Here are a few minutes of what Marcus Howard said to me and a couple reporters after the game Tuesday...
On his sack that created the fumble-touchdown:
Full speed, I had a clear shot at him. I beat the tackle inside and it was just. That’s probably one of my favorite sacks I’ve ever had.
On their plan coming in:
Coach Martinez said, ‘Hit Colt Brennan.’ He made it a big statement, a big priority. He said, ‘If he ran the option, don’t fan out, just hit him. When he passes the ball, as long as it’s legal, hit him.’ And that’s what we did. Our priority was to hit Colt Brennan. That’s what the defense did.
On whether Colt Brennan talked any trash to him:
He said one thing one time and that’s what really got me hyped up. I had a good pressure and he had an incomplete pass, but it was an interference and he jumped in my face. I think that just triggered me and I just passed that emotion onto the defense.
On when that happened:
That was in the first quarter before the first sack. He just jumped in my face and went, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’ It just triggered me.
On how the defensive rotating helped him and the defense:
I’m fresh. I think our defense, really the coaching staff got us prepared. They ran us a lot, a whole lot. … I don’t think there’s one guy on that defense that’s sucking wind right now.
On how much he played in the fourth quarter:
I just played one series in the fourth quarter.
On what Hawaii's players said to him after the game:
They didn’t say nothing to me because I was up here, but I don’t know what they said to the other players, though.
On the significance of a defensive player winning the bowl MVP award:
It’s of great significance. It just shows that it’s not always about offense. Like we say, ‘Defense wins ballgames,’ and that’s what happened tonight.
On how his performance might help him as an NFL prospect:
I think it’s gonna help me a lot. I got an invite to the combine last week and that just made me come out here and play with no worries. I guess if I got an invite, someone’s looking at me. Like you said, everybody was just doubting me. I really took that to the heart and I tried to push that on down to the other D-ends.
Friday, January 04, 2008
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3 comments:
I remember when Marcus committed to UGA years ago...he passed on Clemson who wanted him,and his incredible speed,dearly.I'm glad he settled in at D-end and became a force there for the Dawgs.
We should all wish him well going to the next level.
Thanks for the memories,Marcus
David - Do you plan on writing an article on the seniors who have a chance to play in the NFL. It seems like this class has a lot of borderline players (Thomas Brown, Marcus Howard, Chester Adams, Kregg Lumpkin - doubtful after injury plagued season). I'm just curious on your thoughts on their chances of making an NFL roster next year.
I don't care how good or bad a player he is, character and ethics ought to be a prerequisite to being able to be successful in the NFL just like it is in most professions. Someone should check out his moral ineptitude before they offer him millions just because he excels at something physical.
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