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Chris Berman: The head coach, the Hall of Fame Coach, the man that's won more games than anybody else, Coach Don Shula joining us live from Miami from the stadium where the Dolphins will play the Cincinnati Bengals … Well, watching the game last night, there you are sitting watching the Giants giving the Patriots all they can handle. What was it like for you watching that game, Coach?
Don Shula: I'll tell you, Chris, it was a real credit to the National Football League, the way that the Giants went out there to play. It was a meaningless game to them but they went out there with the idea of playing the best football that they could play, hopefully knocking New England out of the perfect season. And you've got to give them all the credit – Eli Manning, I thought, had a great day – but in the end, those New England Patriots – Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, 16-0. And they've earned it!
Berman: More than anything else, Coach, what have the Patriots shown you thus far? What jumps out at you more than anything else?
Shula: Well, I had the opportunity to see the game in Baltimore against the Ravens, and also the Philadelphia game before that – and Colts game earlier in the year – and in all three of these games they were down, they were behind in the ball game, but they kept their poise and they knew they had the confidence to make the plays when they had to make them in order to win the game at the end. And that's a real credit to the coach and to the quarterback to keep the poise and to make the plays the way that Brady makes them in a pressure, clutch situation.
Berman: Well, we've enjoyed doing this with you for years, talking… just X-and-O it for a minute, okay Coach? The Patriots offense, okay? Now, you look at them… and I'm not going to ask you to X-O exactly how you would try to limit them, but why is it so hard to stop for any team that's playing them, with what they're throwing out there?
Shula: I just think that Brady is so good. He's back in that shotgun and their offensive line gives them enough protection to get the ball off. And [Wes] Welker [Laughter] – they've got a guy that was here with the Dolphins and he's with them now. I think he's got 111 catches this year. And I just marvel at this guy the way that they use him and get him open in pressure situations. And then of course they've got Randy Moss on the outside, [Donté] Stallworth on the other side. Chris, the amazing thing is they didn't have those three receivers a year ago; so that's a real credit to their organization and their personnel guy, Scott Pioli.
Berman: Coach, real quick. Now you go to the playoffs – they are undefeated, you were undefeated. What's the most important thing? What did you think back in '72, the playoff [inaudible]. What changes, if anything?
Shula: Well, you've got to forget about 16-0 because each game now is sudden death. That 16-0 won't mean much if they get beat in the playoffs and don't win the Super Bowl. So all of their concentration now has got to be getting through the playoffs, getting into the Super Bowl and winning the Super Bowl. That's what's going to make it a meaningful season, 19-0.
Berman: Well, that would be quite a number. And then you can share Champagne. But they have a way to go. Happy New Year to you…
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