Super Bowl XLVI – Monday, January 30, 2012(on how it feels to be at the Super Bowl) “It feels awesome. It feels awesome. I mean we’re still here on a business trip, though. We’re still here to work hard but it feels good. It feels good to be here. A lot of guys don’t get this opportunity but we’ll take the best of it and just play a good game.”
(on what has jumped out at him that’s ‘awesome’) “Just the atmosphere – there’s all these people around, all you in here. It’s just a crazy experience and feeling just knowing that we’re at the big show.”
(on what the Patriots can take away from the first game that they faced the Giants this season) “I’m one of those guys where that’s the past, man. They’re a new team and they’re firing on all cylinders right now. Eli (Manning) is playing good and a lot of players are playing at a higher level and it’s a new team.”
(on being a veteran in the defensive secondary and what kinds of things he tells Matthew Slater and Julian Edelman) “Matthew (Slater) played safety before so… Bill (Belichick) is going to put the best guys out there. You’re going to learn the same things and everybody’s learning in the same room, so you’re going to have to know what you’re doing and you’re going to have to know what you’re doing fast. The only advice I can give is make a decision and be a leader back there. Safety is a very reliable position so you have to make the calls and make sure everyone’s on the same page.”
(on what he tells Devin McCourty) “I don’t have to worry about Devin. Devin’s smart. That’s one thing I like playing (with) him is he’s very smart, he’s comfortable and he’s calm and he can always make plays.”
(on if he’ll ever play any offense since the Patriots use offensive guys on defense) “No, man. I’m not an offensive guy. I like to hit people.”
(on how he would account for the defense’s success in the postseason in contrast to the struggles of the regular season) “That’s not really a question for me. I just feel we’re playing like a family, playing intense, playing with passion, playing with intensity and just taking one play one by one. You can’t really move on to the next one, can’t think about the one before, just playing every down one by one.”
(on if he’s reflected on his injury and coming back just in time) “I mean, it is what it is. God works in mysterious ways so I’m just glad to be back, glad to be with my team and now it’s time to go.”
(on if he expects anything different from the Giants) “I expect a very good team to come in here and play a very good game. That’s the reason why they’re here also. They’re the best team in the NFC and they’re here to play a good game.”
(on what he learned back at the University of Oregon and how that mixes in with what Belichick coaches) “It’s kind of similar. They always have the saying, ‘Win the day.’ Like I said, do it down by down, play by play – that’s kind of like do it day by day. Don’t worry about tomorrow, don’t worry about yesterday, just win that day. Just take it day by day and just make sure you do everything in your power to make sure when you go home, you say, ‘I won.’ Just take it on with life.”
(on what his support system is like back home) “I just talked to my brother right now actually, right on the phone. That’s where I’m from. That’s where I was born. Jamaica all the way. I represent them. I’m Chinese also. That’s my culture and I’m going to represent it all the way.”
(on the Giants saying they intend to pick on Julian Edelman if he’s back in the defensive secondary) “I have no comment for that. It is what it is, man. The best player’s going to play at any position. A player’s going to play. It’s the last game. It’s all on the line so it really doesn’t matter.”
(on WR Julian Edelman playing defense) “He’s good. I feel he’s good. He has the quickness, he’s fast, he’s smart, he has good hands and he’s tough, he’s physical. That’s all the intangibles of a good player. I have no worries about Julian back there.”
(on Deion Branch) “He makes plays, man. He’s a veteran that makes plays and can make big catches. If there’s a lot of pressure on guys, he can take the pressure because he’s been there, he has that experience; he has all the things that veterans need to play in big games like that.”
(on how the Giants’ receiving corps stacks up against other teams they’ve faced this year) “They’re very good. They’re three different types of receivers, but they’re three very good receivers. They all can get the ball, they all have good routes and they have Eli (Manning) throwing to them right now and he’s on fire so you’ve got to stop them. They’re definitely versatile receivers.”
(on if the Giants’ receivers are the best they’ve faced this year) “As a corps, I think so. You have three receivers who can make a big play if anyone gets the ball, definitely.”
(on what the biggest lesson they learned from the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens) “The main lesson? Play to the end. That’s all I can really say. Play to the end because you never know what’s going to happen.”
(on Sterling Moore making two huge plays at the end of the AFC Championship) “He’s a baller. I mean, he’s a baller. He’s mentally tough. He’s been through a lot of stuff, man. He’s mentally tough, he’s fast, he’s quick and he’s confident. He’s confident and he feels he can do a lot of damage. He’s good. He wouldn’t be out there if he wasn’t.”
(on if he knew Sterling Moore, being a West coast guy, before he joined the team) “I didn’t know him at all. He came in and made an impact. People know him now.”
(on what Victor Cruz does so well in the slot for the Giants and how you take that away) “Take it away or just contain? You can contain it, man. He’s quick, he’s good off the line, he’s good into his routes, he can catch the ball, he can uncover, he’s physical, he can break tackles – he’s like a complete receiver. I’ll give it to him; he’s a complete receiver. He can do it all and we’ve just got to contain him.”
(on having some guys still on the team that have Super Bowl experience) “It’s good to have experience because those guys can bring that experience to the young guys and tell them what they need to expect. I just think it’s good to have them. We have a team right now that’s ready to play. Regardless of veterans, rookies, third-year players, second-year players – we’re ready to go right now.”
(on Giants’ receivers Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks) “Nicks will go up and get the ball. He’ll get the ball. He’s physical. He can break tackles, obviously. You’ve seen him make big plays. Manningham has good routes and he has good hands and he can get the ball too. They have three dangerous receivers we have to be able to stop, definitely.”
(on what the mood was like in practice today) “We were happy. It was time to get back at it. We’re on a business trip. It’s the Super Bowl festivities and it’s fun and all that, but when we’re on the field, it’s go time – business.”
(on if Bill Belichick is more relaxed than he has been) “He’s always relaxed. He’s relaxed and he wants to win. That’s how he is. We’re here now. We’re here to play football and get things going.”
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