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Patriots Quotes 1/12: Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels addressed the media during their conference calls at Gillette Stadium on Monday, January 12, 2015.

PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK CONFERENCE CALL

**

Q:** Can you revisit the thinking at the end of the game, with how you managed the end of the game situation? What was the mindset there and how did you feel that played out?

BB: It played out pretty much exactly the way we thought it would. We know they had one timeout. We expected to be punting the ball with about 15 seconds [left], which is pretty much what it was. We didn't want to go through any handoffs or take any chance on any exchanges and the penetration, like the play that happened on the goal line, anything like that. We felt we'd be able to secure the ball, punt it back to them in the neighborhood of 15 seconds. That would leave them probably at the most two, possibly one play depending on what happened on the punt, whether the ball was returned or went out of bounds or whatever. We'd have to defend one play. In the end, we felt like defending the Hail Mary was better than taking any chances at all handing the ball off, which I'm not sure how much more time that would have run off the clock anyway. Maybe a couple seconds, I don't know, but getting a first down and throwing the ball and all that wasn't really part of our thinking at that point in that game.

**

Q:** What do you see from the Colts now that looks different from Nov. 16?

BB: I think they've improved in every area. [They've] gotten more production in their running game with the backs and [Donte] Moncrief's become more a part of the passing game. They've gotten a lot of production out of the tight ends, offensive line, even though they've had a couple moving parts in there, I think they're playing well. Defensively I think getting [Arthur] Jones back has definitely helped them. They're playing just good team defense. They've got [Josh] Cribbs in the return game, so he gives them an explosive player there. I think they're good in all three phases of the game. Obviously they've got a great kicker. They've improved the return game; excellent punter and kickoff guys. They do a good job on field position and those areas, so they've improved their return game and their overall balance offensively. They're playing well on defense.

Q: Do you agree with Tom Brady's assessment that you'll have to be more balanced this time against Indianapolis?

BB: I think you go into every game with an idea planned, but in the end during your game you do what you feel like you need to do to win. So, we'll do whatever we feel like we need to do to win.

**

Patriots team photographer, Keith Nordstrom, offers his best photos from the Patriots - Colts game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, November 16, 2014.

Q:** I know how much you know about Andrew Luck, but his running game – yesterday on the telecast Phil Simms alluded to the way they modified it somewhat is that they've been releasing a hot receiver when he starts to run. Have you seen or noticed that? He's a tremendous young quarterback. Also about their offense, they play with two and three tight ends. Is that something that's changed since the Nov. 16 game? Watching the film on Luck, when he rolls and obviously everyone is less effective when they're throwing off their back foot, but is he less effective when he's rolling left and then passing or right passing? Is that something you've also noticed?

BB: I think he throws the ball well on the run. He's definitely very dangerous. He makes big plays with his legs. He had the bootleg for the touchdown against Denver yesterday that got called back, but that's the kind of play that they were at about the eight- or nine-yard line, whatever it was, and those are the kind of plays he can make and make pretty easily, as well as getting out of the pocket and extending plays and all that. Yeah, I think he's good at those things. I think those are definitely a strength for him. The tight ends – no, they've used those personnel groups. The three tights with [Jack] Doyle, the two tight ends could be any combination there, however they do it. They do use all three combinations there between [Dwayne] Allen, [Coby] Fleener and Doyle. It could be any two of the three. The same thing when they go to three wide receivers. It's usually Fleener or Allen, but occasionally it's Doyle. Then there are some four-receivers with that third receiver being either Moncrief or [Hakeem] Nicks, but there are some four receivers where you could get both of them. Then there's quite a bit of empty in their offense as well where there's no backs in the backfield, whether that's a back split out or it could be some combination of receivers and tight ends that adds up to five that gets them into an empty set. They use a lot of different personnel groups and they make you defend it all. The tight ends are different, but they're all tight ends. So they have the ability to create bigger formations, but they can also spread out and Allen and Fleener in particular are good pass receivers. They can get downfield and they're big targets so the passing game is still a pretty serious concern even when they have three tight ends in the game because usually [T.Y.] Hilton is the other guy, too. I don't think you want to leave him. I don't think you just want to give him as much space as you can. You have to be aware of them packing everybody in but then leaving Hilton out there by himself.

**

Q:** On the double pass, you explained how the Ravens blitz on that play helped open things open a little bit and gave Julian Edelman a little bit of time to throw. Was there something about that situation that you guys as a coaching staff expected them to play that kind of defense? I know it's impossible to know what they're going to do, but was wondering if you were looking for something like that. Then, the punt in the second quarter when Stephen Gostkowski was out there, why was he out there?

BB: I'd rather not talk about that play for obvious reasons. We'll let everybody else figure out what we were doing or not doing. On the double pass, I would say that, yeah, there's no way I would sit here and say, 'Yeah, we knew that's what they were going to do.' But I would also say it wasn't a surprise when they brought the nickel back and we had hurt them on first down, gained like nine yards on first down and that created the second-and-short, and then if I remember, we ran a quarterback sneak. Then it was first down again and it didn't surprise us that we got some kind of pressure to try to not let us get another first down or eight- or nine-yard gain or that kind of thing to try to create a second-and-long. You know, I'd say playing the percentages, we thought we would get one of their base calls or possibly some pressure in that situation and we ended up getting pressure. That's the way it was.

Q: Going back to the four-man offensive line. Could you shed some insight into how you came across that?

BB: It's a situation that I saw another team use, kind of. Then we talked about it and thought about ways maybe to put some pressure on the defense with that concept of having more receivers on the field than were actually eligible. To make them ineligible instead of making an ineligible guys eligible, to go the other way around. We came up with a few ideas. I'd say the origin of that play was from the NFL. What they did wasn't [what we did], but it sparked some ideas, so we did what we did.

**

Q:** Do you anticipate being able to use that same type of scenario again? Have you heard from the league about anything that might prevent that?

BB: Like what?

Q: Some interpretation of how it was officiated might change or something.

BB: Like what? I don't know what you're talking about. That happens all the time. You come in on the punt team, ineligible guys report as eligible. They line up as guards and tackles on the punt team, the center up to the center's numbers aren't eligible players that report ineligible. Then they cover punts. We've seen it on offense. We've seen it – particularly you see it a lot on special teams in the punting team. Not so much on the field goals because you have your linemen protecting there. I would say it happens in every game on the punt team. You're allowed to do that. We did it. I don't really understand what the question is. If you have a question about the rules, you just talk to the NFL rules people and let them tell you about it.

Q: I want to make sure I heard this right. Did you say it was another NFL team that you saw doing something similar which sparked some ideas internally?

BB: Yeah. I think you see it every week. I'd venture to say I couldn't remember the last time that I haven't seen that; haven't seen an eligible receiver report as an ineligible player in the National Football League. I'd say that happens every week.

Q: John Harbaugh thought it was deceptive substitution. Do you have a reaction to his reaction?

BB: No.

**

Q:** How would you describe Duron Harmon's production through the course of the season?

BB: Yeah, I talked a lot about Duron after the game. Nothing's really changed. He's one of the hardest working guys we have on our team. He's really smart, dependable, works extremely hard 12 months a year doing everything he can in the weight room and the film room [and] on the practice field. I think he's one of the hardest working players we have on our team. [He's] well respected, even though he's a young guy, because of the way he professionally goes about his job and the effort that he gives to do it, whatever it is, whether it's on defense or in the kicking game.

Q: The last two games you played against Indianapolis you ran for over 200 yards both times. Why were you able to be so successful in those cases? What improvements have you seen in their run defense since then to make that tougher?

BB: Those games were what they were. There were a lot of things that happened in other games that we played. This is a new matchup, it's a new situation and we'll just see what happens this week. I don't know. That's why we'll all be watching the game on Sunday to see how it unfolds. I don't think any of us really have any idea. We'll just have to see.

PATRIOTS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/QUARTERBACKS COACH JOSH MCDANIELS CONFERENCE CALL

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Q:** What looks different from the Colts defensively that you didn't see when you played them in the regular season?

JM: Arthur Jones is in there and I think healthy. They've incorporated [Jonathan] Newsome, who I know made a big play yesterday, on the edge. He played some in our first game, but they've incorporated him more in there. I know [Erik] Walden was injured coming into our game, and I think he's playing well. And now [LaRon] Landry is back in his spot alongside of [Mike] Adams in the back end. And then other than that, I think, like most good teams do as the season progresses, they just continue to get better. They've maintained consistency in terms of the things that they try to do. They've created negative plays and put people in some third-and-long situations, created some turnovers. They're very aggressive with, not only pressuring, but also man-to-man coverage. They'll get up there and play tight and jam and disrupt the passing game that way. And it's a physical group. [It's] not surprising that we would be playing them again. I know we had some success in the first game, but this is a totally different week, a totally different game, and I'm sure it'll be different on Sunday.

Q: Where would you rank Brandon LaFell in terms of toughness among all the players that you've coached in your career?

JM: I have great respect for Jo Jo's toughness and work ethic. I've mentioned that before. His attitude, the way he's embraced what we do here and his role in our offense. He's a great fit for us. He's brought an element of leadership, experience, toughness. He plays big in big games, and his overall professional approach to our locker room and our meeting room has only enhanced our room. He's a great example for younger guys in terms of how to approach your job. Like I said, it's been great having him here, and I was excited he was able to make, obviously, a big play the other night at the end.

**

Q:** The double pass play and the four-man line; was that implemented because you were one-dimensional and having no success running the ball? Did you use that to try to gain some balance?

JM: No, not really. We chose not to run the ball more than anything else. It wasn't like we ran it 20 times and had 35 yards. We kind of made that decision and went ahead and went with it. And then those things were just part of the game plan that, hopefully at the right time or place, we could use them and get some production out of them if they were called. The guys did a great job of executing those in those situations. I thought that was really what the game came down to. [It] was an execution game more than anything else – a lot of critical situations, a lot of crucial downs that our guys needed to perform and execute their job, and they deserve a lot of credit for that.

Q: Bill Belichick said he had seen the four-man line used in the NFL before. Have you seen that at some of the smaller levels of football beforehand?

JM: I've seen it a few different places where people try to do it differently. Again, the situation that it comes up in may be different, but you've seen linemen lined up different places. You've seen the center saddled by the two guards and the tackles are removed way outside the numbers at times. There are a lot of different formations that teams have tried or people have used to try to get a play here or there out of those types of things. Everything is a part of the rules, and if there is a way that maybe you can give yourself an opportunity to get a positive play in a different situation, it's worth doing. Definitely have seen it before, and I'm sure it won't be the last time.

Q: Tom Brady mentioned after the game that you guys caught the Ravens in the perfect defense for the double pass – a star blitz I think he called it. How key was that in giving Julian Edelman enough time to throw back there? If they hadn't run that play, would the double pass have been rendered ineffective?

JM: Well, it didn't hurt, for sure. They blitzed the nickel off that side, or safety if you will – however you want to call it – because I believe it was actually [number] 24 who came, but he was lined up in what you could call a nickel-type of a position, [Darian] Stewart was. We didn't have to have that defense and didn't obviously know that it was coming to try it and to have success and to believe that we could do it. It just so happened that they did it, which left them [with] one less cover player out there to either attempt to tackle Julian or put pressure on him before he threw or to cover Danny [Amendola]. Rob [Gronkowski] was out there and had an opportunity to protect Julian against somebody, but wouldn't have been able to do it against two somebodies. As it was, again, the guys did a great job of executing the play. They deserve all that credit. I thought Tom [Brady] made a great throw to start it, Nate [Solder] did a good job of trying to get [Terrell] Suggs' hands down at the line of scrimmage and then Julian, Danny and Gronk executed the last part of it out there very well, and it was able to give us a big play in the game.

**

Q:** After the game, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola said they've been working on that double pass play all year long. Do you have a series of those plays that you practice and want to break out in the right situation? Once you use them in a game situation, can you not use those plays again?

JM: We've all seen trick plays or whatever you want to call them, gadgets. We have probably no longer [a] list of those here than anybody else does, and I think you just look for I would say the potential of a situation to present itself that may give you an opportunity to have success with one of them. I don't think there's a guarantee on any of them. We've certainly called them before here, and maybe it wasn't a great defense to try it against, or the defense had a great call on at the same time and it happens not to work. But, like everything else you do on offense, you practice that play – if it's a run, a pass, a screen, a gadget, a red zone play – enough to where you feel like your players have confidence in what they're being asked to do to give them the best chance to go out and do it successfully. And then if you feel like that, it's just a matter of trying to match it up against a defense, a call or a situation where you feel like you'll have an opportunity to get it to work. Like I said, I think we all have them. It's just a matter of when you call them, and if you can get it executed, and the guys did a great job the other night. Once you call those things, like I said, you have a longer list of them, it's just a matter of finding the right situation to use it in. I'd say if any play could [be used again] in the same game, another week – whatever it may be – if it's the right time and you feel like it'll work, then you may try it. If not, then obviously you'd like to do something else.

Q: How have you seen the Colts' run defense change since the last time you played them?

JM: Each team that's playing at this time of the year is, to me, they're getting better as the season goes on and improving as a football team, and I see no difference with this group on defense. A lot of times, it doesn't require a dramatic shift in philosophy or scheme or players to improve. Sometimes it takes consistency and staying with it and just working at it and at times getting some people back healthy to really arrive at what you hope you could be. There is no time like the end of the season in terms of trying to peak at the right time, and I think this group that we're getting ready to play has gotten better in all areas. They're certainly a team that ranks highly in more than a few categories in terms of the way they play. Like I said before, I would imagine that this group is playing the way they want to play, and we're going to have to play our best football game of the year against them on Sunday night.

**

Q:** Earlier in the year, Danny Amendola wasn't as involved in the offense as he was the last couple weeks. Why now? And was there ever a point you had to tell him that his time was going to come? I'm sure it was a little frustrating early on.

JM: I think Danny has been ready all year. He's had more opportunities in some games than others, but has always maintained a great work ethic and attitude, comes to work and prepares hard each week, really is ready to go for his role in the game, however big or small it may be. Our players know that we try to come in each week and put ourselves in the best position to have a chance to win, and sometimes that means some people playing more than others, sometimes it means using different personnel groupings in different weeks. I think everybody has been an unselfish part of that, and Danny's a great example of that and I think a wonderful example of being ready when your number's called and producing and coming through for the team in a pressure situation. So, very happy for him the other night that he had the success that he did, but wasn't surprised by it because of the way he's approached every day since he's been here. Love having him here, and obviously he's a big part of our success on offense.

Q: Real quick, two quick things: Is there a psychological thing that the Colts know how well you guys ran against them in the first game? Does that play into it at all? The other question is, are they economical in the way they blitz, because [Jerrell] Freeman had a key blitz against the Bengals, and as you said Newsome [had a key blitz] yesterday? Is that something that they do off of their base defense?

JM: As far as the first game goes, both teams have changed, both teams have grown [and] improved. They've gotten some players back; we've gotten some players back. I think we've tried to evolve as an offense; they've done it as a defense. I think this will be a totally different game. Whatever we had success with in the first game or didn't have success with, which there were plenty of those things too, I'm sure we're both going to look at things. They have a great coaching staff; have a ton of respect for them and the way they prepare and present the game plan each week. They create a lot of issues as you're getting ready to deal with them.

**

Q:** Does Arthur Jones coming back play into it at all?

JM: Sure. Landry, Jones, like I said Newsome is playing more. I just think the whole group; they're a great example of a team getting better over the course of the year. They've got a great coaching staff that has done a great job of putting their players in the right positon. They're aggressive, they're playing with confidence, they're physical, they're fast, they blitz, they play man, [and] they mix up their calls. You don't always know what you're going to get from them. They're playing the way they want to play, I'm sure, at the end of the year at the right time, and we're going to have to, like I said, play our best game on Sunday, and that's what we're going to try to prepare for. And then relative to the pressures, I think they do a great job of doing both. They mix it up – base, sub, third down, red zone – it's not always a blitz situation, but there's plenty of it. No matter what, you're going to have to be ready for it. They really test your protection systems, your ability to adjust. Your backs are going to need to be an important part of the blitz pickup game. Your line is going to have to pass off stunts and identify some different looks each week. From top to bottom, they test you in every area. Like I said, they're extremely well coached. I've got a ton of respect for these guys, and it'll be an incredible challenge on Sunday.

Q: What has Bryan Stork brought to the offense this season?

JM: Youth. He's got a youthful approach to everything. When I say that, it's a compliment. Every day you see him walk in the building, every day seems like it's a great day. He's got a smile on his face, excited to come to work. He's extremely tough – we knew that when we got him here. He hasn't let us down in that area at all. [He] works extremely hard at his craft, wants to be good and cares about trying to do his role to help our offense be productive and doesn't ever want to let anybody down. [He's] really a pleasure to have here and coach. His demeanor, his work ethic, his toughness all fit in with that group in that room. I think he's got a lot of veteran players in there to learn from, and he's really tried to soak that in as much as he possibly could. He competed and improved and when he got his opportunity, he really has made the most of it. So, I have a ton of respect for the way he's gone about his business as a young player, and he's been a big part of our success this year.

PATRIOTS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT PATRICIA CONFERENCE CALL

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Q:** Initially in the game against the Ravens it seemed a little heavier on zone coverage. Would you agree on that assessment from early in the game and what contributed to that approach?

MP: Well, I think early in the game we probably had a good combination of both different packages that we were trying to run and just trying to do the best job that we could to get off to the way we wanted to start the game which obviously we didn't. [We] just had to go in and make some adjustments and tried to get the game slowed down a little it for us. Obviously I think the guys fought hard last weekend. I think that was a tough game for us and we're certainly trying to improve. Looking ahead to a very tough, tough game in front of us that's really where all of our focus is right now. Obviously the Colts are a dynamic team, very explosive offense, have some phenomenal skill players and obviously a tremendous quarterback who is an extremely difficult player to play against and to plan for and to try to stop. So that's really where our focus is right now.

**

Q:** As you start your preparations what is standing out to you as looking different from the November 16th game against the Colts?

MP: Just in general with their offense right now I would say they're doing a great job of getting the ball to a lot of different players. Certainly their running backs have come in to the game and have been able to roll through there; [they] have contributed to both the run game and the pass game. The quarterback's able to get him the ball, or get those guys the ball, quite a bit and they're able to do some things in space and gain positive yardage and really protect the ball. So along with obviously the deep threats that they have, T.Y Hilton, [Donte] Moncrief, [Reggie] Wayne, [Hakeem] Nicks, [they] do a great job of stretching the field both vertically and horizontally. The tight end situation is very difficult – Dwayne Allen going into our first game we knew he's an extremely good player, both in the run and the pass game. This guy is a big, physical, strong guy. You can see in yesterday's game where he also has the ability to post up against tougher situations like in the red area and be able to box out and catch touchdowns and situational plays. Obviously [Coby] Fleener, the dynamic element he brings and [Jack] Doyle being the third tight end who will line up in a bunch of different positions. I think they use the tight ends very well. I think they try to keep you moving as far as what the different looks are with those guys and along with their wide receivers. Like I said I think their running backs are really doing an excellent job, as far as within the system, of really being very productive.

**

Q:** Why were the Ravens so successful in the run game last night? Did that prompt a red flag against about your run defense? What do you need to do to be more consistent in that area?

MP: Like I said before, obviously I understand that Baltimore is an extremely good football team. They're a very tough, very physical football team. We obviously went out and tried to compete at the highest level we could to win the game, which fortunately for us we are looking forward to Indianapolis this week. Really our focus right now is on Indianapolis who obviously also has an excellent run game. It'll be a big challenge for us, they can get the ball to their running backs in a variety of ways – both inside and outside with the different schemes they run. Certainly then also in addition to that their quarterback being another threat in the run game will give another layer of difficulty for us to defend. That's really where we're kind of at right now.

Q: Do they have a running style that's in any way similar to Baltimore?

MP: Good question – I think Baltimore has a specific run system that they will repeatedly go to. Indianapolis also has those types of runs in their scheme along with some specific scheme runs too where they may toss the ball outside, they may scheme up some different angle blocks inside. So they really kind of attack you in all different levels there, whether it's more in the stretch-type plays or the inside-zone or the outside toss-crack type of plays. They'll really scheme it up and they have a couple of different variations in ways they can run the ball.

**

Q:** How is Dan Herron's style unique? The last time you played the Colts it was mainly Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw?

MP: Richardson and Bradshaw in the first game and obviously Herron now and [Zurlon] Tipton. I think both of these guys – Herron really does a great job of being very patient with the runs. He really waits for the blocks to develop. He'll find his creases and then does a great job of hitting those downhill very hard. He runs extremely hard, very powerful type of runner but has the ability to cut back into open spaces in the backside too. You'll see him take some jump-cuts and some plays where he has good vision on the cuts to the backside where he can get some positive yards. I think that's really what they're trying to do is make sure they don't take negative plays in the run game, they get the ball downhill, they get it hard into the line of scrimmage, fast and vertical into the defense where they're consistently gaining positive yardage. Obviously you want to give credit to the line up front; I think those guys have done a good job of trying to play together as a group. They've had some changes in there positionally but have done a good job of kind of coming together here as of late and working together. I think the offensive line is always a hard position to have changes in and out of but these guys seem to handle it extremely well.

**

Q:** Logan Ryan was inserted late in the game on Saturday. How did you see him respond in that moment and how has he developed over the course of the season?

MP: I mean I think Logan, I've talked about him before and I talk about a lot of our guys. You have to understand that our guys come in and out of the games at all different times and different points. One of the things that makes it unique and especially with him and makes it unique for us to be able to do that is just their approach to their preparation. You know we preach all the time about the preparation and preparing to go and preparing to play. None of our guys sit in the room defensively and say, 'Well I don't need be ready to go here.' Everyone sits in there and is very focused on the job and understands their job and how they fit and what other circumstances might come up where their jobs might expand. Certainly those guys do a great job. Logan does a great job; he's just a true professional that really studies and grinds at the game every day and prepares himself to be ready to go out and perform when he has to. I think that starts with our guys that have been around here the longest, from the Vince Wilforks to Devin McCourty and the guys in the backend, and obviously just transferred into our young guys. I think they all do a great job of that. Really, [it] just makes it enjoyable on a day-to-day basis to be able to come in and work at the game and try to improve your craft.

**

Q:** You've seen a lot of quarterbacks who are mobile and can get out of the pocket and can scramble. It seems like Andrew Luck not only can scramble but can change his mind midstream and while he's scrambling and throw on the run very accurately. What kind of challenges does that present in terms of maintaining responsibilities downfield?

MP: I mean that's a huge challenge for us. This guy is not only mobile, has a very strong arm, but like you mentioned, can move out of the pocket and keep his vision and concentration downfield and really see the entire field where he might not just be locked into one player as he's trying to elude a rush or escape out of the pocket or even just move out of the pocket on their move out of the pocket plays. [He] does a good job of keeping the entire field open in his vision and finding pockets or seams or holes where his receivers are either uncovering or finding space to get open in their routes. Then obviously with the arm strength he can get the ball there. I think the other thing that's extremely difficult about Andrew Luck is how strong he is. He's a very big quarterback, he's extremely strong. You'll see a lot of guys that think they have him in the grass and think they can get him down and then he breaks free. As a full defense you're in a mindset where you're like, 'OK, well we got this guy wrapped up,' and all of a sudden he gets free and he breaks free and now the play is extended even longer. So it's definitely something where we have to concentrate and play all the way through the whistle and finish every single bit of coverage or finish every play all the way through to make sure that we don't give up something in a situation where he's been able to extend the play even longer. I think that's the added element to him that in the passing game that he really presents. I mean obviously in the running game he always presents an issue there so it's kind of a double-threat problem for us.

Q: Is it almost a relief not to have to play Peyton Manning again? Is it tougher to prepare for Andrew Luck since you play him much him far less than Manning?

MP: I think in the National Football League you just prepare for your next opponent. I don't think you worry about who is hard or who's not. It's the National Football League, I think everyone is extremely difficult and I think everyone, when you get to this level, has earned the right to be here, especially at the quarterback positon. I think Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck – both of them present very difficult, extreme problems that you have to defend as a defense. We're just going to go out and try to do our best here against Andrew Luck and hopefully we can get him stopped for all of the things that he does that I was just talking about. It's the National Football League, it's the playoffs – every game is very difficult.

**

Q:** Can you speak to what you've enjoyed about the process of working with Darrelle Revis this year?

MP: I've enjoyed the process of working with all of my players on defense here and the team in general. I think one of the benefits of being a coach is the relationships you make with the guys out on the field through practice and through meetings and just the general, the grind of the game, which we are very fortunate here that we have guys that love to do that. They love to study, they love to work, and they love to compete. That's the real enjoyment of it. I certainly have enjoyed all of it with all of those guys and Darrelle falls right in line with the rest of them. I think we have a group that works extremely hard to try to improve and get better and play the game the way we need it played and play it hard and have fun while they're doing it. It's certainly a blessing to be able to have that and I enjoy every day we get a chance to continue it. We're just going to try to work real hard here throughout this week.

Q: Is there a difference with Andrew Luck when he's moving left or right in terms of his ability to get the ball downfield? Is he better now in second- and third-and-long?

MP: I think I spoke on Andrew Luck pretty extensively. I think the guy is a phenomenal quarterback. I think both in the pocket [and] out of the pocket, his decision making – they ask him to do a lot of things at the line of scrimmage situations – whether it's check-with-me type plays or audible plays where they may change a play based on a defensive look or a particular set. He handles all of those situations very well at the line of scrimmage. He's able to stand in the pocket and throw the ball downfield extremely well and be able to take a lot of movement in there and he can get away from pressure and obviously I think he can scramble to either direction and throw extremely well and extremely far downfield. He's got a tremendously strong arm. I think this guy is a very, very good quarterback. He's an extremely tough competitor. He's a guy that enjoys the game; obviously he loves to play and loves to compete. It's a huge challenge for us to stop this guy and everyone on the Indianapolis Colts. I think they've done a great job of surrounding him with extremely talented players, both in the skill positions, at the tight end position, and obviously in front of him with the offensive line. I think that really transfers into whether he's in the pocket, out of the pocket, or down-and-distance or whatever the situation is, this guy is a tremendous competitor. He's a great quarterback and he'll be a great challenge for us this week.

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