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Football Quotes
"I don't want to sit here and collect a paycheck. I
want to earn every penny of that damn money. I want
to catch for over a thousand yards. I want to catch
70 balls. I want to have eight or 10 touchdowns. But
most of all I want to win. I want to go to the
playoffs. I've been to the Super Bowl. It is horrible
losing that game. You get that taste and you want to
do it again, only take it one more step. The thought
of being the best on that one night or for one year
keeps me motoring."
--Dwight commenting on his $15 million, five year
contract,the expectations that go along with that
kind of money, and his goals for both himself and the
Chargers in future seasons.
"I think it's crucial as a wide receiver to always
get into your quarterback's head, to see what he's
like, to see what he can handle joking around, to see
what he can handle being serious. I want to know what
he's thinking all the time because then I can get open
or do something to get the other wide receivers open."
--Dwight commenting on the relationship between
quarterbacks and wide receivers.
"I don't think I'm as reckless as I used to be in
college, I do things a lot smarter. But I'm not
really scared of anybody. I mean, you're going to
get hit in football, that's just the way it is. And
that's something I always tell people, that hey, it's
a physical game, and you have to be just as physical.
And when you're my size you have to be a little bit
more."
"Jerry Rice shows you don't have to have 4.3
or 4.4 speed to get open. There's probably only
a few receivers in the league who have legitimate
4.4 speed. Rice has never been lower than 4.6 and
he's one of the best receivers who's ever played
the game."
--Dwight talking about how technique is just as
important as speed when playing wide receiver.
"I've slowed down a lot. You don't have to be fast
to get open; you've got to be smart. I'll be in the
slot a lot more, and I've learned you've got to be
more in control. I've tried to harness my speed."
"They didn't use me too much. I think the injury
against the New York Jets set me back a little bit.
I missed four games in midseason just when they were
starting to put me more in the offense and I was
doing more things. When I came back, I did the best
I could to get back into the offense. They did use
me in the playoffs and the Super Bowl."
--talking about his sitauation with the Falcons
in 1998.
"It motivates me. I've tried not to change because
everyone's like, 'Tim, you're going to play more
wide receiver this season; are you still going to
be the same guy returning kicks?' I'm like, 'What
are you talking about? Of course I am'..."
--commenting on speculation that Tim will be more
careful this season as a kick returner due to the
fact he's going to see more time at receiver.
"I want the ball more this year. My main goal is
to make some plays. I want to find a role in this
offense."
--commenting prior to the 1999 regular season.
"This is my dream. You don't know how special this
is. (Falcons defensive coordinator) Rich Brooks has
kidded about me playing cornerback someday. I don't
know about that. But if they want me to play left
guard and pull for Jamal Anderson, I'm all up for
it. I'm definitely cutting the guy, though."
"With me, I have to be aggressive. If I get hurt,
I'm doing it the way I'm playing, not because I'm
jackin' around and not playing hard. If I get hurt,
it's the way I play and if I never play again I
just want to know I left everything on the football
field."
"I like laying blocks. I enjoy running the ball
back as much as anybody, but it's also fun to blow
somebody up."
"Football is played with blood and guts, pride,
heart and courage. So until you come lift the
weights, watch the films and take the heat, keep
your mouth shut."
--responding to the media's criticism of the Iowa
Hawkeyes in 1997.
"That's the way I think you should play football;
with all your heart, all your emotion, and just
leave it all on the field. No matter if you're
280 lbs. or you're 180 lbs., you should play the
same way."
"A returner has to make a difference, and that's
what I try to do. That's why I play the way I
play. You've got to give 100% out there, because
if you don't, nothing's going to happen."
"That’s great, but it reflects our kickoff
return team. Those guys are laying great blocks
up there, and all I had to do was run through the
holes."
--commenting on his record for kickoff return
average in Superbowl XXXIII
"Special teams kind of set the tone, saying, ‘We
came here to do everything possible to win this
game.’"
--referring to the Falcons upset victory over
the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship
Game
"People aren’t too worried about me. They think
they can break my bones."
--speaking about his small stature
"When I’m sitting in the huddle, sometimes I
look up and say, ‘Hey, I’m the smallest guy on
the field.’ But when I’m returning, I don’t
notice it at all. If I did, I’d be kind of
scared."
"From the Sun Bowl to the Super Bowl. It’s
impossible to fathom. From the Sun Bowl to the
Super Bowl."
--referring to the fact that Tim played in the
Sun Bowl with the Iowa Hawkeyes in 1997, and
just more than one year later was playing in
the Super Bowl as a member of the Atlanta
Falcons
 
"I just loved it. I love puting my leg up
before the snap. I love pointing out the
linebackers and stuff."
--talking about lining up in the single wing QB
formation in the NFC Championship against the
Minnesota Vikings
Track Quotes
"This tops off a great track career. I'm proud
to be a part of this track program."
--speaking after the Big Ten Championships in
1999, in which he won three events (100 meter
dash, 4x400 meter relay, 4x100 meter relay), and
brought home a second in another (200 meter dash),
and was consequently named MVP of the meet
"The rain didn't really affect me. Running in the
4x100 just before this race, I was used to the
conditions. With playing football in Iowa and
running track, you have to expect the unexpected.
I was happy with my performance, despite the rain. "
--speaking more about the Big Ten Championships
"There's something about track. It's not just
running workouts, which is torture, or running
meets. It's getting to the point where you're so
in control of your speed that you can just relax
in a race. And then you're not running, you're
floating. I love that feeling."
"Track is something that I've always done. I
know if I didn't do it, I'd kick myself in the
ass when I look back on it when I'm 50 years
old."
"I was telling Coach (Wieczorek), I wonder what
it would be like had I just gone out for track
and not football. Where would I stand against
these guys? It would have been interesting."
"I can’t wait to get on the track. The Drake
Relays is something I’ve always liked to do."
"I wouldn’t let a couple thousand (dollars)
keep me from running on the team. I enjoy
being a member of the team and being with
the guys."
--commenting on the endorsements the NCAA
looked into before letting him run at Iowa
after playing a year in the NFL
Miscellaneous Quotes
"I use yoga one for flexibility, two for strengthening,
and three for peace of mind. Any time I find something
that kicks my butt both mentally and physically, I’m
hooked on it."
"On the field, your focus can be shifted. If you can
challenge yourself off the field in more ways -- like
using yoga, Pilates, and maybe even a board game --
to keep your mind focused on what you have to do, it’s
going to help out. With yoga, I go into a room with a
mat, don’t use any weights, and still get my butt
kicked. What more could you ask for?"
--Dwight talking about his use of yoga which started a
few years ago, its importance, and how it translates
into success on the football field.
"It was nice knowing that I could perform at that
type of level and stage. It was great to go out
there and do something for the team and come up with
a big play."
--talking about his performance in the Super Bowl.
"It was definitely different with Dan Reeves,
coming in and actually playing the dream, the
game you want to play, and at the level you
want to play. They give you a couple years to
get ready in college; but when you're in the NFL,
you have to be ready right away. They're both
similar coaches in the sense that they both expect
a lot from their players."
--Dwight comparing Dan Reeves to Hayden Fry.
 
"Look at me. I'm a shrimp. So what's wrong with
that? Work hard. Keep on dreaming..."
"I don't think I'm an underdog against anybody.
You've got to have self-confidence no matter who
you are going against."
"I can't get away from being a bird. I don't
know what it is."
--joking about the fact that didn't play
for a team that didn't have a bird for a team
mascot until he went to San Diego.
  
City High Iowa Atlanta
Little Hawks Hawkeyes Falcons
"People say, 'Aren't you ever sick of signing
autographs?' Listen, those people are just
showing appreciation for an Iowan doing some
things on the football field and coming home."
"It kind of reflects my attitude towards
football – hard worker, tough, rugged,
durable."
--commeting on his barbed wire tattoo on his
left arm
"I’m kind of a rule breaker."
"If everybody listened to everybody else, this
world would be boring. You wouldn’t have any
heroes. I’m not saying I’m a hero, but if I
listened, I wouldn’t have played college
football. People keep reminding me and you get
tired of it and then you want to fight. When
I’m walking around, guys crack on me. They have
to make themselves feel good that they’re
genetically inclined."
"I just have to be careful. My insurance won’t
cover me if I get killed, so I just have to make
sure I don’t get killed."
"Not making a mistake. That’s the perfect game
when you think of the perfect game, and that’s
something I try to do all the time. Not being
tackled, making guys miss, being correct on
every assignment, catching every football,
making positive yardage and making one or two
big plays."
"I’m just trying to be low key as I’ve always
tried to be. Just because I played in some bowl
game doesn’t mean that I’m better than anybody
else or even better than I was. I’m just trying
to be myself and have fun with it. I think that’s
what you have to do."
"...I had a feeling that he was going to resign,
so I was hoping he’d win that last Minnesota game.
I was hoping they’d win his last game, so he’d go
out a winner."
–-talking about Hayden Fry’s last game at
the University of Iowa
"(Hayden's) just got a charisma about him that
makes him likeable, and he can relate to people.
He's the type of coach who loves his players. Any
time we said something was wrong, he'd change it
for us. He makes you realize that you're more than
just a football player, you're a person. Any time
you get a coach like that, you love to play for
him."
--speaking about playing for Hayden Fry from
1994-1997
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