How is it different preparing for this playoff game compared to the past playoff games you've been with the Patriots? "I think the postseason is the postseason. We're all in the same boat, it's single elimination and it's a one-game season. You have to put everything you have into each game and that's that specific opponent that you're matched up with and the winner gets to keep playing. It's the same situation that you're always in and certainly Jacksonville is an outstanding football team that has played very well all season and played very well in Pittsburgh. So, we have a lot of respect for Jacksonville and what they can do and we know we're going to have to play our best game of the year this Saturday night."
Did you treat last week as a normal bye week off like the regular season? Was the routine the same or different? "I think each bye week for us during the season is a little bit different. It depends on when it falls and what the circumstances are around it but last week we tried to work on some things that we felt like we need to work on and we also spent most of our time looking at Jacksonville because we already played Tennessee and Pittsburgh earlier in the season and Jacksonville was the team were the least familiar with and also the team that was playing the best. So, that's kind of what we did last week."
What did you learn about Jacksonville from watching the tapes? "That they're good. They're good at everything, especially in the second half of the season they pretty much lead the league in everything – scoring, defense. They can run the ball. They have big play receivers. The quarterback is having an outstanding year. They don't turn the ball over. They don't have very many penalties. They play good on defense – stop the run, turn the ball over, intercept a lot of passes, rush the passer. They do a good job all the way across the board. (They) make good plays in the kicking game. I think they're sound. They're very physical. They're well coached. They play with good fundamentals and techniques and they're consistent."
Do you feel any pressure going into the playoffs having an undefeated record in the regular season? "I just said the playoffs, that's what they are. Everybody is in the same boat. We're all zero and zero. Well, Jacksonville is 1-0 but we're all at this point one loss. We're all in the same boat with one loss. If we win, we move on. So, everybody is in the same situation. Records don't really mean anything at this point."
What makes Tom Brady so good? "Tom has been a good player for us quite a while. He works hard, he's accurate, reads coverages well. He does a good job of playing within the scheme and knows what the defense is doing to get the most out of each play."
Is Brady more competitive than most quarterbacks? "He is very competitive. I've been fortunate, I guess. I've been around some other very competitive quarterbacks in my career as well, the Phil Simms' of the world and people like that, but Tom is … there is no quarterback I'd rather have. He does everything well. He works hard. He's a great leader. He plays well. He's unselfish. He puts the team first and he's led us to a lot of victories."
Do you want to keep coaching after Brady retires? "I think Tom's going to be playing for a little while longer. I hope I'm coaching for a little while longer too."
Can you utilize a player like Kyle Brady who played in Jacksonville for so long? Is there some kind of knowledge you can gain from him to use in your game plan? "I'm sure Kyle knows the personnel there well. We've played them the last couple of years but their offensive system is different, new coordinator, and some of the roles of the players are a little bit different even thought their skills are the same but they're being used a little bit differently and the scheme is different. I think the application would be more if it were the same system, but to me the offensive system has changed from where it was last year."
How has the Jaguars' offensive system changed? "Schemes are different. I think overall the schemes are different in the passing game, third down. It's just different plays, different formations, the way it's put together. It has a little different grain to it."
How does this Patriots team compare to the Giants team you had in the late eighties and early nineties? "It's hard to compare teams. It was two different eras. Jim Burt was one of the best nose tackles in the league at that time. He was a great player for us. He was 255 pounds. I'm not even sure where he would fit right now. I'm not trying to take anything away from him, I'm just saying there are a lot of differences. I've been fortunate that both organizations, both the Giants and the Patriots, that I've had the opportunity to coach a lot of outstanding players. I've been very fortunate that way, let's put it like that."
There was a headline in ESPN The Magazine saying 'Why you shouldn't hate Bill Belichick,' the premise being how there are a lot of people who do. How do you deal with being the lightening rod you've become this year? "Everybody is entitled to their own opinion on everything."
It doesn't bother you? "Right now I'm just focused on Jacksonville. That's our goal this week and that's our challenge to try get our team ready to play and play and coach as well as we possibly can on Saturday night. That's really where all my focus is."
Talk about the year Asante Samuel's has had. Has he played as well as you thought he should or could? "Asante has been a good player for us since he's been here. He had an outstanding year last year, had an outstanding year this year. He's been very consistent and dependable. I think he's played well. He does a lot of different things for us. He's a versatile player. He can play man, he can play zone. He can play up on receivers, he can play off them. He's a smart, very instinctive guy and he's made a lot of plays for us. He's played well."
Did you have any concerns about him coming in and being able to hit that level after his hold-out? "He played good ball for us all year. Initially it took a couple weeks to kind of get caught up with where some of the other players were at that point. He's in good condition, he's worked hard and he's played well, played well all year."
Have you used negative comments made about the Patriots this season as motivation to get your team prepared for a particular game? "We never even mentioned it."
Do you think it's a topic of conversation amongst your players or is it just something the coaching staff doesn't mention or are you even aware of that? "You asked me if I have talked about it and I told you I hadn't mentioned it. I don't know what the players talk about. You'd have to ask them. But I think this game is really going to be about what team plays the best on Saturday night and that's what we're focused on is trying to get our game to as high a level as we possibly can and playing our best game of the year against the toughest opponent of the year. So, that's how we're looking at the game."
Are the Jaguars a tougher opponent than the Colts? "What Jacksonville has done the second half of the season, nobody has played better than they have. (They) lead the league in practically every category, the only team to beat San Diego, so they look pretty good to me."
What kind of year has Mel Mitchell had? "Mel's had a solid year for us. He missed some time in the middle part of the year with an injury but when he's had an opportunity to play, he's played well and he's been one of our core special teams players and he's been very productive for us. He missed a couple of games there in the middle of the year but he's had a solid season this year."
When you signed receivers like Randy Moss, Donté Stallworth and Wes Welker, what was your feeling about Jabar Gaffney? "Jabar has had a significant role in our offense all year, as he did last year. He had a very good postseason for us last year and picked up right where he left off when the season started. We've gotten a lot of production out of our different guys in the passing game – receivers, tight ends, backs – and Jabar has done a great job for us. He's been in a lot of different positions. He's a very versatile guy. We've used him in different roles and he's very dependable. He can run different routes, play inside, play outside, and can make good route adjustments. I think that Tom (Brady) has a lot of confidence in him. The coaching staff does, the organization does. He's done a great job for us."
There's been talk that the worse the weather Saturday night the better for the Jaguars because it'll hurt your passing game. Do you think the weather matters? "I think the weather could affect the game, there's no question about that, probably the kicking game first and then the passing game but in the end this game is going to be won by the team that plays better, not anything else. Somebody is going to have to block and tackle, run the ball, catch it, throw it, kick it and whichever team does that better than the other one, that's the team that'll win. So, it's going to come down to the execution of the players on the field and I think that's what is going to turn the outcome of the game."
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