Tom Brady's Post Game Press Conference Transcript
On Tom Brady wrapping up his 14th regular season:
"Fourteen, is that all?"
On what he was telling LeGarrette Blount when his arm was wrapped around him and the game was winding down:
"We were pretty excited. That was a great performance by him, by the offensive line, it was just an amazing day."
On the fact he's handed the ball off to a lot of different players over the years and what his style is like:
"Well, he's big and when he gets going downhill, he's a big guy, bigger than anybody that's trying to tackle him. He can just put his head into the pile and our offensive line knows that that if they've got a hat on a hat, that we're going to make some yards, so he did that today. [Stevan Ridley], had a great game, I thought, too, Shane [Vereen] contributed, the backs were huge, the receivers really contributed, the line played great, defense played great, special teams, Steve [Gostkowski] kicked the ball great, pretty amazing day."
On his punt on third and a mile:
"Yeah, it wasn't a very good one."
It was a 32-yard punt:
"Yeah, it could have been a lot better. Leonard's a punt returner, so he fair-caught it, he made a smart play, but it wasn't a very good punt."
On the fact that going into the playoffs he knows his team has the ability to run the ball:
"Yeah, and I think we've shown that we can win different ways too. The weather conditions have been interesting this year, yeah, I'd say, adverse, but we've found ways to overcome it. Today was a great job, to score 34-points in a downpour is pretty good football. That was a great all-around performance, that's what we needed."
On the injuries and having the time now to get themselves fully prepared heading into the playoffs:
"I mean, there's no games bigger than the ones that we have coming up. So this is really a week to get a jump on it and prepare for it. It's good to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Who knows who we're going to play, but we're going to have to play good. I think that's the important thing."
On the impact Blount has had on the guys in the locker room this year and what he can expect going into this first postseason:
"Well, we have a lot of guys like that on our team who haven't been to the postseason. Look, we advanced, it's great, we put together a great season, but it doesn't mean much now. We're seeded, we've got to go out there and play great football, no matter what the conditions are, no matter what team we play, we're going to have to play a 60-minute game, play good in all three phases, and I think we've worked hard to put ourselves in this position. We've earned it, 12-4 is a good record, but we'll really see what we're made of here in a c0uple weeks.
On if the conditions were about as bad as he's played in:
"Yeah, I haven't played in one like this. We had the water on the field at the end, it was just puddles, I've never seen that on our field before. But both teams are playing in it so you just deal with it as best you can. We made some big plays. I mean, they didn't turn the ball over at all, they turned it over on downs. We had the one turnover, the ball was out a few times, so I think we've got to do a better job protecting it. Certainly whatever the conditions are in a few weeks, we've got to do a great job, I'm sure it's going to be cold.
On how much the bye week means to him:
"I mean, if we're playing, we're playing, if we're not, we're not. We'll still figure out a way to get better and try to make improvements and I'm sure there's a lot we can do better. We've got a long season to evaluate, where we're at and what we're doing well. Different guys have contributed at different times. It'll be our best stuff come next...whatever it is."
On what's going through his mind as he watched Logan Mankins get helped off the field:
"There's a lot of tough guys. That's what it's all about, that's what the football season is all about. Guys playing through injuries and giving everything they've got. I mean, there's nobody tougher than Logan Mankins so you know when he's getting helped up, you know he's not feeling good. But he fought through it and I mean there's nobody I've ever played with that's as tough as him, he's right up there. Matt Light was so tough, [Joe] Andruzzi, but Logan is, I mean Logan's second to none."
On how he imparts the urgency of the postseason into his teammates:
"Well, I don't take anything for granted. I don't take for granted a practice, or the opportunity to go out and do something that I love with teammates that I love to do it with. I'm just proud of this team with what we've been able to accomplish. We've faced a lot of adversity and a lot of guys have stepped into some different roles and have been very flexible. There's been guys who have really become dependable consistent players for our team. As you see the strength of our team, our offensive line, and what a great job they did tonight against one of the best defensive lines in the league. The way they did in the run game was incredible. That's a big strength and we're going to need it here in a couple weeks."
On the fact that this is what he plays for is right here, right now:
"Yeah, you play hard to put yourself in a position and we're how now in this position and it's a good spot to be in. But we have to go out there and take advantage of it. Anything can happen if you don't go out there and give it your best. We're going to try and be at our best in a few weeks."
