On Chris Samuels (OT, #60) making the Pro Bowl:
"When I called him on the phone to tell him, his first comment was about other guys on the team. Chris certainly deserves it. I have great respect for Chris from the standpoint that he signed his deal a couple of years ago and has done nothing but give us everything he has got. He has played times when he is knicked and everything else. He has had an outstanding year this year. It is great to see him get it."
On the match-up between Chris Samuels (OT, #60) and Rams defensive end Leonard Little:
"I think he has eleven sacks and you don't ever like a match-up with someone like that. Chris is a good athlete himself. That is what makes him unusual. With your left tackles you pride yourself on having an athletic one and certainly we do. He can really run plus he is just a complete player. He is very important to us from a leadership standpoint. If you hear him out there at practice he is always having fun and joking with someone. He gets everyone going. The chemistry aspects of a football team are real important. You have people that just add something extra and he is one of those."
On the Rams philosophy and how much different it is now with the new coach than it was in the past:
"Certainly, they have had high production. They have had that because they have great offensive players. I can't talk about their philosophy and exactly trying to match it up with the past. I remember a pre-season game there and some other games where they really went after us. I think we were fortunate last year when they were starting a rookie quarterback. It is a totally different team now. On their defensive line, they put (La'Roi) Glover in there and that made a huge difference. They have real good corners. They are two of the best that we will play all year. On offense, their quarterback, running back and receivers it seems like they have always had them. They are very productive. It will be hard for us again to match-up with two good offenses in a row."
On the offensive line:
"I said this when I started the year out and I believe it now, they are one of the strengths of our team. The group has great chemistry and like being around each other. You hear them joking and fooling around with each other in practice. It was great seeing Todd (Wade, OL, #74) jump in there and have a real good day. Mike Pucillo (OL, #62) has done a lot for us. We actually have a lot of guys that have contributed. Mike has played a lot of tight end stuff in short yardage. For us that is one of the strengths of our team. Over the last four weeks with what Ladell (Betts, RB, #46) has done it is what we would like to be on offense. We would like to start with a real strong running game and then make plays."
On what the reason for the success of the offensive line is:
"It is just that group and Ladell (Betts, RB, #46). The tight ends are a big part of it and the receivers are blocking. They kind of got together and said this is what we want to try and do. They told us what they liked. We listened to them and what they had to say four or five weeks ago."
On if it is a point of emphasis in turning the field goals into touchdowns:
"We certainly still have a long way to go as far as scoring points. We are not scoring the points we want to score. We have shown that we can drive the ball distances. The red area has been a major concern for us. Thank God Shaun (Suisham, K, #6) is kicking field goals for us down there. To be truthful we need touchdowns. You need more touchdowns playing good football teams, particularly good offensive football teams like St. Louis is. That is probably highlighted number one on our list, find a way for someone to make plays down there and get into the end zone whether it is running it or throwing it."
