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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

December 1, 2008

Joe Haden

CHUCK DUNLAP: We'll start things off with Joe Haden. Joe, if you want to just start us off with some thoughts on the upcoming championship game against Alabama and then we'll take a couple questions.
JOE HADEN: Basically I thought coming in with a real strong offensive line. That's their main thing, and their running game. So our defensive line and linebackers will be up for the challenge. They have a really good passing game, too, with talented receivers, so defending that, we'll have to come to play, also.

Q. Joe, you guys have been able to get off to unbelievably quick starts this year. Alabama has been the same way. How important do you think it is for this game?
JOE HADEN: It's going to be real big to get off to a good start. That's what we've been thriving on, just coming out and playing our hardest at the beginning of the game. That kind of sometimes takes the life out of the other team, so basically you want to come out and keep doing what we've been doing, executing, playing hard defense, getting the ball from the defense to the offense, just keep exploding, keep them from putting up points and scoring high like they do. So that's going to be real key for us.

Q. Alabama is undefeated, No. 1 in the country, and it seems like for the last three weeks everybody has been saying you're going to the national title game. If you were Alabama, would you use that as fuel to motivate you?
JOE HADEN: If I was Alabama I definitely would, all the talk about us being in the National Championship game. They're still the undefeated team, still have not lost a game yet. If I was them, I would definitely use that as fuel.

Q. Can you just talk about the difference in this year's defense compared to last year? I know last year you got beat up at the end of the year and gave up over 40 points to Georgia and then to Michigan. What has been the difference this year?
JOE HADEN: The difference this year is mainly in experience. Last year we had a lot of young players, but this year we still have a lot of young players, but just going through the spring, going through that whole season together, learning what's going on and learning defenses, we'd be out there playing, knowing what's really going on. That's the main thing.
And then our team is just gelling together, like everybody wants to have one common goal. Last year we weren't really as tight as we could be. This year basically it's experience and having leadership like Spikes and myself and Major Wright, we're just trying to be leaders for the younger players. Like I'm trying to teach them everything I know, and you see how that's going. Everybody knows what's going on with experience and everybody is trying to get to one common goal.

Q. What was the one difference in the Ole Miss game, because defense has been playing lights-out except for in that one game. What happened in that game that you were able to correct since then?
JOE HADEN: I think we came out a little lackadaisical. We didn't come out as explosive as we should have, and we just didn't really like put the pedal to the metal like we should have. We came out there a little lackadaisical. That's the one thing we're trying to do is come out the first quarter and just go as hard as we can and keep it going for the rest of the game. So that's the main thing we're going to do, coming out with intensity and starting the game off.

Q. You had talked a little bit about Alabama's passing game and how they have a pretty good passing game as well as their rushing attack. I don't know how much you've seen of them on film so far, but what sticks out about John Parker Wilson, their quarterback? What impresses you and what have you noticed?
JOE HADEN: The thing that impresses me the most is when he does get out of the pocket, he'll stay behind the line of scrimmage and let his receivers just keep working around, and sometime the DBs will come up like he already passed the line of scrimmage and he'll make plays like that. That's one thing that I'll really watch about him is he knows exactly where the line of scrimmage is and he waits until the last second to make a decision.

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