Q:What did you learn about this Patriots team the first time around that maybe you did not know and are now using going into this game?
A:We have played each other enough that I think we kind of know each other pretty well. We let them run the football entirely too successfully in the second half of that ball game. That is something we know we have to handle going into this next game. If we do not handle that, then all of the rest of it is a moot point. We have to be able to keep them out of the end zone.
Q:How difficult of a challenge does it make it to stop the run when they can spread it out or go big and run it? Does that make it a difficult challenge for a defense?
A:Sure it does. Anytime you can take the same personnel, go empty and be successful, then you tighten it down and run it and then spread it out and run it. They do it a lot of different ways. What makes them such a good offense is they have so many ways to attack you with similar personnel groupings.
Q:Other than the obvious physical characteristics, what makes RB C.J. Spiller such a threat out of the backfield?
A:He has learned to have patience. I do not know what you can say other than physical attributes because he has learned how to run the football and he is a powerful guy for his size. He is not the biggest guy, but he runs through more tackles than you probably think he should. He is just explosive with that speed. He has learned how to run the football, he knows how to be a good pass receiver if he needs to be and he has gotten a lot better at playing the game. There are a lot of guys with talent out there, but he has worked at it. Give him credit for that.
Q:From watching the film, what has allowed the Patriots to be so successful when it comes to defending the run?
A:They are very physical up front. They play hard and they are very, very physical up front. They are hard to run (against) in between the tackles the way those inside guys play and the way those linebackers play. It makes it hard. You get those defensive ends coming off the edge with good pass rush and playing the run as well as they have. They make it hard overall to run the football.
Q:How do you overcome Buffalo's track record of playing in New England if that is a question in your player's minds in terms of coming in to Foxborough, being competitive and hopefully beating the Patriots?
A:I do not think that is something that is thought about by the players and the coaches as much as it is by the outside people. That is what you all do is gather statistics and put them out there. The majority of this team has been here for less than three years so they do not know. They just know that they have a big job in front of them as far as going in there and winning a tough game on the road. We have been able to win on the road a couple of times this year, so that is not something that is new to us—being able to go and try to win on the road. We played pretty good for the first quarter last year, so if you can turn that into three quarters you give yourself a chance.
Q:Have you seen an improvement in the Patriots' secondary since the last time you played them?
A:The issue with their secondary is they have had so many people beat up. They have struggled to have continuity. You have (Devin) McCourty playing corner, you have him playing safety and you have different people in there playing in different spots from time to time. The thing that they have been able to do is win and gain a ton of experience with a lot of different people. It is going to improve their secondary overall as time goes on. The moving of people around has created a problem for them as far as making sure everybody is on the same page as far as covering every pass the way I know they would like to and the way they have done it in the past.
Q:Does that make it tougher for you to game plan when they have moving parts like that?
A:Yeah, it does. You do not know who you are going to get where. You do not know how to read one guy. If you can watch four or five games on a guy, you can sometimes get a read on him. When you do not have that it is very difficult to do.
Q:How much change have you seen from the Patriots compared to when you played them in Week Four and what are you noticing as the differences?
A:It looks like their offense has hit their rhythm and they are all in sync now. It looks like they are running the ball better. It probably started with our game. They're probably running the ball better now than they did coming into our ball game. I think they are just as good defensively and I think their offense has kind of hit a stride and that has allowed the whole team to play better.
