Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addresses the media during his postgame press conference at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, December 27, 2009.
Q: Good win for you guys. You were 23 for 26. Did you know you were dead on today?
TB: It was a good day. When we're completing a lot of passes, it's really a lot things; It's guys getting open and great protection and great play calling, so it makes it pretty easy on me when those guys are standing there wide open and it's my job to hit them. It was a really good day in the passing game. We had some really big runs. Laurence [Maroney], Freddie [Taylor], Sammy [Morris], Kevin [Faulk] - they all contributed. It's the time of year when we really need to start playing good football and I think today was one of our best 60 minutes that we played all year, probably other than the Tennessee game.
Q: You're 49 for 54 in your last two games against the Jaguars. What can you attribute that kind of accuracy and success to?
TB: Well, like I said, we played pretty good today. If we played like that today, I'd love to go against anybody, whether it's the Jaguars or any of these other teams. This happened to be the team we played against. Like I said, we just played good. We executed well. We had a great week of practice and I'm just proud of the way the guys came out and responded. You know, you sit there at the beginning of the week knowing that it's really a championship game for you and that they're fighting for their playoff life and it's going to come down to one team putting it together. We were the team that came out ahead today.
Q: Was this game plan by Bill O'Brien getting multiple positions involved one of the best ones?
TB: Yeah, everybody was involved. Randy [Moss] had three big touchdowns. You know, anytime he scores, that's big for our offense. He's such a great target. He made some good reads in there. A few of those plays were ad-libbed on those touchdowns. Bake [Chris Baker] had another one. He's made a couple of really good plays for us this year and we've just got to continue to find ways to spread the ball around to different guys. And Wes [Welker] was great as usual. He took some really big hits in there. The running game really complemented our passing game and I think that's what we're going to need going forward.
Q: With seven division titles in nine years, what does this AFC East title mean to you guys?
TB: I mean, it's big. Believe me, we're all... it's been a long journey for us. You start out in the beginning of January last year not making the playoffs, and then how are you going to prepare the team through the offseason program and the mini camps and training camp to have this opportunity to play for this, Where last year we were hoping for people to lose to have an opportunity to make the playoffs? There's no greater opportunity for us as athletes with two games remaining to kind of cinch up the division with a win. We put a lot into it over the course of these 12 months and it really pays off when it goes the way you hope it does. There were a lot of people putting a lot of hard work in over the course of this time, and a lot of guys coming in and working hard and learning the system, and our families putting up with a lot of stuff, so it's a great win for us.
Q: How important is confidence? With three wins in a row, how can that make a difference in the playoffs?
TB: There are a lot of teams that are good teams. And there are a lot of teams that are 7-7 or 8-6. Obviously the Colts are having a great year, but a lot of these teams are good teams. Jacksonville is a good team; you've got to play good against them. Tennessee was a good team. The Jets were a good team. Miami is a good [team]. I think we've played a lot of quality opponents, and I think now is the time of year where the depth of the team really comes into play and [we're] starting to understand what the stakes are and fighting for, obviously today, a playoff spot. And now next week will be for position in the playoffs. But we've played a lot of games. This was out 19th game today including the preseason. [We've had] over 110 practices. I mean, it's the time of year where this is the kind of team where it's nice to have guys healthy and coming back and seeing Freddie [Taylor] run the ball a little bit and Julian [Edelman] make some plays, Bake [Chris Baker] make some plays. So it's about everybody finding ways to contribute.
Q: Randy Moss seemed particularly animated today. Did you notice that?
TB: I think anytime he scores touchdowns he gets pretty animated. I'm looking for one of those [Randy Moss] masks on eBay. I don't know if I can pick one of those up.
Q: Did you notice the Randy Moss impersonator on the jumbotron?
TB: Yeah, it was hard to miss that.
Q: Did anybody say anything of note to him?
TB: I think everybody was just laughing and having a good time with it. You obviously see the kind of influence he has on the game when he's able to make those plays, and I think he was really excited all week. He had a great game last week for us [and] one of his best games this week. We're going to keep needing it. He's a huge part of this offense and to get him the ball in the end zone, he's such a big target. And like I said, on the first touchdown they had a guy in the middle and I was trying to get it to him early and the safety over ran it and I threw it to him behind the other guy. [On] the second one that I threw to him, he really wasn't supposed to break in, but he did and it was wide open. And the third one, he really made a great play kind of swimming the guy by to break to the flag, so not everybody in the league can do that. That's something pretty special. Those are some great instincts he has.
Q: One of your best plays was when you ducked and the guy missed you. Did you see that guy or did you just know he was there?
TB: I heard him breathing - a big huff. It's something we work on, you know, and that comes up, and I know where they're going. They're kind of coming from my back and I don't move much. I don't run much, so being able to be a little bit agile in there in the pocket certainly helps, but I think that's our fourth game in a row of no sacks. That's pretty impressive for our offensive line. Fifteen sacks all season. That's one a game. I mean, that's a remarkable job by those guys up front and Dante [Scarnecchia], the way he coaches those guys. And like I said, it's about guys getting open and me just finding ways to hit them. I hope we keep doing that.
Q: After the first fumble and how quickly you got the ball back and where you got it, did it almost feel like an extension of that same drive?
TB: Sure, sure. Yeah, we had a nice drive to start and just didn't get it in there. And then the defense made a nice stop on fourth down and then Sammy had a couple good runs to get us down there tight. It was nice for the defense really to complement us. We had a good drive, but we didn't get it in. They were backed up, they let them get out to the 35, and they made a huge stop. That's complementary football and we talk about that a lot. When the other team is down or you feel the momentum start to shift, someone's got to step up and make the play and our defense certainly did that.
