Super Bowl Quotes

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Quotes from the Super Bowl Wednesday:

-- Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp on the importance of making it into the Hall of Fame: "I never even thought about it. I mean, I'm just in my eighth season and I'm standing at the peak of that door that lets you into immortality with the great ones. To say you got a ring validates it all. That's what we search for all of our lives. I stand here today ready to go to practice and get my first."

-- Bucs coach Jon Gruden on what he sees when studying Oakland Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon: "Gannon is like a robot. He is like the Terminator. He has got a lot of different ways to destruct a defense - with his legs, with his arm, with his mind."

-- Bucs fullback Mike Alstott on the difference between a Raider and Buccaneer: "I don't know. They both have the skull and swords and all of that, but I know it's going to be a battle on Sunday."

-- Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson on his ability to survive in the NFL as long as he has: "I simply put it, don't learn the tricks of the trade, learn the trade. I wasn't ready to play as a rookie. Some guys are, and I knew I wasn't at the time. I said it's better to be prepared and have an opportunity than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. When I was a backup, I kept my mouth shut, not saying I need to play."

-- Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber on what someone would find inside the mind of defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin: "It would be a maze of Cover 2, 3, deep zone blitz-type schemes. It may be impossible to find your way around, but he understands himself and that's all I care about."

-- Raiders right tackle Lincoln Kennedy on how one can tell if owner Al Davis is happy: "After we win, he smiles. He always has a look of concern with a little smirk. He's concerned about the hurt players and next week's objective. Since the AFC championship game, he has been smiling because he's going back to the Super Bowl. He's just as much a part of what we do as the players are."

-- Raiders right guard Mo Collins on being at the Super Bowl: "They sure do try to distract us with all the interviews. I'd rather stay in a dark cave and prepare to play by myself."

-- Raiders wide receiver Jerry Rice on Joe Montana and his old San Francisco 49ers' teammates: "Guys like Joe Montana look at me like I'm crazy. They cannot believe that I'm still playing and the level I'm playing at. They call me "The Freak," and I don't know for what reason. I still bump into those guys and they tell me to keep going to represent the old guys. I have to still smile because I'm still living a dream that I started to pursue a long time ago."