Super Bowl XLVI – Wednesday, February 1, 2012(on what Bill O’Brien is like) “He’s a great coach. The way this whole system has been run is they strive on perfection and he accepts nothing less than that. He’s one of those coaches that expects his offense to be run fluidly. If you mess up, you’re going to know about it because he’s calling you out on the spot and it’s probably a few unkind words following that. Besides that, you go talk to him by yourself or you get a chance to be alone with him, he’ll tell you whatever you need to know. He’s a great guy to play for. He knows what he likes. He’s about his business and he expects his players to go out there and do the same.”
(on if Bill O’Brien is an intense guy) “Very, he’s a very intense guy. That’s the thing. If you can keep him cool and level-headed, you’re all good, but as soon as you go to messing up or you cross it, you’re going to hear about it pretty fast. It’s like a bottle of fire in there just waiting to break out. So, I just try to stay out of his way and do everything I can to do it the right way the first time.”
(on if he thinks Bill O’Brien will do well as a head coach) “I think he’ll do great. He’s one of those coaches that has no tolerance for doing the wrong things, so he’s going to run a tight ship over there. If they just do what he says, they’ll be a very successful program.”
(on how exciting it is to be in the Super Bowl) “It’s a blessing. It’s an honor, no doubt about it. I’m very excited about it. It’s an opportunity that I’ve dreamed about ever since I was a little kid. For me, it’s just really kind of taking it all in right now and trying to just realize where I am and how lucky I am to be here. For me to go out there and just play a great game would really put the icing on the cake if we can finish this thing strong and that’s what we’re going to try to go out there and do.”
(on what it’s like to not know when he’s going to get put into the game) “It changes every day, not any given day. It changes every day. Like I said, this is my first year here with the Patriots as a rookie and the way they run the system is a lot like where I come from at LSU. It was a bunch of backs in that backfield and so what I think it does for us is it keeps us fresh. It keeps you on your toes because you never know which back is going into the game. I would say that it really works to our advantage. As much as everyone wants to be the only back or be that guy, it helps you to stay fresh. It helps you in the long run that you’re not taking that beating and to know that you have teammates that can go in there and contribute to the offense and give them a different look. It helps you the next time you get in the game that you might go in there and break one because they’re having to look at so many different backs running the game that they really don’t know what to expect.”
(on if his experience with multiple running backs at LSU has helped him in the NFL) “Most definitely. I’ve been prepared to be in this situation. Like I said, at LSU running those four or five backs in the backfield and I get here and it’s the same thing as four or five backs in the backfield and we never know who’s going to get the call, who’s going to be up or down or whatever, but you have to go out there and you have to prepare. It causes you to work hard. You have to go out there and push every day to get your carries and put that emphasis on the coach’s mind that you’re ready to go out there and play.”
(on if fumbles are tough to overcome) “You have to put it behind you quickly or you’re going to find yourself on the bench and sitting down. For me, like you said, it was like I was building momentum and the carries were going up, had a fumble in the playoff game and you’re sat down and on the bench, but you have to learn from it and go on. That’s the game of football and if you were going to be perfect every game, every play, everybody would be playing this sport. I can’t sulk on it too much or get down about it. I just have to learn from it, realize my mistake and move forward from this point.”
(on if Bill O’Brien works on techniques with him after he fumbles) “We’re all pros here. We’ve been doing it long enough that we know when we mess up and what we need to do to correct that. It’s more about concentration. He doesn’t really have to coach me up that much. He’s going to say a few things at practice about holding the ball and things like that, but it’s really just concentration to be aware that you have to grip the ball tight and put two hands on it when you’re going into contact.”
(on if he was inactive last game because of his fumble in the game prior) “Probably, most likely. Without a doubt is what I would say. He didn’t have to say it. The coaches hadn’t said anything about it, to be honest, but I know as a player there’s a reason why. I know what I did. When you go back and look at your game film and you look over yourself, you can find your mistakes if you’re a good player. That’s part of it, that you have to admit to yourself when you’re wrong or messed up and you just learn from it and build on it and move forward.”
(on if he will play in the Super Bowl) “I’m planning on being out there. Everybody’s going to be suited up and ready to go. I’ll be out there and ready and if the coaches call my number, I’ll be ready to go.”
(on if it’s tough not knowing how many carries he’s going to get each week) “Not really tough. It’s kind of how things are run around here. It’s called being a fluid offense. What you said is it’s a game plan team. We look at each team and we look at their strong points and their weak points and they plug us into the offense on how they think we would benefit accordingly. Some weeks I might have 15, 16 carries. Some weeks I might have five. Some weeks I might not even be dressed from what I’ve learned in the past few games. You really can’t get caught up in that. You have to go back to the basics and the basics are when they call your number, you have to go out there and make a play as a player. I try not to get caught up in all the other things. I just try to focus on my mistakes and where I mess up and try not to repeat the same mistakes and go forward from there. I think that’s when you’ll see the playing time or the carries increase when you can prove that you can do it over and over repeatedly.”
(on if the pressure to not fumble is good or bad) “It’s not good or bad. It’s part of my job. As a running back, you have to hold on to the football. That’s what I’m saying. A lot of people are wondering if the coaches said anything or this, that or another. No, we’re all grown men here. We’ve all been playing this game long enough to know that that’s an elementary mistake. You cannot drop the football and have it on the ground. For me, you just have to learn from it. You can’t sulk on it or get too low about it or beat yourself up about it. The next time that you touch it, you’re going to have two hands on the ball and just continue to do what you’ve been blessed to do.”
(on if it’s been a tough transition to the NFL after getting more carries in college) “Not really. The way I look at it, I’m just a guy that when they call my number, I’m trying to go out there and make a play. If I get one carry, if I get 15 carries, whenever I have my hands on the ball, I’m trying to make a play however it comes. It can come and I’ll be ready. As long as I can hold on to this football, I think that things will go well. For me, it’s not sulking on the past or looking too far ahead. It’s just focused on this game and that Sunday and whatever they ask me to do whenever they call my number.”
(on if he has family and friends asking him if he will be active on Sunday) “The way I look at it, I think we’re all going to be dressed out on the field and ready to go. That’s how I’m preparing for this game, as if I’m going to be out there and going to play. I’ve got a good feeling that we’ll be out there and ready to go.”
(on the impact of Kevin Faulk on the younger players in the locker room) “Faulk is really just a natural leader. He’s a veteran and he’s been around the Patriots for 13 years now. What Faulk has taught to us is just how to handle all the things that come along with this game. From being on the field, off the field, film room, as far as where to pay the bills in the town, it’s just everything. He’s a valuable piece to have as part of our team, he really is. He’s a great guy all around, a family guy, a leader. He’s helped us young guys to come in and it’s made this load easier on us in the transition to becoming pros.”
(on if he knew Kevin Faulk before this year) “I did. Being from down there, he went to LSU. I’ve seen him once or twice down there in Baton Rouge, but I didn’t really get to know him until I got up here and met him. He’s really what everybody says that he is. He’s a great guy, not just a football player.”
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