[on the Super Bowl environment] "There is a lot to this game. We are
very respectful of the game, the situation, and the overall attention that
the game gets. That's part of it. It's a thrill to be here and play for the
championship. We understand what it is and it's the same for both teams. Is
there more? Absolutely. In the end, I think we have good opportunity to
focus on our job and prepare for the game, and hopefully, go out there and
play our best."
[on what he takes from Eagle game tapes with, and without, Terrell Owens] "There are a lot of games you have to take into consideration, especially
when you look at a team like Philadelphia that played those games so
differently. They are very much a game plan team, offensively and
defensively. They put a lot into their game plan strategy and so much of
what they do depends on what you do. We certainly will look at them and take
them into consideration, but I don't think they are going to play us like
they did Atlanta or like they played Minnesota. I'm not sure how they are
going to play us, but I am sure they will have a good strategy for it. We'll
have to react to it on game day."
[on how the Eagles attack pass protection schemes] "The way they set
up their blitz packages always works into the weakness of the offensive pass
protection. They do a good job of overloading those protections and getting
away from where your blockers are. It's sometimes tough for the quarterbacks
and the receivers to read because they have some changeups in variations on
it. Pass protections are a part of any game plan and the Eagles do a good
job with their blitzes and that's an area they target and attack and is
something we'll have to be ready for."
[on how coming as an assistant helped prepare him for the Super Bowl as a
head coach] "There were two different scenarios. One was in the '86
Super Bowl in Pasadena where we had two weeks like we had this week. The '90
Super Bowl in Tampa was a one week setup so that was similar to when we
played the Rams a couple years ago. Going back to some experiences we had in
terms of organizing your practices and your game plans, you don't have a lot
of situations like this. Usually you are in a one week game-planning mode."
[on the biggest difference in coming to the Super Bowl as a assistant
rather than head coach] "The media demand would be the number one thing.
There are some logistical things you have to make decisions on, like setting
up your operation at the hotel and practice facilities. You are involved in
a lot of the organizational things as a head coach that you would not be as
an assistant."
[on the perseverance of the Eagles] "They have won a lot of games. I
think the Eagles franchise, starting at the top Jeff Lurie, Joe Banner, and
Andy Reid, down to the coordinators, the players, the way they have managed
the cap, the team by integrating young players into their system, I think
they have done a fantastic job. It is a team we look at very closely in the
offseason and when we have to evaluate how they manage their team, I think
they are one of the model franchises and one of the very best teams in the
League, and I think that is reflective by them being here."
[on his decision to leave the New York Jets and then go to New England] "It wasn't a decision to go anywhere. It was a decision to leave that
organization because I just didn't feel like I could fully commit to it
based on all the circumstances that were in place. I didn't know where I was
going. I didn't know what I was doing. I knew what I wasn't doing. I didn't
know the Patriot opportunity was going to present itself, but when it did, I
am very thankful to Mr. Kraft for bringing me to New England. He paid a
substantial price to get me there, giving up a number-one draft choice, and
he has made a great commitment to me in terms of providing us with
facilities and the opportunity to coach and manage the team in a way that I
believe, and that we believe, in organizationally. Robert (Kraft) and I have
talked at length philosophically about how we want the team to look and be
managed. It's been a lot of fun and very rewarding to do that with him. I'm
very appreciative of that opportunity because that certainly wasn't there
when I resigned from the Jets."
[on how he can tell if a player is willing to make the necessary
sacrifice to be part of the team] "When you bring a player into a team,
you bring all that comes with him. You bring his attitude, his speed,
strength, mental toughness, quickness. Our evaluation is comprehensive.
Scott Pioli and the scouting department do a great job of getting a lot of
details by going into the history of a player, his mental and physical
makeup as well as attitude and character. He eventually receives one grade
and that establishes his overall value to the team, whatever that happens to
be."
[on his biggest difference as a head coach now compared to his first time
as a head coach] "One would be my record. I think the two changes that
would be most notable would be delegating things to other people in the
organization. I am a detail oriented person and sometimes that is not good,
it's better to let somebody else worry about the things they can do and let
me worry about the things that only a head coach can do. Off the field there
are a lot of things that can affect your football team. It is not all about
technique and play calling, although that is certainly a significant part of
it. Sometimes there are things off the field that can affect how your team
functions, and I have tried to be a little more cognizant of those."
[on what kind of team he wants to have] "Professional, hard working,
playing with physical and mental toughness, and able to stand up to a
competitive challenge on a week-in and week-out basis."
[on the complete nature of the Eagles team] "I think they are very
complete as a team. It starts with the coaching. They have a great head
coach. They have three great coordinators. They are very experienced on
offense and defense. They've got a great kicker and cover guys. They've got
ten guys in the Pro Bowl. They led the NFC wire-to-wire. I don't think you
could do much more. They have been running out the clock since the end of
November waiting to get it over with because they had everything wrapped up.
They came back and played well against Minnesota and shut down Atlanta.
There's no question that they not only deserve to be here, they've done
about as much as you could possibly do this year as a football team and they
are solid in every area. That's tough to deal with because they come at you
every single play. You can't put on one play and say, 'We're going to be
okay here.' You're not okay. David Akers is kicking them from midfield and
they have Brian Westbrook and Lito Sheppard and Dexter Wynne returning
kicks. They cover well. It is a strong football team."
[on if it's necessary to have a franchise quarterback to be successful] "We weren't saying that last year or a couple of years ago in the Oakland
and Tampa scenario. We weren't saying it about Baltimore. I think every team
is its own team. I don't think there is anything you have to do. You can
have a young quarterback. You can have an old quarterback. You could have a
guy who has been there for a long time or you could have a guy who has just
gotten there. The bottom line is you need a good team and that takes a lot
of people into account. Everybody has a role to play. If you collectively
put more out there than your opponents, then that is what you are looking
for. It could come at the quarterback position or it could come at other
positions."
[on the research and signing of Corey Dillon] "The people I talked to
were coaches and players who had been with Corey at Cincinnati and nobody
had one negative thing to say about him. They talked about his toughness,
his consistency, and how in key situations they would want him to have the
ball and counted on him and they were confident he would come through for
them. He was a player that everybody wanted on their team, had confidence in
him, and thought he would perform well in critical situations. That's really
what carried a lot of weight with me. It is obvious that every team is a
little bit different and one has to adapt to those differences whether they
are a player or coach. When you go to a different organization, there are
things that you have to adjust to. As far as Corey as a football player, he
has pretty much been everything he was advertised to me. He has been
consistent every day, whether it is Wednesday practice, Friday practice, or
Sunday at games. He is consistent in the running game, his reads, his
toughness, his pass protection, his ability in the passing game to run
routes and catch the ball. He is not an up and down guy. He has very few
missed assignments. He is on top of his game, and he works hard at it. Those
are the things that we saw on the field and heard about and some of the
other things people have referred to, I never got that from people who were
with him on a day-to day basis. Those must have come from somewhere else."
[on Charlie Weis as a assistant and future head coach] "First of all,
Charlie is a very smart person. He really understands not only what we are
doing, but what defenses are doing and how to attack them. He is an
outstanding play caller and has a great sense of timing of when to call
certain plays. It is one thing to put together a game plan, it is another to
call the plays at the right time when they match up the way you want them to
match up. It is not an easy thing to do. He is very good at making
adjustments within a game when things are going a certain way. He sees when
some of the things that we thought were good now don't look that good and we
need to shift to something else. He is decisive and smart. He understands
and adapts quickly, but he can pull the trigger. He is not afraid to make
tough decisions or to make calls in critical situations. He knows what he
wants to do and he does it with a lot of confidence and I think that gets
conveyed to the people who are executing it."
[on defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel] "I think a lot of those same
things can be said. He has been involved with special teams, defensive
linemen, linebackers, and as a coordinator. He has worked in a lot of
different areas and has worked with a lot of different people. He is smart.
He is adaptable. He is a guy that works extremely hard. He is in the office
very late and is well prepared. He knows what he wants to do and he comes
across with a lot of confidence. When critical decisions need to be made, he
makes them quickly and decisively, and again, with a lot of confidence. I
think the players and his defensive staff respond to that."
[on what makes Robert Kraft a successful owner] "He has been a friend
and somebody who has provided a great opportunity for me, not only for
bringing me to New England, but the support he has provided me since I have
been there. The facilities have been upgraded tremendously. We've had the
ability to spend to the cap and make personnel moves that we felt were the
best ones to make and he has been very supportive of them. You can't ask for
more than that. And he has been a great friend all the way through it and I
think that philosophically we have the same vision in what we are looking
for in a team."
[on quarterback Tom Brady against the blitz] "I think Tom is a good
quarterback, period. He has been blitzed, he has been three-man rushed,
they've played man and they've played zone. I think he has to be prepared
for whatever a defense throws at him and he is. He works hard at it. He
understands what we are trying to do and how to handle different situations.
He is a quick decision maker and doesn't hold the ball long. He can figure
it out, find the guy and try to get it to him. I don't think a quarterback
can zero in on one thing. He has got to be able to handle a lot of different
looks in this League, especially against a team like Philadelphia."
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