BRETT FAVRE, QUARTERBACK
On the Patriots defense...They have a good defense. Their front seven guys are as good as anyone in football in their scheme. They played extremely well. It didn't run as smoothly, obviously, as we would have liked. I give the Patriots a lot of credit, not only today. We played them in Green Bay a couple of years ago, (it was the) same sort of deal except I think we lost thirty-something to three, or seven or whatever. They're as fundamentally sound as any team you're going to play. Talent-wise, they're solid. We knew we had to play our best football to win and we didn't do that. We had a lot of opportunities, but once again we didn't make the most of those. I give them credit because they were able to overcome adversity and just hang in there. I think we, as a team, should see that there's a lot of room for improvement. But, we're not far off. When we will turn that corner, I have no idea. We battled back and did some good things, but ultimately we didn't score enough points. We had the opportunities. We just have to find a way to clean up some of the mistakes we made and each person, starting with me, has to find a way to make one or two more plays that are there. It's not like we have to find those plays. Those plays were there for us tonight.
On the interception...I just under-threw him. I saw the guy. Maybe I got a little greedy, I could have dumped it in the flat. I think if I had made the throw I wanted to, there's no guarantee it would have been caught, but it would have been a much better opportunity. I just under-threw him. I saw the guy and misjudged him. I just made a bad throw. I'd like to tell you something different, but it was a bad throw.
On whether the team missed an opportunity to make a statement...It's a setback. We lost period-regardless of who's in or out. I can only assume what Bill (Belichick) was telling those guys this week, but he used Tom's (Brady) injury probably as a positive for the rest of those guys, rally the troops, so-to-speak. I think Eric (Mangini) said it well this week, Tom, as great as he is, doesn't cover on kicks, doesn't rush the passer and doesn't catch the deep routes. He does a lot of other stuff very well, don't get me wrong. But, we still have to play all those phases and play them well. You're not going to beat them if you don't, I don't care who. It obviously becomes a lot tougher if Tom's in there. I can't say that I'm not surprised it was that type of game today. Matt's (Cassel) first start, I thought he played well. You wouldn't assume it would be as explosive, maybe not the first game. That's just an assumption. It's a setback because I feel like this team is capable of winning every game. I think that's the mindset we have to have. I'm sure that's the mindset the other locker room has. What do you do in a situation like this? Hopefully we rally together and find a way to overcome it. It's one game, there are 14 left. Who knows what's going to happen? Nothing good will happen if we don't do it together.
On the experience of this home opener, with the expectations being high...The expectations that I've always put upon myself are the same. I expect to win. I expect to play at a high level. This obviously was different for several reasons. When we tee'd it up, kicked it off the first time, it was back to football. I really felt we had a chance to win this game. I know you win some, you lose some. There were some great things in this game. The home opener, we'll have seven more. Hopefully, a couple more after that. It's not the start we wanted, that I wanted. I think there's a lot of room for improvement. This team can be pretty good.
On if this loss feels any different for him...It hurts the same. I'd like to have come back and won every game. You don't like to dwell on the losses. That's why I came back. It was fun out there today. No doubt it would have been a lot more fun had we won. But, that's the way it goes. Once again, I enjoy these guys, I really do. It makes it easier. I enjoy working with them and enjoy competing with them. It's disappointing. I know what I have to do and hopefully the rest of our team knows - that is to get better. It can be as long as or short as we want to make it. It's two games, we're one and one, long ways to go. The more you lose, the longer it gets. I'm not here to lose.
ALAN FANECA, GUARD
On today's loss...It's tough. They came out and played well. We left plays on the field. You are not going to win a game like that against a team like that by doing that.
On the disappointment of a loss...It's disappointing any time you don't come away with a win. We could have played better. We could have done things better, especially on offense. We were hurting ourselves too much out there. We put a couple of drives together that looked good. We didn't come away with a touchdown early. That definitely would have helped. It hurts a little more when you leave plays out on the field and you know you could have done things better.
On difficulty synching with Brett (Favre)...No, that's not it at all. It was everybody, all 11 guys. It had nothing to do with Brett.
On play-calling on first-and-goal situations...I am an offensive lineman. We want to pound it in.
CALVIN PACE, LINEBACKER
On the Patriots play without Tom Brady...Tom Brady is a great player and everyone knows that, but he's one man. They still have a great defense. They still have (Randy) Moss and (Wes) Welker. They still have a stable of running backs. He's just one man. I think they did a good job of coming together and everybody else chipping in and making Cassel's job easier.
On the Patriots final scoring drive...It was disappointing because we had a chance to get the ball back to the offense. We just had to get off the field. They were going to run the ball. They weren't going to do anything crazy. That's all on the defense. We have to do better next time.
On the Patriots starting field position...It's hard going there when they are playing with a short field but that being said I think we did a good job holding them to field goals. Ideally, nothing is obviously better than three points but again with nine minutes left they can't get that drive. We had our opportunities. I can't say anything negative about them. They did what it takes to win and we didn't do enough.
ERIC BARTON, LINEBACKER
On today's game...We played hard, but we didn't make the plays we needed to win the game and that's about it. We'll go and look at the tape and try to correct it.
On Coach Mangini after the game...He said keep your head up and move forward. It's week two of the season, not the end of the world. Let's go back to work tomorrow.
On Matt Cassel's play...
He played a hell of a game. Everyone knows he's a capable quarterback and he made the plays out there. He didn't turn the ball over and he led his team to victory.
On the loss...
It's only one game. Guys try to make it bigger than it is. It's a division game and we would have liked to have won it but we have 14 more games left.
On the Patriots last scoring drive...Obviously, it was disappointing. We didn't execute the way we would have wanted to and we'll try to do better next time.
On the difference between Tom Brady and Matt Cassel...They are both efficient and protect the ball and they're both winners. He played well today, hats off to him.
JERRICHO COTCHERY, WIDE RECEIVER
On the loss...Every opportunity you get to make a play against these guys, if you don't, then they take advantage of it. We had some opportunities to make some plays, but we just couldn't make them.
On Brett Favre...
I credit them on defense. Those guys made some good plays out there. They stepped up big time in making those plays and taking away opportunities. Most of the credit goes to that defense but we still have to step up and make some plays as an offense. When a defense makes those plays, you have to keep those guys off the field.
On the defensive coverage...They did some things to take away Laveranues (Coles) and me out there. We still had some opportunities to make some plays. That's the most important thing. In the end, they stepped up and made plays. At times they doubled me, at times they doubled L.C. We were trying to run our offense and make things happen. We have great plays, and plays to counter that.
On the offense...
We have a chance. We believe in our offense, and we believe we can stick the ball in there. They stepped up big time on the goal line stand. Sometimes you make the plays and sometimes you don't. You have to go back on film and look at it. A lot of times it's technique and a lot of times it's just over doing it.
On not capitalizing on opportunities on offense...A lot of credit goes to their defense. They stepped up and made plays. It's a one-on-one battle at each position out there on the field. One guy has to win that battle. In a lot of the situations, we lost them.
