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Replay: Best of the Week on Patriots.com Radio Thu Nov 07 - 04:00 PM | Sun Nov 10 - 10:40 AM

Patriots Postgame Quotes

Patriots players comment on their game against the Minnesota Vikings at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, October 31, 2010.

Vince Wilfork, Defensive Line
(On 4th down stop at end of first half)
"Well we knew they like to run the ball coming into the game, especially in the red area. With a back like [Adrian] Peterson, who wouldn't want to run the ball? I think everybody was just tuned in on that play. We got the formation they love to run in. They got the blockers in they like to run behind. I think everybody was just alert. We took advantage of it. That's something big for us. As a defense, that's one of our goals—short yards and red area and goal line this year. So to come up with a play like that on fourth and goal down there – basically they walked away with no points – that was big for us. It meant a lot for our defense. Hopefully, we don't have people get down there, but if they do, we have the confidence in…all training camp we practiced short yards and goal line. Even now, short yardage we're always on it. That's one of the areas we look to improve. I think so far this season, we've done a great job in short yardage and goal line areas."

(On the team picking up momentum with all these wins)
"We're just trying to take it one game at a time. That's how we're going to continue. We're going to stay humble. Minnesota came out, they fought. You talk about a team that was in the NFC Championship last year, basically the same team. I don't think you would get a better run defense than who they have with those guys over there. And great pass rushers they have on defense. And then on offense, [Randy] Moss and [Percy] Harvin and [Visanthe] Shiancoe and [Adrian] Peterson and [Brett] Favre and a big offensive line, physical offensive line. They've got every aspect of the game to be a championship team, and they showed last year. We knew we really didn't want to pay attention to the records. That's one thing we didn't want to do. We just looked at that team, NFC Championship last year, only a couple of plays away from winning that game and going to the Super Bowl. Every week we fight. We come in and prepare. I think we do a pretty good job preparing for the opposing team. And that's all we do. We stay on each other. We practice hard. Preparation and just got to execute on Sunday when it counts. So far, six times this year it's been good. Can't complain about that."

(On defense coming up big on crucial third down plays down the stretch)
"As the game progressed, we settled in. In the early part of the game, I think we really weren't, I don't want to say we weren't tuned in, I think we were just so antsy, and we had to settle down. We know it's a couple of plays that it's going to come through and do. We just have to fight through it. Once we came to the sideline, made some adjustments, as a defense as we settled down, I think we started playing better as a defense. But the first couple of plays hurt us. The first couple of passes hurt us. But at the end of the day, once we settled down, we started playing the defense we know how to play."

Deion Branch, Wide Receiver(On Brandon Tate)
"Great guy. A guy who wants to learn. Sits back and questions me all the time. Especially when I first got here, I didn't know [any] of the plays, but he's questioning about the offense. And it shows. It shows in his play."

(On offense chipping away to make something happen before getting on a role)
"Well that's part of it. The best thing about it is their defense is very sound. You know they won't make a lot of mistakes. Our thing is just to make sure that we go out and execute our plays and not make mistakes to help them. And I think we did a great job of it. There was a couple of times we went three and out, when we won it back, but that's what happens when you play a good defense. We've been playing a pretty good defense the last three weeks, so we've been finding ways to get it done."

(On the Patriots offense trying to put together long drives)
"That's the goal. But it's hard in the NFL. Our biggest thing is make sure we execute, convert on third down, no turnovers. I think we didn't have any turnovers. We were okay [on] third down. And for the most part, I think we executed our plays."

Gerard Warren, Defensive Lineman
(On fourth down stops building confidence.)
"It builds momentum when guys go for it on fourth and inches, fourth and short. To make that play, like you said, it was a momentum builder. Throughout the whole game guys were making plays."

(On building confidence as a defense)
"No, we just try to build and get better each week. Week in and week out we look forward to trying to get better and get the W."

(On seeing the improvement week to week)
"We're seeing incremental progress, and the progression is coming along. Guys just come to work every day.

Jerod Mayo, Linebacker
(On goal-line defense)
"Guys stepped up when we had to. They had to make plays and keep our offense in striking distance. I think we did that and had a good turnout."

(On the goal line stop in the first half)
"Well, 28 [Peterson] is their go-to guy and we knew that he was going to get the ball at some point. So I think the guys up front did an excellent job keeping guys off the backend and just made the play."

(On the mentality of forcing turnovers)
"Like I said earlier. Mental toughness, just chipping at the rock, chipping at the rock. You don't need the big plays, just keep chipping at it and eventually something will happen."

Devin McCourty, Cornerback
(On his interception)
"It was a little strange the way he went to catch the ball, I guess it bobbled a little and I was able to get my hand in there and then the ball bounced straight in the air so I was able to intercept it."

(On the defense's philosophy on how to cover Randy Moss)
"Just to come out and compete, be aggressive with him when we could and try to jam him at certain times when the defense calls for it, and really to compete because you know at any time Moss can go out and make a big play. So it was really trying not to be lulled to sleep by Adrian Peterson running and just staying the course on Moss."

(On if Brett Favre looked sharp Sunday)
"Yeah, he was. He played, I think, a very controlled game, he stuck to their game plan. I mean, that's Brett Favre, he's going to make some plays."

Danny Woodhead, Running Back
(On his first-down conversion in the fourth quarter)
"Things ended up working out on the third-and-long. That was a great throw by Tom [Brady], too. And Wes [Welker] came back to get a block also, it was the whole team working together on that."

(On his touchdown)
"It was just a run play and it was blocked great, I didn't really have to do much. I just had to get in the end zone, I mean the line did a great job and just opened it up for me."

(On whether he takes more pride in scoring a touchdown or blocking a blitz)
"Honestly, they're all the same. Any way that I can do my job and we end up doing something right, more power to us. I'm not worried about what I do with the ball, I'm worried about just my job. If it is a play where I have the ball, hopefully I do alright."

Kyle Arrington, Cornerback
(On if there was any playful talking between him and Randy Moss)
"Not really. We said 'what's up,' and everything during the first quarter and he noticed at the start how I was trying to play him early and he let me know he was aware. That was about it. Then in the fourth quarter he might have said a word or two. We hugged after the game, said 'good game, stay healthy,' and everything like that. Not too much was said between him and me. We both knew this was business and we're professionals. We both knew what kind of job we had to do."

(On if he was as physical with Randy Moss at the line this year as he was with any other receiver he's faced)
"I would say so. I would definitely say so. I think I was as physical with him than with any receiver in my career. It was Randy Moss. It was either put up or shut up."

Brandon Meriweather, Safety
(On how it was playing against Randy Moss)
"It was great. It's like playing against your big brother. Whenever you get a chance to play against your big brother you want to limit him in as many ways as you can. That's what we were trying to do. Me personally, I wanted to be the one to do it, but Kyle [Arrington] did a great job, Devin [McCourty] did a great job, and everybody else who was on him did a great job. I just helped in every way I could."

(On if preventing Randy Moss from going deep was the game plan)
"Our game plan every week is to not give up anything deep. Not just this week, every week we strive in not giving up the deep ball. Not giving up big plays, and as long as we do that we'll be alright."

(On Devin McCourty's interception)
"That was huge. I didn't even know he caught it until I saw him running with it. It was a great play. Big time players make big time plays in big time games, and he did that."

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