Mike Reiss notes Greg Cosell, the executive producer of NFL Matchup and a senior producer at NFL Films for 31 years, calls the 2011 season some of Bill Belichick's finest work.

"It can easily be argued that Belichick did one of the best coaching jobs of his career this season," Cosell writes. "I broke down every game on tape, ending of course with the Super Bowl. It struck me as I finished reviewing all my notes that New England was not an overly talented team in 2011. What they achieved was remarkable given their overall deficiencies."

Cosell goes on to note one of the big deficiencies in the team's offensive attack -- the lack of a vertical threat.

"I understand that a more fortuitous bounce of the ball on 2 occasions could have given the Patriots another championship, but that only validates the point," Cosell writes. "This team won 15 games, and was in position to win the Super Bowl without a critical offensive component, one that every team covets and is necessary for a complete and multi-dimensional offense. The ability to overcome that deficiency was the result of outstanding coaching and elite quarterback play."

Then Cosell touches on the defense.

"Belichick made it clear just how poor his team was in the back end with his use of personnel. Matthew Slater? Julian Edelman? I know he’s utilized offensive players in the past (Troy Brown) with some success, but this year’s version was not genius, it was desperation," he writes. "My guess is Belichick felt the same way. ... The simple truth was the Patriots had a poor defense in 2011. We can blame personnel decisions but that’s a different conversation. They still had to line up and play with what they had, and the fact that Belichick was able to get this team to the Super Bowl was extraordinary."

Rob Gronkowski returns to the Twitter-sphere to thank his fans.

"Thanks for all the support too throughout my surgery! Grinding everyday to get back & already excited for what next season brings! Love ya!"

"Shout out to all #Patsnation and #Gronknation fans! Thanks for all the support throughout the year! All of you are amazing!"

Continue reading this post »

Karen Guregian says Kyle Arrington is ready to see what this young defense can accomplish in 2012, with a full offseason program.

"We’re a relatively young team," Arrington said. "We’re looking forward to improving individually as players and collectively as a team. We should be right back where we want to be this time next year."

"We’ll start from scratch. That’s what we’ll work on from Day 1," he said. "We just need to be around each other more. I think that will benefit us a lot. With the offseason program, we’ll be working out together, watching film together, hanging out together, just being together more. It’ll be beneficial for everyone."

What would Arrington like to do better? "There’s always areas of improvement. Basically you’re just trying to turn your weaknesses into strengths," he said. "Build on what you do well. You always work to try to be the complete player. A lot of the self-scouting, which I did last season, I think I made some improvement in areas of my game I needed from last season. It’s still not good enough. I’ll continue to work on those."

Mike Reiss posts some key NFL dates ahead for 2012.

Feb. 20 -- First day for clubs to designate franchise or transition players.

Feb. 22-28 -- NFL Combine (media access Feb. 23-Feb. 26).

March 1 -- Clubs no longer required to grant permission to another club to discuss position of head coach with an assistant coach.

March 5 -- Deadline to designate franchise or transition tag players (prior to 4 p.m. ET).

March 13 -- Free agency begins at 4 p.m. ET, marking start of 2012 league year (trading begins).

March 26-28 -- NFL annual meeting (Palm Beach, Fla) -- compensatory draft picks awarded etc.

April 2 -- Clubs that hired a new head coach at end of '11 regular season may begin offseason programs.

April 16 -- Clubs with a returning head coach may begin offseason workout programs.

April 20 -- Deadline for signing of offer sheets by restricted free agents.

April 26-28 -- NFL Draft.

Continue reading this post »

Jeff Howe reviews the safeties on the roster, noting the need for Belichick to add a boost to this position for next season.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick made some curious decisions with his safeties early in the 2011 season, and it caught up to them over the course of the year. Belichick released James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather, but the Patriots also couldn't come to terms with Dashon Goldson, who met with the team before returning to San Francisco to have a Pro Bowl year.

From there, Patrick Chung missed eight games due to injuries, and Josh Barrett landed on injured reserve. James Ihedigbo took on more responsibility than he's ever had in his career, and wide receiver Matthew Slater and cornerbacks Nate Jones, Sterling Moore and Devin McCourty took on added roles at safety to handle the depth issue.

Belichick must address this position going forward, either by shifting McCourty there full-time or adding another player or two.

Safeties on Final Roster: Chung, Ihedigbo, Sergio Brown, Ross Ventrone (practice squad), Bret Lockett (injured reserve), Barrett (injured reserve) Key Statistic: Ihedigbo was fifth on the team with 72 total tackles, and he was fourth with 50 solo tackles.

Hot Topic: Chung couldn't take a big step forward this year due to a pair of injuries, including a foot ailment that sidelined him for seven games at the end of the regular season. Chung was expected to take on a major role with the defense after Sanders and Meriweather were cut, and it just never panned out. The three-year veteran has an obvious playmaking ability, which he showed in the Super Bowl with a major sideline hit to jar the ball free from Hakeem Nicks, and he'll be counted on to add a physical edge to the defense in 2012.

Offseason Question: How can the Patriots improve the position?

During the 2010 season, a source indicated the Patriots were going to head in a new direction with the position and, well, that obviously turned out to be the case early in 2011. However, the biggest names on that transaction wire were the departures, not the additions. If Belichick decides to pair up Chung with McCourty, the Patriots won't really need to make a big splash in the safety pool this offseason.

However, if they're looking for an upgrade over Ihedigbo and Barrett, there are a few intriguing free agents, including Goldson (again), Tyvon Branch, Jim Leonhard, Michael Griffin and LaRon Landry. Potential draft targets would be Alabama's Mark Barron, who could be off the board in the top 20, Notre Dame's Harrison Smith, Boise State's George Iloka, South Carolina's Antonio Allen and Oklahoma State's Markelle Martin to name a few.

Continue reading this post »

Paul Kenyon wonders if Belichick will give Matt Patricia the defensive coordinator title this year.

One item worth following between now and the beginning of next season will be whether Belichick gives Matt Patricia the title of defensive coordinator. It was not until late in the season when Belichick acknowledged that Patricia was calling the defensive signals. In theory, at least, Belichick has kept the title of defensive coordinator for himself. Patricia, who played his football at Rensselaer Poly Tech in New York, has been with the Patriots for eight years. He has worked his way up from offensive assistant, to assistant offensive line coach, the linebackers coach and this past season as safeties coach.

Even if he decides to give Patricia the title of defensive coordinator, there is no doubt that Belichick will remain heavily involved with the defense, as he is with the entire organization. The coach turns 60 in April, but has shown no indication of slowing down.

Glen Farley says with free agency a little more than a month away, the Patriots are in good shape to participate.

According to league-wide figures compiled by Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Patriots are currently at a salary cap figure of $101.887,741. That’s eighth lowest in the NFL, giving them $20 million or more of wiggle room under the projected 2012 limit of $121-$125 million.

It goes without saying that a portion of team owner Robert Kraft’s bank account will be needed to retain Wes Welker’s services. If the two sides are unable to come to terms, the franchise tag at wide receiver would cost the Patriots $9.4 million.

There is also a need to upgrade the supporting cast at a position where Deion Branch is also a free agent (and, if retained, would best serve as the third option). Also – news flash! – the team isn’t about to pay Chad Ochocinco $3 million in base salary to return in 2012.

Continue reading this post »

Ian Rapoport points out the Patriots have had three seasons of 10-or-more wins, two number one seeds and a Super Bowl appearance all while rebuilding the defense.

"I like that they’re winning games," said [former Patriots VP Scott] Pioli, when asked what he likes about how the Patriots have changed on defense. "They’re still in transition. They’re developing players. The toughest thing to do is to win games while developing players. They’re doing that. They’ve got a very young team, particularly on defense. They’ve got a number of other guys they’ve kinda plugged in. But the impressive part is they’re developing players and winning while it’s going on."

"They’re rebuilding on the fly now," Pioli said. "What I know Bill is thinking is not only rebuilding it for the now, but making sure it sustains."

Christopher Price puts signing Wes Welker at the top of his laundry list of things to address in the coming months.

The wide receiver is the No. 1 priority this offseason, and while the franchise tag remains a possibility (a cost of roughly $9 million), you would have to think that Welker’s camp would love to lock down a multiyear agreement, something in the three to four-year range. Many people around the league believe that unless some team offers him a ridiculous deal, Welker will ultimately return, as he is more valuable in the New England offense than anywhere else. Welker’s reps als understand how good he has it with the Patriots. (One important thing to remember -- Welker changed agents to David Dunn and Athletes First in 2009, a group that represents other Patriots like Aaron Hernandez and Zoltan Mesko, and historically has had a good working relationship with New England.)

Continue reading this post »

Bill Belichick is asked about how proud he is of his team.

Real proud of them. I thought they worked hard all year, they competed well all season. We won a lot of games and even the ones we didn't win, we fought right to the end and played very competitively. We did that last night, just came up a little bit short. I have all the respect in the world for the team and all the players and what they've done for over six months. It's not about one game or one play or anything, it's the whole body of work. I really, really enjoyed coaching this team and have a lot of respect for them.

Michael Rosenberg (SI) Brady's performance in Super Bowl adds a lot to his legacy. Really.

But overall, these facts should not be in dispute: Brady took an otherwise nondescript Patriots team to the brink of a championship, and he played well Sunday. At the end of the first half, he completed 10 of 10 passes and drove the Pats 98 yards for a touchdown. He broke the Super Bowl record for consecutive completions. ...

Did Eli Manning outplay Brady Sunday? Well, Manning was great, and his numbers (30 of 40 completions, 296 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, no intentional grounding penalties that led to a safety) were better. But Manning also had an easier task than Brady in almost every way. ...

True, Brady only led his team to 17 points. But New England had the worst field position I can ever remember for a Super Bowl team. The Pats started on their own 6, their 29, their 20, their 2, their 21, their 17, their 20, their 8 and their 20. The Patriots played the entire game uphill. ...

Did Brady complete a bunch of passes downfield? No, he did not. But have you seen his roster? His leading receiver is 5-foot-9 Welker, a possession receiver. His second-leading receiver is a tight end. His third-leading receiver is another tight end. His fourth-leading receiver is another 5-9 guy, Branch, who is 32 years old.

Good players, all of them. But who in that group seems like a deep threat to you? Bill Belichick answered this question last summer: Nobody. That is why he acquired Chad Ochocinco -- he was supposed to be that deep threat. Unfortunately Ochocinco is neither deep nor a threat.

I'm not saying Brady was better than Manning or that this was the greatest performance of his life. But he played very well in a Super Bowl, for a team that, top to bottom, is not as talented as the Giants. Yes, I know the Pats won 13 regular-season games and the Giants won nine. But that was largely a function of schedule (New England didn't beat a team with a winning record until the playoffs) and the greatness of Brady and Belichick.

Continue reading this post »

Dan Shaugnessy gets the word from Larry Bird.

"I’m rooting for the Patriots,’’ said Bird before watching his Pacers beat the Nets Tuesday night. "I always go with the Boston teams, and I could never root for a New York team. Come on!’’

Patrick Chung speaks to the media on the chemistry in the secondary.

"Whoever is out there is going to play. Coach (Bill Belichick) has full confidence in whoever he puts out there. The (Giants) have a very good receiving corps. They have three different kinds of receivers that can make big plays. I think we have a good secondary. We matchup well. It's going to be a battle. We have to try and contain them. We can't stop all three, because they're that good. We're going to try and contain them and do the best we can."

Kyle Love on being at the Super Bowl.

"I never would have imagined this – playing football in the NFL – (having) not been drafted. It has just all come full circle. It is crazy to me. But to be here is a blessing. I enjoy playing for this team and playing my role as a player. Whatever Belichick asks me, (I'll do). I have so much respect for him and I love this team."

Jerod Mayo talks about the team's mood.

"I think this team is ready to go. Everyone is working hard. Yesterday after media day I saw guys in there watching film and they're still studying to prepare for this game. I think the sense of urgency is there and we've just got to keep it going."

"It's like counting down days before Christmas. Guys are very excited and anxious to get on the field."

Brandon Spikes addresses his style of play.

"I haven't changed my game one bit. I approach the game every time like, 'Just play hard,' like every snap is my last."

"I just feel like I'm caged up right now, pacing back and forth waiting. I'm ready. It's hard to explain. Like I said, I'm enjoying all this, you guys. It's fun; it's a great experience. It's something I can tell my kids a long time from now."

Continue reading this post »

Mark Anderson at Media Day.

On the New England Way: "In New England you are more focused on your job. It's a small town. All that's there is football. We just focus on our job and everyone buys into the concept. You see how we play on Sundays. We are focused and have a set schedule that we go about every day. Everyone buys into the system. Coach Belichick is so smart. He really breaks down our opponents. I just try to soak in knowledge from him. He is one of the best coaches I have been around."

Julian Edelman at Media Day

On playing offense and defense for the first time in his life: "It is exciting. After a game, when you feel like you've contributed to a team win, there is nothing better than that. Anyway that you can help the team, is always awesome."

On preparing for the Super Bowl as an offensive and defensive player: "Depending on the week and stuff, depending on my role in the situation of each game, sometimes I have to be in the offensive meetings, and sometimes I have to be in the defensive (meetings). If I wasn't in the offense, or if I wasn't in the defense, then I will meet with the coach after practice when everyone is gone and kind of get the tips there and prepare myself best for the game."

On Giants WR Mario Manningham's comments about being covered by Edelman: "I am not really worried about what Mario Manningham is saying right now. I am more focused on doing my job, and that is preparing right now. We will see if that opportunity comes ahead of us in the game."

Logan Mankins at Media Day.

On how much pressure there is to block for Tom Brady: "A lot. That's our job and if we don't block for Tom, our offense isn't going to do any good. We know it falls on us to keep him up."

On the key to keeping Tom Brady off the ground: "Just staying on your man, keeping the defensive linemen off them or if they're blitzing, picking those up and just blocking those guys for as long as it takes. For as long as he needs, that's how long we're supposed to block for."

On what the best part about being an offensive lineman is: "Blocking. That's all we do is block, so that has to be the best. We've got it pretty good. I think it's a great job to have and I wouldn't want to play one of those other positions. They have to run too much."

Continue reading this post »

Patriots players spoke with the media Monday:

Vince Wilfork (on playing different positions and a high volume of snaps at this stage of his career) "You know what? Each year, I just want to keep getting better. I think conditioning is everything, being able to go. The more stress you can put on yourself in the off-season and training camp, I think it allows you to play at a high level once you get later in the season. That's one I did a real good job of, putting that stress on myself this off-season."

(on where his desire comes from to not come off the field) "All of my life I've been competitive. I always want to be in the middle of everything. If it's going wrong, it's going wrong, but if it's going right, it's going right and I want to be in the middle. All of my life I've thought that I'm a leader, and I think leaders have to take control at some point and show the will to do whatever it takes to turn things around, whether it's bad or positive. At a young age, I always had that fight, but it's a good fight."

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (on if not turning the ball over will be important in this game) "Yes, you know it's always important. In any game that you play in, obviously, you want to win the turnover battle. That's the number one thing that correlates to winning in this league, so that's the thing we want to try to do."

(on how he has made it through his career without fumbling) "Just been blessed and fortunate, that's about it. There's no science to it because it's something that happens. It's a part of the game. You don't want to have turnovers, but they happen. No one wants to go out there and fumble the ball. It's something that just happens and I just have been blessed and fortunate. That's the only thing I can kind of take it up to."

Patrick Chung (on how it feels to be at the Super Bowl) "It feels awesome. It feels awesome. I mean we're still here on a business trip, though. We're still here to work hard but it feels good. It feels good to be here. A lot of guys don't get this opportunity but we'll take the best of it and just play a good game."

(on what has jumped out at him that's 'awesome') "Just the atmosphere - there's all these people around, all you in here. It's just a crazy experience and feeling just knowing that we're at the big show."

(on what the biggest lesson they learned from the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens) "The main lesson? Play to the end. That's all I can really say. Play to the end because you never know what's going to happen."

Deion Branch (on giving advice to younger players on the team) "I'm the older guy, exactly. It's crazy. I'm one of the older guys. I was just talking to DP (Former Patriots WR David Patten) about two or three days ago. I was talking to David Patten. He was one of the guys I looked up to and he and (Former Patriots WR) Troy (Brown) showed so much love to me when I was a young guy, and now I have the same opportunity to do the same thing for those young guys."

(on the mentality today of getting back to work) "Exactly. Today it was. We felt that early on. It was good. All the guys were very anxious to get in the meeting room, to get our playbook, to listen to coach break down the film, kick the meeting off, and then we just had practice. So everything is pretty much going the way we expected."

Continue reading this post »

Mike Rodak shares Tom Brady's remarks to the fans Sunday at Gillette.

"We have the greatest fans in America. You guys have proved that year in and year out with your support," Brady said. "I wish I could take all you guys to Indy with us. We're going down there, and we're going down there for one reason. We're going to give it our best and hopefully we have a lot more people at our party next weekend."

Mike Rodak posts some more soundbites from Sunday's rally.

Wes Welker: "I can’t thank you all enough for coming out here. You guys are the best. You guys are the reason that we’re in the spot we’re in, because we had home-field advantage coming in, and we were able to take advantage of it, and now we’re in the Super Bowl. And that’s what it’s all about. And I promise you all, all these guys, with the way we’re going to play this next Sunday, we’re going to give everything we've got next Sunday, and you’re going to be proud to support the New England Patriots. Thank you very much."

Jerod Mayo: "I’d just like to thank everyone for coming out this year, it’s been a very special year, with Miss Myra [Kraft] and the Kraft family going through everything they’ve gone through this year. Just the support from the fans has been great. We’re going down here on a business trip, and hopefully we’ll bring back a championship. Thank you."

Kevin Faulk: "This never gets old, huh? The one question I was asked during the offseason was, ‘Why are you coming back, Kevin?’ This is it right here. See you all in Indy, baby. Go Pats."

Deion Branch: "What’s up, baby? What’s up, New England? You know coach Belichick told us not to come out here and talk too long, but we’re going to the Super Bowl, what’s up, baby? Unreal. This is the reason why I wanted to be back here, for this one reason, right here, baby. To have the opportunity to play for a championship, play for a Super Bowl, and bring this trophy back to you all, because you deserve it. Thank you, baby."

Continue reading this post »

Aaron Hernandez on being at practice without Rob Gronkowski:

"I'd say it's a little boring, but he'll be back out there soon.

Sterling Moore on what it's like to cope with receivers like Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz when they're all healthy:

"It's a challenge. It's a big challenge but that's what we want. Going into this game, we want them all to be healthy; we want them all to be at their best. That's just the type of game we want. It's going to be a struggle but that's what the films are for. We're going to have to do a great job on the film and go out there and play them tough."

Vince Wilfork on the improvement the defense has made, and what it says about the team.

It lets me know these guys listen - through the coaches, through the guys, the veterans who have been around the game for awhile. It's not like we talk to them every day about certain stuff. No, they get it. They knew how important it was for us to get better as a team and what we needed to do to get better as a team. We made those changes, we made those progresses and we moved forward. Like I said, it's a special bunch. At the end of the day, it's going to be a special team. I think everybody in this locker room, they love this game, they love one another, they have the passion. That's one thing to have a football player not have the passion for what they love and what they do but I can honestly tell you that these guys have every passion, everything that you need in a football player, they have and they love it.

Bill Belichick on "one of his favorite topics - injuries".

That would actually be number one. If you had to rank them, I'd move that up there as number one.

How would you describe the progress of Rob Gronkowski?

Good, good.

How optimistic are you that Sebastian Vollmer will be able to go?

We'll see how it goes. He practiced some last week, he wasn't able to play. We'll practice this week and we'll see if he's ready this week. The [crystal] ball is kind of clouding up, I can't see it clearly.

Continue reading this post »

Linda Holliday, Bill Belichick's girlfriend, tweets some good news to fans:

It's official...no red hoodie at Superbowl XLVI!

Ian Rapoport notes neither Shaun Ellis nor Gerard Warren have ever played in a Super Bowl, despite 23 years of experience between them.

"That’s the reason why I came here," Warren said, "the reason why I’m glad to be back. This is what it’s all about."

"I knew we would have an opportunity," Ellis said. "We went to work and everybody just stayed focused. No selfish guys. All for one goal, just all for one goal. To be able to play in that next game, in the Super Bowl, it’s a great feeling. We’ll enjoy this and get ready for next week."

Christopher Price gets some points of emphasis from an AFC scout and NFC scout when it comes to New England's game plan against New York. Here's one:

NFC scout: "The Patriots will have to be disciplined in the pass rush, not because Eli Manning is a scrambler, but because he’s very good at sliding to buy time and giving wide receivers time to create and escape coverage for big plays. The Patriots' inside rushers can push the pocket, while the ends have to be disciplined to not give Eli space."

AFC scout: "What stands out to me about the Patriots off last week’s game against Baltimore was their ability to get around and harass the quarterback with just their front lineman, they got push in the middle of the pocket and were able to condense to get middle pressure. That is key vs. Eli Manning."

Continue reading this post »

Bill Belichick responds to reporters in his Tuesday conference call with the media.

Can you talk about the play of some of your lesser known defensive linemen like Kyle Love and Brandon Deaderick and how they've progressed throughout the season?

Of course, Brandon started out the year on PUP, so he wasn't able to participate with the team in training camp or in the first six regular season weeks and then started practice after that. He kind of got a little bit of a late start. But Brandon has worked hard; he's certainly improved a lot from last year, his rookie year, just in terms of technique and consistency and his quick reactions and so forth. He's had a good solid year for us, as has Kyle.

Kyle, kind of similar to Brandon, had a good year for us last year, was able to contribute. But unlike Brandon, Kyle was able to start the first day of training camp and really build on his rookie season. He had a good camp and has had a good season. Every day, every week really, he's been able to work, to improve, to just refine his game and take it to a higher level. I think that time that Deaderick missed in the early part of the year , which was significant – all the training camp practices and the first six weeks of the season – just put him a little bit behind, but he's still way ahead of where he was last year.

Both guys have done a good job for us. They're both good, young defensive linemen that are continuing to get better. They've contributed for us in a lot of different ways: the running game, the passing game, sub situations. They've shown good; they've been very valuable for us. It was good to get Deaderick back, along with Ron Brace after that sixth game.

Can you tell us how gratifying it was to see your defense come together at in the AFC Championship? What was it like to see Sterling Moore, who wasn't even on the initial roster, make a play like that? How does it feel to be able to identify people like that and have them contribute in timely situations like he did?

I think that our defensive players and coaches have really worked hard all year. At the end of the regular season, I think things, we had more to show for it, let's put it that way. I don't think that necessarily the work ethic or the desire or the competitiveness to do it has changed a lot, but the results started to improve because of a little more continuity, a little better execution, better technique, more confidence, all those kind of things that came together. I thought that we had our moments, but there were a lot of times in the latter part of the season where we had stretches where we played very competitively on defense. That was true in the Denver game and it was true in the Baltimore game.

There were other moments that were certainly less than ideal, but overall it's a group of guys and coaches that have worked hard and tried to get better on a daily basis and I think they have over the course of the season, more so in the last five or six weeks. we recap the Patriots 23-20 win over the Ravens to advance to Super Bowl XLVI. Plus, we start our Patriots-Giants preview.

Continue reading this post »

Matthew Slater talks about how much of the day Monday was spent switching from celebration to preparation.

"I think the switch was slowly being turned over today. I think we're still enjoying what we did yesterday but we know that it would be a terrible feeling to come all this way and not finish the job. I think that switch will be fully on tomorrow and we'll realize, ‘Hey, we have to prepare for the Giants."

Julian Edelman is asked about the team realizing it has to improve after [the Ravens] game.

"After any game you find that out, especially when you break down the film. We obviously won the game but we obviously have to improve - that's what we're going to do this upcoming week in practice. That's what you do every week - you break down the film, you look at the plays you didn't do too well in and you try to go after those plays."

BenJarvus Green-Ellis is already looking forward to the next opponent.

"[The regular season loss to the Giants] is in the past. We can't do anything about our past. We have to do something about our future moving forward and how we prepare for those guys. We know they're a good team so we have to be ready."

"I'm sure some of that [familiarity] will come into play but at the end of the day it's all about what goes on once the ball is kicked off; we have to go out there and execute."

James Ihedigbo responds to a question about whether Bill Belichick re-emphasized the importance of using two weeks for preparation.

"Yeah, of course. You're preparing for the Super Bowl so your preparation is everything and the time off that you get in the midst of the chaos is going to be important. It's my first time and it's the first for a lot of guys but really just being smart with your decisions. When you have that time off, you watch extra film, studying things that you need to study whether it's practice or whatever it is. It's great but we're going to enjoy it. It's our once in a lifetime opportunity that you have to play this game and we're definitely going to enjoy it."

Continue reading this post »

Patriots Post-game quotes. Just a sampling here, click on the link for more.

Jerod Mayo (On reaching the Super Bowl)

"I got my first playoff win this year and I have my first AFC Championship win. Just seeing guys like Rodney [Harrison] and Drew [Bledsoe] come back - guys like that - and being able to continue on with the legacy of winning. Hopefully we can get one more. It's huge for me."

Brandon Spikes (On the defense forcing the Ravens to kick a field goal at the end)

"It is the mental toughness. We have been talking about it all year. Baltimore is a great team but we made a stop."

Matt Light (On what was going through his mind when Billy Cundiff lined up for the potential game-tying field goal)

"I had my eyes closed, man. I wasn't going to watch that one. That was a little too much stress for this guy, but it was unbelievable man. Things happen for a reason."

Sterling Moore (On when Evans caught the ball what was going through your mind)

"It wasn't in my mind to slap the ball out, it was just a split second decision and I'm glad it worked out. We do that drill every day in practice (stripping the ball) but it was the first time I had to use it in a game and I just took what I learned from practice into the game."

Aaron Hernandez (On what motivates the team)

"The thing about this team is that we have a lot of competitive players who love the game and play with their hearts. We all came out and fought. We fought all week in practice and we were ready for this game."

Rob Gronkowski (On the team's emotions after the game)

"Emotions are flying high. It's unbelievable. It's my second year in the league, playing with a great team, and you have to enjoy the moment. It doesn't even feel right, especially playing with the veterans here. I watched them go to the Super Bowl as I was growing up and now I'm part of it? It is an unreal moment and you can't take it for granted."

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (On how inspiring the crowd was)

"It was good to get them going. It was loud in there at times, especially on those last couple drives. We need that ‘12th man.' This was the last home game of the season, so I hope they blew out all their lungs and their vocal boxes and everything [laughter]."

Shaun Ellis (On what it says about the Patriots that they can win even when the offense struggled)

"We're a relentless bunch of guys. Even though the game is not going right, we can just keep it manageable or just take it over. We have Tom Brady. He can makes things happen. But today it came down to the defense. The offense has been bailing us out all year. And today, it was our turn. Last week and today, it was our turn to return the favor."

Continue reading this post »

Patrick Chung responds to questions about the difficulty in coming back from an injury and if he's been 'mystified' by the play of the defense.

On me, it's been pretty tough but the team is winning, the team is winning. I have no complaints at all. We're winning and just have to keep working and whatever obstacles there might be, you have to keep working and try to overcome those.

We have a good defense, a good defense, good players, good coach. Coach [Belichick] gives us the game plan, we execute and we've been doing that for the whole season.

[The rotation of safeties doesn't matter] the best players are going to play at the given time, whoever you have is going to play regardless. Whoever Coach [Belichick] puts out there he has full confidence in and he expects them to make plays.

Bill Belichick is asked about the challenge of getting the defense to gel with so many moving parts.

Our guys on defense, they work hard, they really do. They come in and put in a lot of extra time watching film, preparing, studying. I think all of our players really have gotten better individually. We've had some moving parts where some guys have worked with other players beside them or in front of them or behind them as the case would be. We stayed at it and some things have gotten better. We still have a lot of work to do, there are a lot of things we can improve on. I think overall, the work ethic and the confidence of the unit has been good. Hopefully we can continue to get better.

Vince Wilfork doesn't care much for rankings.

"We don't pay attention to any stats. That's something we don't do. We know how we feel about this team and we feel really good about this 2011 team. We'll see where that takes us. But, we really don't pay any attention to any stats."

Continue reading this post »

Tom Brady reflects on the year that Nate Solder has had as a rookie playing both sides of the line.

We've asked Nate to do quite a bit. He's played both tackle spots. He's also played some tight end for us. For a rookie to come in and to be able to add that type of value to a team and to really perform the way he has really speaks to his character, his ability to prepare, how tough he is, how smart he is, all those things that make up a damn good football player. I'm glad we have him. Anytime a quarterback has two tackles like Matt Light and Nate and add Sebastian [Vollmer] and Marcus Cannon into that, that's a lot of comfort I have dropping into the pocket.

Aaron Hernandez comments on all the hard work that has been put in to get to this point.

"It was a lot of screaming at us, a lot of discipline and obviously over the two years we have had a lot of help and we have great players around us that get us ready and prepared for the game. We are in a great organization that makes sure we know each detail of each route, how to run it and where we need to be, and we got taught a lot of discipline. That is obviously why we have some success."

Jerod Mayo talks about the growth of the Patriots defense in terms of communication.

Yeah, I think it comes down to consistency, just getting guys back, getting [Brandon] Spikes back, getting [Patrick] Chung back. That's huge for us and any time you can get the same guys for consecutive weeks, the communication will be there.

Continue reading this post »

Josh Boyer assesses what makes Devin McCourty a good fit at safety.

I would say Devin, like all of our guys, has position flexibility. I think he has worked really hard in the film room and on the practice field trying to improve his techniques. With some things that haven't gone so good, we work hard on those, and then the things that do go well, we try to improve upon those. Just from a position flexibility standpoint, we have a lot of guys that have done some of the stuff that Devin is doing. Sterling [Moore] has had positional flexibility for us, as well as Patrick Chung. So all of our guys back there, Kyle [Arrington] included in that mix, they are very aware of what is going on [and doing] what we feel is best for the team that week of who is going to be in what spot.

For the safety, one of the things you are looking for is a guy that can track the ball in the air, which Devin has been able to do. You have to have a little bit of range. You have to be kind of a physical player being able to step up in the box. Devin has done all of those things at points in times for us in the season. There are things that we can still improve on in all those areas.

Nick Caserio responds to a question about the way the Patriots have played a lot of guys at a number of different positions.

Until you actually put that player in that position you're not quite sure how it's going to turn out, but I think the most important thing is we kind of talk about it ad nauseam around here really the more you can do, the more you can do. The reality of it is you're either a starter on defense or on offense or a starter in the kicking game and those are really the 46 guys that end up going into the game. Now, if a guy can do one or two or three different things that's certainly going to enhance his ability on game days to make a contribution to the team.

Until you actually put that player in that position, some players can handle more relative to others, but I think it's a credit to the players and I think it's a credit to the coaches for investing the time and giving the player the opportunity and seeing what they can handle. The in the end they have to go out there and be able to perform whatever task that may be in a high enough level that you feel comfortable that if you put them in a different position that they're normal accustomed to not playing, that they're going to go out there and perform at a competitive enough level.

Continue reading this post »

Wes Welker is asked about the mindset of the team as it prepares for the Ravens.

That we need to get back to work. We had a good performance this weekend and we're going to have to repeat that and even do more to have a chance this weekend. That's kind of our mindset of understanding that we have to play really well this week in order to win the game.

Matthew Slater talks about how focused the team is with just four teams remaining.

"It has to be even higher than it was last week, and it was high last week, but it has to be high. It has to be a one-day-at-a-time thing. You don't win the game on Sunday, you win it throughout the course of the week and it starts today by how you prepare and then obviously you have to go play well on Sunday. Giving ourselves a chance to have success starts today."

Rob Ninkovich doesn't take any motivation from what the media says about the Patriots defense.

You really can't listen to anything outside of the locker room. We're a tight-knit unit. The defense has kind of had their ups and downs this year, but in the big picture of things, I think that we've done really well in the turnover ratio. Especially with the way our team is made up, our offense is so potent, that if you can get them the ball obviously they're going to do something with it. Really, the more times you can get Tom [Brady] the ball and let him do what he does best - and that's to throw the ball around and make big plays. Obviously, we've let up some big plays that you don't want to do as a defense and yardage that you don't want to have. But when you look back on the season, we're still 13-3 and the points, we didn't let up a lot of points which obviously, if you're letting up a lot of points, you're not going to win. Turnovers and points I think we did pretty good at.

Continue reading this post »

Bill Belichick addresses the media immediately following the Patriots 45-10 win.

I just can't say enough about the players today. They obviously did a great job. We had a good week in the bye week and I think we got a lot of things done. Once we found out who we were playing, I think these guys really did a good job of focusing on the target and they were obviously ready to go today. You have to give the players all the credit in the world. They stepped up and they made a lot of big plays throughout the game for 60 minutes. We got contributions from everybody. Great job on special teams. We had a lot of good field position. We played on a short filed, the offense got the ball in the end zone. We got some stops on defense, turned the ball over early. It was a good, solid team effort. We'll enjoy this one for a little while and then we'll find out who we have in the AFC Championship. But it's an honor to be in that game and it's been a lot of hard work this year, but I'm really happy for the players. I'm really excited for them. They deserved it. They've worked hard, they've put up with me, so they deserve this.

Tom Brady talks about the versatility of the tight ends and whether he took the game personally after all the hype around Tim Tebow.

Yeah, well I think they've been great assets to this offense along with the plays that Deion [Branch] made and the plays Wes [Welker] makes and the way Benny [BenJarvus Green-Ellis] runs it and the way that we can protect with the O-line and the way the defense plays. It's certainly not about one player, it's one position. Coach [Belichick] really challenged us last night to come out and play as a team, to play together and to play complementary football and I thought we did that.

...And, I think that everyone focused on one player and I think all week we were focused on the entire Denver Bronco team. We knew what kind of challenges they presented. Tim [Tebow] is a very good quarterback, they have a good defense, great rushing team, make some big plays in the pass game like they did against Pittsburgh. We knew the threats; we understood the danger of not playing our best game. I thought we came out and really responded well.

Continue reading this post »

Logan Mankins stands up and answers a few questions for the media Thursday.

How have you been able to test your knee on the field in practice? Has it been limited in any regard that would concern you?

Not yet, I've been limited all week, though. I'm not going to get into too much but like I said, it's day-to-day, we're working on it and we're not sure what's going to happen yet.

A lot of guys have said this is a different team. How are you guys different?

I don't know. I think you've seen our resiliency this year. We've had a few games where we've come out the first quarter and played horrible but guys never gave up. We knew if we kept playing hard that guys would make some plays and get us back in the game and have a chance to win. I think in years past, I don't know if we had that all the time but this year we've been tough and we keep playing.

Deion Branch is asked how big a factor it is that the Patriots played the Broncos a month ago.

I think the only thing that we can take from the game is what happened during the course of the game a month ago. This game is going to play out the way it's going to play out once we kick the ball off Saturday. I think the stuff that we both are studying about each other, that's the only thing we can take from that game. Try to better certain plays and try not to do certain things that we did wrong against them; correct the plays that we messed up on. Other than that, I think the game is going to play out the way it's supposed to on Saturday. It's a different game, a different game. Everything is going to be totally different. The tempo is going to be high; guys are going to be very energized and excited about playing in the playoffs. We're all chasing the same goal, though.

Continue reading this post »

Matt Light is asked about working through a makeshift offensive line, and if it helps that they're capable of having players who can fill in when players go down.

I think it speaks a lot to the guys that we have and obviously the job that Dante [Scarnecchia] does. Any chance that they have to get out there and prove it during the regular season, I think it will help us in the postseason. You want to have a little bit of confidence going into those situations where you have guys that do go down. The younger guys have stepped up all season and made big plays for us and shuffled from one position to another, from one side of the line to the other. It's not an easy thing to do, but they get it done in practice. They get it done when they go out there and for whatever reason, it's worked out really well for us.

Matthew Slater expresses the need for improvement in the return game.

We're definitely not satisfied with our production; it's been too inconsistent. But we can learn from that. In the postseason, we feel like we still believe in the guys back there, we still believe in our scheme and we feel like we have a chance to make some plays to help this team down the stretch. We can't get frustrated; we just have to stay at it and keep practicing. Obviously, we're not satisfied with the standard that we've set here in the past with what we've done this year. But here's a chance for us to get better in the postseason.

Brian Waters talks a bit about Dante Scarnecchia and the Patriots O-line.

He's definitely not shy. He loves to work. He's very animated about being on the details. As an offensive lineman, he's definitely not going to give you a break, but you respect it because you understand he's not doing it just to hear his own voice; he's doing it because he really believes in the things that he's teaching and the techniques that he's teaching and that they work. It's evident by the play of not only this line this year, but over the course of the years that the Patriots have always had very good offensive lines over the years. It definitely works.

Continue reading this post »

Bill Belichick is asked about Denver's pass rushers.

They're very good. Von Miller is outstanding, [Elvis] Dumervil is outstanding, [Robert] Ayers, they do a good job. When they put Miller and Dumervil outside, those guys are fast and explosive. They can go inside, outside, power rush, occasionally drop into coverage, make a lot of plays from behind, they're strong at the point of attack. They're very good, very good.

Tom Brady responds to a question about whether anything has changed since their earlier matchup.

It's the same guys in there on defense and there are some of the same schemes. There are definitely some new wrinkles that they've added to what they're doing that we have to be able to prepare for. But the way the team has played the course of the entire season, you don't go into these games and think, ‘Oh, let's change it up.' You get to this point for playing a certain style. They're going to continue to play their style - what they think they do very well. And we're going to try to do the things that we do well.

Vince Wilfork talks about what the Patriots need to do on defense Saturday.

This game is going to come down to disciplined football for us. I think we said it the first time - disciplined football for us - up front, secondary and with the backers. I think every one of us is going to have a job to do. If we don't do that, we will find ourselves in trouble, quick, fast and often. That's one thing we're trying to minimize. We're trying to prepare well and play well on Saturday. That's our goal. It's a one game season for us right now. The more we can get down and practice with the preparation.

I think last week was a big week for us as a team. Just having the extra time and going out and actually getting some extra looks at things, get some stuff ironed out that we thought may give us some problems going forward or doing some things that we think can help us going forward. I think last week was a big week for us and it really helped us.

This is the postseason now. I'm expecting everything. I'm expecting them to throw the kitchen sink. Like I said, you lose now, you go home. I think every team understands that. Before it's too late, you have to understand what you're going into. You have to understand the battle you're going into. It started last week for us, just coming in and getting some things done. Hopefully it can transfer over to this week and onto the game Saturday.

Continue reading this post »

Vince Wilfork on the 2011 Patriots.

"No matter what the outcome may be, this team will play their butts off for a full game, and that’s all you can ask at the end of the day. The passion for the game, we have it. The love for the game, we have it. We have guys that love to play football and [we] have guys that love to be here. When you have those [qualities] you can win with guys like that. So, we have a bunch of guys in that locker room like that, so I’m very excited about this postseason. I can’t wait to get started."

BIll Belichick talks about whether the team is caught up to speed on the Broncos after playing them only a few weeks ago.

There’s a level of familiarity with them from our previous game a few weeks ago but we’ve also had a lot come through since then with our last couple of regular season games that we prepared very hard for and then last week in practice, the things that we worked on. I think it really starts all over again.

It’s kind of like playing at team in your division the second time. You know them, they know you but you really need to go back and look at a lot of little details, the keys and see the adjustments that we need to make for the things specifically that they do that are different from what other teams do or things that we worked on before but we’ll just have to react to a little quicker this time around because again they’ve seen us and I’m sure they’ll take advantage of some of things that we do better this time just like hopefully we’ll be able to do against them.

Our preparation starts all over again. We need to be very detailed and get a good handle on everything and carry that execution over onto the practice field and into the game on Saturday.

Matt Patricia is asked about what the trouble was from the first quarter of the Broncos game that led to the 'scheme change' from the Patriots.

I think it’s just really a matter of execution. They came out and executed very well, as they do in all their games. We needed to do a better job of just executing what it is that we were trying to do. I think the biggest thing for us is just everybody to go out and do their job and execute to their fullest.

I just think the game of football in general is about adjustments. There are going to be some adjustments in every game. The bottom line is that everybody goes out and does their job to the best of their ability, no matter what that job is. I think it’s all part of the game.

Continue reading this post »

Mike Reiss serves up some quick-hit thoughts on Patriots-Broncos.

1. Patriots benefit from rematch. One of the takeaways from the Patriots' 41-23 win over the Broncos on Dec. 18 was how the defense had to adjust to Denver's unique option-based offense. Players talked about how it was one thing to practice against it -- they had Julian Edelman as the scout-team QB on the option package, and Ryan Mallett as the scout-team QB in the passing game -- but something significantly different to actually play against it. The Patriots' run defense struggled in the first quarter before settling down, and that experience should benefit the Patriots in this playoff rematch. Turnovers were big for the Patriots in that Dec. 18 game.

4. Should help to have Spikes back. Given the importance of limiting the Broncos' running game -- they had 252 yards on 31 carries against the Patriots on Dec. 18 -- the return of Brandon Spikes is notable. Spikes, one of the Patriots' best run-stuffing linebackers, did not play that day because of a knee injury. He returned for the season finale, giving him an important tune-up for a game in which the Patriots figure to play their fair share of eight men in the box. Safety Patrick Chung also didn't play in the Dec. 18 game.

5. Broncos struggled against Hernandez. In the Dec. 18 meeting, the Broncos held the Patriots' top two pass-catching weapons relatively in check -- Rob Gronkowski had four catches for 53 yards, while Wes Welker had 4 for 41 -- but it was tight end Aaron Hernandez who hurt them most (9 catches, 129 yards, 1 TD). It was a game in which receiver Deion Branch did not play (groin). The Broncos figure to place a heavy emphasis on better tackling after the catch.

6. Short week and Tim Tebow's passing not to be overlooked. This is good spot for the Patriots, playing at home and getting the Broncos on a short week (they played Sunday and now come back for a Saturday road game). That's one of the big benefits of the bye. Tim Tebow was 11 of 22 for 194 yards against the Patriots on Dec. 18, but he looked like a more confident passer against the Steelers (10 of 21 for 316, 2 TDs), converting on the deep ball. The Patriots figure to play differently than the Steelers, with the idea of not leaving themselves as exposed on the back end to protect against the big play.

Continue reading this post »

Patrick Chung responds to a question about how he would talk to a rookie or younger guy about the challenges of playoff football.

Honestly, prepare for the game like it's a regular game you're trying to win. You can't get too hyped about it because if you get too hyped you might get too antsy and then you never know what might happen, but if you have the same preparation that you do week-in-and-week-out and just take it as a game that we have to win just like every other week then that's the best advice I can give them. Just relax and let the game come to you.

Yeah, [I had to learn that lesson myself] because I'm just straight Energizer Bunny out there, so they try to tell me just to relax and let the game come to you. I finally realized that great advice, so that's the one thing I'll tell a rookie coming in, ‘Just play your game and don't worry about all the other hype and everything else that's going on around you.'

Who gave you that advice? [Tedy] Bruschi, [Jerod] Mayo, [and] Junior [Seau], guys that have been there, that have been in playoff games throughout their careers – just listening to those guys.

Bill Belichick is pleased with the team vote for Marcus Cannon as the 2011 Ed Block Courage Award winner.

Great selection. I had the privilege of working for a year with Ed. He was a tremendous guy, real inspiration to all of us at the Colts. I was only there one year, but still. Chad's [O'Shea] father actually worked with him as well. Of course, Marcus has gone through a lot this year. He's certainly had to deal with a lot more than a normal rookie would have to deal with, which is a big transition as it is, just coming into this league. He dealt with a lot very maturely and unselfishly. He did what he had to do, but at the same time he was always there for the team and was always doing what he could to help the team and he's helped the team in a lot of ways. I'm proud that he's on our team and what he's accomplished. He certainly deserves to be recognized for it.

Continue reading this post »

Vince Wilfork addresses the media Wednesday, and "loves the odds" with this team.

Have you had conversations about starting faster amongst yourselves?

I don't think there's much said about it. I mean everybody in this locker room it's not like each week we go and say, ‘We're going to spot this team 21 points' or ‘We're going to spot this team 14 or 17 points and then we're going to start to play.' It doesn't happen like that. Each week we know we get off to a slow start, but eventually it can catch up with you also and we understand that. But at the same time being down 14 and 17 and 21 points and to pull games out shows you a lot about this team. I don't think there's anyone in this locker room saying, 'We're going to get away with a 24 point deficit or a 28 point deficit now.' I think it's more about, ‘Let us being on the other end. Let us be up 14 or 17 points and see where the game takes us. With this team I love the odds. I love them.

When you get behind in games does that make it more of a sense of urgency to make a play or do you have to calm yourselves down?

Most of the times we've been down we've had to calm down. I think that the tougher the game gets the more, I don't know, settled we get. [We] never lose our poise. You know you get frustrated at times, but at the same time you go out there and everybody has their poise and everyone is calm and I think once we're calm we make more plays, we make more plays, we make more plays. I mean, it's funny, but down 21 points you would think that we're over there screaming and hollering and trying to fix everything, but that wasn't the case. It's more about, ‘Just settle down to play football, plays will come, just believe what you see.' The times we've done it, we've been okay. It's just a tough group – tough, tough, mentally tough football team that, you know what, for 60 minutes we're going to fight. I'll tell you that. We might not be pretty, but we will not give up. I don't care how long we play. This team will not give up, so if you've got to beat us it's going to take 60 minutes plus because we're not just going to fold our hand no matter what the score is.

Jerod Mayo responds to a question about if this team will use the playoff exits of the last couple of years as motivation.

To be honest with you, this isn't the same team as the previous years. I think this team is mentally tough. A playoff game in itself is motivation. We're pretty motivated.

Continue reading this post »

Mission accomplished. The biggest concern heading into Week 17 was about players injuring themselves against a Buffalo team with nothing to lose. With Brady and crew finishing no worse off after the game than when they started, we can all breathe a bit easier. The club also finished the regular season on top of the AFC. In the classic words of Rodney Harrison, 'Nobody thought you could do it.' We here at the Pulpit aren't surprised at the Patriots earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The real surprise is the lack of respect New England gets from the experts around the league.

A prime example is Peter King, who thinks it's "almost scandalous" that the Patriots allowed to throw for 4,703 yards on them this year. Green Bay somehow gets a pass, however, even though the Packers' defense allowed opponents to throw for 4,796 yards on them - 93 more yards than the Patriots D. No fair, Mr. King.

The last two weeks had the Patriots ranked 3rd in the league on average, but after clinching the number one seed and winning their 8th game in a row, a few writers dropped them down a few notches so that now they're closer to 4th. Not much of a drop, but still a drop. It's understandable. This unconventional defense is scaring former supporters away. What team can win a Championship with receivers playing cornerback, special teamers at linebacker and a former college QB-turned-WR playing defense, offense and returning punts. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me to find out Julian Edelman also sang the National Anthem before the game and then stayed on the field for the coin toss.

Green Bay at least has lousy defenders who play their natural positions. I guess that makes all the difference in the world to the experts.

Continue reading this post »