Earnest Graham offered Joe some insight after today’s win against the Dixie Chicks. Graham talks about the meaning of it all, physical football and more.

JoeBucsFan.com: You’ve been around here a long time. There’s been a lot made that the Bucs needed this kind of signature win. Do think that really makes a difference. Do you feel like there’s a hump that the team got over today?

Earnest Graham: Yeah, I mean you have to admit it. You know what I’m saying. It’s definitely a hump we got over. Was it a win that defines us? No. It’s another game toward what our goal is, to win our division because we came up short last year. Yeah, it’s great to have it, but we dropped quite a few to them in past years, so to come out and get this is big for us because it’s part of our goal.

Joe: What was the difference today?

Graham: We were without a doubt physical. The way we ran the ball, the way LeGarrette Blount ran the ball. You know, converting on third down, the defense, we started fast. We had a lot of growth the last two or three weeks, even though we dropped the first game. Everybody reacted a certain way last week and we learned from that, came back and had a strong second half. Today we played 60 minutes of football but we have to continue growing.

Joe: Josh Freeman was nearly perfect last year in a lot of ways, but this year he’s had his share of picks and poor decisions. He’s a leader, but is there anyone who can talk to him and pump him up after a bad play?

Graham: He’s self motivated. That’s the type of guy that Free is. He’s a free-spirited guy. You know, when things happen, he can shrug them off and come out and continue to lead the team. So he’s a self-motivated guy. Except for immedately after a turnover saying ‘C’mon, let’s get going,’ it’s not something that you have to beat a dead horse on.