Q: Your thoughts on Andre' [Davis] joining the team?
TB: Well, I think everyone's excited. Hopefully he can add some depth and quality to that position. We have some there. He's adding to a really strong group of receivers as it is. With every new guy, he has to find a role on the team. He's a very smart player. He came out here yesterday and almost knew what he was doing on every single play, which was great to see. He seems like a really neat person. He's going to fit in well.
Q: How far away is this offense from being where it needs to be?
TB: Well, I think it's quite away. In a lot of ways, we're still trying to figure out what we do well. The thing about training camp is there's so many guys trying to find a spot, often times they're in different roles and your running different plays. It's nice to finally get to a week where we can settle in and run a certain group of plays and really work hard on those and try to execute those as well as we can.
Q: What have seen that you've liked and what have you seen that needs work?
TB: I think the thing about offensive football is you can always do things better. You can always be more precise on your routes. You can always be better on your reads and throws. I like the things that we're trying to do. Even last week, we really had a hard time establishing any time of possession out there because we threw an interception on the first play. We were in the red zone on the second drive on the third play. We had one play [on the] goal line. It's hard to really establish a lot of consistency offensively. It's hardest for the defense when you can run the ball well and throw it. If you can do both, which we're trying to do, that's ultimately what makes it toughest on the defense. I think for us it's just going to be trying to establish both. We have a heck of challenge this week, going into Green Bay against a great group of linebackers and a great secondary at Lambeau Field for the first time.
Q: Coach said you game planned this week. Is getting into a regular season game plan different?
TB: Yeah, I said in training camp you're running a whole bunch of stuff. This week your really trying to narrow in on the things that you think you can execute against what this defense does in particular. So, like I said, it's nice to have a set list of plays your working from instead of the entire playbook. Hopefully the execution is a little better, a little sharper and hopefully everyone really knows what we're doing. It seems like when you really know what your doing and your confident in what your doing, then you can go out and really play at full speed, at that type of tempo. Hopefully, that's what you guys all see from us.
Q: You mentioned Lambeau Field. How much of a challenge will it be there because of the crowd?
TB: It should be a lot of fun. I've never been to Lambeau. We only played the Packers once. I remember watching a few weeks ago, they had a scrimmage against Buffalo and it was sold out, sixty thousand people. So I'm sure they are going to be very loud and into it. It's going to test our communication. We will see where we're at in terms of playing on the road and how well we can handle the tough environments because that's something we face quite a bit. Thinking about early on some of the road games we have those are going to be some tough places to play. This is going to be really our last chance to go out and try to execute under really tough playing conditions.
Q: Knowing the demands of the position and the punishment you take as a quarterback over the course of the season, are you amazed at what Brett Favre has been able to do, starting 207 consecutive games?
TB: Yeah. That to me is the most unbelievable thing, for a quarterback to play as long as he has. It's not like he's played and not been hurt. He broke his thumb last year. He's played with a torn MCL. He's just one of the toughest guys. The level of consistency that he's played at and the level of play over that period time, he really set the standard for quarterbacks. It's going to be great to go up there and take this team into battle against a team led by that guy because there's no question he's been on the best ever at doing that.
Q: Would you like to have some of that longevity someday?
TB: Yeah, that would be great. That tells you a lot. I think as a player, when you know you can line up every week and play that says a lot for your leadership and for your credibility with your teammates. For him to play every Sunday, it's a credit to him and the way he approaches the game and how he feels the quarterback position needs to be played.
Q: Has it been difficult for you to develop consistency over the preseason?
TB: Yeah, it always is. It always is. I think the one thing you learn is you can't take anything for granted, especially playing quarterback, because things change quite a bit. You run different plays, face different defenses and there are different situations. You have to be on top of your game every time out. You have to as sharp, mentally focused and determined every time you take the field or else you're just going to look like you don't have any clue what your doing out there. A lot of that has to do with preparation of things. I think sometimes in the preseason, the hard part is trying to prepare for a game but at the same time you really don't have the full week to prepare. There are a lot of other things going on during the week. It's a training camp but at the same time your installing new plays. It's not really typical game planning. So in the preseason it's tough. But even in the regular season it's tough. I think the goal is to try to do it right every time we're out there. As you guys can see, it doesn't always look as well as you hope it would.
Q: Coach Belichick said it takes about six weeks into the regular season to see what a team's all about?
TB: I certainly do know that you start off the year and things can change so quickly. I remember a couple of years ago, we were 3-0 then we're 3-4. It was like, 'man what happened?' We went from undefeated to a team that couldn't win a game in over a month. He [Coach Belichick] also made a comment that after Thanksgiving, you think you're almost through the season. But if you plan on playing in the super bowl, you've got nine or ten more games left. I think those are the times when the team either starts to get better or worse. You like to really start the season peaking but the reality is it's very tough to do because you bring in a lot of new people, trying to do a bunch of new things. I think for us, our goal is to try to take advantage of every day, so when you do get later in the year, you can be really playing your best. You don't have to really be searching for the things you do well seven or eight weeks into the year.
Q: What makes Kevin Faulk special?
TB: I think Kevin is one of the most versatile players on the team. He's certainly one of the most valuable. He catches the ball like a receiver, runs routes like a receiver, and runs the ball like a running back. One thing he's really done a great job of over the years is learning how to block from that position. I think that's something often overlooked by running backs. He's really become someone who can do that very well on a consistent basis. And you just have a lot of trust in him. He's very similar to Troy [Brown] and Deion [Branch] in that he's just a football player. He knows why he's doing certain things every time. He knows the whole scheme of things. He knows the defenders. He knows how to set up guys on routes. He knows how to use his blockers to set up his run plays. He's like a quarterback playing running back.
Q: Is he close to having the best hands on the team?
TB: Oh yeah. The most natural catcher would be Kevin, David Givens, Troy [Brown]. But Kevin is as good as anybody I've ever seen.
Q: Did you see Brett Favre in "Something About Mary?"
TB: Yeah
Q: What did you think?
TB: As probably with all of us, he should probably stick to quarterbacking.
Q: Do you see yourself doing something like that someday?
TB: Hopefully not. I tried it once and it was awful. It's not something that's easy. But it's still pretty funny. There's that line in the movie when he says "Your Brett Favre." I always laugh. It was a funny movie. I'm glad he got in funny one. I don't think mine was as funny.
Q: Do you remember your line?
TB: Yeah I do. I don't care to repeat it. It's already on tape. Can't take that one back.
Q: What do you think of Tim Dwight so far?
TB: He's very explosive. He's has great down the field speed. He really is a threat out there because he's so fast. On the punt return the other night, he turned the corner and your like, 'Oh man, he can take it to the house.' And you ask Doug and he's like 'every time Tim touches the ball, you think he might score.' He really could be a weapon. He can be really someone who can have a significant impact on this offense. He reminds me a lot of David Pattern. He's extremely explosive. He's very strong in and out of his cuts, has great foot control and catches the ball very well.
Q: When you look at a guy like Kyle Eckel, the fact that he could be called to action at any time, do you have more respect for what he's gone through?
TB: Yeah, he seems like a really neat person to be around. He has a love for playing football but also a love for serving his country. It's very admirable and I think everybody really looks up to him for that.
Q: Because of his background, do you treat him a little different than you would with some of the other rookies?
TB: Nope [laughter]. He has his head shaved like everybody else. Still gets made fun of like everybody else. Not in here.
