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Q:
TB: I landed on the ball on one of those plays so anytime that happens you got the rib pads on so it is fine, it is nothing.
Q: One of those plays when?
TB: It was in the third quarter.
Q: Bill said that when he told you the call obviously it wasn't the first thing you wanted to hear, but you said, 'Yeah I can do it.'
TB: Yeah he made the call and I kind of said, 'That's the one you want huh?' and Drew [Bledsoe] said, 'Just run the ball and get the first down and win the game.'
Q: Drew told you that?
TB: Yeah. So I said, 'All right let's do it.' So we called the play and ended up just getting enough for the first down.
Q: Can you talk about the adjustments you made at halftime?
TB: We just weren't on the field very much and when there were chances to keep those drives alive with some third down plays we didn't execute. I know I missed the ball, I kind of stubbed my toe in the turf. The first drive is never the way you want to start a game especially on the road, but it goes to show you that it is a 60 minute game and it's who is ahead after four quarters not ahead after two quarters and we learned that lessons a few times when you are winning those games. So it was good to win that one.
Q: You made Fred Coleman famous, who the heck is Fred Coleman and where did he come from, a big play by him?
TB: Yeah Freddie made a huge play for us. He was running the slant there on the backside and he has got good speed and he has got great confidence…He made a great play, a great run and it set up our first score.
Q: Can you talk about the confidence of the team now coming here and winning on the road?
TB: With each week there is more confidence and with every win, you are talking to a team who was 5-11 last year and now we are 7-5 and we still have all of our goals ahead of us and this was a huge win for us. Now we are going back home to play the Browns and there is no doubt that this is going to be a springboard for hopefully the rest of the season.
Q: How much of a boost did [Mike] Vrabel's interception give you?
TB: That was another big play. Mike is so athletic, anytime that ball is up in the air, it is funny when we are out there going out to warm up before the game Mike is out there lining up at tight end for me and running corner routes and he looks good out there running those plays. He is pretty impressive. He has got great athletic skills with the ball in the air. He went out and made a great play for us.
Q: After the field goal, the ball that [David] Patten caught was that tipped?
TB: Yeah, yeah.
Q: At the line?
TB: It was tipped, I don't know, I was trying to look someone off and I came back trying to hit Troy late. One thing we knew was this defensive line has a lot have batted balls. They try to just wedge you back there with those two inside guys and they are reading the quarterback and right when you are getting ready to throw they are jumping up. They try to get those ends up field so we knew, you just have to try to find alleys with this team. They get their hands on their fair share.
Q: Your third down run at the very end the defensive end I gather came up deeper and quicker than you had thought so you had to go inside maybe a little sooner than you wanted?
TB: Yeah we were just trying to knock that guy down and then give me a read and hopefully someone is coming around to...I think another guard is pulling just kind of leading the brigade out there. I only knew we needed a yard and a half so I just wanted to dunk it up there and you see the opening and you just try to get a yard and a half and we got about a yard and three quarters.
Q: You started the second half three and out and then a twenty yard punt sitting over on the sideline you couldn't have been feeling very good?
TB: Charlie [Weis] gave us a halftime pep talk. He said, 'Guys they out-toughed us in that first quarter and we have to come out and show them we are ready to play.' We went out there and didn't exactly do it, but like I said, once you get into the flow of the second half we started it gain a little bit of confidence. That is what it is all about and to capitalize on their mistakes. We
didn't have a whole lot of mistakes, I don't think we turned it over, not many penalties I don't think so it was a good disciplined game by the offense and the defense really stepped it up in the second half when we needed it.
Q: How big was the play to Antowain [Smith]? You talk about Coleman's play, but Antowain's was just as big.
TB: Yeah. He was just the last read on the play and he kind of trickled in there and we knew that's where the holes on the defense were. We hit it to Antowain and he broke a tackle and made a huge play for that one.
Q: What does winning an important game like this in this fashion mean to you as a quarterback?
TB: It is about how it helps the team. That is what we have always said and that's what we talk about. It is where it puts us in the playoff race. We are 7-5 starting from not very good in the beginning. Starting at 1-3 and really fighting our way out of a hole. We have just got to keep it rolling, keep playing hard, keep playing with confidence, keep playing with toughness and executing and discipline and that is all that Coach Belichick preaches to us.
Q: Those little alleyways, did you sense little things that were open in the second half that weren't there in the first?
TB: Yeah, when their coach came up he brought in a style of defense for them to play and they also have the defensive coordinator from Buffalo Ted Cottrell and as Coach Belichick pointed out it, it has become more evident who's more of the flavor the defense is and Buffalo last year they liked to play cover three well we had a lot of cover two beaters in against this team. In the first half we realized hey it is not a cover two game it is a cover three game and now you start calling plays that are going to beat that coverage.
Q: This is not an offense that you would think would come back with a lot of short passes yet when you go shotgun you have to make a few changes on the offensive line, not a conventional comeback type of offense but it works?
TB: Right it does work, it does work. We made a lot of plays in the second half with our short passing game, emptied the backfield and made some plays that way. I think we tried early in the game to take some five step drops and they were getting to us because they have such good pass rushers and we just kind of made those adjustments at halftime.
Q: Is it strange though when you are trying to do that that you have to change positions on shotgun, it is unusual?
TB: It is unusual and not only do we change, are you talking about the center?
Q: Right.
TB: Yeah, not only that, but we are also changing a lot of the guys positions in the empty backfield so it puts a lot of heat on the defense to be able to adjust out there.
Q: Was there anytime in the third or fourth quarter where you had to remind guys to get in the right spots?
TB: There were a couple of times when we brought guys on late and we were just trying to get everyone lined up and a few times I think that clock was running pretty low.
Q: Bring us back to your injury for a moment, you actually landed on the football as you were getting tackled, did you get the wind knocked out of you what happened?
TB: When I got tackled, you try to hold on the ball here and you just land on it. It is not a big deal really. You guys are making a big deal; it is not a big deal.
Q: Are they bruised?
TB: No it is fine.
Q: When Drew told you to run it did he tell you to stay away from Mo Lewis?
TB: No he knew Mo was on the other side. He said, 'Just call the play and get the first down.'
Q: You talked about Freddie's speed earlier, what is your speed like, describe your speed?
TB: Describe my speed, not very fast how's that?
Q: The short underneath stuff, that was going to be more effective with the Cottrell type of defense when he was playing the three because you guys were taking your shots early, was that essentially what you felt would break that scheme?
TB: Yeah, you know you have a whole list of play calls and as you are going through the game some plays where the first read start out with a play that is going to beat a certain coverage. So you are calling plays that are going to beat that coverage hoping that you can throw to your first read, if they take that away then you go to your second read. You don't want call a play that you no before the snap of the ball that the defense is already going to take it away.
Q: What was said at halftime in the locker room?
TB: Charlie was pretty fired up. Charlie has been here and he knows what this team is all about. They really out-toughed us in that first half. They had control of the line of scrimmage. They were getting some good pressure and flushing us in the passing game that is their style of defense. They force a lot of turnovers. I think it came down to turnovers because we had a couple that were big for us. The one there at the end of the game by Terrell Buckley, made another big play and obviously
Q: Where guys settled down after the halftime? Was there something that happened in the locker room that made you come out different or was it just the same?
TB: It was just knowing what we needed to do to win. I think that was what it was. I mean Charlie points it out, he makes it real clear to us what we need to do. He doesn't hold back much so I think everybody needed to hear that.
Q: Terry Glenn is home right now watching this do you have a message for Terry?
TB: I talk to Terry all the time and Terry is part of the team.
Q: Is he still part of the team?
TB: Oh of course, of course. No one knows what the situation that goes on with Terry and we are just hoping that when he is ready to play, whatever that may be that we could always use his help, believe me we could always use his help.
Q: Can you talk about what this win means to this team? You are now 7-5 right behind this team and in the playoff hunt?
TB: Yeah I mean it is huge. The season basically swung on that play that Terrell Buckley made that interception on. If they make that who knows what happens. That was one of those plays that the defense stepped up and now we are right where we want to be.
Q: In the media guide you have a half page dedicated to you and it lists a lot of your high school and college stats, it looks like you are going to have some more space next year?
TB: I am not worried about next year to tell you the truth. Maybe that might be the case, but we will worry about that when that comes.
Q: Is it nice to be this far along in the season and to have done so well and to have been so consistent?
TB: We are playing good ball and that is what it is all about. Antowain had a good touchdown today. Everyone is starting to pick it up and that is Patriots football that is what we are trying to accomplish.
Q: When you are playing a team that has forced a lot of turnovers how much attention do you focus on not turning the ball over?
TB: You are always cognizant but especially more so when you know that they have got good pass rushers who knock the ball out of your hands. There were a few times when they got that today and fortunately the refs made the right call
