Q:That's a good look.
TB:Thanks. I stole this from [Brandon] LaFell.
Q:You're supposed to cut the sleeves [at the elbow] though.
TB:I know. When you've got guns like this, you've got to show these things off. I've been working hard on these things.
Q:What are your thoughts on the Green Bay defense?
TB:They're really good. It's a real good defense, especially at home. They do a great job with turnovers, and they lead the league in turnover margin or turnover differential – whatever that is – at plus-15 so that's a big point of emphasis. They've got guys at every position. It's a real complementary team. They're one of the best teams in the league, so it'll be a lot of fun. It's fun getting a chance to go up to Lambeau again, so I know all the guys will be pretty pumped up.
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Q: **What is it like to play at Lambeau Field?
TB:I've been there – how many times have I been there – once in the regular season and I think in the preseason a few times, but it's pretty sweet. Coach [Belichick] was talking a little bit about the history of the Packers. There is like 100,000 people in the entire town and 80,000 seats in the stadium. They've made quite a few additions over the years to the stadium. It's a great organization. They've got a very storied history. It should be a fun weekend. It gives us a big test to go up there and try to play a team that's been so dominant at home. We're going to need to try to match their intensity and match their level of execution, but they do a lot of things really well.
Q:Does the early blitz that they seem to put on every team with their offense put pressure on you to execute offensively early in the game?
TB:Absolutely. This is not the team you want to get behind by. You get behind 14-0, and then it's 21-0, then it's 28-0, and before you know it, they've just got the game so well under control that you have no chance. You've got to be able to stay close to them. There is nothing other than solid execution that you could point to, and we've got to figure out the best ways to attack them. They present a lot of challenges. They can rush the passer. They're good in coverage. They've got a real good secondary [with] great cover players. It's a terrific team, great defense. We're going to need to be sharp.
Q:You mentioned Bill Belichick talked about the Packers and their history. How does that come up and can you expound on what he said?
TB:He's got such a great memory. I think he is always trying to educate us on different things. He's done that for a while. He just kind of gives some young players who are maybe new to the league [insight]. Coach is really a historian, too. He's been involved in NFL football for a long time. I think he really relishes these opportunities, whether it's the Raiders or the Bears or something like this against the Packers, a team that's been around for a long time with so many great teams and players and games over the years. He just gives some players some insight into what this team is all about.
Q:Bill Belichick was asked about similarities between you and Aaron Rodgers, and he said you both wear No. 12.
TB:That's true. That's probably as close as we'll get right there. He's just phenomenal. He's just a great player. I always love watching him play because he does things that a lot of guys in the league can't do, well that nobody can really do except him. For a quarterback, I really know how hard it is to do that, especially on a consistent basis, and he's been as consistent as anybody who has ever played the position, so I've got a lot of respect for him.
Q:When the Packers were struggling earlier in the year, Aaron Rodgers told everyone to relax. You had a similar experience when your team was struggling early on. Is that a byproduct of experience and confidence to be able to stand there and put the past behind you?
TB:Yeah, I think you just have to have confidence in what you're doing. What we went through, we went through, and hopefully we've moved past that and we're at a different point now. Like I said, you never want to ride the ups and downs of the season. There are going to be ups, and there are going to be downs, and there are going to be long nights, there are going to be sleepless nights, and you've just got to stay true to what you're doing and believe in the guys you play with, rely on your preparation to give you confidence going into the game, and then you've got to go out there and you've got to do it. That's what we get paid for – to go out there and run around and make a bunch of good plays and ones that are going to help your team win. Anybody could run around and help your team lose. That's not why they pay us.
Q:You and Aaron Rodgers are the top two quarterbacks all-time in touchdown-interception ratio. Are those the two most important elements?
TB:It depends. I don't think there are any certainties you can look at [with] statistics. I do think not throwing interceptions and not turning the ball over is hugely important to the success of the team. How many touchdowns you throw, I think that's [overrated]. If you've got 50 touchdown passes, obviously you're scoring a lot of points, which is a great thing and that's obviously going to help your team win. And if you had 60 touchdowns or 70 touchdowns or 80 touchdowns, and 40 were rushing and 40 were passing, it would be the same if you had 80 [passing touchdowns]. They all count the same. To score points, you need a lot of consistent effort over the course of the game. If you're throwing it or running it in, it's not a big difference in terms of the score at all, obviously. But turnovers limit your scoring. That's the problem with turnovers. You can't score if you're turning it over. It's like a punt. If you go out and you punt 12 times, you're not scoring points. That's not good. So, when you turn the ball over and throw interceptions, you're giving the other team more opportunities and your team less opportunities. Not that they're going to take advantage of it every single time, but the odds are they're going to take advantage of it more than they're not, especially a team like this, where you turn it over, they have the highest percentage of scores after you turn the ball over than any team in the league. That's a big reason why they're getting ahead at home because they get ahead of you, you start to press, you turn it over, they convert into more touchdowns, and it just piles on. You've got to keep the game close and keep it competitive, and I think Aaron has done a great job in his career of not turning the ball over. He's got all the ability in the world.
Q:He's got 30 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.
TB:Yeah, it's phenomenal. It's hard to match that.
Q:Have we scratched the surface of what we might see from Tim Wright down the road?
TB:Yeah, he's doing a great job for us, and the more that we really give to him the more he understands and takes on. We got him pretty late here in the camp. He didn't have any of the OTAs. He's just done a great job of coming in and understanding what he's been asked to do and try to do a good job with it and go from a totally different system to what we do. I think each week his role has grown. He's been a big factor for us, and hopefully it continues.
Q:Aaron Rodgers said earlier in the season that he loves talking football with you. What are those conversations like? What is your relationship with him like?
TB:I've known Aaron for a long time. We always enjoy seeing each other, and that's what both of us love to do is talk football. I'm always trying to learn from him.
Q:What are those conversations like? What do you guys talk about?
TB:Football. There's a lot to talk about. I don't know if there are so many specifics other than I'm probably trying to get into his brain a little bit and he's trying to get into mine. I think there are a lot of things that they do offensively that are really good. Everyone does things differently on offense. Everyone's goal is to score points. You look at another team's style and how they do it and you just want to understand how they're doing it and see if you can learn something and maybe implement it into what your team does. They're pretty spectacular at what they do. They've got a great team, great offense. He is obviously one of the best players to ever play the position, so there is a lot to learn from.
