(on the Patriots' wide receivers blocking)
"I think all of our receivers have done an excellent job of getting into the secondary or getting on some of the guys that are tight to the line of scrimmage, some key blocks to free the running backs to get to the second level. As a lineman, when you have a guy like Wes (Welker), who is not the biggest receiver we've had around here, flies around and throws his body in front of people. That's a lot of fun. Our crew has done a great job all season."

*(on if the Giants will bring more pressure because of Tom Brady's foot situation)
*"They're a type of defense that wants to get to the quarterback regardless of what's going on. They're very good up front. With the combination they have on the outside with Osi (Umenyiora) and (Michael) Strahan, you team that up with the guys that they have on the interior, who are pretty quick guys, that's a combination for disaster for an offensive line. They don't make it easy for you. Their goal this season, and they've been very affective doing it, is getting to the quarterback and I'm sure they're going to try it quite a bit in that game."

*(on his concern over Brady's mobility)
*"I never concern myself with anybody that we're playing with, whether it's Tom or anybody else. Their situation is their situation. Nobody knows what's going on other than him and he's the only one who can answer those questions, as to how he feels. I'll tell you one thing, if he's out there he's going to be giving you everything that he's got. I don't worry about that at all. There's nothing I can do about it."

*(on how Brady looked in practice)
*"I try not to look at him too much. You guys do enough of that. I'm concerned with what's right in front of me and I really haven't paid much attention to it."

*(on the Patriots' offensive line receiving accolades)
*"If you do your job and play hard and try to improve what you do every time you go out there, especially in our case, we've gotten recognition this season. Whether it's due or not, we're not the judge of that. It is a great honor. I think it was said best by Tommy (Brady), that's a team achievement. If we didn't have success as a team then no would be looking at us. That's probably a good way to look at it. These postseason awards, the opportunity to go the Pro Bowl, or All-Pro and all of that, it's never just about the guy that got the award. There is usually a lot of other people that play a role in that too. I think we're all pretty humbled by it."

*(on protection in the last Giants game)
*"I think those guys played really well. Russ (Hochstein) has played a backup role in a lot of big games in New England. I don't think we really missed too much by not having Nick (Kaczur) and Steve (Neal) out there from the standpoint that these guys know what to do. All of our backups know what's expected of them. They all know the system. I thought they did a really good job of stepping in there and playing well against a really good defense. When we look at that game, there are a lot of things that we need to do better. There are a lot of things that we didn't do very well. At the end of the day we did win that one. But those guys present a lot of challenges for us up front. They do a lot of different things and they're very good at what they do. We'll have our hands full. It will be nice having Nick and Steve back. I know they're very excited to play in this one."

*(on if he's notice a change in Head Coach Bill Belichick)
*"He might have joked with you guys but we're pretty serious in our meetings. I try not to analyze him too much. I think we've done a great job of staying focused and doing what we do. I don't think that he's really changed from that standpoint."

*(on how Brady's quick decision making helps the offensive line)
*"It's a lot easier for us, obviously, whenever you have a quarterback that can see everything that the defense is doing, make the adjustments, step up here and there. I think a classic example of that was in our last game against the Giants. Osi got a good step on me and he was barreling up field. Tommy took a step at the last minute to avoid a potential strip sack. Those are the kinds of things he does. He has great awareness in the pocket. He knows when to step up and get rid of the ball. He makes it a lot easier for us up front."

*(on how Brady has grown)
*"I don't really rate what he does but there is nobody that prepares better than Tommy. I've never been around a guy that takes each moment of practice and preparation as serious as he does and can stay as focused as he does when he's out there. He's obviously one of the great quarterbacks in this league and deservedly so. I think it comes down to a great work ethic. Every game means a lot to him. I don't know how much more you can rate a guy, other than that. Anytime you have a guy out there doing what he does, it pushes everyone around him. He leads by example. When you have somebody like that it helps you pick up your game a notch. Every game you're playing for perfection. That's what he's doing and it trickles down to everybody else."

*(on what separates coach Bill Belichick from other coaches in the league)
*"I think one of the biggest things he does is he doesn't accept any excuses. He tells it to you like it is. You have to have thick skin at times. The one thing I can tell you for sure is that he's going to demand everything out of you. He's going to give you, in turn, everything that he's got. There's nobody that spends more time in that building than him."

*(on if Belichick yelled at him during a Pro Bowl)
*"He challenged me. That's the downside to losing the AFC Championship Game."

*(on New England's success with handling distractions)
*"I think what happens when you have so much attention, all the media stuff, understanding how to deal with that, some of the younger guys get to see how you react to that. It's tough to deal with all the things that go on during the season but it's probably magnified even more so. The No. 1 thing you can do is focus on what's going on immediately. There's no real remedy to dealing with distractions.

*(on how they built the 'one-at-a-time mentality')
*"When we come to work, our schedule, we don't have down time. We just stay so focused on what we have to get done and never being satisfied. I think that's the other thing too. We've won some games and we've won them by a large margin. When we go back and watch that film, we don't focus on the things that we did well. We focus on all the things that we have to do to get better, to prepare harder, that's what helps you stay focused."

*(on Brady remaining humble)
*"We don't have to do anything. Tommy is Tommy. He's got a great personality. He doesn't need to be humbled. He humbles himself. I don't think anybody is any harder on him than himself. That's nothing for us to take care of."

*(on Brady at practice)
*"I try not to study him too much. I have guys in front of me that I'm dealing with. I'm sure he's doing alright."

*(on the offense expanding with Brady)
*"It's clear that anytime you have a quarterback that knows the system as well as he does, it's going to make it easier on everybody around you. You learn something every time you go out there and play. He's proven that you can win the close ones and you can win by a large margin. It all comes down to how hard you prepare and how hard you work. That's something we talk about."

*(on if there is a bigger playbook than five years ago)
*"Honestly, what we do up front, blocking and how we dissect a defense, and how we go about blocking them, those things really don't change a whole lot. I think what's changed more for (Brady) is his relationship with his receivers. Obviously, having a new cast, a new crew in this year, they've had to do a lot of work and they've had to put in a lot of extra time together to really get to know each other. Things might change more for him with routes, sights and adjustments, things that he's very good at. There is a learning curve with the new guys but they put in so much time. They meet together more than us as an offensive line, probably."

*(on never losing a Super Bowl)
*"We've been fortunate to not be in a position to play a game of this magnitude in front of the world and lose. If you don't give everything that you have in this game and you don't walk away with your heads up as a World Champion, then whatever we did during the regular season is not as meaningful. I know New York is doing everything they can do to prepare themselves for this game. We're doing the same. There's nothing like winning a World Championship. There's nothing like being on that field celebrating a victory. That's what's on the back of everybody's mind right now. That's why we're working so hard and that's why we're doing what we're doing."

*(on Osi Umenyiora calling him a dirty player)
*"I've heard the comment on that. I finally watched that. I don't think it's what everyone wants to make it out to be. I don't think that anybody that's watched film with me would say that. I sure don't talk out there. I try not to play in any other fashion than what everyone else is doing out there. I'm sure most people would say that."

*(on how his spirituality has helped him)
*"Before we go out on the field, we get together and say the Lord's Prayer. Almost every guy in that locker room takes time out of their day to thank God for the opportunity to play in that game, to make sure that He watches over them and keeps them healthy, not only themselves but everybody that walks on that field. I think your faith is what gets you through. Anytime you have a hard day, everybody looks to God to get them out of that situation. It works the other way. Anytime you win, you look to God and thank him. Faith has been a big part of everything that I've done in my life."

*(on the Patriots being secretive with inside information)
*"The average person doesn't say publicly what's going on in their family and we try not to do that as a team. There's no need to talk about anything, especially if you don't have anything to do with it. 90 percent of the things this season haven't dealt with me so luckily I haven't had anything to say about it. That's about as easy as it gets."

*(on not giving opponents bulletin-board material)
*"I try not to say anything. You just open yourself up to criticism. For some they can say whatever they want to as long as they go out there and play well and prove what they're saying is true, they look great. I don't want to say something and not go out and deliver and look like a fool."

*(on not going for a big free-agent contract)
*"I don't think for every guy in this league money is the main factor. There's a point where you say enough is enough. I enjoy the New England area. I enjoy playing for Mr. Kraft and his family. I enjoy the coaching and I enjoy every guy in that locker room. For me, that decision was an easy one."