Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012(on the Patriots’ success with developing low-round draft picks and moving players from offense to defense) “Coach Belichick brings guys in here that really buy into what we’re trying to do; guys that are going to put pride and personal statistics aside and go out and try to do what’s best for the team to have success. When you get the right group in place and who believe in that and start to buy into it, then you have guys like the Julian Edelmans and the Troy Browns that end up playing all over the place, just doing whatever it takes for the success of the team. I think it’s a matter of him knowing what he’s looking for, bringing in good athletes, guys who are unselfish, and then go out and do whatever it takes for this team to have success.”
(on his initial reaction to seeing former Patriots receiver Troy Brown playing defensive back) “It’s unbelievable, because at such a high level where everybody’s a master at their craft, for a guy to be able to that, he has to be very talented. When Troy was doing that back in his day, and the success in which he was doing it, it was very impressive. Getting to know Troy a little bit since I’ve been here, it’s no surprise. He’s a great guy, a man of character, and that showed through his play on the field.”
(on his description of Patriots receiver Julian Edelman as a cornerback) “Julian, he’s a competitor. No matter what he’s doing on the football field he’s going to compete for you, he’s going to give you everything he’s got out there. He’s not afraid to play aggressive and try to make plays, play physical. The thing about Julian is that he’s a great teammate. He loves being a part of this team. He really loves doing whatever he’s asked to do to help this team win.”
(on the advice he receives from the Patriots defensive backs when he is practicing on defense) “The first thing was making sure they got me lined up correctly; trying to learn going from the offensive side to the defensive side, getting aligned and straightened out with my signs. There are little things they’ll tell me to look at, little keys that you start to pick up on the longer you play the position. So those guys – Patrick Chung, James Ihedigbo and Sergio Brown – all those guys were helpful during that stretch in the season when I was playing safety. They gave me a lot of little pointers.”
(on the Giants receiving corps’ confidence facing Julian Edelman) “They should feel confident in what they can do; they’ve proven they can do a lot. But Julian should also be confident because he’s done a great job for us.”
(on the qualities Belichick looks for in a receiver, such as Edelman, that allows him to play defensive back) “I think the thing with Julian; he’s a very aggressive, very physical player. He’s very competitive. I think that gives him a chance to have success on both sides of the ball. He’s a never-say-never type of guy. I think that’s been evident through his play on the field.”
(on if he’s imagined the end of the game and winning the Super Bowl) “I have. You think about the game and the outcome and the possibility of what it means to win this game. It would be a true blessing to be able to win this game. We all know what’s at stake, and hopefully that imagination can become reality come Sunday, so we’ll see how it goes.”
(on his assessment of the Giants as a Super Bowl opponent) “They’re a very good team. They’re playing extremely well right now. They have a quarterback that’s red hot, and they’re just playing well as a team. So they’re going to be a tough challenge for us, we know that. We have to continue to have a good week of preparation and put our best foot forward on Sunday.”
(on how football teaches him lessons he can apply in everyday life) “With football, you have to deal with adversity a lot. Football is a game of injuries and good plays, bad plays. Different things happen over the course of one’s career. And that’s similar to life. Life deals you different cards and it’s going to be tough at times. There are going to be ups and downs. So I think that football, you can kind of relate to life and how you deal with life.”
(on how his Christian faith helps him to get through ups and downs) “I realize at the end of the day, God’s in control. Romans 28 says that God is going to work everything together for those who love God and call according to His purpose. You have to, at the end of the day, just trust the plan. And trust that we don’t always know what the plan is, but it’s not up to us to know the plan; it’s God’s plan. With that in mind, along with keeping eternal perspective, this is temporary, for all of us this is temporary. The real joy and the real fun is going to start when we leave this world. So I think keeping those things in mind and in perspective will help you deal with anything, not only on the field, but off the field.”
(on his comparison of playing in the Super Bowl vs. his relationship with Christ) “It pales in comparison. This is temporary. This is a time where man will give you honor or praise, but at the end of the day I’m playing for an audience of one. I’m trying to live for an audience of one. I don’t live for anybody else but Him and I don’t play for anybody else but Him. I wouldn’t be the man that I am; I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him. This is great. I’m not saying not to enjoy this, because it’s a fantastic experience and we’re truly blessed to a part of this, (but) at the end of the day, the glory that we’ll see when we get to the kingdom will be infinitely better than this.”
(on sharing the experience of playing in a Super Bowl, as well as his faith, with his dad) “He can relate to me in a lot of ways that some fathers wouldn’t be able to. The experiences he’s been able to share, the advice that he’s passed along – both spiritually and from a football point of view – has been unbelievable. It’s a very special bond that him and I have. I can’t really put into words the relationship that we have. I’m just so grateful for him being the father that he has been in my life and everything that he’s passed along to me.”
(on the irony of missing his first Pro Bowl because his team is playing in the Super Bowl) “It was one of those things where, ‘Man, I’d really love to go to the Pro Bowl, but there’s only one way I’d miss it and that’s to be here.’ So I’m very grateful and humbled by the honor to be selected my peers, the coaches and the fans. But you’d rather be here competing for the ultimate prize with your teammates; this is why we play the game. You play for a chance to play for a championship. Maybe I can order a (Pro Bowl) jersey or something to have some memorabilia from the game, but I’m happy to be here.”
(on what it means that his dad is a previous winner of the Athletes in Action Bart Starr Award) “My dad is someone I look up to very much. He’s really taught me how to be a man and that starts by the faith that he has and the faith that he passed along to me. I know how much that award meant to him when he won it. He tried to play and live life a certain way by Christ’s standards, not by man’s standards and he’s passed that along to me. I know it meant a lot to him to receive that award. I’m very proud of my father and the type of dad that he’s been and hopefully I can by half the man that he is.”
(on how much of his dad’s career he was able to experience as a child) “I was 10 years old in fifth grade when he retired, so towards the latter years I was aware of what was going on, and aware of what he was accomplishing as a player. I got to enjoy that and, obviously, when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, I was in high school and we got to enjoy that experience together.”
(on why special teams continuously gets overlooked as an important part of the game) “That’s a good question. I guess it’s because the plays that we have are limited. We can be out there 10 or 15 plays a game and, many games, those 10 or 15 plays can have no impact, really. But then you get into close games or crunch-time games and those plays start to have an impact, you always say, ‘Special teams are going win or lose you two or three games a year.’ I think as players, we buy into that because we’ve seen it. But it may not be as evident to the fans or the media from your guys’ perspective because it’s easier to look at Tom (Brady) throwing for 5,000 yards. I’d rather look at that, myself. Those plays are very important and at critical times of the game and can have an impact.”
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