Tom Brady's Post Game Press Conference Transcript
On if he thinks he silenced his critics after their two minute drive at the end of the game and at the beginning of overtime:
"I haven't turned the TV on in a week, so I don't know what anyone's said. But it was good to win that game. It was a tough game, it always is against the Jets. It's nice to pull out a close one, so I'm glad we did that today."
On if anything was different that made it seem easier on those last two drives:
“We executed better, I think that’s what it is. It was not our best day of execution in terms of assignments. We have to nail those things down. A lot of those inconsistencies, you don’t score points and we didn’t score as many as we needed to. Those last couple drives we moved the ball better, I wouldn’t say they were great drives, but they were good enough.”
On if he’s at his “wits end” with figuring out how to be as efficient as he wants to be, or if he knows what the problems are:
“I think we know. We’re just not doing a good enough job, so we all have to do a better job.”
On the back shoulder throw to Aaron Hernandez on the 3rd down play before the game tying field goal, and why that throw because it seems like a low percentage throw:
“We talk about what we want to do in certain situations and Aaron happened to be in that position. So at some point it’s going to be tight coverage and you’ve got to make a tough play and they’re close and we’ve got to hit it. I think that’s what it comes down to. It’s not like guys are going to be open by five yards with that kind of time left on the clock, that important part of the game. It’s close they either make it or we don’t, or we either make it, or we don’t. And we didn’t.”
On how much he likes those two minute situations:
“I like it when the outcome’s good, and then I like it when we execute well. There’s a lot of satisfaction when we do the right thing. But we did a good job with it when we needed to. I thought there were some good plays that the guys made. Everybody really contributed. We work on that situation all the time, so it’s nice when you work on it and it pays off.”
On being on the sideline watching the defense waiting for the next possession in overtime:
“Yeah, it’s an interesting format. The first overtime with kick a field goal and then you kind of wait and then there’s four downs for the other team. Their field-goal kicker was making clutch kicks, and we were kind of preparing to go back out there and then Rob [Ninckovich] made a great play. Those are the kind of plays you need. If you want to win games, you’ve got a make plays and that’s a great example of a game-winning play. We’ve all got to start making more of those.”
On the fact they had a 3 point lead and another chance to close the game out and if it’s getting frustrating to not be able to close these games out:
“Well, it was first and 10 and then we got a pass interference, and then it’s first and 20 and then it’s incomplete, and then it’s a run and then it’s 3rd and 16. So it’s not the way to play offensive football. I don’t think there’s going to be much high percentage playing that way. We can’t really put ourselves in that situation and we’ve all got to do a better job executing our plays. I mean there’s no easy way out, it’s not like there’s magic special play you save for those situations. It’s about doing your job and doing a better job of it.”
On what this team’s learning about itself in these last few games in the fourth quarter where they’re “living on the edge” win or lose.
“I think that’s it. It comes down to a few plays. We had opportunities last week, we had opportunities againstBaltimore, we help opportunities against the Cardinals, and you know, when you make the plays, you win the game. Were 4-3, we’re in a decent position. We have the whole season ahead of us. We’ve been fighting injuries like every team has. We play a very important game this weekend and then we get a bye, which will be good for this football team.”
On if this team has the psychological makeup to deal with this kind of stress in the fourth quarter week in and week out:
“I hope so. I sure hope we do, that’s part of our mental toughness. I think we’re coached very hard and we prepare for tough situations and that’s the kind pressure our coach puts on us every day in practice to perform and to perform consistently. It’s not like in the seventh week of the year you’ve got all the answers, you never really have all the answers. There’s only one team that’s really happy at the end of the year, and I think it’s a building process - playing your best football at the most important times.”
On if he can put his finger on why they’re struggling on offense:
“It’s tough to say.”
On if it’s because they’re not really sure what they’re identity is yet:
“I don’t know. I think you asked teams, they would probably change over the course of the next, whatever, nine weeks anyway? I think you continue to go do the things that you are doing well. You’d love to figure those things out in spring camps but it really doesn’t play that way. You have some teams that you play and situations that you face and players that are healthy or not healthy and schemes that you run and you boil it down to what you’re good at. It’s only October.”
On the fact that while it’s nice to win 35-0, what is it like to win this way?:
“It’s nice to win the close games. It’s nice to win when you’re down three with a minute 40 left in the game. I mean I think that’s… a lot of guys made a lot of really great plays to get us in that position. Steve [Gostkowski] had some huge kicks, Danny [Woodhead] made some plays, Brandon [Lloyd] made plays Wes of course made plays, Gronk made some big plays, Aaron made plays. When those guys contribute it ends up being… it’s a nice win, I’m sure the guys are going to have fun tonight.”
On the fact the byproduct of these games the of experience being in these positions and if that makes things easier:
“That’s important, you’re going to make some and you’re going to miss some, and you’re going to complete some, and you’re going to throw some incompletions, we’re going to catch some, and we’re not going to catch some. We’re building and hopefully we continue to get better. We played a team tonight that fought hard, and we fought hard, and it came down to the end.”
