Hines Ward on LP Field, Fisher and Finnegan

Great Stuff!

(on LP Field’s ranking among the loudest places to play)

It is right up there. Their fan base is tremendous down there. It gets loud on the field. It is something that we are going to work with with the crowd noise because every time we go down there it is something that we have to work on because it can be a factor if you sit there and don’t take advantage of the opportunities you got down there. Their fans get behind that team. Coach Fisher has been there for the longest [current NFL tenure]; I remember coming in and playing in Nashville at the Vanderbilt old stadium he was still there. I love everything about Coach Fisher and everything he means to that team and organization. Every time we play them, I always give him a handshake and pat him on the butt, but he is a great coach and those fans really believe in him, the team and what he’s doing, so it is a tough place to play at.

(on if he thinks that a coach’s message can become ineffective with a team if he’s there too long)

No, when you buy into a system and stuff—there are only so many motivational speeches you can do. It’s all about preparation. Coach Tomlin did it the same way, when he first got here he gave us all these speeches and now he’s kind of backed off from them now that he’s been here for a while and knows his team and what not. You have to adjust to your team. I think Coach Fisher knows the type of team, knows the type of players that he brings into the organization. So he doesn’t really have to give a lot of motivational speeches because he knows the type of guys he brings onto this team.

(on Cortland Finnegan)

I love everything about Cortland, his little tenacious defense. He is always going after guys in run block or passing and whatever. I remember the one game we played down there, I scored a touchdown and he laid a pretty good hit on me. He is a little feisty guy. I like him because he plays with a chip on his shoulder, a young guy with great talent, coming out of a small school trying to prove himself. You can see that each and every week he gets out on the field. It is always a tough challenge going against Cortland.

(on if there are similarities to his game and Finnegan’s game)

Yes. He has a little nastiness, a little dog in him. I like that. Every time I watch him, I kind of smile. We are still competitors. We are going to go out there and compete and at the end of the game shake hands and wish each other good luck and go on about our business.

(on whether Finnegan does a lot of talking on the field)

Not to me. We don’t trash talk each other. The respect factor is there. Like I said, I just love the way he plays the game. He doesn’t take a lot of stuff from a lot of people. You like that in a guy.