Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012(on playing in his fifth Super Bowl) “To be in this game one time is a pretty unbelievable experience, and to think that this is my fifth time, my fifth Media Day and fifth Super Bowl is pretty incredible.”
(on anything he wished he could do over from the Patriots’ last Super Bowl appearance vs. the Giants) “All the games you lose, there are plays that you want back. Certainly, every time you lose, you think there is more that you could have done to help the team win. But when you win, you don’t think about any of those things, you think about what you do well.”
(on growing up a 49ers fan watching games at Candlestick Park) “I remember being in the parking lot (before games) throwing the ball, wearing my (Joe) Montana and (Steve) Young jerseys. It was really great to grow up in the Bay Area at that time and watch two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play. That’s really where I began to love football.”
(on whether his late-round selection in the 2000 NFL Draft is still a motivating factor) “I don’t think it’s just that 2000 NFL Draft. What you’re always trying to do as an athlete is prove it to yourself. You go through a college career and think you do a decent job – not that you get overlooked, it’s just that there are other guys who they feel can do a better job – so you just keep working hard, you just keep believing in yourself and looking for your opportunity. Unfortunately, I got my opportunity through Drew (Bledsoe) getting injured. At the same time, I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity. Life is about taking advantage of opportunities, and you never know when you’re going to get them. You have to be prepared to take advantage when you get them. You try to go out there and be confident in yourself so you can inspire confidence in others. I always tell young players, ‘How do you expect me to be confident in you when I look at you and see that you’re not confident in yourself?’ You’re always bringing that level of confidence so guys look at you and say, ‘I know he’s going to get it done, so this is how I’m going to prepare myself.’”
(on what the return of Josh McDaniels brings to the coaching staff and the offense) “It’s great to have him back. It would be a challenging position for any coordinator to come into, and having Josh back, I think it makes it very seamless because of his familiarity with our offense, our style, our locker rooms, our meeting rooms, all of the other coaches. He’s been a great friend of mine since the day he got to the team. He’s a great addition.”
(on what stands out from his first Super Bowl experience 10 years ago compared to this one) “That was the 9-11 year, so there was only one week to prepare. We went down to New Orleans and there was so much happening, not just with Super Bowl week. I had actually hurt my ankle in the previous game, so I spent a ton of time in the training room getting ready for that game. We were playing one of the greatest teams in football (St. Louis). From what I do remember, it was a pretty crazy week. There was a ton to do in a very short amount of time.”
(on not taking the Super Bowl for granted) “Look at this (Media Day). How could you ever take this for granted? It’s pretty cool to think as a kid growing up that a bunch of people would come watch us play a football game. We love to play the game, practice, prepare and to have this experience, as well.”
(on whether he wanted a Super Bowl rematch against the Giants as much as many Patriots fans did) “There is a great rivalry, there has been between Boston and New York for a long time. When I got to the team, it was always Red Sox-Yankees. We’ve had some pretty meaningful games against the Giants over the past few years, so I don’t think anyone is disappointed that it’s the Giants.”
(on what he plans to do to ensure a better outcome than the last Patriots-Giants Super Bowl) “I want to make sure I don’t throw any interceptions. I want to try to play really well. They’re a good team, that’s why they’re here. They force you into a lot of mistakes. But we can’t go out there and make mistakes and expect to win. We have to go out there and play a very clean game.”
(on his advice to younger players in this game) “I know this (Media Day) is a big part of the week, dealing with a lot of requests, not just media requests, but also family requests. But ultimately, when that game is kicked off, you’d better be ready to play. It’s a game that we’ve played all year. The rules are the same, but you’d better be doing everything you need to do during the course of the week to get ready.”
(on whether his sons understand the magnitude of this game) “I have a four-and-a-half-year-old who is much more interested in the Millelnium Falcon and his Lego sets than football. I try to keep tossing him the ball. My two-year-old, he’s definitely going to be a little athlete. One thing over the years that has really changed is being a parent. It’s a little different (balancing) your work and your parenting. I’m sure everyone here deals with that, as well. That’s obviously a great part of my life.”
(on how much a win would mean in this game after a loss against the Giants in Super Bowl XLII) “A win means everything. That’s why we’re here. It’s certainly not going to be easy. I know there is a lot of build-up around the fact that we played these guys five years ago, but those were very different teams five years ago.”
(on how whether he’s reflected on how far he’s come since his college days at Michigan) “Not on a daily basis. I think those experiences of competition, those serve you well as you mature. I think I was very fortunate in college to go through some pretty stiff competition in order to withstand that competition once you got to the next level. A lot of the lessons that I learned when I was 18, 19 years old have served me well when I was 23 and 24. This game is about competition. You have to compete every single day in practice because if you don’t, you’re not going to be around very long. The most competitive guys that I’ve been around – Rodney Harrison, Willie McGinest, Troy Brown, Wes Welker, Randy Moss – these guys wanted to win at everything. I think that’s why they’ve always worked hard to compete and put themselves in a position to win.”
(on whether the Patriots are more relaxed heading into this Super Bowl) “I think you’re most relaxed as a player when you’re prepared and when you’re confident. You’re not worry about what they’re going to do. I think we’re playing good football. We’ve won our last 10 games. It’s a confident team. If we go out and we play well, we expect to win the game. I’m sure the Giants feel the same way. We have to go out there and earn it. It’s not going to be easy. They’re a very good team. We played them earlier in the year. They gave us everything that they could handle. We’ve been pretty good at home over the years and they beat us at home. They are good in every area. They score points, they play good defense. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
(on how the joy of winning a Super Bowl compares to the agony of losing one) “Any time you lose, it’s a tough thing. We’ve lost one Super Bowl. I remember waking up in Arizona the next morning after an hour of sleep thinking, That was a nightmare, that didn’t happen. After time, you learn to move on and get over it. Anyone who loses in the playoffs knows it is difficult to deal with. When you win, you still probably get an hour of sleep, but that feeling doesn’t go away for a long time. The winning, the things that go along with winning, those are really special memories that you have with a lot of close friends. It’s a great feeling.”
(on any advice that he has received from his wife) “Throw the ball quickly. She doesn’t like it when I get hit very often. My guys up front do a great job of protecting me.”
(on growing up with three older sisters) “It was great, I didn’t have anyone to share clothes with, I didn’t have to fight over the bathroom. They were pretty easy on me. They dressed me up a few times in their clothes and painted my nails once, but it was nice. It was pretty easy when you were a kid and you had three older sisters. They’d bring all of their girlfriends over to the house. It was pretty cool. They (my sisters) were the best athletes in my house. They were certainly better athletes than me. They all had successful athletic careers. It was a very athletic family. We grew up on baseball and soccer fields. I loved just tagging along. I’d loved going out there and cheering them on. I was living and dying with every win and loss that they had.”
(on the key to Kevin Faulk’s longevity with the Patriots) “I think he’s a Patriot type of player. He’s tough, smart and he plays well under pressure. He’s made some huge plays for us in our biggest games. The last time we played the Giants in the Super Bowl he had a huge game. If you look at the plays he’s made over the years – catching the ball out of the backfield, blitz pickup – he can really do everything. It’s great to have a guy like that in the backfield who understands what you’re trying to do on every play.”
(on how important the dedication of this season to Myra Kraft is to him and his teammates) “She is a woman who has been smiling down on us over the course of this season. I think Mr. Kraft and his family have had a challenging six months. Mr. Kraft said the other day that he is a very spiritual person, and hopefully we can go out and get a win for him. I think it would make this year very special for him and special for his family.”
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