BB: Well, again, on behalf of the
organization, the football team, it's an honor for the New England Patriots to participate in this championship game against the Colts. We have all the
respect in the world for the Indianapolis Colts and what they've done. Their
organization—Bill Polian, Tony Dungy and Jim Irsay, coaching staff, players, have had an awesome year. We caught them in
the middle of a long winning streak in the season. They had an excellent
game against us and certainly deserved to win that game. So we have a lot of
respect for them in all three phases of the game. Offense, defense, special
teams, they do everything well and are playing their best football here in
the last two games. They can score, they can defend. They can return, they
can cover. And they're just an outstanding football team, and we know we're
going to have to play our best game of the year to be competitive here at
the dome on Sunday. So the players are excited to play. As usual, difficult
week to prepare. Tough team to get ready for. They're very good at
everything. So it was a tough week of preparation, but nevertheless I think
we got to the point we need to be at, and we'll get on the plane tomorrow
and go up there and be ready to go Sunday afternoon.
Q: Bill, you guys have a few players
with the flu or a little sick right now. How much has that affected
preparations and how concerned are you with that?
BB: Well, at this time of year those things can pop up.
We had a couple of them this week. We'll see where things are on Saturday,
we know it can turn around quickly one way or another, 24 hours or so. We'll
see how it plays itself out.
Q: Bill, how can having a reliable kicker affect your two-minute offense
and maybe the way you call plays and everything else, in those situations?
BB: Well, I think you have to have confidence in all of
your players. Whoever is on the field, you have to have confidence in them
doing their job. So it doesn't matter what position it is. The situation
comes up, the player needs to come in and perform in that situation. That's
what you've got them for. And I'm sure both teams feel that way about their
kickers.
Q: With having Adam [Vinatieri], or now Stephen [Gostkowski], the way
he's played over the last few weeks, do you sometimes feel like you may be
offensively—do you think maybe the players feel like maybe we don't have to
get inside the 20 to have a legitimate shot for him to make that kick?
BB: I'd like to think the players go out in the field
offensively and look to get the ball in the end zone. That's what our goal
is. Unless it could be a strategical situation at the end of the game, we're
playing with the clock. But we go out there to try to get the ball in the
end zone. That's what we do when we walk out on the field. That's what the
offensive team is there for. Not to go out there and get stopped and punt.
So we always try to do that. And then you play the field position game.
Sometimes you punt it, sometimes go for it on fourth down if you're in field
goal range. Sometimes you kick it. But those are game situations based on
the field position.
Q: At this time of year when everything intensifies, do you talk to the
younger players how to deal with it or do you let the veteran players to
show them the way?
BB: We talk every week about what we
need to do for that particular game in terms of our preparation and it
varies week-to-week with the opponent and sometimes with the situation we're
in. So I think that's something that extends across the board and certainly
on an individual basis, the veteran players, the coaches, myself will talk
to players periodically, on a daily basis and in some cases on a particular
situation if we feel like it's relevant and helpful to the team. But I think
there are always—there are challenges for us every week across the board.
Veterans, rookies, head coaches, everybody. So we try to address those
challenges on a week-to-week basis.
Q: Getting back to Stephen for a second. When you were evaluating him in
college and his competitiveness, how much weight did you give to his
baseball career and the fact that he had been a pitcher?
BB: I don't think we're going to ask him to throw any
pitches, but I think the fact he's been a competitive athlete, I don't think
that hurts.
Q: With a pitcher being the center of attention, did you feel that gave
him a leg up on the microscope that he would be under here?
BB: Again, in the overall scheme of things, we're
playing football, not baseball. So the most important thing is his ability
to kick the ball.
Q: How pleased are you with the
two-minute offense? You scored touchdowns in the last minute of halves each
of the last two playoff games.
BB: Obviously they're critical situations in the game.
To be able to produce points when they know you have to throw, when they
know it's kind of a one-dimensional situation you really don't have time to
run your full offense. That stresses your offensive unit and of course it's
pleasing to get those points there. They're critical points in the first
half in the first game and obviously critical in the second game. And in
half time the second game as well. So that's an important aspect being able
to play good situational football no matter what side of it you're on is
very important in games of this magnitude.
Q: Bill, could you talk about Richard Seymour and how his importance goes
beyond just sack totals?
BB: I don't really put a whole lot of stock in those
numbers anyway. But Richard's been a good football player for us since he's
gotten here in '01. He's one of our team captains. He's one of the most
respected players in the locker room and certainly on the defensive side of
the ball. And you know he's a smart kid. He works hard, and he's had a lot
of success, but I think he handles it with a good level of humility and
respect. And I think he's well respected on and off the field, in our locker
room and in our entire organization.
Q: Coach, if you were preparing a defense to oppose Tom Brady, what would
you most be concerned about?
BB: You think I want to answer that question?
[Laughter]
BB: I'm glad I don't have to play against Tom Brady.
Q: Bill, it seems like a dozen times you guys have faced that Monte Kiffin cover-two scheme. I guess there are two questions here. One, does it
help to have played those games in the past against this type of defense so
many times, and two, how much do they vary from team to team?
BB: I think that's a great question. I think that it
definitely helps to have played similar styles of defense and there are
certain plays that I think have application throughout those systems. On the
other hand, each system is different, even if it was exactly the same, the
players would make each one unique and make each set of—each defensive team
different because of the specific skills that the players on that team have.
So I think there's certainly a variance from team to team, even if every
call was exactly the same. So I think it's a combination of things. There's
good experience, but on the other hand, you know, you've got to attack each
team and each individual differently because they have different skills. But
inevitably each team and each defensive coordinator has its own personality.
I think in a lot of cases they're more like cousins than brothers. There are
variations of them again because of personality, because of particular
preference that one coordinator would have from another one, even though
they're basically the same overall system.
Q: Bill, have you noticed at all having Rodney [Harrison], even if it's
just been stretching, he's been out at practice, what has that meant to
other players, have you noticed anything from the players and what has
Rodney been able to do out at practice?
BB: Well, it's great to have every player around. And Rodney is getting better. Certainly his presence is a positive influence on
our entire organization, certainly our football team. You know, he's getting
closer. He's making progress, and we'll just have to see where that ends up.
But I think that right now everybody is very focused on doing their job, and
with all due respect to all of our players, I think each player, each coach,
each individual needs to focus on the job that they're going to do and not
worry too much about what everybody else is doing, because there really
isn't too much we can do about somebody else. We have to do what we have to
do and try to do it well.
Q: Coach, you say you don't put a lot of stock in records and stats. But
if you look at all the records that [Peyton] Manning has and now that you
faced him three times in the playoffs, is there any way you can explain why
he's fallen short and struggled in these playoff situations, especially
facing you guys?
BB: Well, I think Peyton Manning is certainly one of
the best players we play against on a year in year out basis. Play him every
year, Most Valuable Player in this league a couple times. He's beaten us the
last two times we've played him and I think he can do everything that a
quarterback needs to do. Make all the throws, control the team at the line
of scrimmage and they won as many games as anybody has in the—since Tony [Dungy] has been there throughout the course of the league. I have
tremendous respect for him. Their entire football team. And it's not just
Peyton Manning, it's their entire offense, it's productive as well as entire
football team that's winning games. I have a great deal of respect for him.
I think he's one of the toughest players we have to compete against on an
annual basis. |
