Q: How can your defense benefit from having faced the Broncos on November 18 in terms of that unique offensive scheme?
MP: I think that, obviously, every time you play a team for the second time, you're hoping to be able to understand what they do a little bit better. I do think that this offensive just continues to improve every week and grow in dimension, so I don't know if you ever really have a full scale of everything that they do, so we're just going to try to work as hard as we can to get ready to go and do the best that we can to handle everything that they do.
Q: In what way did the Broncos give you the most trouble in the first quarter last time that led to the scheme change that you guys had?
MP: I think it's just really a matter of execution. They came out and executed very well, as they do in all their games. We needed to do a better job of just executing what it is that we were trying to do. I think the biggest thing for us is just everybody to go out and do their job and execute to their fullest.
Q: What are your thoughts on Josh McDaniels' return to the staff?
MP: Obviously on a personal level, Josh is a good friend. Really for us, it's just more about focusing on Denver for us defensively as far as what we can do to try to handle everything that they do and get ready to play the best defense that we can this week against a very, very good offense.
Q: It's pretty clear that people underestimate Tim Tebow at their own peril. What did you take away from yesterday's game that he showed you that you hadn't seen from him?
MP: I think obviously Tim Tebow is a great competitor. You watch all of his games, not just yesterday, but you watch all of his games and you can see just what a great competitor he has, how much he's improved, how much he improves every week and just really what a big challenge it is for us to get ready to play him next weekend. We certainly have our work cut out for us.
Q: When you make a scheme change and really scrap what you had been doing all week like you did last time you played the Broncos, it seems to take some trust in the team that they'll be able to adjust on the fly. What is it about this defense that makes you think that you can change so much mid-game and still have success like you guys did?
MP: I just think the game of football in general is about adjustments. There are going to be some adjustments in every game. The bottom line is that everybody goes out and does their job to the best of their ability, no matter what that job is. I think it's all part of the game.
Q: Do you envision Devin McCourty playing more safety going forward or returning to more of a primary role at cornerback?
MP: I think the good thing about our defense is that everyone prepares to do everything they can to help the team win, no matter what that is. Certainly all of our players on our defense know multiple positions. We're just fortunate to have guys that can do that.
Q: Did you have a mentor or inspiration as far as being a play caller?
MP: I think there are certain people that throughout your coaching career influence all the different jobs that you do and all the different things that you learn. Obviously, being at New England has had the biggest influence on myself. Throughout my coaching career, I just tried to make sure that I studied everyone that I worked with and took all the positives that I could from all the different people that I've been around just to try to make myself a better coach.
Q: How would you describe the reaction among your staff members after seeing Bill O'Brien for the first time since he was hired as head coach?
MP: I think it's just really important for us to focus on Denver this week and really try to make sure that we do everything we can to prepare ourselves for a very difficult game this weekend.
Q: There has been a lot of discussion this year about the statistics of your defense – 31st in yards allowed but then 15th or something in points allowed. How do you make sense of the numbers associated with your defense? Did you focus on that or use that at all this season?
MP: I think every week we just try to prepare our defense to do the best job they can on that particular Sunday against that particular opponent we play. I think that's the most important thing we can do. Obviously, we have a great challenge ahead of us this week. All of our focus and attention is on Denver and going out and trying to play the best possible game that we can.
