Q: It's not often that a player on the other side is going to be older than you, but that's the case with Adam Vinatieri this week. What do you remember about the kick he made in the Snow Bowl game against Oakland and do you put that as his greatest kick?
TB: Yeah, I mean, he's made a lot of them and I think he broke the record the other day which is pretty incredible. I was lucky enough to be here when he was here early in his career and I thought so much of him. He was just so clutch. He always kind of made the kick and that's what the mark of a great kicker is and certainly that one. Thinking back a long time ago but it was just – when you see it now, it's pretty remarkable that he made it and what that meant for this organization. I was just – what a lucky person to be able to be involved in that Snow Bowl and to watch that kick go through.
Q: You've been through these Thursday night games before. Does this throw a wrench into everything because it's such a quick turnaround and maybe you're not able to get done everything you want to get done?
TB: I think by the end of the week or by the end of the preparation for it, we've got everything in. To me, it's a frame of mind and you do the best you can to get ready. They've got the same amount of time, and that's really where the competition is. It just doesn't start Thursday night. It's really already started. It started after this last game, and it's basically like a Thursday afternoon of a game week. We've got still a lot to do – kind of balance the physical preparation and mental preparation and emotional preparation. All those things go into it. You ultimately want to go out and play well Thursday night, and the team that prepares the best and gives themselves the best opportunity to go executes the best.
Q: Not only is it a short week, but it's your first week with Julian Edelman back. Does that present any challenges too?
TB: Well, I think we've played so much football together. I really have no doubt where he's going to be at, what he's capable of. He's been a great player for our team. I think everyone's excited to have him back, and anytime you add great players, it's going to help what we're doing. We all welcome him back and he's excited, ready to go and hopefully he can go out and play great. Hopefully we can all go play great. We're going to need it. This team has been close in all three of their losses. They were ahead in the fourth quarter of each of those, so they're a dangerous team. They've got a good quarterback, good offense and young defense that does some things that presents some challenges. We're trying to get on top of those things, really understand where our opponent's at and let's go play well, try to win a game.
Q: When you think historically about the matchups against the Colts, what do you think about?
TB: Well there were a lot of big games, lot of big games, especially early in my career. Those Tony Dungy-coached teams that were just so well – Peyton [Manning] obviously and what he meant to that organization and the kind of admiration I had for him. It's transitioned a little bit. They've got another great quarterback in there who's done a great job since he got drafted, so pretty lucky to have those two guys leading the charge. They always seem to be in it and they'll fight hard and we expect to fight hard. We've just got to get the best from this game. That's what I'm really looking forward to. Hope we can go out and play really well.
Q: When you think about getting Julian Edelman back, do you have a vision of what this offense can become?
TB: Yeah, it's really a process. I said a little bit this morning – we've got to go do it. We did better, obviously, yesterday. I still think there were things that we left out there. I really want to be playing our best out there, and when it's less than that, I think it's frustrating for me. I've seen our best, I know what we're capable of and I think part of it is just keeping the urgency up and realizing that it's just October. We're so far from where we need to be as a team. I think you've got to stress that urgency in practice and then you've got to learn from the games, see where you're at competitively. You're going against a lot of teams that have different matchups and so forth, and we're seeing what we're made of each of these weeks. So, this is another great opportunity for us to match ourselves up against a really good team.
Q: What's it like having Julian Edelman back in the building?
TB: It's good, it's good. You know, he hasn't changed a bit. Four weeks off, he looks good.
Q: This might be the first game since 2016 when you had Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and James White in the lineup at the same time. Can you talk about what this offense is capable of?
TB: Like I said, having really good, dependable players out there is what matters. And, I think with those guys, I've played with them a lot so that helps because there's experience and we can rely on certain things that we've done in the past. I mean, we even talked about this last week, but you know, can make decisions in the heat of the moment that end up being the right decisions because they've happened in the past. Those guys are all great players and we need them to be great players, and you incorporate some other guys who are learning and trying to get up to speed and we're trying to incorporate those guys and what they do well. We're still working at it and I think, again, it's really a day-by-day approach and I don't think you can skip these steps. Certainly, we're not peaking at this point. We've got a lot of improvement. We played a little bit better yesterday. The previous two weeks weren't what we were capable of, first week wasn't what we were capable of, and I think we're all looking forward to seeing us play our best football.
Q: Is there any added comfort zone to having Julian Edelman back on the field?
TB: Yeah, I mean when he's out there, I obviously just – I know his body language, I know his ability to get open, my confidence in him. All those things come up. So, when you get matchups and he's open, he gets it. He gets open so quick. I think that's the thing about Julian – his explosiveness in the routes, in and out of breaks. It's very comforting for a quarterback to see a guy get open really early in a route. Julian – we ask a lot of him. He plays a lot of different spots. I think he's capable of moving in and out of different locations and it's kind of specialty-type plays. There's a lot that he does well, and hopefully it's a smooth transition. Got to prepare this week – it's going to be a big week of prep and then we'll go out there and play Thursday night and see where we're at.
Q: You've had a lot of success in your career with quarterback sneaks. What do you pinpoint as the reason for that, and do you ever worry about putting your body in a compromising position on those plays?
TB: I would have retired a long time ago if I worried about my body in compromising positions. I think it's just part of the sport. I think it's good blocking is what I think it is. I think it's good blocking, good coaches scheming things up and finding ways for me to kind of squirt through there and wiggle my body when we need it. If they take it away, it gives us other opportunities. So, I think that's part of it. Offensive football is making them defend every blade of grass, and if they're covering you deep, you throw it short. If they're letting you sneak it, you sneak it. If they're not, you run it outside. If they're guarding outside, you run it inside. You just keep mixing it up and it's about execution, so whether it's a sneak, whether it's run-play or post-pattern, it's good execution. That's what matters.
Q: You said football is always a frustrating sport because there's always something you can do better. Is it less frustrating this week after coming in with a win?
TB: I mean, obviously, the night after the game feels a lot better when you win. I think you just put a lot into it and I think all of us as competitors want – when you go out and compete, you want to win. If you don't, it takes a toll on you, but it's a lot of mental toughness to kind of get back to build some confidence in each other, to go out there and try to win. This particular week, it's a clean slate now. So, we've got to get back to work on the same process and same urgency as last week in order to achieve the same result this week. It starts clean and you've got to put the work in, you've got to do the preparation. And like I said, we have a few couple less days to squeeze the same amount of information in. So, it's really a week to kind of put everything else aside, just focus on what our job is for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, go out there and play Thursday. And, if you win, I think it's a big benefit beyond that because you get quite a bit of time off as you move forward to the next week. But, you've got to go take care of business.
Q: Is it making too much of Josh Gordon's locker being next to yours to say that it gives you a good opportunity to get to know him and connect?
TB: I think we have a great – we're off to a great start. So, just meeting him not too long ago, he's just been great to be around and great to welcome him. I think he's excited to be here, so we'll all embrace that as well.
Q: How did your nutritional and training plan translate into you becoming a more explosive athlete? As a six-foot-four quarterback, can you dunk?
TB: Yeah. I haven't tried in a while, but I think I can. Maybe I'll put that on my Instagram one day. Try to see if I could do that.
Q: What's the experience been like for you and your family with your wife Gisele Bündchen's book coming out?
TB: I think it's great. I think it's great. She's obviously my wife, so I think very highly of her, and everything she does I want to support. I think everyone has a journey they go through, we all do – I'm sure you guys do too – and it's to document that. Hopefully people can be inspired by reading certain things that you may not think or you may not know about someone that maybe you project you may know, but you really don't, and you realize that everyone goes through difficult things and obstacles that really shape who they are. I certainly have, she has and I'm very proud of her for writing those things down and sharing them with the world. Go buy it. All the money is going to charity, to her Clean Water Project, which is an exceptional project in the south of Brazil. So, hopefully this gets me a kiss tonight.
