2003 quotes

"For a team to accomplish their goals, everybody's got to give up a little of their individuality. That's what these players did and that's why they're champions."
–Super Bowl XXXVIII Victory Parade

thanking the Naval Academy for teaching him the meaning of teamwork
"People always ask me about my team: 'How did you do it, how did your team do it, how did it come together?' Honestly, what we did was the only way I ever saw it happening. I want to thank the citizens of Annapolis, the Touchdown Club, the Naval Academy, but more I want to thank the people of the Naval Academy for teaching me the meaning of the word teamwork. I try to impart that to the players I've coached and I think our players this year displayed to the entire nation, maybe the entire world, how guys collectively committed to a goal can work unselfishly for the team."
patriots football weekly, february 18

"all you have to know about our team"
"The message is that you can do this the right way. You can win with players who are not looking to promote themselves and be selfish. You can win with people who care about the team first. ... Here's all you have to know about our team. We won all those games in a row, and not one person wants to take credit for it. Not one guy. Brady credits the offensive line. The coaches credit the players. Ty [Law] got three interceptions in the AFC Championship game, and he says the pressure from the defensive line made it possible. How cool is that?"
boston globe, february 2

the morning after the Super Bowl
"I think I've coached close to 500 games, and I've never been in one that drained me as much. The feeling at the end was great, but the process was tough on the heart."
washington post, february 2

about the game
"It's just a terrific football game to watch. It wasn't that terrific to coach. I was having a heart attack out there. I'm sure it was a great spectator game."
super bowl postgame, february 1

who deserves credit for getting the team back to the Super Bowl
"I think the credit goes to the team. The players are out there making the plays. They're the ones that are winning the games. They are the ones who should be recognized and hopefully they'll get it."
whether this year's slow start was similar to 2001's
"You can make that comparison, but we never look at it that way. We just look at week two and how we can get better in week three and week three how can we get better in week four. We never thought about 'Well this is the way it was before, let's try to make it that way again.' This team is different from that team. We need to draw on our strengths and weaknesses this year and that's what we tried to do. We had other strengths in '01, different strengths, different weaknesses, different style of play."
media day, january 27

being voted Sporting News' Coach of the Year
"It is an honor to receive this award, and it is one that a lot of people had a hand in. Primarily, this is a reflection of the assistant coaches and players but is shared by several others in the organization – the scouting department, video department, trainers and equipment people – who give us an opportunity to succeed."
sporting news, january 24

if any special game or moment during the winning streak stands out
"They were all special. Anytime you win in this league it is special. Obviously playoff games sit a little bit higher than the regular season ones, but without the regular season ones there wouldn't be a playoffs, so they are all special."
january 19

credit
"All the credit's got to go to the players. We've got a good football team, and I'm fortunate to be coaching a lot of great players."
usa today, january 18

about being named 2003 Coach of the Year by the Associated Press
"It is not that big of a deal. I am more concerned about what the team does. I have won it [the award] and I haven't won it. It is not that big of a thing to me. It really isn't."
january 5

accepting the AP's NFL Coach of the Year award
"I am honored to accept this award as recognition of the tremendous work of our entire coaching staff, personnel department and Mr. Kraft. Coaching is always a collective effort that depends on the assistant coaches' preparation and direction and the players' performance on the field. More than anything, it was the players' exceptional resiliency, toughness and execution under pressure that allowed us to have a successful regular season."
official statement, january 3

about Patriots owner Robert Kraft
"We've made some tough decisions. It's a credit to Mr. Kraft. He's been 100 percent supportive of them and given me the latitude to do that. We've spent money. Everything a coach could ask for in order to coach and run a team, it has been provided."
pro football weekly, december 22

if they were dominating
"The ball is inside the one-yard line on the last play of the game – who's dominating who?"
december 1

where they stand now
"We've had a lot of people in and out of the lineup, but the guys who have been in there have done a good job ... and the guys whose roles have changed have done a great job adjusting to them. We've put ourselves in a position to do something, but being in position and actually doing it are two completely different things. I think we're in the race and we're going to be competitive, but how we do remains to be seen. You're only as good as your last game."
washington post, november 28

after the Dallas game
"I think this team is just trying to take on the kind of the theme each week of, do what we need to do. And some weeks it is one part of the game or one type of game, but we just find a way to win."
november 17

loyalty
"We have mentally and physically tough players here who have already shown they can deal with adversity. In the end they saw that we made a business decision that affected a player everyone likes and respects, including me. I've changed teams. I've changed colors. But that does not mean you can't have loyalty to the team where you're at, and they understood that."
new york times, november 16

about their current record of 7-2
"Being in a good position and actually doing something are two different things. We haven't done anything yet."
"Rather than say one thing was the trigger, it has been the culmination of grinding for weeks, for months, for years."
usa today, november 12

upcoming game against the Bill Parcells-coached Dallas Cowboys
"It is not really about that. It is about the Patriots and the Cowboys. That is really what it is going to come down to. Somebody is going to have to make some blocks out there. Somebody is going to have to make some tackles. Somebody is going to have to catch some passes. It is not going to be me and it is not going to be Bill. We will both do the best job that we can getting our teams ready to play and we will try to make the best decisions we can during the game to help our team. I don't think that is any secret. In the end, the players are going to win the games. That is the way it has been all year. I haven't caught a pass this year. Don't plan on it. Thank goodness I am not out there playing defense. We wouldn't stop anybody. But we have some decent players, good players, that play well and that is what it is going to come down to."
november 6

mental toughness
"I think these players have a mental toughness about them. They take the hand they're dealt and do the best they can with it. This team honestly believes it can win despite the injuries."
the coaching
"I told the coaches, 'Look, we can't do some of the things we're used to doing around here. We have to be tighter than we've ever been. We can't afford mistakes on the coaching end and we have to take advantage of every opportunity we can.' The staff and players have worked hard and done a good job, but it can always be better."
the importance of building a good foundation
"I know that everybody's looking for the magic wand, but I don't think it's out there. We've been coaching these guys for a long time. You build a good foundation in the spring and in training camp so that you have flexibility and you're not locked into one thing where if you lose a couple of guys at a spot, the whole thing comes apart. Once you build that base, you try to draw on that background as needed."
nfl.com, october 21

about losing to Buffalo
"It wasn't a good performance. It wasn't good by anybody. Any player you want to mention, I will say that about and any coach – head coach, assistant coach, anybody. We got beat as a team. They outdid us in every area. I don't know how else I can put it. I am not going to sit here and say anybody did a great job because they didn't, me included."
the mistakes he made
"There are a lot of things I would like to have back in that game. There are a lot of things. I will be the first to admit it. I made mistakes. I make as many as anybody. My job each week is to look at them, try to correct them and not make them again, win or lose, it is the same thing. We always look at our performance and try to evaluate it and try to find somewhere we can do a better job. ... There are always situations that from a coaching standpoint and a playing standpoint, there is going to be room for improvement."
how they will get past it
"We are past it. We had the autopsy. We are past it. What are we going to do, kill it again? How many times can you pump bullets into a dead body? I mean, what good does it do? You analyze it, make the corrections and move on."
september 10

why he would use veterans on special teams during the preseason
"We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it."
the risk of injuries during the preseason
"Injuries are the risk you have to balance with getting your team ready. We can (skip) practice, not play preseason games and just sit around and wait until the regular season starts and probably not get anybody hurt. But then is your team ready? We want to be ready and we want to prevent injuries but unfortunately some of them happen. There's no way you can tell when or who it will be. You just never know. You have to accept those risks to get your team ready to play a regular season football game."
turning negatives into positives
"We had some injuries [in 2001], we had some guys who couldn't play and that gave opportunities to other players that ended up doing OK. Sometimes that happens too. That's why football is the game it is. When negative things happen you hope you can somehow turn it to a positive. When you lose a key player, that gives somebody else an opportunity. If you are going to have a good team that has to happen."
providence journal, august 23

announcement of contract extension
"It's a real thrill to be a part of the Kraft family and the organization here with the Patriots. What this organization stands for on and off the field is what I believe in, it's what I want to be a part of and it's what I want to contribute to and I am extremely pleased that Mr. Kraft has offered to extend my tenure here. This is a great organization to work for, I am proud to be here and proud to be part of the New England Patriots."
moving training camp to Gillette Stadium
"The two big points on training camp here at the stadium is that it's better for the fans and it's better for the team, and that's why we're here. We are all aware of the great facilities that we have available to us, both inside the stadium in terms of locker room, meeting rooms and weight facilities, and also outside, in terms of the playing fields – now the new artificial surface and eventually the covered surface. I think that it will give the team a good environment to train in. We're certainly not looking to cut any slack in our training. The effort and the intensity of training camp will be every bit as much as it is anywhere else. I think the fans will get a better view of the practices and also be able to enjoy some of the amenities here at the stadium that are so outstanding."
july 23