Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley

On DL Colby Wooden getting the nickname “The General”:

I think it’s bigger than that. If you guys have been around him, he’s got this energizing presence and personality and it’s upbeat and how hard he plays and the role that he all of a sudden finds himself in. He’s just this relentless guy who always has a smile on his face and you want to follow him. It’s good to have guys like that, and it’s cool to hear a Micah Parsons compliment his teammates like he often has been doing and giving a guy like that a nickname. But he’s earned it. I’m proud of the way he’s played and I love being around him. He’s been great.

On DL Devonte Wyatt‘s return:

It means a lot from a lot of ways. If you watched early in the game and you just watched him run to the ball and how physical he was, even down the field – I’m not just talking about the point of attack, he’s taking on double teams, he’s making negative plays, his pass rush, he’s pushing the pocket – watch him run to the ball and watch him hit people down the field. Whether it’s chasing down a screen or chasing down a ball carrier, a receiver standing around the pile and he just knocks a big guy over, he’s just got a ton of energy and he’s strong and he’s a dawg. That’s what he brings, he brings that attitude to the interior of the D-line.

On DL Micah Parsons getting big sacks in the fourth quarter:

I attribute it to this: If you watch Major League Baseball and the closer comes in at the end of the game and he’s gotta get three outs, that’s his job. When it’s the fourth quarter and we need a stop, a two-minute stop or we need a sack, Micah Parsons is our closer, and he’s going to get the three outs and I think he takes a lot of pride in that. That’s how he’s built, and I think at the end of the game and people start to get tired and he’s putting his hand in the ground or he’s coming up the middle, wherever we put him, he’s just got a relentless motor and he knows it’s his job to close out the game.

The thing I’ve said to him, I’m just so impressed with how he’s playing the run game. I mean, he’s setting edges, he’s getting off blocks, he’s not just rushing up the field, he’s physical, he’s tackling. I think he’s becoming a complete player and what he’s doing is he’s taking advantage of his opportunities and he’s winning his 1-on-1s. He got the sack-fumble last week and he’s finishing and I’m proud of him, and I think it all stems back from the hard work that he’s put in from OTAs to training camp to now and how hard he’s working on the practice field and I still think his best football’s ahead of him. So another guy, just appreciate how hard he’s working and how hard he’s playing right now.

On CB Carrington Valentine in Pittsburgh:

I thought he played one of his best games since he’s been here, and I think that says a lot about him as a person and him as a player, and it’s important for all players to see that. Again, this league’s hard. Every game’s hard and that’s one of the hardest positions to play, and you’re gonna have adversity and he had adversity and he wasn’t playing a lot. But he didn’t sit there and sulk and he didn’t complain. All he did was work and he practiced harder and he got better and he earned the opportunity to go back on the field and then what did he do? He took advantage of the opportunity and he played really good against a really good wideout and Hall of Fame quarterback.