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Q: A little bit of a rough start with the fumble and then the three-and-out, but did anything change after that?
BH: No, I think, obviously, you mentioned the fumble – you just have to take care of the ball. We just went out there and started to execute better; that's all it was. And then really after that, I thought things went pretty well.
Q: How impressed were you with Stevan Ridley?
BH: He ran the ball really hard. That's something we've seen in practice, so we knew the least you were going to get out of him was that he was going to run it hard. He made some plays and he had a nice catch, so I thought he did really well.
Q: How important was the timing tonight? It seemed like after that second series, you guys really had it down.
BH: Yeah, we'd get in there and talk about having a good tempo. After those first two series – obviously, the first play and then having a three-and-out – we just wanted to get out there and pick up the pace and I think that kind of gets you in the rhythm a little bit and we started to move the ball a little bit better.
Q: How far has Taylor Price come from last year? He had that great catch in the back of the end zone tonight.
BH: It's funny because we had that play in practice the other day and it was almost the same catch. I told him, 'Just like practice.' But he has come a long way. When it comes to game time, he really turns it on. He caught that one slant, he caught the ball by Ryan [Mallett] and turned up field and had a good gain. He comes to play when he gets the opportunity.
Q: Considering the amount of time you've had in camp so far, can you talk about the play of the offensive line in front of you? The line doesn't usually come together that fast.
BH: Yeah, I thought they did a great job. Whether it was the running plays or the passing plays, I felt like I had a decent amount of time to get back there and throw. You kind of mixed and matched and there were different guys going in there. I think Rich Ohrnberger was at center and he did a good job of leading those guys and making sure they were all on the same page. And like I said, we'd get in the huddle and just say, 'Let's keep this pace up. Let's get in and out of the huddle and try to wear these guys down.'
Q: What was your impression of Ryan Mallett?
BH: He played great. It's obvious that he's got a great arm and he had good poise out there and led those guys. I thought he did a good job.
Q: Are you happy with where you are at this stage of the preseason?
BH: I mean, I think obviously I'm going to see things tomorrow in the film that I wish I would have done better. But for the first game, to come out and move the ball, throw it around a little bit, lead the offense – I thought it was good, but there's a long way to go. I wish I would have thrown the ball better to Taylor [Price] on the touchdown pass. I've got to put it in front of him, and that's something that just comes with repetition, so I think we've got a long way to go. It's a good building block though.
Q: What about the two-minute drill? Was that the most significant drive in your mind?
BH: I thought it was good just to get out there and actually get to do it. I really haven't had a chance with the limited amount of time. We've only run the two-minute drill once or twice in practice, so to get out there and run it in game mode was good, and get the signals out to the guys and try to communicate and everything like that and move the ball and set up a field goal for Steve [Gostkowski] was [good]. You always want to get points on the board in that situation.
Q: Did you know you were going to play as much as you did?
BH: I didn't. Up until today, I really didn't know, but I just came in ready to play a full 60 minutes and go from there. And then I play until they tell me I'm done.
Q: Can you talk about Stevan Ridley?
BH: I was saying before that the one thing you've seen from him all throughout training camp is that he runs the ball hard and I think he went out there and did that tonight. Obviously, he's a rookie, so there are a lot of things that he has to improve on, but for his first time out there, he was competitive and aggressive and ran the ball hard.
Q: Did you feel comfortable with the tempo of the offense?
BH: That's what I was saying before. You go out there for the first play, complete the pass and then turn it over – that's something, obviously, you don't want to do. But from then on you have to bounce back, you know, and I missed the throw to Julian [Edelman]; I threw a little high. But then after that series, like you said, the tempo, the pace, we picked it up. We got into the huddle and just said, 'Let's get in and out. Let's have a good tempo out there and just really attack those guys.'
Q: Is this as comfortable as you've felt in this offense? Is it getting easier?
BH: I think the more experience you get, the more you can focus on the defense as opposed to trying to think about what the play is, so you can react more. And I think that's what comes with more experience. But like I've always said, there's nothing that compares to real game experience and to get out there for the first game and have some success feels good. And like I said, there's a long way to go, but it's a good building block.
Q: Can you talk about Nate Solder?
BH: I thought the whole line in general [played well]. There weren't too many times when I felt rushed or got hit after a throw, so usually when that happens it means those guys are doing pretty well. And I don't really remember anything coming from the left side, so like said, when you're not feeling a lot of pressure, you're assuming that the O Line is doing a good job.
