Q: Can you make any comment on the situation this week?
BB: With regard to…?
Q: With regard to the video camera and the Jets?
BB: No. I already made one. I don't have anything to add to that, no.
Q: Do you think any of this will have any bearing on Sunday's game with your team?
BB: Well I think the Chargers are a real good football team. We're going to work hard to prepare for them this week. They do a lot of things well in all three phases of the game. That will be a big challenge for us to work against all the things that they do and try to defend them or attack them depending on which side of the ball we're on. They're physical. They're well coached. They're a good football team.
Q: You're not worried about any distractions or anything like that?
BB: I'm worried about the Chargers. Like I said, I think they're obviously one of the best teams in the league. They do a lot of things well and they're a big challenge for us. That's what we're focused on.
Q: When you hear some people saying that this could damage what the Patriots have accomplished over the past few years, how do you respond to that?
BB: I don't have anything to add to what we've already said.
Q: You haven't had a lot of success against LaDainian Tomlinson the last three times you've faced him. Is there anything you can take from those games or from what the Bears did last week to try to improve on that?
BB: I'm pretty well aware of what Tomlinson has done. I'll throw Gates in there, too. They're tough. Hopefully we can play and coach a little better than we have in the past against those guys. It's not just them. Maybe the Bears feel like they did okay against Tomlinson. I doubt if they feel that way about (Michael) Turner. There are a lot of things the Chargers do well. They have a lot of talent and a lot of good players. It's hard to stop them all. One complements the other. I think in the end you've just got to try to play good defense and not give it all up in one play. We gave up some big plays to them in the past. We just try to limit those.
Q: What does it mean for Tom Brady and for the team to have someone like Randy Moss?
BB: Randy has done a good job for us. He's a very smart player, competitive, experienced. He catches the ball well. He's got really good route awareness and awareness of defensive coverages and techniques. It's always good to have good players. We've got a long way to go, but Randy certainly got off to a good start last week. Hopefully our offense can continue to have some kind of balance in it so that we can attack defenses more effectively. Randy has done a good job since he's been here.
Q: What is Junior Seau's role with you these days?
BB: He's played for us in all situations: first down, second down, third down, fourth down. He's a great leader. He was elected captain by his teammates last week. He shows a great example for the younger players and the veteran players for that matter. You guys know what kind of worker he is and what kind of energy and enthusiasm he brings to the field. To a degree that's somewhat contagious. Other players feed off of it and appreciate it. He's one of the most respected players on this team.
Q: Do you think there is any emotional carryover this week from January's game between these two teams?
BB: I don't know. From my standpoint it was a long time ago. There were a lot of things that were different in that game. There are new players on both teams. There are a lot of new coaches out there in San Diego. The whole venue has changed, so I don't think that really has a whole lot to do with the outcome of this week's game. I think it will depend on how these teams prepare this week and how things are executed on Sunday. That's really what we're focused on is going forward, what we can do to give ourselves the best chance to win. We're not too concerned about what happened in the past or didn't happen in the past. I think there will be plenty of emotion Saturday night. These two football teams are good. They're very competitive. When I was in the Pro Bowl I coached a lot of these players out there. I had an appreciation even in that All Star game for the competitiveness and the effort with which they played. I respect that. I'm sure Sunday night there will be plenty of that from both teams out there.
Q: Do you expect Asante Samuel to start this week?
BB: Well Asante, last week was his first week back. He's continued to work hard. We'll just have to see where things are at the end of the week.
Q: Will you go to school with what the Bears did with LT or will you just play your own style?
BB: I think when you look at us and the Bears, our defensive systems are quite a bit different. There are a lot of things that the Bears do well that I'm not sure we would be able to do as well as they do. There are probably some things we do that they wouldn't be able to do as well as we do them. I think that we have to be able to do the things that we're comfortable with in our system. I don't think it would be smart for us to throw out our whole playbook and try to play the Bears defense this week. I think that's something that they do well. We'll try to do what we can do.
Q: How much does not having Richard Seymour come into play?
BB: We'd love to have all the players available. Unfortunately they're not. Every team in the league is dealing with some type of situation like that. We'll just take the ones that we have and prepare as well as we can and get ready to go. It would be nice to have Richard back, but we haven't had him all year so it's not like it's a change from last week or last week of practice or the game or anything like that. It's been like that the entire season.
Q: The way your offensive line played against the Jets, is that about as good of a performance as you've seen out of a group?
BB: They did a good job. I think that our running game probably had an effect on the pass rush. Tom was able to at times have a little extra time to throw. He was able to take advantage of those opportunities. Hopefully we can be balanced on offense and defense for that matter and be able to keep teams off balance with a varied attack and not just rely on one or two things. I think that makes it easier for them. If we can run the ball, I think that will help our pass protection. If we can throw it, it should help our running game. Those things kind of play off each other.
Q: Outside of Moss, who was your biggest pickup this offseason?
BB: I don't know. I think all the players on our team are important. They all have roles. They all help us win in one way or another, so I think all the players are important. A lot of times it depends on the situation or the particular play that comes up in a game. We never really know what that is. |
