WBZ Interview Transcript with Jermaine Cunningham
Here's a transcript of WBZ's interview with Jermaine Cunningham by Steve Burton and Scott Zolak during the "Patriots 5th Quarter" on WBZ:
STEVE BURTON: You get a chance to see some of these highlights for the first time just coming off the field. But let’s just talk about this win as a whole. This was a big win for you guys and yet you know it was a nailbiter because it came down to the end?
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM: “I mean yeah, it’s the NFL, a division rivalry against the Buffalo Bills, we needed a win, came out with a ‘W’.”
SCOTT ZOLAK: What you do in the off-season? I look at you here today, as opposed to a year ago, it seems like you’re bigger up top, you’re packing on more pounds, now all of a sudden - not that you didn’t work out years prior - I don’t know, you look more physically imposing out there. Maybe it’s because they bring you in, you’re active on bigger guys, coach is mixing and matching trying to get you over the guard inside, outside and it seems like it’s working?
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM: “I mean it’s just hard work in the off-season, try to carry it over to the season. It’s paid off, and I’ll just attribute it to the off-season.”
STEVE BURTON: When you some McCourty make the interception at the end was a just a big sigh of relief for you guys because all of a sudden the game’s over after that? They’re driving, everybody in the Stadium is biting their nails here with a “here we go again” and yet you guys come up big?
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM: “Yeah, two minute drive. They had to score to win. They had a couple good plays, last playoff the game Devin came up big for us. Like you said, a big sigh of relief, everybody’s happy.”
SCOTT ZOLAK: Bottom line, coach loves to win football games. He loves it when you win in the scoring category. You guys are human, you read the paper, you hear the radio shows talk about the defense and the amount of yards you give up. You’ve got a lot of young guys in the locker room, 21, 22, 23-year-olds in the secondary, what’s the message that Matt Patricia and Bill Belichick as a head coach/defensive coordinator tell you guys as a group to keep it going?
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM: “One play at a time. Everybody do your job and win your battle. Take it one play at a time and fight for four quarters.”
STEVE BURTON: You know, clutch turnovers at key moments. The forced fumble down at the 1 yard line, the interception at the end, I mean Vince Wilfork I guess was saying in the defensive huddle, “somebody needs to come up with a big play.” You guys have been able to do that time and time again at clutch moments?
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM: “That’s just football. Whoever has less turnovers basically loses the game. Whoever has the most, usually wins the game so that’s our game plan every game - just try and create turnovers.”
SCOTT ZOLAK:How good were their backs today? I mean when you guys played Buffalo several weeks ago, both of these guys were hurt and they even had some key turnovers up there – that goal line situation before the half up in Buffalo. They seemed shifty today, they’re healthy, they had some pretty good moves?
STEVE BURTON: And Spiller was tough, wasn’t he?
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM: “I mean a shout out to the Buffalo Bills coming home in our house and giving us a good game. But it’s football.”
SCOTT ZOLAK: Before you came in, we were talking about Brandon Spikes - he went to Florida with you. What is it about that guy that you see on a day-to-day basis that allows him to be the player he is? How do you practice knocking guys out, jarring the football loose and does he pride himself on that?
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM: “I’d say he prides himself on that. I played with him four years inFlorida, he’s been doing the same thing.”
SCOTT ZOLAK: Was he a bad man there?
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM: “I mean, you check the film [laughs]. I mean he’s just a guy that loves football you can’t coach that up, it’s just something that’s inside of you – and he has it.”
STEVE BURTON: Well hey, good luck to you next week. The Colts are coming to town, Andrew Luck and company but you get by this week, you guys are now 6-3 on the season and you’re moving on.
JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM: “All right, thanks for having me.”
