Sports: Lions quotebook

Lions quotebook

By Compiled by Times staff writer

Quarterback Charlie Batch on taking a 21-point licking: "I am surprised we were not up to the challenge. Throughout the course of the game, they just dominated us. We just can't afford to let their defense dictate to us what we're going to do."

Coach Bobby Ross on being so squashed at home: "This was a poor performance. No excuses. They beat us at the line of scrimmage, and we could've handled them. We couldn't get the run established. Then they teed off."

Defensive end Tracy Scroggins on Bucs quarterback Shaun King: "We allowed him way too much time to sit back there in the pocket and pick us apart. They have some very talented receivers, but up front we should be able to get at their quarterback. I expect far more pressure from our front four."

Center Mike Compton on Lions inconsistency: "We had a really bad day. We couldn't get anything going. Our biggest problem was not being consistent. Tampa Bay really came to play, so the credit belongs to them."

Tight end David Sloan on the Bucs: "In every aspect, Tampa Bay played great. They seemed to want the game far more than we did. I don't know why that was the case. This was a big game for us. Hopefully we can get regrouped for Chicago next weekend."

Ross on Detroit's weak running game: "Tampa Bay is very good defensively, but we've got to be better than we showed. It is a disheartening thing. You can't be so one-dimensional. It puts you into a terrible situation, especially against such a good defense. Charlie Batch was thrown into an impossible task."

Ross on his defense: "We pretty much knew what they were going to do. There were no real surprises. We just weren't playing with fire and intensity, except for a goal-line stand. I think we could've gotten back in it by stopping Tampa Bay on the opening drive of the third quarter. But they kept the football 10 minutes, kicked a field goal and kept going from there."

Batch on going to Detroit's locker room at halftime after hitting a 50-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Germane Crowell: "After that, we had high hopes of jumping right back into the game. Instead, we looked terrible. This was really tough. They made us throw the ball. We weren't able to run. We did nothing, to tell the truth. They just whipped us badly; simple as that."

Ross, asked to assess the Bucs: "They're a good football team. They have good players. But we didn't help ourselves at all. I don't think the game accurately shows the disparity between us and Tampa Bay. They're a good defensive team, also a good offensive team. They have made improvements."

Crowell of the Lions' first offensive touchdown: "Any time you can get a score going into the half, that should give your team some momentum coming out. We were only down 11 points coming out in the second half, but we just didn't get it done."