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By Compiled by Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 4, 2000
Shaun King, on a 34-yard completion to Jacquez Green with the Bucs trailing in the first half, thrown with New England tacklers in the quarterback's face: "They were double-covering Keyshawn (Johnson). I saw 'Quez outrunning his coverage and threw it up. He made a great catch. At the time, we really needed it."
Running back Mike Alstott on near-identical touchdown runs of 5 and 3 yards: "I run inside so much, the defense keeps pinching in. They can overdo it. Both times, there was no daylight inside, but when I rolled off the pile, it was wide open (outside)."
Coach Tony Dungy when asked to assess the play of the offensive line: "They did well, but we are disappointed with the fourth quarter. That's when, with a lead, we expect to mash it down the field, to take over with solid running and passes. Our third-down production fell off badly, and it could've cost us."
Defensive end Chidi Ahanotu on the pass rush, which led to six sacks and a dozen solid knockdowns of New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe:"We were taking it to Bledsoe all day. We knew he's not the kind of QB to sit in there and take the hits. We whacked him pretty well. He did hit a great pass for a touchdown, making it close. But we were confident and came here thinking our defense should control the game."
Offensive guard Randall McDaniel on his first regular-season game since coming from Minnesota: "Keyshawn really opens it up for guys like Jacquez. Now we've just got to take more advantage. We got a lot of one-on-one coverage and won most of the battles."
Warren Sapp on the hammering of Bledsoe and keeping pressure on the Patriots offense: "We have depth in the defensive line, and (coach) Rod (Marinelli) is always timing it right. Somebody strikes a match, and everybody else throws gas on it."
Dungy on Johnson's impact: "Keyshawn adds a dimension for us. He made big plays off play-action and was really into the game. He dictates some things, then (opponents) will do things in coverages that help our other receivers. Keyshawn has an effect on other teams, but we weren't going to change the entire (offensive) outlook."
Bucs quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen on King's play: "I'd say solid-plus. Good job on the road against a Patriots defense that is tough and can confuse you. Shaun knew (New England coach Bill Belichick) would throw the New York City phone book at us. He did. Shaun made a couple of mistakes but did really well overall."
King on Tampa Bay's inability to covert a half-dozen third-down opportunities in the second half: "Stuff just kept happening. A couple of passes got tipped. "Truth" (Karl Williams) catches one for 8 yards but comes up one short. But we had no picks (interceptions) and no turnovers, which is good, especially on the road against a really good Patriots defense."