms is a fighter, man. He's a fighter. The whole offense."

DE Simeon Rice on the game turning on key plays:

"To win a game in the playoffs, the game comes down to inches. Inches, millimeters, yards. It did us in today."

Gruden on the team's offensive play selection:

"Put it this way - we had hoped to run the ball a lot better than we did given the nature of the coverage they were playing. ... We have to run the ball better against a front that wasn't as heavy as it normally is."

CB Ronde Barber on what else the defense could have done:

"At this point, it does not matter, does it? We are not building towards anything right now. We are stuck in 2005 and all we can do is look forward to next season. That "what-ifs', the what-if game at this point means nothing to me."

Gruden on the fourth quarter fourth-and-1 play:

"It was almost a full yard. Just inside of yard. I didn't have my tape measure, but about 30 inches."

Simms on the Redskins batting his passes:

"It's crazy. Defensive linemen in this league are just good."

[Last modified January 8, 2006, 00:45:14]