As far as the bowl games, I don't think the players really play for that. Not at USC.

I'm not naive.

You don't win championships by having the cheapest budget.

People's perception changes so fast. You win, and people say, 'Well, he had all of those sanctions at USC, and that's why he lost.' You lose, and, 'OK, he's a bad head coach, and he's just a good play-caller wherever he has been.'

I don't think you've done something by getting a job. I think you've done something by proving you can succeed at that job.

In college I was so mad I wasn't playing. The two guys in front of me were Billy Volek and David Carr, but I just realized that was a blessing in disguise, that I was so bad and I never played, so my brain's good.

To be able to go through what I've gone through and still be fortunate before the age of 40 to still be here to be offensive coordinator with Coach Saban at Alabama, you take some time to reflect on that.

We aspire to be like Jim Harbaugh. No, seriously, he does a great job.

When you're a sports figure and people dislike you, they're going to look for the negatives.

I make mistakes, and sometimes in split seconds. Then seconds later I know how wrong I was.

I think I was 24 when I went to USC with Pete Carroll. Pete believed in people and never worried about their age. I learned that from him.

You have to be yourself. You can't pretend to be somebody else.

I guess I should say I like to do things that people say you can't do.

Winning changes the perception of what you do, and whether it's a positive or a negative, even though it's the exact same thing.

I always try to find better ways to do things. Whether it's a game plan, a practice, a meeting, an interview, whatever it is. I'm going to find a way to find a way to analyze it and find a better way to do it. That's my mindset. I've never been satisfied with anything. That's just my mindset. I'm always trying to find a better way to do things.

To do the impossible, you must be able to see the invisible.

I'm always willing to look at my actions, and do them better.

In general, I do not feel the media is very positive toward game performances unless the players play perfectly.

Anybody can do something one time. You have a great year because everything goes right. But can you maintain it and sustain it for a long period of time as Coach Carroll did and Coach Saban?

When I was younger I used to read everything. 'Why is this guy saying this, why is this article saying this.' That's one of the things Coach Saban has taught me, he does not listen or read anything that's out there at all. He says 'why am I going to waste my time?'

Should we go back to huddling? Should we go back to putting all these tight ends in there and have 250 yards a game? It doesn't win anymore. So should we do it because that's what the people before us did? No.

My phone was not ringing very much at the time after USC, and that was a very humbling experience after being let go there and to go through that process. You start calling a lot of people that don't call you back all of a sudden, and you realize things about people.

I don't care about what people think about me that don't know me. But the one thing that bothers me of all the places is the general perception was that I was a failure at USC as a head coach.

Al Davis fires everybody.

I needed Nick Saban more than I needed Pete Carroll.

Any time that you get big titles or head jobs at a young age, there's going to be that factor. 'He didn't pay his dues.'

I'm very grateful to Coach Saban.

I like helping first-year head coaches.

Coach Saban and I have a great relationship, regardless of what people may think.

You can't just go visit somewhere and come away and know how they run their business.

You can be really hot one minute, the next minute be unemployed.