Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Brady Previews the Bengals Game

Courtesty of the New England Patriots

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY

LOCKER ROOM INTERVIEW

September 26, 2007

Q: As far as mechanics, is this the best you’ve ever felt in your career?

 

TB: I think this is the most comfortable I’ve felt with it. For eight years [I’ve] put a lot of time and effort into trying to get things the way [I] want them. There’s a lot that goes into throwing, the mechanics of it. It’s not just coincidence that you complete certain passes that maybe you struggled with in the past. It’s probably just better technique.  And obviously there are a lot of other great things in the passing game too, like great protection, which allows for good technique, and [the receivers] doing a great job of getting open and catching the ball.

 

Q: Do you want to make sure the offensive line doesn’t go unnoticed in how well they’ve played?

 

TB: Should they go unnoticed? They should never go unnoticed. Really, they set the tone for the entire offense. The more that those guys are into it and playing great, the more that we can establish running the football, which opens up play action passes. Anytime you can get ahead and you can run it and throw it, it puts pressure on the defense. We’re just going to continue to try to improve in areas where we haven’t done so well in the last three weeks. This week is going to present, as we all know, some new challenges.

 

Q: How much did the running game help you last year in Cincinnati?

 

TB: We had a bunch of big runs last year. The backs ran great. That was probably Laurence [Maroney’s] best game to date. That’s key every week, to really keep the defense off balance. When you can break off those long runs like we did, it takes a lot of pressure off the passing game. That was a big point of emphasis going into last year’s game. Especially when you play an offense like we’re facing, too, that has so many weapons that can really control the tempo and style of the game with the way that they play and the way that their offense can put up points in a hurry. You want to be able to control the clock and control the tempo a bit yourself.

 

Q: Is there an urgency to convert every time you are in the red zone because of Cincinnati’s offense?

 

TB: Yeah. You don’t want to kick a lot of field goals. And that is something that we haven’t been doing very well. Getting the ball inside the 5 [yard line] three times and kicking three field goals, once not scoring. And a few other times inside the 10 and not scoring. This isn’t the game where you want to just want to get down there and score points. You really need to score touchdowns. The red area is going to be a huge point of emphasis this week.

 

Q: Is it different this year knowing that you have some of the same weapons to match Cincinnati?

 

TB: Yeah, and we’ve had good weapons every year. It’s not like this passing game never existed before this season. I mean, we’ve done some pretty good things. The new guys, Randy [Moss] and Wes [Welker] and Donté [Stallworth] and Kelley [Washington] have done a great job. And there are different ways that you find ways to be successful. Coach pointed out to us this morning that in 2002 we scored, I guess, 115 points over the first three games and went on to lose four straight, and this year I think we’ve scored 114. So, whatever we’ve done the past three weeks doesn’t make a whole lot of difference going into this week, especially playing a defense that is really a ball-hawking defense, is always up there leading the league in turnovers and this year is really no different for them.

 

Q: One thing Matt Hasselbeck said last week in preparing for the Bengals is forget about the points that they’ve been giving up – a lot of it is special teams. What about their speed on defense? He said that is probably the one thing they had to prepare for the most.

 

TB: Yeah, they have great speed and I think the entire scheme is set up to force offense into bad plays. They have a bunch of players who take advantage of that – Deltha O’Neal, he has a bunch of picks off of me. Dexter Jackson is very instinctive back there. Madieu Williams is a great athlete playing back there in the secondary. Leon Hall, [a] rookie, had a pick last week. Johnathan Joseph is a very – he’s coming along great, so they have some talented guys back there. They put pressure on the quarterback and I think that’s why those turnovers are so high, because they’re forcing quarterbacks to get rid of the ball quickly because of their pass rush. And if you throw it up to those guys on defense, they don’t drop it too often.

 

Q: You were getting your arm massaged a little bit at the end of the [Bills] game. Is that a reward for getting 10 touchdowns or is it…?

 

TB: I’m just trying to stay on top of it. It’s feeling good. I’m sure it will be listed somewhere on the injury report.

 

[laughter]

 

I’m trying to get off that thing, so it’s a little extra treatment.

 

Q: Can you talk about the accomplishments of Sammy Morris?

 

TB: Sammy has been a surprise for everybody and I think he’s done everything that we’ve asked him to do. He’s been very powerful and explosive, he reads the field very well as a back and he catches the ball very well, so he’s a threat in the pass-game, he’s a threat running the ball. He’s been a great addition and he has a knack for the goal line. There doesn’t need to be much room there for him to make yards. He’s powerful enough to move the pile, so if he sees anything he kind of [lowers] his head and dives down there and always comes away with positive yards. He’s always falling forward, too, so he’s been great. He has a great attitude as well.

 

Q: After three games has Wes Welker been everything you thought he’d be?

 

TB: Wes is doing great. Wes is doing great. He’s fun to have around. He’s very excitable. He has great skill. I think when he first got here, for one, you look at his size and think ‘How does this guy play football?’ But he’s as good a football player as I’ve been around. He reminds me a lot of Troy [Brown]. They have the same style. They get open with their quickness and their awareness, they have great hands, they’re very competitive and they play the same position, so they’re doing great. I think Wes has learned a lot from Troy, so it’s been a great fit.

 

Q: Has your relationship gotten any closer to Randy Moss off the field?

 

TB: You know, we’re around the same age so we have a lot in common and we know a lot of the same people. We’ve always had a connection for as long as I’ve known him. I’ve always been the most concerned with our relationship on the field and I hope that continues to get better.

 

Q: Has anything surprised you about his personality so far?

 

TB: Not really. Not really. He’s fun to be around. I don’t psychoanalyze him too much. He’s a great teammate.

 

Q: Does Coach Belichick keep you focused on the game ahead as opposed to what your record is?

 

TB: Sure. And every team is dangerous. There’s no question every team is dangerous, and 1-2, 2-1 – at this point in the year nobody has really identified themselves and what they do. Teams are going to watch us and say, ‘Okay, how have these last teams tried to stop the Patriots?’ And that’s probably more of what we’ll see, and we have to find ways to do things better that we haven’t been doing, because the teams that we’re going to play are trying to attack those weaknesses that they’ve seen consistently. And we’re trying to do the same thing. So, early in the year we need to make improvements each week. You just can’t lose ground and no matter who you play you have to have three great days of practice of out here -this week it will be four- so we can get ready to play and continue to get better.

 

Q: Are there teams that are always on the top and do you pay attention to that?

 

TB: I watch all the teams and you always know the teams that are well-coached. You play against these guys for so long. Like Pittsburgh, you always know they are going to be good [because of] the history of that organization and the type of players we’ve competed against. Indy, we all know about them. There are a lot of teams. Cincinnati is a great example of that. Every time we play them it’s a high scoring game. We’re trying to make plays; they’re trying to make plays. Those games are tough. And they know us very well. It seems like we play them every year. I hope this is a game that we go out there and play the best we have played. Even last year, we beat them but we left a lot of plays out on the field. Even these first few weeks, we’ve left a lot of plays on the field.