49ers 34 - Packers 6: Postgame Quotes

First off, I wanted to lead with one of the most bizarre but great quotes of the season so far. At one point they were talking about how intense Justin Smith was, even to the media.  They then showed a picture and Eric Davis said, "That guy may have stolen a car."  I mentioned it in the game thread, but wanted to point it out one more time.  I just don't really know what to do with a great line like that.  Eric Davis may not be the best color guy, but he reeled me in with that one.

49ERS HEAD COACH MIKE NOLAN

On the win
“A win versus a good football team: I’m pleased with that. We do want to keep in perspective that it was a preseason game although preseason games are important, naturally, in the development of the offense, defense and special teams, and the cohesiveness of the group."

On the defensive performance
"...I thought we played very physical defensively. We had several turnovers in the game. Some of it was our causing, some of it was their mistakes. Nonetheless, those were important. We kept the yardage down."

On Ray McDonald and Justin Smith
"I saw several players make some plays but I know one player that caught my attention on some plays was Ray MacDonald. He’s working very well on the defense both on the base-downs and in the sub-package. He works closely with Justin Smith. The two of them are working together well as far as pass-rush situations, whether it’s on the outside or whether it’s the inside. They mix it up, both."

49ERS WR JOSH MORGAN

On scoring his first TD
"It really feels great. It’s a blessing from God. The cornerback tried to play me press and I beat him off the line. Our quarterback made a great throw. I just went up to get it."

On facing the Bears this week
“It’s football. That’s the way I look at it. It’s football no matter where you’re at. God put me here to play this sport. It’s football, so were going to play football just like we play at home.”

Editor's Note: Not only is he mastering the offense, he's also mastering the thanking of God and the cliches.  Just an all around talent!

49ERS OLB TULLY BANTA-CAIN

Comparing his performance this week versus last week against Oakland
“I think I improved a little bit [since] Oakland. I think I got more snaps than I did [in the first game]. As the fourth quarter came, I started getting a rhythm and getting a feel for the game, so I was able to make a couple of plays in the fourth quarter. I feel I improved a little bit, but I’ve got a long way to go.”

49ERS QB J.T O'SULLIVAN

On the gelling of the offense
“It is about everybody doing what they are supposed to do – trusting each other to be exactly where they’re supposed to be, especially the wide receivers. Trusting the offensive line to hold up and protect like they did tonight. And for us [QB’s] to put the ball exactly where it’s supposed to be. When all those things and the running game are jelling, it is going to be really fun to watch this offense.”

Alex Smith and Allen Rossum, as well as some Packers quotes, after the jump

49ERS KR/PR ALLEN ROSSUM

On his TD
“It feels great. I’ve got to tip my hat to the guys that were blocking for me. I think I was guilty of trying a little too hard in the beginning. The last one, I tried to relax. He had been giving me some good balls all day. I just followed my blocking as best as I could, and the rest is history . . .

“It just makes me excited every time I’m back there. I know how close we are. I know how good we could be. I just want to continue to work hard, securing every catch, securing the ball, then breaking tackles. It’s just doing my part, and not trying to do too much and just getting positive yards every time.”

49ERS QB ALEX SMITH

On his overall performance
“I think I did some things okay. But the things that stick out in my mind are a couple of missed opportunities. The long bomb to Josh Morgan and the high ball in the back of the end zone to Jason Hill.”

On if he can win the starting job
“I hope so. It is hard to tell. You’re asking the wrong guy. I think so from talking to Coach Nolan. They talked about going into the third preseason game and battling it out until then. I just hope I get the opportunity to start.”

On his comfort level with the offense
“It’s getting there. Just with time and the reps, going over the playbook, trying to understand what we’re trying to get out of the plays and what we are trying to do, the better I will get. So absolutely, I’m feeling more comfortable.”

GREEN BAY PACKERS
McCarthy on the protection breakdown: “Protection wasn’t very good. They pushed in the pocket consistently. Really it was something that happened throughout the game and I thought the 49ers played at a higher level than us.”

LB Brandon Chillar on O'Sullivan: “I think he made some good throws. He had some good timing throws. He threw the ball right--when Vernon Davis caught it he threw it right when he turned around so I would say he had good timing.”

WR Donald Driver on the offense: “Awful. Awful, awful, awful. I don’t think we played well. From last week we felt like we had a little spark coming into this week. But, as an offense, we didn’t play well.”

QB Aaron Rodgers on the Packers' performance: “It was a step backwards tonight. We didn’t get into any kind of rhythm. We made too many mistakes. For one thing, I held the ball too long at times and made some poor decisions. Their defense presents multiple fronts. They posed quite a challenge. Frankly, we didn’t play or adjust well to what they did.”