Q: Do you see any useful purpose in creating momentum for next year?

TODD HALEY: “I think there is no doubt you can create momentum. I don’t think it’s a must for success, but when you can finish strong that you definitely give yourself a boost going into the off-season. If a particular side of the ball does well you’re able to give yourself a bunch of confidence going into the off-season. I’ve been a couple of places, and most specifically Arizona, where that has happened. There’s no doubt in my mind winning the last two games in ‘07 from my perspective as an offensive coach we got it going and built on that for off-season and it definitely gave us a boost going into training camp.

“Winning breeds winning and there haven’t been a lot of positives to draw on this year. It’s critical that we’re right on the guys that are going to be a part of a good team. A team never stays the same and they’ll be changes, additions and subtractions. But for the guys who will be part of that nucleus winning is very critical. We’re going on the road against a very good playoff-caliber team that’s playing to get in. It’s an opportunity for us to have a positive experience and bounce back from a poor performance on defense and, offensively, I feel like we’re building a little momentum which gives us a chance to go against a very good defense, specifically run defense, and build on what we’re doing.”

Q: The average fan says lose these games so you improve your draft position, but winning is more valuable isn’t it?

HALEY: “No doubt and I’ve talked to the team a bunch about this. I think winning is a mentality that you have and the more people we get in this building with that mentality it’s all encompassing. You could say to some of these guys who are significantly beat up that are fighting to play and practice and say, ‘we’re out of it, these games don’t mean a lot.’ I think it’s a mentality whether you have 14 wins, three wins or no wins. You have the mentality that it’s important to play, it’s important to go out and win. Really, it’s all areas, not just injured guys. When this football team comes out of our locker room or the visiting locker room at any time, pre-season, regular season, playoffs, Super Bowl, we’re coming out to win and the more guys we have thinking, acting and practicing that way the better we’ll be and ultimately be a good team.”

Q: You’ve had one, faced one, coached one: a Southern Cal quarterback. Is there any common denominator among these guys?
 
HALEY: “They’re all big. All those that I’ve been around are always big guys. Obviously that’s been a very good team for a long time. This year has kind of been an off-year but they’ve consistently turned out a lot of good players not just quarterbacks. I was with Matt Leinart, whose (career) hasn’t quite come to fruition yet. But I think he’s got a chance to be a very good quarterback in the league. I think the guy we’re playing, Carson Palmer, has shown that he’s a top quarterback in the league. He’s had some injury ups and downs. But he’s big, strong, smart, competitive. He’s made that jump.
 
“Then there’s Matt (Cassel) who on a quarterback scale is relatively inexperienced with a second year under his belt but each game is an opportunity to grow and develop. I think this is a great opportunity for Matt knowing he wants to build on some of the things he did last week and the previous week and against a very good opponent.”

Q: Does the fact you’re a Southern Cal quarterback in a town with no professional NFL team cast you in the limelight more and prepare you for what’s coming next?

HALEY: “I think there is a lot of other stuff out there and you see them every week when they’re on [TV]. They’re not a lot of different than the [LA] Lakers when they’re playing. You get a full experience being the quarterback there that I think can really help prep you for what ends up being part of life in the NFL. They’re a big-time program with big-time players and I think you’ll see a couple of them on Sunday.”