Browns head coach Eric Mangini is impressed with Roddy White's play, as well as the mental and physical toughness that has been on display by the Falcons so far this season
On the first win of the season:
"It was great to get it. We've been in three close games and haven't been able to close them out, and to be able to close this one out was important. I think you go through steps with any team. The first one is being competitive, and the second one is learning how to win. That's an important step. You look at Atlanta, and they've been in close games, and they've pulled them out which I think is a testament to them."
On the Peyton Hillis:
"Peyton is a guy that I played against when I was in New York (coaching the Jets). He played for Denver and had a bunch of injuries and he got to play. He was tough to deal with. He was tough to deal with as a runner, and he was tough to deal with out of the backfield. When we had an opportunity to get him, that was something that we really wanted to do. I thought he had had versatility. He played on special teams, he plays fullback, he plays tailback and he's just a tough physical guy that loves football."
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On James Davis:**
"He had a chance to get some carries against Baltimore and unfortunately got a little dinged up. As that happened, Jerome Harrison was coming back from his injury and Payton's done the job that he's done. You know how it goes. It can change pretty quickly week-to-week in terms of how many carries you get or how many opportunities you have. The important thing for James is just to be ready when he gets them."
On Joshua Cribbs:
"Josh has done a really nice job developing as a wide receiver. That was something that as I came in last year, I felt like he could do. That was something that he was pretty raw at last year. He still had 20 catches. This year, he has gotten better. He runs his route at a much higher level, he understands the offense a lot better and he's been productive here early in the wide receiver position for us. That's one component of it. He'll be our kick returner, he'll be our punt returner, we use him some in Wildcat, so he's a busy guy for us."
On Roddy White:
"I think Roddy White is really good player. There's not much he can't do. I've seen him catch a short one and go for 90. I've seen him beat corners one-on-one and catch the fade. I've seen him catch under-thrown fades. What I loved is this is two years in a row now that after interceptions he stripped the ball out. To me, that shows his character. Talk about huge, huge plays. Those are huge plays. The other way he shows his character is the way that he blocks in the running game. For some receivers, especially as talented as he is, the running game is an afterthought. He is digging it out and that tells me from a head coach perspective, that he's a real team guy."
On toughness:
"I think that looking at the Falcons, they are sound. They are second in the NFL in time possession, which is outstanding. They average 37 carries a game. They are third in the NFL in giveaway-takeway ratio which is a huge statistic, and they have the seventh fewest penalties. That's good, solid, smart football. Combine that with all the things they can do on offense, defense and special teams, they're going to be in every single game. Every time you play them, you better buckle up, whether it's with Michael Turner, or Jason Snelling, or the offensive line. You have Roddy White, you have Tony Gonzalez, you have Michael Jenkins back, and Harry Douglas has done a nice job. Brian Finneran, who I feel like I've been defending for years and years, is about as consistent as you can get. They rotate through their defensive lineman, and there's a bunch of them. They play with tremendous effort defensively. Most of the time at the end of the play, you'll see four or five hats on the ball. That's a huge effort. That's intensity. That has nothing to do with ability. That's want-to. On special teams, whether it's Eric Weems and the type of returns he has. He plays much bigger than his size, and the consistency that they've had in coverage. I really like the style of football that the Falcons play and it pays off."
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On icing the kicker with timeouts:**
"That's a really tough question because you look really smart when he misses the second one, and you look really dumb when he kicks the second one. That's one of those things that I think you get evaluated after the timeout is called, as opposed to knowing exactly how it's going to go. I think year in and year out, you see both. You see it college football, you see it in professional football. I wish there was one patented answer there, but I don't think there is."
On Joe Thomas:
"One, he's very talented, and two, he is very consistent. That helps. He's going against, typically, the best pass rusher week in and week out. He'll have his hands full this week with John Abraham and the things John can do. John has such a great jump off the ball, he has a full compliment of moves, he's given tackle fits year in and year out. We'll have out hands full there. I've always respected and admired Joe's consistency and work ethic that he combines with his talent."
On the quarterback situation:
"We're going to see how it goes with Jake (Delhomme). He's going to take more reps today than he took last week. My experience with these injuries is it's not the day of, it's the day after. We're going to see with his increased workload here today is how he pulls up tomorrow. The other thing we have to evaluate through the week is can he do the things we ask him to do at a level that is right for us and right for him and not putting him in any situations where he's at a disadvantages. Seneca (Wallace) has one an outstanding job for us in the time that he's played. To have 100 quarterback rating against the Ravens' defense is pretty impressive. He's consistently moved the ball for us, he's made plays with his feet, so it's a positive situation from that perspective. We'll probably have a lot more information on Friday, as opposed to where we are right now."
