Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012(on hire of Patriots offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien as Penn State’s head coach) “I think the credit has to go to those people. Bill O’Brien has done everything he normally does, and everything he can possibly do. I’m sure he’s spent some extra hours early in the morning and late at night doing things for Penn State. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do here, and he has been very diligent in his responsibilities.”
(on what the Patriots need to do to win the Super Bowl) “It is the same as it is every week. We have to go out and play a good football game all the way around in all three phases of the game. The Giants are good on offense, defense and special teams. They are well-coached, disciplined and tough. We will have to match their effort and do a little bit more.”
(on the success the Patriots have had with undrafted free agents and low-round draft picks) “Well, our personnel department, (Patriots’ Director of Player Personnel) Nick Caserio and his staff, have done a great job in finding players in various corners that we look in. I think it really is a credit to those players. They have come in and worked hard. They aren’t big-name, high-profile guys coming in, but they have outworked and out-competed who they are competing against for those roster spots and that playing time. Big credit to those guys. It’s not how you get to the Patriots, it’s what you do when you get there.”
(on Giants QB Eli Manning) “He is an outstanding quarterback. He’s had a great year. I think his performance speaks for itself.”
(on Giants WR Victor Cruz) “Victor Cruz is an outstanding player. He’s made a lot of big plays for the Giants over the last couple of years, not only down the field but on catch-and-run plays. He is a hard guy to tackle, he is a good route runner and he is strong. Whoever we have on him, it will be a big challenge for him along with all of their outstanding skill players.”
(on how the Patriots make Super Bowl week as normal as possible) “I don’t think it’s that difficult. We’ve played in a lot of big games, and we’ve had a routine all year. We will try to stay in that routine. There are some things like this (Media Day) that are different, but we will adjust to those and get to back to doing the things we need to do to prepare for the game. I think the players will be well-prepared.”
(on QB Tom Brady) “Tom is a really competitive guy who responds well every week, so I’m sure that he will do his best, as he does every week, to prepare and play as well as he can in this game, just like he does in every game. He has been very consistent with that approach, and I don’t think it will change this week.”
(on the Giants’ defense) “The Giants are very good defensively across the board. They have good pass rushers, pass linebackers, physical linebackers – big guys – and they are good in the secondary. They have a strong defense.”
(on the Giants’ offense) “I think both teams have been productive offensively. The Giants are a great offensive team. They have a strong quarterback, good running backs, good receivers and tight ends, a good offensive line. They are well-coached, so they are a tough team to stop.”
(on how he feels about the game of football) “Certainly as it relates to football, I’ve been very fortunate to be given the opportunities I’ve received through the years. The game has been great for me and my family. I want to try to give that back in any way that I can, whether to younger people, people who support us, or what have you. I’ve been very fortunate in all of the things that have happened to me through the course of my life and football career. I try to give that back. I know that I can’t give back as much as I’ve been given, but I try to reciprocate.”
(on Patriots RB Kevin Faulk) “There are a few players that I think you can put into Kevin’s category in terms of his contributions, his unselfishness and being a great teammate. Everybody loves Kevin, as they should. He contributes so much to our football team. He is so unselfish, and he always tries to help the younger players and help the team in any way he can. He sets a great example. He is not the most vocal guy, but he will speak up, and it is always in a positive way. You can’t say enough about Kevin Faulk. He was here when I got here. His rookie year was the year before I came in. He’s been a great player and a great teammate for all of us here over the years.”
(on his relationship with Patriots Senior Football Advisor Floyd Reese) “Floyd and I were together in Detroit in 1976 and 1977. Floyd came into the league a couple of years before I did. It was my second year in the league when I was in Detroit. Floyd really gave me a lot of advice and direction. He was a younger coach, somebody who I could definitely relate to, but he had more experience than I did, and he did a great job in giving me direction and guidance when I got to the Lions. We worked together on special teams. He was on the defensive side of the ball, I was on the offensive side. We rode to work together, and we lived a couple of blocks away from each other. We had conversations about football and non-football and general life conversations. He is a good friend and a guy who I go way back with. He really provided a lot of direction, and he was, to a degree, a mentor – one of my mentors as a young coach.”
(on Floyd Reese’s experience in the NFL) “He did a tremendous job with the Titans. He’s certainly been a huge asset to us over the last three years here with the Patriots in a number of different roles administratively with contracts, personnel, scouting and so forth. He’s been good.”
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