PATRIOTS SAFETY PATRICK CHUNG
PRESS CONFERENCE
December 19, 2018
Q: Can you talk about the Bills?
PC: They're good. I mean, regardless of their record, they're a good team. They play hard, for sure. They play hard and their offense has changed since the first time we saw them. [Josh] Allen adds a little problem to their offense. He can run the ball. He's fast. He's strong so it's like a running back back there. So we've got to do our best to kind of contain him a little bit.
Q: How much have you guys talked about the 14 penalties last week?
PC: We talked about it once and we've got to make sure that never happens again, so just got to move on. It is what it is. Can't have that many penalties but we're on to Buffalo. Hopefully, we don't get those penalties, those calls that we were getting last week.
Q: When you get an opportunity to tackle a guy as big as Josh Allen, is there something you have to do differently as opposed to when you're tackling a quarterback who doesn't have as much size?
PC: No, you've just got to man up. You've just got to tackle him. He's just like a running back or a tight end or someone who we're trying to tackle anyway. Regardless of how good the quarterback is running, you're still going to tackle him. So you don't go about anything differently. You just go out there and just play.
Q: Have you noticed he's been more willing to run than some other quarterbacks?
PC: Yeah. Yeah, I actually commend him on that. He's a tough dude. He's a tough dude and he's trying to make plays. He can throw the ball. He has a cannon. He's a two-way threat so we'll see what we can do with him.
PATRIOTS RUNNING BACK JAMES WHITE
PRESS CONFERENCE
December 19, 2018
Q: Can you get a sense during practice that you guys are fixing the things you need to fix or will you not know until kickoff on Sunday?
JW: You can go out there and do it in practice, have a good practice and everything but you've still got to go out there and execute in the game. We've had good practices each and every week, we've just got to go out there and execute better and I think this is what it takes these final two games. It's all about execution.
Q: Is there any explanation for the offensive pre-snap penalties you guys have had?
JW: I don't think it's just one thin. It's just staying locked in mentally, physically. It could be fatigue; I don't know. Just got to stay locked in for four quarters. Definitely can't have those penalties especially in the red zone. It's kind of hard to score when it's first-and-20. You don't really have a play for those situations.
Q: Is that harder in a road environment than home?
JW: It's tough either way. First-and-20 from the 20 yard line, it makes it tough. The defense can call whatever it wants. So we've just got to be better.
Q: There's lots of numbers out there with the team's record when you have the ball in your hands as opposed to not. Is it week-to-week and play-to-play as far as getting the ball and how much more would you like the ball?
JW: We have guys, lots of different role players – I just try and play my role each and every week. You can play 10 snaps, you can play 60 snaps. It just kind of depends how the defense is matching up against us and the flow of the game. All of us are trying to make the most of the opportunities that we get. Like I said, it could be me one week. It could be somebody else another week. I can't complain because one game I'm not touching the ball more than the previous game.
Q: Do you think you thrive on more work?
JW: I just try to make the most of the opportunities that I get whether it's more work, less work. You've just got to capitalize on what you get.
Q: You had 10 catches last time against the Bills. What allowed you to have that type of success?
JW: They play a lot of zone defense so naturally versus zone defense, a lot of check-downs can happen. So not just myself – Rex [Burkhead], Sony [Michel] have to be available there if we're open, catch the ball, get as many yards as possible and protect it. They're a defense that makes you drive the ball down the field so they're going to make you work for it.
Q: What do they do on defense that makes it so hard on offenses?
JW: They just don't like giving up big plays and they talk about it all the time and they're good at turning the ball over. I'm pretty sure they're the number one defense as far as yards per game, so they're going to make us work for it and definitely got to protect the football. It's going to be a tough four-quarter game.
Q: After the last couple of weeks, what's the mindset of the team as you move into these last two regular season games?
JW: I think everybody knows what kind of situation we're in. Not much needs to be said. Just got to go out there, practice hard, play hard, play for one another. Everything we want is still out there in front of us, just got to play hard these final two weeks and give it everything you have.
Q: Are you happy to have these last two games at home because of the road woes you've had?
JW: Not necessarily. It'd be nice to have the final two on the road and win two on the road. That'd be great. It'll be good to be back in front of the home crowd. I think it's just all about executing whether it's home or away. Just playing that Patriot football for four quarters which we haven't done yet.
Q: There are things that are out of your control now after those two losses. Do you talk about that, do you look ahead?
JW: No, you can't look ahead. Obviously, we still have to finish these final two games versus two division opponents that know us very well. It's going to be tough every time we play those guys. We've got to focus on these final two games and like I said, it's going to be tough. It's not going to be easy so we've got to be at our best and definitely better than what we've been.
