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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 20, 2006

Q. Did you think at this stage of the development of the program that you were beyond that happening to you guys?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I mean, anything's possible in football. That's why you play week in and week out. Obviously you're disappointed, but you're looking forward and just getting ready for this week. You want to put that in the past and move on.

Q. Tommy, I know you spend a lot of time around Brady. Can you talk about his mental state right now. What do you see from him? How do you encourage him?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I think it's the same thing like I was saying before. You got to move on. Even when we would win, we'd be looking forward to the following week. We got to keep that same approach, keep going back to what was successful and just making sure that each week is just as important as the following week, as the past week.
We just got to keep moving forward and keep getting better as a team.

Q. Do you have one-on-one conversations?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: We have before. But I haven't really gotten a chance -- I know the type of character he is. I know he's going to shake it off and he'll be ready to go.

Q. Can you talk about Stanton, what his abilities are, what he did last year against you guys.
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Definitely going to be one of the best we go against this year. Any time you have that dual threat, that's why they're so successful on third down. You have that run or throw option that he has, a lot of weapons around him, it's going to be a challenge for us.

Q. Is he any different than last year from what you've seen?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: He keeps getting better. I know two years ago getting ready for the game, they weren't sure who was their quarterback. He came in late in the game and kind of started moving the ball, just taking over. Ever since then, they've had just a prolific offense that puts up a lot of points, a lot of yards. We got to get ready for them.

Q. How much better do you feel like this defense prepared for that style of offense today?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Just going through practice yesterday. Tuesday is usually the hardest day just because you implement the entire game plan. I think as a defense, we were executing it pretty well yesterday. There's going to be mistakes made. But I think for the most part we were talking, we were communicating, it was look going for the most part. Go through the week, keep making changes, see what we like. We'll see Saturday. Definitely feel comfortable so far with what the game plan is.

Q. Is this the kind of week all those off-week speed (indiscernible) against a style offense like this?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Definitely. They try to go sideline to sideline with the different screens that they run, how much they'll spread you out. Speed and open-field tackling is going to be a big part of our success on defense.

Q. Do your keys change against a dual threat?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I mean, the keys are going to stay the same, but I think staying fundamentally sound because they do a lot of -- they'll trick plays, try to get you with some gadgets that hit for big plays all the time, pretty much every game they play for.
Like I said before, it's open-field tackling, staying fundamentally sound, doing your job, not worrying about doing anyone else's job.

Q. Charlie said yesterday he was hoping Demetrius wouldn't have such a great week. How did he look yesterday going against you guys?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Him as an athlete looked good. Just making sure we got to break him down from making those big plays. He's a big athlete. He had a couple plays here and there. You got to correct those mistakes on Wednesdays and just keep getting better.

Q. Seems like every week we're talking about the wide receivers of the opponent. Does the fact that you faced three opponents, all of whom have a bona fide set of really good wide receivers, help as you get ready for this Michigan State offense?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Yeah, it definitely does. I said from week one, every single week we're going to be facing great receivers, not just one of them but multiple sets of receivers. They come out a lot of times with four wides. They don't have any fear to throwing to any one of them.

Q. Can you talk about their running game. Seems like Michigan State, they just keep reloading no matter who is back there.
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: What did they have last week, 300 some last week? You talk about them spreading it out, throwing the ball, then you look at how much they're rushing for. Like I said before, we got to get ready for that, get in the film room and keep studying.

Q. When a back is averaging over six yards a carry, what do you see of him on film? How do you stop this guy?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Like I said before, it's fundamentals, open-field tackling. They're going to spread you out. He's going to have lanes to run. Got to make sure just sound in the tackling game and make sure that speed will pay off with just getting around the ball.

Q. As a captain, does your role become bigger this week? Have you found maybe your role has been different than the weeks past?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I thought it would. But it's just going to show you the character we have on this team. I think people are ready to look forward, want to just get a win. That's what we're worried about. We're not looking at the past.
Like I said before, each week is its own separate entity. This is Michigan State. We're not worried about what's happened in the past.

Q. Do you think you have the type of team you had at Georgia Tech where it's a hostile environment, people may be counting you out, kind of get back into that mode, don't you?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I think so. I think, you know, you don't want to look in the past. I think that's when Notre Dame has been at their best, is when people are going to hostile environments, people are starting to doubt you is when we're going to come out and show our best game.

Q. Talking to Morton, some of the other offensive linemen, they burden the responsibility. But if you talk to each individual team, like the quarterbacks or the receivers, everybody would take part in that, in what happened, what they need to do this week.
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Definitely, everyone's looking at themselves first. Nobody is going to point the finger. Just going back to working out what you got to work on to get better each week. Come in Tuesday, look at the game plan, see what we got to do to make sure we win this game, not point fingers or worry about who to blame. It's over, it's in the past.

Q. Especially before the year started, Coach Weis, he was on an interviews all the time, very popular figure. Do you get a kick out of that at all, how big a celebrity your coach is?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I mean, not really. We're so -- we're going to school every day, trying to get ready. I don't think people realize how short three days is to get ready for a game. That's pretty much where all your focus is. You barely get to watch TV, maybe for half an hour, an hour at night. I'm not watching football. I'm going to watch anything else. Football, I get enough of it.

Q. If you're flipping through...
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: You'll come across it sooner or later.

Q. Do you stop and watch it?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Sometimes. I usually keep going, though. We have enough conversations and meetings and stuff. I hear him enough.

Q. Do you have any memories from being in East Lansing two years ago? A breakout game for you. Where is that in your mind?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Like I said before, I'm so concentrated just on this week. Obviously it was a big game for me, I guess you could say my first breakout game, first college touchdown.
But just concentrate on getting everyone better, getting ready for this game, not worrying about past performances.

Q. Does a past performance give you an extra boost of confidence, going somewhere where you're familiar, used to winning?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I don't think so. Like I said before, take each week as its own. Show up and play every single week, no matter where you're playing.

Q. You talked about moving on a lot during this press conference so far. In terms of film study, did you look at the Michigan game at all in part of that moving-on process?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: We watched it Sunday. That's the way you got to learn from your corrections (sic). You look at where your mistakes were. Me personally, I'm very critical on my play. Of course, I'm going to point the finger at myself with what happened or this or that. Every Sunday we're going to do that regardless win or lose. You got to learn from your mistakes.

Q. In terms of coaches, Coach Weis' demeanor, do you find him similar or a little bit different on a week like this? Is he still biting on you on a week like this?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Like I said before, each week, we're just trying to get ready. Win or loss, we're going to get ready for the next week. Can't be looking in the past, whether it's a big win, big loss, whatever it is, you got to look forward. There's too many good teams on our schedule to be looking in the past, trying to change attitudes. You just got to get ready for the next game.

Q. In terms of getting ready, does he bite on you a little bit? Does he change his demeanor at all?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I don't think so. I think it's been pretty much the same. I think like what I've been trying to do, you know, what he's been doing with the team, just getting everyone looking forward and not looking in the past, that demeanor, just forgetting about what's happening and move on.

Q. Before this week, had you ever heard of the megaphone trophy?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Yeah, from last year, I don't know. I don't know what type of trophy it is. We play for a megaphone, I guess.

Q. You talked before the season about how you watch some of the stuff on TV, gets your blood boiling a little bit. Last season's game with Michigan State, the flag planting.
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I knew that one was going to come up. I'm just getting ready for the game.

Q. How much do you use something like that when it's an opponent that's doing it?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I mean, tough when something like that happens. I think under the circumstances, we are just trying to look forward, not looking in the past, whether it be Michigan, what happened with that, you look forward to get ready for the game.
I don't want any bulletin board material. I'm working on fundamentals, looking at film. Techniques and fundamentals, that's what I'm looking for.

Q. How much scout team work did you get like your freshman year?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I was strictly on scout team my freshman year.

Q. What kind of mentality do you take when you're out there on a scout team? What are you trying to gain?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: For me it was a new position, playing safety, from being a quarterback in high school. I was just trying to work on fundamentals and techniques, footwork, just the small things like reading your keys. Also you keep in mind you're trying to give the best look possible for the guys that are playing, getting ready for a game. You look at film a little bit on what the other team's doing, on what that position -- what they like to do in different coverages, try to do the best you can to give them a good look.

Q. Is it a different routine for the scout guys versus the number ones?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Yeah, it definitely is. You're pretty much just looking at a card. When I was on scout team, you kind of look at a card, play off of what the card is. You're getting ready for a game as a starter, you got to look at all your checks, what they like to do in different situations so you're just not looking at a card.

Q. Can you explain 'the card'?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: It's drawing up pretty much what you're supposed to do. You get in the huddle, there's not really a call made. You just kind of look at a card and see what you're running, whether it's cover four, man-to-man.

Q. Is this a week where you want Saturday to get here? After last week, is it nice to have the extra days?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Really, Tuesday kind of gets the taste out of your mouth when you get on the practice field. Your mind is just concentrated on the game plan, getting ready. You definitely want to get back on the field and show what the team's made of, really prove ourselves to everyone.

Q. Did you see The Observer today?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: No.

Q. They have a question of the day. If you could change your name to anything, what would it be? This girl says Brady Zbikowski, it's the best of both worlds, ignoring the fact I'm a girl. Any reaction to that?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I haven't taken a look at it. I don't know what to say to that one.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone. We'll have Brady up in about the next 10 minutes or so.
We have Brady Quinn here now. We'll start with questions.

Q. Before this season started, I remember you talking about Coach Weis, how he always kind of has an outgoing public persona it. It rubbed off a little on you. When you see him on TV, talk shows, do you stop and listen or does it get to be so familiar you don't notice any more?
BRADY QUINN: I always stop and listen. It's funny. For some reason, like you said, you obviously see him a lot on TV, on different things, whether he's talking, it's a clip from before. For some reason, it's always fun to sit back, listen to him talk. Sometimes that's sometimes the thing he's telling the team, sometimes it's not. Sometimes he's trying to get a point across.
You can learn a lot about the way he deals with the media, other things outside the football program.

Q. Do you think he does a pretty good job when you see him critique his performance?
BRADY QUINN: Yeah, I'd say so. I think he obviously has got that whole Jersey type attitude about it, which is different from me. You don't see him smile too often when he's on. I guess that's my one bit of advice, smile more when he's talking. Other than that, I think he does a pretty good job.

Q. Would you be impressed if you were a high school kid, would it draw you in?
BRADY QUINN: Definitely. I think when you sit down and have a conversation with him, you notice that right away, obviously how easy he is to talk to about a lot of things. He seems like maybe a hard person to talk to. Once meet him in person, you start to realize that. The more exposure he's gotten to the media, you see he's a lot easier person to talk to than it may seem at times.

Q. You and Chinedum have known each other a long time. How is it different being a roommate versus a teammate with him?
BRADY QUINN: I guess you're obviously kind of similar in the different goals you try to obtain on the football, what you want to get done, when you're working out. Off the field, it's a little bit different. He has his way of doing things, I have my way, which can be good at times. Obviously at other times, you kind of butt heads. Possibly he's the most messy kid in the entire world, or just his different eating habits as opposed to mine, or if he's using your deodorant, that can become another problem. There's a lot of things that you don't necessarily overlap between the two. He's great. He's fun to be on the same team with, but even better as a roommate.

Q. Do you like going against him in practice? Is that fun because you know each other so well?
BRADY QUINN: Yeah. I think it's even better because when you do get home at night, it's not like it ends there. You can say something to him. I might make him mad. Maybe he stays up another half hour before he falls asleep because you bothered him a little bit. It's obviously fun to be able to have football continue on a little bit with him off the field.

Q. Does that carry over to your darts and pool?
BRADY QUINN: There's no competition there. He knows he takes his beating. He'll throw up the white flag, he'll be done.

Q. How influential was he in making your choice here, visiting his brother?
BRADY QUINN: I think it played a role in the fact that I really was exposed to the university and everything around it. I got to see the side of Notre Dame that maybe not everyone gets to see, all the excitement around it, all the spirit that really lives within this university, on this campus. I was able to get great exposure through his family. Obviously, him coming here was an added bonus. At the same point in time, I realized I wanted to go to a place that obviously was the best situation for me. It ended up being Notre Dame.

Q. He recounts a story where a few years back you came here in high school, went out to a party, tried to impress the ladies. Can you recount that for us?
BRADY QUINN: Yeah, it was unsuccessful. We were a little younger at the time, trying to pose as recruits. Obviously, we looked pretty young. That didn't work out too well. We got the courage to talk to a couple girls. I guess it wasn't all bad.

Q. Is that kind of ironic, given who you are now, all the exposure you have?
BRADY QUINN: I guess. It's weird to kind of put yourself in their shoes, eventually end up being that guy that you were trying to say you were that night. It's funny. It's good to look back on something like that and kind of just sit back and laugh at the experiences you had at this university.

Q. Is it going to be different next year if you are in a different city, which is fairly likely?
BRADY QUINN: Yeah. Obviously since he's come to Dublin, we pretty much grew up together, through high school, even coming to college together. It's going to be weird to think about not playing on the same team as him, really lining up across the field from him one day in a game, whatever situation it is.

Q. Last year Michigan State did give up 41 points to you guys. When you look at their defense on film, what's the biggest difference you notice?
BRADY QUINN: I don't know. I mean, we know they're going to do a variety of things as far as coverages, blitzes, things such as that. When you look at their team, they obviously have a lot of athleticism, a lot of talent. They have a lot of guys returning as well. That poses a pretty big threat for you really coming into this game.

Q. Were you shocked last week with the way things transpired or have you been around football long enough to know that a game like that can happen even at the level that you guys have reached?
BRADY QUINN: Obviously I've been around football a while. You realize things. Anything is possible, anything can happen. That right now is behind us. We're moving forward, moving on. It's just like win or loss, you got to move on, you got to handle things the same, move forward.

Q. Did you offensively benefit a little bit from the element of surprise last year and are defenses catching up a little bit? How do you look at that?
BRADY QUINN: I don't look at it as that. Again, I've said this before, I think our offense is still trying to find its personality, who it is as an offense. I think we've got some different guys in some different positions. Obviously I think throughout the year you end up trying to figure out what kind of offense you're going to end up having, what kind of mold you're going to fit in, what is your go-to type of deal. Right now I don't think our offense has found what exactly that is.

Q. Was there at any point during the game where you thought, There goes the Heisman Trophy?
BRADY QUINN: No. Really, again, it's easy for me to sit here and talk about things like that because they don't really enter into my mind. We're so programmed to look at what's in front of us, the immediate future. Even as far as today's practice, not Michigan State, as far as the different goals and objectives we're trying to accomplish, or even smaller than that, just one play at a time. We talked about that a lot last year. I think that's something that still rings true. It's something honestly engrained into us.
Tonight when I get back, I'll deal with things I need to get done tonight. I won't worry about tomorrow morning. I'll deal with that when I wake up in the morning.

Q. You talked about handling things the same way. Do you feel you handled this one the same way you handled other things in the past, other setbacks?
BRADY QUINN: I would say knowing the sense I've grown over the past three or four years, I've come to realize that you truly do have to treat those two things as the same.
I think when you're coming into this week, I think obviously I've worked with everything that's been thrown at us a lot better, mentally, physically, whatever it may be. I think I've adjusted better. Really engrained that into my head, treating things the same, moving forward.

Q. Have you had a one-on-one with Coach Weis about anything, talked things out, this is what we got to do?
BRADY QUINN: Yeah, yeah, I mean, definitely. We talked several times Sunday, Monday. We talk all the time. Obviously those sorts of things are going to come up in the conversations. The biggest thing is, like we said before, us moving forward, putting it behind us, starting clean. Really just getting into the kind of rhythm where we want to play the way we're capable of playing, really coming out there and putting enough points on the board to win.

Q. We've talked about different units putting the blame on themselves. When you hear that going on, what do you say as the captain, like to the offensive line?
BRADY QUINN: We're all a team. It does not matter what one individual does in a game. It all comes town to when we win or lose. When we win as, it's a team win. If we lose, it's a team loss. Really, you can't sit there and point out individuals for certain things here or there. There are so many different things that can happen during a point in time in the game where it could change the rest of the fate of the rest of the game. It's hard to really sit there and say you can point at one thing or another. Really it's all about the team.

Q. Did you go to your restaurant yet? It just opened.
BRADY QUINN: Yeah, I heard about that. Someone was saying about that today. I thought it was supposed to open Thursday or Friday. I'm going to have to jump the gun, get over there tonight.

Q. Talking about that role of being a captain. Tom said he didn't think his role had changed this week, he thought it might. Did you see anything so far this week?
BRADY QUINN: So far, I think the only difference is the fact you see a lot more guys looking to you. You see a lot more guys looking at you, Hey, how is he going to react? Things are going good in practice, let's watch him, see what happens the rest of practice. Let's see what his type of, I guess, energy is right now during practice.
I think you see a lot more guys looking to you, looking at you to see how you're going to treat certain situations. Hey, there's a mess-up there. How is he coming back from that?
I guess more than anything else, the focus has kind of narrowed to us. I'm not sure if Tom has noticed that, but I've definitely noticed that the past couple days.

Q. The experiences you've had through your years here, do you think that's helped you with this, not to be too high or too low when somebody is back bagging on you?
BRADY QUINN: Definitely. You get a lot of different mail, a lot of different emails. You can never really see it all or read it all. You can't take hold of a whole lot of it extremely seriously. You get a couple things. I've talked about it before. When you get emails and letters from guys who are in the military, people who are battling diseases and sick saying, Hey, keep your head up, when they're battling to live or die every day, it's kind of simple, it puts things in perspective. It makes you realize this is a game. It means a whole lot, we love it, but it's not as serious as fighting a war over in Iraq, really trying to decide whether or not you're going to live or die today.

Q. Specific examples, one that stood out?
BRADY QUINN: The funny thing, it's so numerous to this point that it's hard to pick out one in particular. I've talked to you guys about before, my cousin had cancer. She's obviously in remission, doing a lot better now. At the same point in time, I keep her in my prayers, people like that in my prayers. It's a continual thing. The more exposure you get, the more people are going to try to get in touch with you.

Q. The Michigan State defense, you were able to put points up on them last year. Is it a similar defense? Do you feel confident this will be a different game or maybe this can be your breakout game?
BRADY QUINN: Again, obviously you see a lot of similar faces from last year, a lot of guys returning, which poses a tough threat. A lot of time you have guys that are returning, another year of experience is going to bode for them pretty well.
Again, we're really right now just focusing on us and getting all our stuff down. We obviously have a lot of work to do. We're only halfway through the week. We can't focus a whole lot on all the problems that they bring to the table right now. We know they bring a lot of different looks, lots of different variations on blitzes and coverages. We have to prepare.

Q. Can Saturday night get here any quicker? After a game like Saturday, it's like Let's get out there to play. Then you have to wait till 8:00.
BRADY QUINN: It's funny. You can get that sense of feeling like, hey, you want that game, get back on the field and play again. At the same point in time, you have to sit back and realize you need to go through a process, a process where you kind of flush things out, start anew and really prepare yourself as best you can 'cause you don't want to just jump into something just to get in there and get it over with because then you're going to find yourself falling into the same problem you had before.
Right now we're, again, focusing on this certain task, this objective, and trying to get everything done the best we can today.

Q. What do you think was your watershed moment in college when everything kind of slowed down a little bit for you? Was there a game, a drive, that really kind of stood out in that respect?
BRADY QUINN: I like that you said, watershed. Wouldn't know anything about the band, would you? All right.
No, I mean, I don't know if there's necessarily a certain game even last season where I think things slowed down. I think my sophomore year, even I felt like towards the end of my freshman year, things truly started to slow down for me, not necessarily consistently as they do now or last year or I'd say towards the middle, end of my sophomore year. I guess things have really kind of been slow to me for a while. Obviously, you get a new offense coming into your junior year. Different things you're trying to work through this year with new personnel. More or less just things you work through as a quarterback in regards to personnel, just having to do with the fact there was a new offense last year than I'd say necessarily the pace of the game.

Q. When you're watching other college football games, are you able to tell quickly when a quarterback has kind of gotten to the point you're talking about, where things are slowing down? What really stands out to you that tells you that that quarterback has gotten there?
BRADY QUINN: It's funny because whenever you watch film, obviously you're going to try to watch the defense. You can't help but watch another quarterback. I think you're able to tell by just watching their progressions. You can see where a quarterback is kind of looking, what routs they run. It could be similar to yours. You're like, Hey, we do this, too. Wondering if he's seeing the same things I'm seeing. Obviously, if you're out there, if he's not making the right reads, similar play to yours, you can tell. Younger guy, maybe more veteran guys hitting a lot of his reads, doing well.

Q. Did you notice a lot of change, because it seems like a lot of people don't credit maybe the loss of Maurice last year as much.
BRADY QUINN: I think again it goes along with the same thing I've been saying. I think he was a great player. He did a lot for us. He's someone that obviously is going to excel exceptionally well in the future. Obviously he's going to have a great career.
I think saying we don't miss him obviously would be an understatement. That's not fair, that's not true at all. At the same point in time, we've got the ability with Rhema to fill a lot of his talents, to really kind of go a different direction with Rhema's game, what he brings to the table, or David Grimes, Chase Anastasio. I think there's a lot of different guys you can bring in to help replace his shoes. At the same point in time, bring I guess a different feel to how they play.

Q. You said guys maybe look to you more this week. You got to be conscious of that. Are you speaking veterans, younger guys? Is that everybody?
BRADY QUINN: I'd say everyone. I think there's even points in times when coaches are looking, how is he going to respond to this, how is he going to come out today. I think it's everyone, including the coaching staff.

Q. Some of the players talked yesterday about how this is kind of more of a week of simplification where you're trying to do a few things very well instead of doing a lot of things mediocre, Ryan Harris said. Do you see that in practice?
BRADY QUINN: Somewhat. We don't have everything complete right now. It's tough to sit there and say, you know, what is all being put on our shoulders as opposed to weeks before. Right now, I mean, it looks pretty similar to any other game plan we've had.

Q. The offensive line took a lot of responsibility for what happened last week. Everyone shares to that a certain extent. With a veteran group like that, being the offensive captain, do you try to encourage them this week? Do you let them figure it out on their own? What is your approach to that?
BRADY QUINN: I think you've got to give a lot of encouragement to them. The offensive line is a position that very rarely ever gets credit for what they do. They don't probably realize that all the time. It's like when nothing's been said to them, I'm sure they feel like, especially during good games, hey, I'm sure they would never say this, but why am I not getting a little recognized for this or that. Especially in times when something negative has happened, everyone starts kind of pointing the finger at them, it's got to be tough on them.
I think you have to give those guys encouragement. Every day they go out there, have one of the toughest positions in football. Any time you're physically giving your body up like that, play after play after play, you're asked to do it in an unselfish way for someone else, that's got to be the most tough job on the football field.
You got to encourage them. You got to make sure they realize they're appreciated because those guys work their butts off every day. You really can't give them enough thanks for what they do for this team.

Q. Michigan State, their safeties are 1-2 in tackles on that squad by a far margin. What did you see from those two guys? What is that indicative of when the safeties are so involved in making plays?
BRADY QUINN: The first thing you notice is obviously their size. Safeties for college football, whatever you want to call them, they're good sized. Great speed, athleticism. The second thing you notice is they're extremely aggressive. They obviously come up, fly up, make the tackle, run plays. Also they make a lot of tackles in the passing game.
Really, it just goes to show the type of attitude maybe they bring to the football field more than anything else 'cause those guys are all over the field constantly trying to make plays and do things for the team to help them win. I think you've got to give them credit for being 1-2 in tackles especially this early in the season.

Q. Coach Weis said he was stirred and not shaken. I wondered how that attitude has translated over into the meeting rooms, dealings with you in practice this week.
BRADY QUINN: That's funny. I obviously didn't hear him say that. Sounds like a James Bond type deal there. It's funny 'cause he's been extremely even-keeled and calm. It's weird, when I talk about trying to deal with wins, losses the same as you would anything else, I think I can kind of almost look at him and how he deals with things. There really isn't a whole lot of change.
I think what we do works. We just got to find a way of refining and fine-tuning everything we're doing offensively right now to get more out of ourselves, to make sure we're doing better on third down conversion, obviously in the turnover ratio, things of that nature.

Q. You talked about programming early in the press conference, how you're programmed to think a certain way. One thing Coach Weis allows you guys to do is to think about pro football, so forth. How often does that enter your mind? Do you ever think about, Am I impressing pro scouts?
BRADY QUINN: Never, to be honest with you. Coming into this year, it's funny, I thought I would think about that a lot more coming into this season. You get so wrapped up in everything that we're doing out there on the field, each individual play. This offense isn't something where you can just sit there and not be focused on the actual play itself or what the defense is doing with their coverage. You have to be honed into every point. If you're not, it's going to show, especially as a quarterback.
He talked about it a lot. I think more or less it just makes us realize certain things or realize how the pros do it, obviously what guys in the NFL do, what's allowed them to get to that level.
I think more than anything else, it helps give us a reference for where we need to be at as players. It hasn't been I don't think something that's distracted us at all.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone.

End of FastScripts...

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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 20, 2006

Brady Quinn

Tom Zbikowski