Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addresses the media during his postgame press conference at Soldier Field on Sunday, December 12, 2010.
On throwing the ball in these weather conditions"Well, we've been playing in an environment in Foxboro for a long time that has inclement weather conditions. So, all of us who were out there today have certainly played in snow and wind and bad weather. Everyone executed pretty well at times today. It was a good win. That was a good football team with a good defense. Our defense turned it over for us a bunch, which was great. We really needed that. It was just great to come in here and get a win on the road against a very tough team on a short week."
On staying consistent with their play-calling all year
"We talked a lot about the weather conditions before the game - the kind of plays we're going to run, and the kind of plays we like based on the defense we're facing. Some were (plays) we've done quite a bit. Some were probably new ones out of the playbook. I wish we would have gotten the ball into the red area a little bit more. We kicked too many field goals, I thought, but, other than that, it was a pretty good day."
On playing in these conditions"They don't cancel football games very often. It's not like baseball… We don't play out there in San Diego all of the time. You're out in the cold weather. You're out in whatever the elements are. You've got to be mentally tough enough to play in them. Both teams are playing in them. Coach (Belichick) always stresses the opponent that we're playing is the Chicago Bears - not the weather, not the refs, not the crowd. It's the Bears. And, that is what we were focused on today… It's one of those days. It's one of those days that people would rather be cozied up near the fireplace, drinking hot chocolate, but we work on Sundays, and all of us are pretty committed to coming out here and trying to play well and try to execute well in some pretty tough conditions, and for the most part, we did that."
On this game compared to other games with tough weather conditions
"We've been pretty good in snow over the years for whatever reason. I think because we practice in it quite a bit. I mean, we don't go in our bubble very often. If it's windy, we practice out there. If it's snowing, we practice in the snow. If it's raining, we practice in the rain. Some conditions are a bit tougher than others. I thought it was great for us to get out to a lead today and to play from ahead. That was really important. I think we took advantage of some opportunities we got on offense. We also didn't take advantage of some of the opportunities that we had on offense. Our defense gave it to us on a short field. Some great punt returns. But, it was a fun day. We'll remember that one."
On whether he's surprised the offense has come together as well as it has
"Well, there's a long way to go. I don't think anything has been accomplished yet. We're working hard to make improvements. I don't think we have every problem solved. There are plenty of defenses that have kicked us around a little bit. We don't sit here and think we have it all figured out. We're still trying to make improvements."
On Branch and Welker both getting to 100 yards receiving"They're both dependable, tough, disciplined, smart, and incredibly skilled receivers. They made some huge plays today. Deion (Branch) made some incredible catches. Wes (Welker) made some great catches. I think they both complement each other very well. Brandon (Tate) made a hell of a catch there at the end. Gronk (Rob Gronkowski) made some great catches. Aaron (Hernandez) made some critical plays. That whole group of skill players came out in these elements and showed some great mental toughness."
