TE CHRISTIAN FAURIA

(on what playing in the Super Bowl means to the fans in New England)
"I really feel bad for them (with the weather they have to put up with now). But they should come out here and hang out with us a little bit. I'm wearing tee-shirts and flip-flops. Just being away for a week is a nice little taste of what's out there. But I definitely want to go back home, snow or not. I've been saying it all week. I think we have the most passionate fans in the league and win or lose they're there. They love you when you're doing great. They love you when you're doing bad. They use a different tone of voice when they love you when you're doing bad. I think from where I've been they're the best fans I've ever seen."

(on the fans in New England counting on the Patriots to pick up their spirits)
"The Carolina Panthers are lifting their city up. But I don't think New England needs us to pick them up. They're always riding high, no matter what the weather is. I think we're just adding a little flavor to it. It's definitely one of the better sports towns I've ever been in in my life, especially growing up in LA and never knowing anything about New England. But I don't want that type of pressure (to lift the fans of New England). I'm just trying to keep my wife happy, let alone a city. Let's take it one thing at a time. But I do think we can promote a spark and from thaton you can get some fire."

(on the Panthers being know as a physical defense)
" We're going to try to be physical, too. It's not like we're pushovers. We think of ourselves as a physical offense. They're definitely going to make some plays. But we have to keep them to a minimum and try to play mistake-free football. I'm not saying that they're the best defense that we've faced, but they're right up there with the top three."

(on Tom Brady being one of the guys)
"He shouldn't be treated any other way. He's a big part of why we're here. But he's not the main reason and he'll be the first one to tell you that. That's no secret. But he definitely has great character. I saw something on NFL Films one time about Joe Montana, and they showed him in training camp sitting down with all the guys, different guys – black guys, white guys, O-linemen, D-lineman, DBs, whatever. It didn't matter. He could integrate himself into any situation and just fit right in. And I think that with a team that has so many diverse personalities, people coming from so many different places in the United States, you need a guy like that to just be one of the guys."

(on giving him a lot of grief)
"It's not like he's not going to get anything from us. He's one of the guys, but a lot of things he does to himself. Being at the State of the Union (address), that was easy material. It's like playing baseball and everyone else is getting a fast pitch, but when you can't hit it with him, he gives you a softball pitch to knock out of the park."

(what about his purse)
"Oh, gosh. It seems every male must have one of those. But if I can't fit it in my pocket I'm not carrying it around."

(on how a spread offense may help to protect Brady)
"They're all quick reads. And if something happens that he can't handle, he's just going to get rid of it. I think that with any offense when you line up in a regular set and some guy comes free that you can't see – when you spread them out you know where everyone's coming from. I think it's easier to make your reads because everything is spread out. It's not all tight. He's in that a lot. And if he can get away he expects our receivers to catch the ball and run with it."