PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
January 10, 2015
BB: Well that was a great football game today. First of all, I thought that the Ravens played really well; it's a good football team. Coach [John] Harbaugh does a good job and his staff. They're tough to play against in all three phases of the game and obviously took it right down to the final play. [It's] good to win, good to be moving to the AFC Championship Game. I thought our guys really hung in there down by 14 to start the game, down by 14 in the third quarter. You know, we just battled back. They hung in there. We made a couple big plays. Obviously the turnovers were big. But we just got a lot of plays from a lot of different people and played good situational football there at the end. We were able to bleed out the clock and make the play on the Hail Mary there at the end. Hats off to our team. They worked hard this week. It certainly wasn't our best game. we're going to need to play better next week whoever we play, but it was good to win, really good to win.
Q: How big was Danny Amendola's performance today? It seems like his confidence is there.
BB: Yeah, he played great today. He's a guy that's been a real good player for us all year; really competitive. Nobody works harder in practice. He's made some huge plays for us. The touchdowns today, [he] made a great play there on third down to fight for the yardage and get the first down. He's given us plays in the return game. Yeah, can't say enough about Danny. [He] works hard, really works hard, tough. He's had some big plays for us this year. He had some big ones today.
Q: The double pass, how did they come to be?
BB: The double pass? We passed it to [Julian] Edelman and Edelman passed it to Amendola. It's really the same play we ran against Indianapolis back in '01 with [David] Patten to Troy Brown, if I remember correctly; same kind of play. We were lucky they were in a sub-blitz, so they blitzed off the slot. That certainly helped the play out, gave us a little more time. [Rashaan] Melvin came up, the corner came up, Rob [Gronkowski] was able to block it and give Julian a little bit more time to throw the ball. Danny made the catch and outran the safety. It was well executed and I think we caught the right defense.
Q: The four offensive linemen, is that something you've seen in the past or that's come up previously?
BB: It's a play that we thought would work. We ran it three times, a couple different looks. We had six eligible receivers on the field, but only five were eligible. The one who was ineligible reported that he was ineligible. No different than on the punt team or a situation like that.
Q: Can you talk about Duron Harmon's interception at the end?
BB: Duron is really good in the deep part of the field, as is Devin [McCourty]. We try to use them both in there in some sub situations. Duron played the ball well, went up and high-pointed it. We worked really hard this week on defending the long balls. Obviously that's a great strength of the Ravens and [Joe] Flacco. It was really, again, something we worked hard on during the week. Devin made a good interception on it and Duron went up and high-pointed the ball and made the play. Obviously we probably wouldn't have won without those two plays so they were big for us.
Q: You lost Bryan Stork and Tom Brady was under a lot of pressure early in the game, but the line held up and was able to make all us his throws. Can you talk about Josh Kline and how significant the line was after Stork went out?
BB: Of course Ryan [Wendell] has played a lot of center for us in the past. He's always prepared, stepped in there and did a great job. Josh played against them last year when Logan [Mankins] went out to tackle and Josh went in and played left guard in the game last year in Baltimore. We have confidence in all our players we put in there. Obviously the Ravens have a good pass rush. I thought our guys stood up to them. They got us some, but we scored 35 points so you can't be unhappy with that. But at the same time, they're a tough defense and they've got a good pass rush.
Q: How big was Jamie Collins for you defensively?
BB: I think defensively we got some big plays today overall. I don't think this was one of all our all-time best games. We gave up a lot of yardage, a lot of points, three fourth-down conversions. We have to coach better, we have to play better. We made some big plays and we made enough to win. What'd they get 10 points in the second half? Their first touchdown and then the field goal. After that first touchdown drive, if I got that right, in the third quarter when they went up by two touchdowns 28-14, is that right? Yeah, we held them to a field goal after that, so that last 20-whatever minutes of the game, but still, we have to play better, we have to coach better.
Q: That's probably one of the great playoff games that you'll ever see. You sound a little disappointed.
BB: No, I'm not disappointed. Are you kidding me?
Q: Happy with the win, but disappointed with the way it came out?
BB: We have to play better. Look, down by 14 points twice, I don't think that's a formula to win a lot of playoff games. I'm sure there's a lot more playoff games that have been lost by teams down by 14 points in the middle of the first quarter or middle of the third quarter than won them. But again, [I've] got to give our players a lot of credit. They're resilient; they're mentally and physically tough. They hang in there. We've had other games like this. We had a game like this last year against Denver, behind at halftime, or behind against Miami or whatever it is and [we] keep playing and keep fighting and find a way. I'm happy about that and that's what I like about this team. They're a tough group and they never give up, no matter what the situation is. We were able to make enough plays to win today. But we're going to have to play better next week no matter who we play. We have to do that.
Q: Can you talk about your Rutgers kids? You drafted Devin McCourty in the first round and he's taken Duron Harmon and Logan Ryan under his wing.
BB: They've played well for us, they really have. Of course they were in a great program there with Coach [Greg] Schiano and they were well coached at Rutgers. They've worked really hard here. Nobody's worked hard than Duron and Logan have in the last two years they've been here. Literally when the season was over last year, these guys were in a couple days after the season starting on this year back in, it was still January. Devin's obviously one of our hardest workers and has great leadership and character. I'm proud of all those guys and I'm sure Coach Schiano and the Rutgers program is too. They stepped up today [and] made some big plays for us.
Q: It was your 20th playoff win. Is this one of the craziest one you've had?
BB: Yeah, probably. Well, I don't know. We've had some – but yeah, it was, look, that means I've been doing this a long, long time. But there's nothing like a playoff game. There's nothing like a playoff win. The regular season is great, but when you play these games it's single-elimination and the urgency and what's at stake for you and your team and what you've worked five-plus months for to get to this point all comes down to one game or in some cases, one play or one series or whatever it is. That just heightens everything. After this weekend we'll be one of four teams still playing. It will be an honor to be in the AFC Championship Game this year, but yeah, it was a wild game. But I'm just thankful that our players hung in there and made the plays they needed to make to get us a victory. Hopefully we can build on that and coach better next week and play better next week.
Q: What are your thoughts on Tom Brady becoming the all-time leader in touchdown passes in the postseason history?
BB: He deserves it. Tom's a great, clutch player with tremendous poise, vision, accuracy. So, he's done it with a lot of different receivers, a lot of different situations against a lot of different defenses. I think that speaks to his greatness and his ability to perform consistently under pressure. No quarterback I'd rather have than Tom Brady.
Q: This is the ninth AFC Championship Game you and your quarterback are going into. What does that mean?
BB: Well, again, that's what you play for. You play to win your division, you play to be in the postseason and then you play to be in the AFC Championship Game and see what happens after that. That's what it's all about. That's what you work all year for, is to get to this point. Thankfully we'll be playing next week. We've had Tom through all those that I've been here. Again, it's great to have him and his ability and his poise and presence as our quarterback and obviously he's done a tremendous job today and through all those years. PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY
Q: That game really turned on a couple of the wrinkles that you put in in the second half. Can you go through the Julian Edelman double pass play and then the eligible foolishness that just caught them flat footed?
TB: Yeah, that double pass has been in all season. It was great that Josh [McDaniels] called it at the perfect time. We actually got the prefect look. Star blitz right off of it. They bit up, obviously to try to go tackle Jules and Danny slipped behind them and Jules threw a dime. Pretty sweet play. We needed it. We needed a lot of plays. We played from behind, which is not the way that we want to play. Playing these guys from ahead was the best way to play them – and behind twice by 14 wasn't necessarily in the plans. It took a lot of good execution to overcome it. A lot of guys fought through – a lot of mental toughness and I'm glad we pulled it out.
Q: How many times has Julian Edelman said that he can really throw?
TB: He did. He throws it better than I did. He spun it. It was a perfect spiral right in stride. I've gotta make some rules that he can't throw it better than I can, but he did. It was pretty sweet.
Q: What was the move with the linemen that had John Harbaugh so upset? What did you do and why was he all shook up about it?
TB: I'm not sure. I don't know why. Maybe he – did anyone ask him?
Q: What did you guys do? What is saying you can't cover so-and-so? Who's eligible and who isn't and how do you do it legally?
TB: I don't know. Who knows. Maybe those guys gotta study the rule book and figure it out. We obviously knew what we were doing and we made some pretty important plays. It was a real good weapon for us. Maybe we'll have something in store next week.
Q: John Harbaugh called it clear deception and said the league is going to look at it?
TB: They'll look at it then. I don't know what's deceiving about that. [They] should figure it out.
Q: Can you go through the game-winning touchdown drive and what you saw on the throw to Brandon LaFell?
TB: Yeah it was man-to-man coverage and Jojo got a great release, so it made it easy on me. He made a great catch. They guy looked like he had his other – his right arm kind of arm-barred and he caught it with his left and was able to get his right hand on it, so it was a great play. We needed it. It was the first time we really got ahead in the game. So it was a big play.
Q: Did you make that call at the line of scrimmage or was that the call?
TB: We had a few things we were working on out there. We always have good communication at the line trying to organize things and get them the way we want them.
Q: How big was Amendola's catch on that drive to get the first down?
TB: Huge. Yeah, huge. They were showing a blitz and I knew that corner was going to be sitting there waiting for him, but I was trying to get to him quick where he could turn and make a move a and he did; he made a great move and ended up making a big first down, so that was a huge play.
Q: How concerned were you in the final minutes? You've seen big games. Do you look when you're on the sidelines? What's going through your mind?
TB: Yeah, it was a fourth-down play right around the two-minute warning they made, which was just a great play that [Owen] Daniels made. You lose a little momentum at that point and then we got a great rush on Joe [Flacco] and he threw it up in the end zone and Duron [Harmon] made a great pick. He's picked me in practice a bunch – Duron – so it was nice to see him pick another quarterback, especially at a big time moment like he did. It took a lot of plays to win. A lot of plays that you need to advance and you never know how these games are going to go, but we fought hard. It wasn't a perfect execution game, but it was great to win.
Q: You were down 14 points in the first half and again in the second half. How do you remain so calm and collected and be able to bring a team back like that?
TB: Well, we got off to a slow start, down 14 to nothing and threw the pick and they got the touchdown before the half, which is not really the way we wanted to go into halftime. Then they scored again in the third quarter and then we had the good drive there to kind of bounce back. Then we got the double pass for a touchdown to even it up going into the fourth quarter. It was a – it took a lot. It took a lot of the team, it's a lot of energy, but that's what we're here for. We're supposed to go out there and make good plays. I though the guys really – we made them when we needed to.
Q: Entering the game, did you know you were going to be digging into your bag of plays or was that part of the in-game adjustments?
TB: Like I said, the double pass has been in for a long time. You always have –plays like that in and he called it at the right time. That was just a great call by Josh. We got a great look. It was great to be able to do.
Q: On the throw to Brandon LaFell, they had played with a big cushion on about four or five consecutive plays prior to that. Were you looking to see if they started to play up and take advantage of something? And what happened to your eye?
TB: It was different coverage when they were playing off and then when they go up there and pressed it was more man to man. And Jojo ran a great route and got a good release.
Q: Were you waiting on that? Or were you going to go over them?
TB: I mean, if you get the opportunity you've got to take advantage of it. There are strengths and weaknesses to every defense. If they're going to press, you've got to hit some of those and it was nice to be able to do that. If they're going to play off, you throw in front. If they're going to press, you try to throw it over them. If they're covering you outside you throw it inside. It's just a chess match all game. We hit a couple early and then we made some plays that we needed to late. We needed those.
Q: You eye is alright?
TB: Yeah it will be fine.
Q: They showed you on the sideline after your interception. What was going through your mind? Can you run us through what happened?
TB: Yeah, it was just a terrible play by me. We finally tied it up at 14. We had a chance to actually go ahead for the first time in the two-minute drive there, and I just made a terrible decision.
Q: So when you see them score, you're taking that one pretty hard?
TB: Absolutely, I take them all pretty hard, especially when I give them one like that.
Q: How conscious were you of the pass rush clock? It seemed like as the game went out you kind of neutralized their rush with quicker throws. Was there something that you felt like you had to do a better job of as the game progressed?
TB: Yeah, you've got to keep it moving against a great rush like that. They do a great job of the edge rushers and they get a lot of good inside moves and you have to counter with sometimes getting the ball out quick. And then obviously taking some opportunities down the field when you have time. We hit some quick ones, especially there in the second half, which we needed to. Guys made a lot of great plays. Whatever we had to do to move the chains and score points, that's what we wanted to do.
Q: Considering the high turnover rate in the NFL, how can a big come from behind win in the playoffs bring a team together the way the grind of the regular season can't?
TB: Well, after this weekend there will be four teams standing. Every team starts the year with great hope and we were one of those teams and we're still standing, so it feels good. We have a great opportunity ahead of us to play a championship game at home. We're going to need our best week, obviously playing the first or second best – one of the best teams in the AFC who's earned the right to be here. We've certainly earned and we're proud of it, but we have bigger goals ahead.
Q: At the end of the game what happened there – you took three straight knees and all of sudden Baltimore is back on the field. How did that happen?
TB: I don't know. Ask coach.
Q: What's your emotion after today's game?
DM: It's crazy, you know. Coming in to the game we knew it was going to be a tough game, we knew we were going to have to battle. I'm not going to lie we didn't expect to come in here and be down 14-zip. This team is a fighting team. We just kept battling and kept battling and just waited for the game to turn and big plays and getting stops and then our offense taking advantage was key today. That's what playoff football is.
Q: And how about Duron Harmon's side?
DM: It was huge. [Duron Harmon has ] been a guy all season – he's been ready to play. He can't wait for the opportunity to get in there on whatever situation it is and he took advantage of knowing what was coming and going out there and making a play.
Q: You were down by 14 points not once, but twice. Does doubt ever set in?
DM: No. I mean we've got a veteran group. We've got guys that have been in crazy games. Myself, being here, we've been in some games where it seemed like we were out of it and you just keep playing you know. With our offense they can always put points on the board and defensively we just keep telling each other, 'Just get a stop, just get a takeaway and get those guys the ball,' and when we do that they put points on the board.
Q: What's the biggest thing you've had to learn – as a unit, what's the toughest thing you've had to learn about how to play and what you can and can't do?
DM: I think you've just got to tell yourself , 'Go make a play on the ball.' Now you can't worry about where the receiver is. You can't try to do different techniques and things that keep him away from the ball. Even if you don't catch it now it's just all about going and just making a play on the ball. If you get caught hitting a guy a second too early it's going to be a flag. If you grab him it's going to be a flag. You've just got to go out there and try to make a play on the ball.
Q: Do the refs talk to you and work with you guys out there like, Hey it's close, watch this, watch that'?
DM: A little bit – sometimes I see the refs. It's more the corners and the guys on the outside a little bit. Coming in we always know if it's close it's going to the offense. I think with our group that we got guys that just go out there and play. I don't go in any game worried about any type of penalties. If they get one or two it comes with them because they're going to make more plays and they get penalties.
Q: After Duron Harmon's interception it appeared that the outcome was all but decided, but the Ravens got the ball back with 14 seconds. How did you guys regroup and what was your thought process during that last play?
DM: First you see the sidelines going crazy like the game's over and all the coaches are yelling, One more play,' and then I think it sets in – guys just focusing on the one play. This team – there's no situation we haven't done over and over again in practice. So that last play we've done a bunch of times against our offense.
As soon as we took the field we knew what we had to do. Myself going up and hitting the ball was a good play but Loges [Logan Ryan] played a finish on his guy – and not look at the ball and stay with his guy – to me shows this team always being ready for situational football. You know, me hitting the ball and then Logan making sure Torrey Smith doesn't catch it is how we won that game. So to me it's all 11 guys all the time on the field knowing the situation and knowing how to execute what we want to do.
Q: Were you surprised you had to come back for one more play and what's it like having Rob Gronkowski back there playing defense with you?
DM: It's cool – it's not many times we get to take the field with Gronk. The biggest thing is me and Duron telling him where to go and getting him lined up. Then everything after that is him just playing the ball. When the offense took the field, we don't think about time and all that. That's the coaches – they know what to tell us as players. We [were] still going crazy over Duron's interception so it's them telling us, 'There's this much time, we're going to have one more play.' They did a great job letting us know as soon as we got to the sideline.
Q: Are there any feelings about the amount of points and yards that the defense gave up as the game went on?
DM: No – you watch the film, but right now it's all about giving ourselves a chance to come to work again. I remember my first year in the playoffs I didn't think about that at all and we lost in the first game we played in the playoffs. Now every time I play in the playoffs all I think about is giving ourselves a chance to come to work the next day. Obviously you know around here we'll come in and Bill [Belichick] will have everything laid out on what went wrong and what we need to do better next game. That'll never change, but for tonight I'll be happy that we get to come to work tomorrow.
Q: Did you get a look at Julian Edelman's touchdown pass to Danny Amendola?
DM: Yeah – well you know Julian is a former quarterback so good thing we had him out wide so he didn't have to look over the line of scrimmage or anything. He was able to throw a pretty good pass there. Danny Amendola, Wide Receiver
(On his touchdown reception from Julian Edelman)
"It's a play we've been working on all year. Testament to Julian [Edelman]; has a great arm and [is] a great athlete. He put it on the money, that's for sure. It was a good throw."
(On how long the Patriots have been practicing that play)
"Me and Julian [Edelman] have been practicing that for about five years. It was a play we had in the books for a little while now, but it ended up working out."
(On what it took to come back from a 14-point deficit twice in the same game)
"We just wanted to focus on doing our job, regardless of what the score was. One play at a time, keep pounding away. It ended up working out for us."
(On whether the game was a slugfest)
"It was, yeah. They're a great team, they play really hard. Defensively, they do some great things and they've got some great athletes. We got it done tonight." Brandon Browner, Cornerback
(On being down twice by 14 points)
"That's a testament to our team. The will and the guys we got. We've got fighters, and I'm fortunate to play with these guys. I love these guys. These are my brothers. The biggest part of it is that we fought. Like he said, we were down twice by 14? That's a testament to our guys and the will to fight through."
(On Duron Harmon's play)
"He had a good week of practice, and sometimes practice turns over to the game. That's a testament to his work throughout the week."
(On the team's slow start today)
"That's just part of the game. You don't go into the game thinking that's going to happen, and it happened to us, but you keep fighting. Coaches are going to call plays to make stops and guys have to stand up." Julian Edelman, Wide Receiver
(On his touchdown pass)
"The coach dialed up the double pass. We've had it in for a little bit and finally got it called, and we all saw that the coverage [that] we wanted was going to be there, and we were able to execute the play."
(On if he was surprised the double pass was called)
"No. You've got to unload everything you've got to win against a team like that – the Baltimore Ravens. They played a tough game. Our coaches, they've got the aggressiveness to call that."
(On if he has lobbied for the double pass to be called)
"I just kind of sit back and do my job. I don't throw it as good as I used to. I can't lobby that much."
(On what went through his mind when the double pass was called)
"Let's just go out there and just execute. We've hit in practice a couple times. Practice execution becomes game reality. We saw it in practice, we did it right, and we were able to do it again."
(On what it says about the team that they came back from being down 14 points twice)
"Mentally tough, resilient group of guys. We've seen this throughout the year – not just in games, but in practice. We had a solid week of practice this week. Things didn't turn out the best for us in a few situations, a few parts of the game. We were down 14 twice, but we had the confidence to come back and go out and be able to execute and then make plays when we had to."
(On how often they practice the double pass)
"Once every couple weeks, but I practice in the back yard with Danny [Amendola] all the time. We've been secretly practicing that for a while."
(On what the difference was in a hard-fought game like this)
"The difference is making plays in crucial situations. The Ravens made a bunch of plays today, and we did, too. We made them at the right time. You tip your cap to a team like that that came here and played us tough, but now we're moving on." Rob Gronkowski, Tight End
(On the overall play of the team)
"We just stuck together as a team and took it one play at a time. We knew we couldn't put up two touchdowns in one play so we just stuck together, got first downs, and we came through. [Our] defense played well, stuck together, and executed, as well as on offense."
(On the final play of the game)
"I was just going for a jump ball, knock it down, and make sure the other team doesn't get it. It was successful, we did a good job, and give credit to the defense, too, on our last drive. Getting an interception to seal a win."
(On Edelman's touchdown pass)
"Edelman's pass was amazing. It was right on the money. Couldn't ask for a better pass and a better route from Danny [Amendola]. You never know who's going to get their number called and everyone stepped up today and did a great job. It was awesome." Duron Harmon, Defensive Back
(On his interception)
"It was just me reading the quarterback [Joe Flacco]. He threw the ball up there and gave me a chance and I just came down with it. I'm glad I caught it and it ended the game for us."
(On if he anticipated a loft timing pass from Joe Flacco because of his tendency to throw such passes)
"That was something that we talked about all week – Joe Flacco has a lot of faith in his receivers, Torrey Smith, Steve Smith Sr. and he'll throw a shot up there and you just got to be ready to make a play and at that point I was."
(On the difficult game)
"That's a mentally tough football team over there, man. They're mentally tough, physically tough and we knew that it was going to be a 60-minute football game. They play hard, they play hard down to the wire, man, and it was just a great atmosphere out there and it was a great game."
(On how he rates the team's defensive performance)
"I mean we made plays when we had to make plays, but there are definitely things that we'll go back and watch the film and see that what we need to correct." Josh Kline, Offensive Lineman
(On what it felt like in the huddle when the team was behind by two touchdowns)
"You just need to go play-by-play and just got to get that first down and start the drive off and get it going and get some momentum. We did that and we played great team football today."
(On how often Julian Edelman has worked on that pass)
"Well, he was our quarterback in college [Kent State], so he's used to throwing, so other than that I don't know."
(On if they worked on that play in practice)
"You're going to have to ask Coach [Bill Belichick] on that, sorry."
(On if Ryan Wendell or Dan Connolly gave him any advice or encouragement)
"They just said, 'Get ready to go, get ready to go.' Anything I can do to help out the team is good for me and good for the team." Rob Ninkovich, Defensive End
(On the Ravens offense)
"They did a good job, you have to give them credit for some of the things that they did. First drive: up tempo, going by a script, they did a good job of pressing the issue. I think we've just got to do a better job early in the game. A couple drives here, a couple drives there were just too long. To come out with the win, that's the most important thing. We'll come in tomorrow, watch some of the tape and see some of the things that we've just got to get better at."
(On how the team came back from a 14-point deficit twice)
"Just mental toughness and the character that's on this team. It's just never over. Just keep fighting and try to give our offense the best opportunity to score. We've got the best quarterback in the league, so the more chances that [Tom Brady] has, the higher chance of winning. Again, I think just a great, overall, mental toughness all the way around. All three phases."
(On the defense's mentality on the Ravens' last drive when the game was in the balance)
"You've got to do whatever it takes. Just try to empty the tank and make a play. Someone made a play, we were happy with that. That's what it's all about in the playoffs. It's a play here, a play there that always changes the outcome of the game." Matthew Slater, Wide Receiver
(On facing a 14-point deficit twice)
"There was never any panic. I think we just turned to each other and said, 'Hey man, we've come too far to surrender now.' And I think we just had confidence that we can make a play and get ourselves back in the game. When you're dealing with one of the best quarterbacks to play this game, it starts with [Tom Brady's] leadership and then 'Big V' [Vince Wilfork] on defense and just us believing in what we can do."
(On whether the team had confidence after holding Baltimore to a field goal in the fourth quarter)
"We have 100% confidence in our quarterback and what he's capable of when he's in those situations. He's proved it time and time again. But we knew it was going to be tough. [Baltimore] was a good defense."
(On what it feels like to be a part of a game that will be remembered for a long time)
"I think what I'll remember about this game is how good the Ravens are. The DNA of their team, the character of their team, you can't say enough about it. Those guys, year after year, they compete and they make you fight for it. I think what I'll remember most is the character that we showed and being resilient and fighting together to overcome that very good football team." Nate Solder, Tackle
(On if it is important to get the ground game going next week)
"We always want to get the ground game going. We always want to get the ground game going and we always want to protect, and I think that's the two O-line mantras: protect the quarterback and get the ground game going."
(On the Ravens team)
"They're great players. We knew it, they got great coaches. They were running some tough stunts and one-on-one was tough to block them, and hats off to them." Ryan Wendell, Offensive Lineman
(On the adjustments made to the offensive line at halftime)
"I just think we were trying to play better. Those guys are really good, and those guys are here for a reason. Blocking all those guys up front, especially on the inside – [Brandon] Williams and [Haloti] Ngata and [Timmy] Jernigan – those guys are good, and they got theirs, especially in the first half. So, I was happy in the second half that we did better."
(On if linemen enjoy run blocking more)
"We like to win, so whatever it takes. Whatever [offensive coordinator] Josh [McDaniels] calls, we run."
(On how the injury to Bryan Stork affected the team)
"Injuries are a part of football, and they happen, and we practice for them. The guys come off the bench and they do a great job. Josh Kline, I can't speak high enough about him. He came in and did a great job for us."
(On what the trick plays and formations say about the coaching staff)
"I think it just says that it's the playoffs, and we're willing to do whatever it takes to win. There is no good in holding anything back now."
(On Tom Brady's play in the second half)
"I can't say enough about Tom Brady. There's a reason why everybody knows his name. The guy knows what he's doing. Tom's competitive, but he doesn't let anything get him down. He always comes back and does as good as he can." Vince Wilfork, Defensive Lineman
(On the overall play of the team)
"It's the playoffs. Every game is going to be a tough game. We understood that. Being the Baltimore Ravens coming in here playing, it didn't matter if it was played there or here. It was going to be a tough game. We played for 60 minutes. That's what it's going to take. Especially nowadays in the playoffs, it's going to take 60 minutes or more to win ballgames, and I think tonight we showed just how tough this team really is. In a playoff game, being down 14-0, rallying with each other, making plays when we needed the plays. Playing good situation football. You've got to credit our players and our coaching staff for putting us in those situations and calling the game a certain way."
(On Baltimore's early lead)
"Those early points they had, they were kind of on their script and they were doing some things that typically they weren't going to do during the course of the game, but just wanted to see what we were going to do. They got us. They hit us on some plays, so once the game got settled down, we really got into our game plan mode, calling our plays, and we really got settled down and started playing a lot better."
