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Patriots Postgame Quotes - 8/26/2010

New England Patriots players comment on their preseason game against the St. Louis Rams at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, August 26, 2010.

Sammy Morris, Running Back

(On the first half)

"(There was) terrible execution across the board. That's the worst of it really."

(On if he reads into who starts in the preseason)

"I think we have a lot of backs and we are trying to get everyone some work. It's preseason and it's tough. We are just trying different things."

(On QB Tom Brady's touchdown pass to WR Randy Moss)

"I think it was really good for us. At the time, we were struggling to get some consistency. That was a huge play for us; at any point in the game, that would be huge but especially since we were struggling."

(On his general thoughts on the game)

"I really have to wait until tomorrow to see how specific I can be (on what went wrong). It could be any number of things. It could be one guy, it could be two guys, and it could be just that they beat us. I don't know. I'll just have to look at the film and figure out exactly what happened and where it happened."

(On what it will be like to view the film)

"I think we didn't play as well as we could have across the board and those kinds of games are always tough but there are a lot of things you can learn from it too."

Brandon Tate, Wide Receiver

(On his kickoff return for a touchdown)

"My teammates were the ones blocking so without them it wouldn't have been possible. I kept saying, 'I'm ready...this is going to be the one,' so all the credit has to go to my teammates."

(On being caught by the kicker on a different return)

"I know, the kicker got me. Everyone was laughing because the kicker got me but I tried. It's alright."

(On showing the coaches and the fans what he has to offer)

"Every time I get to go out there and play, I try to put my best foot out there. I go out there and compete every play and just play hard."

Leigh Bodden, Cornerback

(On how disappointed he was in the game)

"It's definitely disappointing. Looking at the film, we thought we could do some good things on defense but unfortunately we didn't do what we planned and we just have to look at the film, get better from it, and move on to next week."

(On what exactly went wrong with the team)

"Collectively, all the way around. We had penalties that kept their drives going. Just plays we should have made. Collectively, as a group, we all need some work."

(On if the loss could be seen as a good thing moving forward)

"It's always a good thing to have this during the preseason so you can fix things and hopefully not get carried over into the regular season. That's what today is for and tomorrow we will get better."

(On if he is concerned that this game was supposed to be most like the regular season)

"You get a real feel for your team but it's just one game and we made some mistakes and we have to correct it. It's just one game, like I said. This is a game that you do want to go out and show what you have but unfortunately we have to go back to the drawing board and work on it so we can get better for next week."

Darius Butler, Cornerback

(On if the defense needs to get better before the start of the regular season)

"I know we've got to get better. I know I've got to get better personally. Got to make better plays out there. That's what we've got to do."

(On if he was surprised that Rams quarterback Sam Bradford played so well Thursday night)

"Not really. I mean he's the number one pick. He's a good quarterback."

(On if the defense's game plan was more vanilla Thursday night)

"I wouldn't say that. They just came out and made plays and we didn't in certain situations. I didn't in certain situations, so I've got to get better on that."

James Sanders, Safety

(On if it was disappointing to play poorly in the third preseason game, which is considered to be the most important)

"I wouldn't say that. I'd say it's just disappointing that we just didn't come out and play well. We played pretty well in the first two games and regardless of whether this is the third game or the fourth game, we just didn't play up to the standards that we hold here."

(On what it will be like in the film room the next day)

"It's going to be rough. But we need to go in there and keep an open mind and make the corrections that we need to make and go forward from there."

(On how disappointing it was that the defense seemed to take a step back this week)

"Very disappointing. Anytime you have an offense that's moving up the field at will, it's demoralizing. It's disappointing as a unit that takes pride in stopping teams the way we do out there. So we need to go back and figure out what the reason was for that and do better as a defensive unit."

Rob Gronkowski, Tight End

(On working hard to get into the end zone for his second-quarter touchdown)

"I just give it 100 percent every play, so when I catch the ball, I just make sure I get up the field, tuck the ball away, get up the field, and try to get as much yardage as I can. I saw the end zone right there, so it was a touchdown."

(On if he's developing a rhythm with Tom Brady)

"We're going out there every practice, working hard, running my routes, he's throwing passes to me a lot. So we're working hard out there. Basically, just practice hard and everything will work out."

(On if he feels more comfortable on the field)

"I definitely feel more comfortable from the beginning. I mean, I didn't know a play coming in here. I've got a lot to learn, I can study a lot more, learning other defenses, learning how to run the routes. I've got a lot to learn, but definitely see a lot of progress from when I first got here."

Jerod Mayo, Linebacker

(On why the defense struggled)

"We just couldn't get off the field. Penalties killed us. We have to fix it."

(On whether it was a problem with the gameplan)

"I'm not going to say that. We are going in with the plays that we have, and we just have to execute them. And we didn't do that. Like I said, penalties killed us."

(On how to improve on this game)

"Play smarter football. Do business as business is being done, and go out there and try to make plays and try to get off the field."

(On mindset for preseason game)

"We just go out with the mindset [that we] try and get better each and every game. Try to prepare for the first game of the season. At the end of the day, we still want to win the game, and we didn't come out today and win it."

(On whether this performance shakes the defense's confidence)

"It doesn't shake us at all. We'll watch the film tomorrow and make the adjustments and things like that. First two games, we played pretty well as a first unit. We just have to get better."

Stephen Gostkowski, Kicker

(On reaction to new contract)

"I just did my part by showing up and trying to get ready for the season. That's all I could do. Luckily, it worked out, and I'm very grateful I have the opportunity to play here for a couple more years."

(On how negotiations for new contract went)

"We don't really like to talk about how things go down. But it went down. And it went down smoothly. And like I said, I'm very grateful for the opportunity."

(On waiting for the new contract)

"You just never know what's going to happen. I just try and do my part and show up and try to get ready for the season the only way I know how. The patience paid off. Last year, I thought maybe I'd get one. You wait around, and you never know. You just have to do your job and show the coaches that you can be consistent. That's pretty much what I did. I showed up ready to work and let the guys who take care of that take care of that. I just try to show up and do my job."

(On what the new contract means)

The job is not over just because you get that. It doesn't mean it's time to step back. It's almost motivation to work harder and get better. And it's something that doesn't have to be in the back of your mind every time you go out there to practice. It is gratifying. It made me and my family and everybody very grateful to the Krafts and coach [Bill] Belichick and everybody for the opportunity to be here for a couple more years. I love being a Patriot and didn't really want to go anywhere else."

Gerard Warren, Defensive Line

(On why the defense couldn't get off the field in the first half)

"We couldn't get off on third downs. That's crucial. A big emphasis is getting off the field on third down. Taking their momentum away and getting the ball back to the offense."

(On why the defense struggled on third downs)

"Not playing complete, total defense on third downs. It's a combination of things."

(On the week of preparation)

"I felt the week went pretty well. We just didn't show up today."

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