Quotes from the Advertiser on 12/30

With an 88-page special on the Warriors in the 12/30 Advertiser, there is NO WAY that I can archive all of the quotes. Especially when I have spent 26+ hours traveling in the last few days and need some sleep. So, I'll do the best I can until I fall asleep.

About the 6am wake-up call for their 7:30am practice, JJ said:
"We're on schedule. It's just like normal, isn't it?" (HA)

HA Note: "The Warriors usually prepare by the dawn's early light for home practices. The thing is, the Warriors are in New Orleans getting ready for Tuesday's Sugar Bowl, and they started practice at what was 3:30 a.m. Hawai'i time."

About their early practice time, Kealoha Pilares said:
"It's too early. My girlfriend called to wake me." (HA)

HA Note: "The players boarded three buses at 7 a.m. Central time for the 15-minute drive from the hotel to the New Orleans Saints' practice facility in Metairie, La. Many slept on the bus ride. Many sleep-walked the chilly 60 yards from the parking lot to the facility's entrance."

About being tired at the start of practice, Tyler said:
"I'm a little tired. We have to take care of business. Then we can go back to sleep." (HA)

HA Note: "The first two nights in New Orleans, Jones did not impose a curfew. Since Friday, the evenings have been filled with meetings and video sessions."

About their busy schedule preparing for the game, GM said:
"We're tuned in right now. We're on game schedule. We met until 10:30 (Friday) night, and bed check was at 11. We're keeping them pretty busy, which keeps the coaches pretty busy." (HA)

HA Note: "Quarterback Colt Brennan said the early practices are "not bad." Brennan left Honolulu last Sunday to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with his family at his grandmother's house in Aspen, Colo. He rejoined the team Wednesday."

About how his days in Colorado before going to New Orleans helped him adjust to the different time, Colt said:
"The extra days helped get me acclimated. I haven't been on Hawai'i time for a while." (HA)

About the practice time, Tyler said:
"We can't complain. We came out here to play football. We didn't come out here to have fun or to sleep all day. We've got to do what we've got to do. It's still hard (to awaken early), but we have to suck it up." (HA)

Praising Jason Rivers, JJ said:
"Jason is going to make it in the NFL." (HA)

HA Note: "In a briefing with the Fox television crew, Jones emphasized how left wideout Jason Rivers is one of the smartest receivers he has ever coached. Later, Jones praised Rivers' ability to recognize defenses and find openings."

About how he ran a 4.45 40-yard dash in team testing last April, Rivers said:
"I keep hearing people tell me that's good for my size. I never want to stop trying to get better." (HA)

About how he wants to break the 4.4 barrier, Rivers said:
"If I can get a high 4.3, I'll be happy with that." (HA)

JJ said that a fast 40 time is:
"key for Jason. Hopefully, he'll run in the 4.4s. He's very smart. He's a good ballplayer." (HA)

About how he doesn't worry about getting hit when the ball is thrown to him in traffic, Rivers said:
"You can't think about getting hit. You have to focus on making the catch." (HA)

About how he ran a similar offense in high school (St. Louis), Rivers said:
"I've had a lot of repetition after years and years in this offense. I think I have an understanding where I need to be and knowing where the open spots are going to be in the defense. That's the key. To find the open spot within your route." (HA)

About how he has perfected the art of catching the ball with his hands, Rivers said:
"I learned that in high school. For the longest time, I never wore gloves. I caught everything without gloves. My junior year of high school, I started wearing gloves. It helped. With gloves, it's even easier to catch the ball." (HA)

About how he cannot play in the Sugar Bowl, Keao Monteilh said:
"The doctor said it's not really the best choice to play. The doctor said it's not 100 percent. It's 75, 80 percent. The doctor said there's no rush. I've got another year to play. They told me not to worry about it, and have fun in New Orleans." (HA)

About Colt's development in their offense, JJ said:
"Colt led the nation in passing as a sophomore and he really didn't know what he was doing. He could always make all the throws, but now he knows so much more about defenses and decision-making." (HA)

When Colt decided to stay with the Warriors, he said:
"I've been a part of something special these last few years ... I like the person I'm becoming in Hawai'i." (HA)

About Colt coming back for his senior year, Bess said:
"It meant a lot and I'm just happy that he got what he wanted and that was the season we had this year. Now we got one more to go." (HA)

About Colt's accuracy, Bess said:
"He's a great passer. His accuracy is off-the-chart; it gives receivers the opportunity to catch a lot of balls. We don't have to worry about making circus catches or diving for balls because he's so accurate, he puts it right on you." (HA)

About how last year's success made them hungrier this year, Colt said:
"It was pretty amazing what we accomplished last year, but we came out hungrier this season. Once we got that taste of winning, we didn't want to let it get away." (HA)

About how his WAC Offensive Player of the Year award really belonged to the team, Colt said:
"It was a great honor, but it was thanks in large part, to the year we had. I didn't play in two games and we still got the job done. That's what I'm most proud of." (HA)

About their comeback wins, Bess said:
"It showed that this team don't give up. We've been fortunate to come out of this undefeated, but our biggest game is ahead of us. We had a lot of confidence even when we were losing late, but with him leading us, we know we can win." (HA)

About how he'd prefer a Sugar Bowl win over the Heisman Trophy, Colt said:
"With all of the negative talk by so many analysts, and everybody out there so quick to try and dog us, if we go out and beat Georgia and have a great game and win that bowl game, it'll be bigger than the Heisman Trophy." (HA)

Praising Colt, Georgia coach Mark Richt said:
"If he (Brennan) was inserted into certain (SEC) teams that might have struggled at the position, he would have won them a championship. The guy is a great quarterback.'' (HA)

About why Colt is special and how that goes beyond just stats, Richt said:
"Sometimes, you might have a guy who throws it 60 times a game, and yeah, he'll get big yards and touchdowns. But you watch (Brennan), and he's pin-point accurate, tough as can be, and he knows exactly what to do with the ball in that system.'' (HA)

A little envious at how many times Colt gets to throw the ball, Georgia QB Matthew Stafford said:
"It is definitely pretty cool. It's definitely got to be a fun one for a quarterback to play in. I watched the Boise State and San Jose games, and they have a lot of fun and play with energy.'' (HA)

Praising Colt, Georgia safety Kelin Johnson said:
"He's just an unbelievable player. He's a great thrower and he can read defenses.'' (HA)

About how UH's OL makes Colt more dangerous, Johnson said:
"He has a lot of time in the pocket, and that says a lot about his offensive line. They let him sit back there and he can do whatever he wants.'' (HA)