Malcolm Smith Super Bowl MVP press conference quotes

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith took home the Super Bowl XLVIII MVP award after a dominating performance over the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. In order to celebrate his MVP award, Smith met with the media on Monday morning for a press conference to reflect back on one of the biggest performances of his career.

For those who didn’t catch Smith speaking with the media on Monday morning, you can check out all of his quotes from the Super Bowl MVP press conference below:

Malcolm Smith Opening Statement

“Hello everybody. I’m happy to be here to represent my teammates and our defense. (I’m) just fortunate to be a part of this. (I’m) happy to bring a championship to Seattle, a Super Bowl.”

(on what he drives now)

“I actually drive a Chevy Tahoe.”

(on if there was a moment he thought he might be Super Bowl MVP, and whether he thought to pack a suit in case of this award)

“They didn’t tell me what the dress (code) was like. I’m dressed to go to Disney World. Sorry about that. I definitely had a suit, but I took it off. No, I didn’t think I would get to the point of being MVP. Even during the game, guys were like, ‘You might be MVP,’ and I was like, ‘No way. No way. Not me.’ But to be here, it’s just pretty cool.”

(on the noise in the stadium, and Denver saying the safety was a cadence problem because of the noise)

“I’m surprised by that. It didn’t seem that loud. I know it was earlier in the game, so there was a lot of energy in the building. Our fans do a great job when they travel, and, obviously, there are people who are just excited to be at the Super Bowl, so for that to happen was unfortunate, but it worked out for us.”

(on his thoughts as he was running to the end zone with the ball)

“Don’t get caught. Just (the) typical thoughts a defensive player (would have) with the ball. Just trying to get into the end zone. You want to enjoy your teammates. You know you didn’t do that by yourself. You know you have guys to thank and stuff like that. Just happy, man. A great feeling.”

(on what his play in the Super Bowl says about players not invited to the NFL Combine)

“I guess there’s unlimited possibilities. That’s not the end of your story. Just keep playing, stick to what you’ve got to do and what you want to do and how you see things going for yourself.”

(on who he thought should have been MVP)

“I don’t know. Our defense played great, Jermaine (Kearse) had a great game and Percy (Harvin) had a great game. Obviously Russell (Wilson), he did a great job. We had a lot of guys, and it could have went to anybody. For it to be me, I was kind of surprised and happy at the same time.”

(on what Head Coach Pete Carroll or other coaches did to get the players focused on the Super Bowl from the beginning of the season, and how the team will deal with the pressure of defending their championship)

“We kind of came together and said that we would commit ourselves to each other and the greater good of our team. It was Seahawks 24/7. Leave no doubt. Those were the type of things we had going and said amongst our group. We kind of just focused. We just decided that we were going to be committed to this, give 100 percent and see what happens. It turned out great for us. To be here, we’ve seen the effort that it takes to get to this point, and, obviously, we’ll try to replicate that and do it again. We’re looking forward to the next challenges and guys having a target on their back and people trying to come after us.”

(on the presence of defense in the NFL given all of the high offense numbers)

“Our division is tough, so it does show you that defenses are definitely a factor. Even though the rules might have shifted, you can still play physical and can still have an intimidating presence without going against the rules. We’ve tried to do that, and we’ve tried to change the way we play to keep things legal and still be effective.”

(on if he just has a knack for the ball given his three interceptions in the past four games)

“Honestly I think that’s what it is. I’ve always just been taught to run to the ball and good things will happen for me. I played running back as a kid, so it’s always been the most exciting thing to have the ball in my hands. I’ve always been trying to get to that point.”

(on if his interception returned for a touchdown or his brother (Steve Smith)’s catch in Super Bowl XLII was a bigger play)

“That was a pretty big play. I guess me, but I was there for that game, and I couldn’t have been happier for him. Just a great moment.”