RICHARD SEYMOUR
DEFENSIVE LINE
Q: How do you feel about the lineup you have this year in the playoffs as opposed to previous years lineups?
Seymour: On Wednesday we talked about the ball club we have had this year. It's definitely different from the teams we have had in the past. It's not that we are better or worse, it's just a different team. Just as far as the excitement and trying to seize the opportunity, I think we are really looking forward to it.
Q: Has this been the most challenging year this team has had since you have been here?
Seymour: No, I think '02 has been the worst. We happened to be in the situation that we are in and I think that is one of the reasons why you play the game. To be in the position to be able to compete for a championship and I think Saturday is the first step.
Q: What do you think of the Jaguars offense and the problems they present?
Seymour: I think they are a good football team. They play the game the way it is supposed to be played. They play tough, physical and aggressive and we are just going to have to match that, they have to match us. It's going to be an exciting matchup. They do a lot of things offensively, they can run the football and also with [Byron] Leftwich in the pocket they have some big play receivers. Our work is going to be cut out for us, but I think as a competitor and as a player you want to be in situations like this. I think a lot of it is going to come down to the defensive front and the front seven to stop the run. We are definitely going to be up for the challenge.
Q: What is the difference with your team, is it mental toughness or preparation compared to other teams who do well during the season but don't do as well in the postseason?
Seymour: I think it's a combination of a lot of things. First and foremost, I think we have a lot of good guys in the locker room. When tough situations come, we feel like we are prepared and we feel like just from our practice and our preparation throughout the week or throughout the season we feel prepared for these types of situations. I think you have to seize these opportunities because they don't happen every often. When you have the opportunity to capitalize, you may only get one shot and you have to make the best of that one shot when you get that chance.
Q: How about a thought on Tedy Bruschi being NFL co-comeback player of the year?
Seymour: I think he is very deserving of it and I am happy for Tedy on a personal note as well.
Q: With all this team has been through with the injuries, Bruschi, and Belichick losing his dad this season, do you think this is one of Belichick's best coaching jobs up to date?
Seymour: When the journey is dead and done. I think it's still early to talk about the things we have done because we still hopefully have a couple more games left.
Q: Do you see why it has been so difficult for teams to win three championships in a row?
Seymour: It's definitely tough, I think when you look at free agency and everything that goes on in the National Football League, it's a tough league. With players moving around and coaches moving around you have to see how many vacancies are around right now. It's definitely tough to repeat or even win a championship or just have the opportunity to go for our third it is amazing. We are going to take it one game at a time and focus in on Jacksonville. I think that is the first step in that row.
Q: Can you talk about Jacksonville's ability to regroup, and come back to win games?
Seymour: They are a tough team and I think they play with a lot of heart, the play the game with a lot of passion. They feel like they have the players that can go out in those situations, they definitely don't lack confidence. I think just adding all that together, I think that is where you get that good mixture.
Q: From being teammates with Marcus Stroud at Georgia, can you identify with what kind of problems he will present to your offense and the offensive line? Seymour: Marcus is a big guy in the inside and an athletic guy. He is a guy that makes some plays in there. I am sure our offensive line has been doing a good job all week understanding the guys they have to play against. They have been doing a pretty good job all season. I don't see any reason why they won't do a good job this week.
Q: How difficult is it to prepare for those backs?
Seymour: I think you have to understand who is in the game. Obviously Fred Taylor is the go to guy back there and we have to understand the problems he presents. He is a guy who can hit it in between the tackles and also make all the runs. He can hit it inside. He can run outside, that's definitely going to be a challenge for us. We just have to know which guy is in the game and I think we can do a good job up front like we have been doing the last few ball games. We will be fine.
TEDY BRUSCHILINEBACKER
Q: What are your thoughts on winning the co-comeback player of the year award with Steve Smith?
Bruschi: I think Steve would also agree it has been a long road for him and me for us to get back and do what we love to do. I am sure that was his goal and that was my goal this year and to be recognized for it is an honor. It is something; you don't want to get this type of award every year. But to get it recognizes a lot of things I went though this year and I'm appreciative about that.
Q: Physically how are you feeling? Better than last week?
Bruschi: I feel good. Like I said, right now I am day to day. I'm going to go out there and try some more things and the days will go from there.
Q: With all that you have been through, sure it will settle in, but are you like, 'Wow, look what has been going the last several months?'
Bruschi: I had a chance to reflect upon it with New Year turning from 2005 to 2006. And over the holidays, we have had time to reflect. Sometimes in life you have to get through certain things. There are tough obstacles to overcome and this is one in my life. I'm happy to be able to stand in front of you right now and tell you that it was overcome and come back to being who I am.
Q: Were you at a level you were satisfied with or hoped to be playing at coming into the regular season when you came back?
Bruschi: How I answer that is that I am helping the team win. That is my goal - to help the team win. The words I always focus on are improvement and getting better. And I think I have gotten better ever since I have come back. I think it's been a progression. I have never jumped into a season like I did this year. Just to make progress the way I did, just to help the team win. I feel good about it.
Q: Coach said he doesn't think about it anymore and he looks at you like any other football player. Do you think about it anymore or are you just trying to play football right now?
Bruschi: I think that is all. The Buffalo game was a game where a lot was going through my mind. The things that were going through my mind a week or two weeks leading up to that game were very emotional. A lot of things were going on with my family and in my life. But since then my wife and I, my coaches, my teammates are all happy that we are just playing football right now. I am very happy that I can contribute to help us win ballgames.
Q: Talk about being a part of the team now with your success story.
Bruschi: We've got a different path that we have to take this year. I think the past couple of years we have had some time to get healthy and then play our first game. This year we are a part of wild card weekend. It's a different path taken for us, but it's a playoff game and we are excited to be in the playoffs. To face an opponent like Jacksonville and to see if we can get a victory on Saturday night is going to be something we are all excited about.
Q: Is this the type of game that you feel like it will go all the way to the end?
Bruschi: We expect it to. We expect it to because I don't expect anything less from Jacksonville but to give us their best effort. We respect them as a good football team and we anticipate it going to the last second.
Q: Can you imagine how you would feel now if you were to have put off that decision and to be watching your team in the playoffs, how frustrating would that have been?
Bruschi: Yeah that is a what-if question, a what-if question if I wasn't able to come back this year. I don't know how I would have felt about it. But I know when the time came when I was to be designated on the physically unable to perform list and the time came when I was to be activated or placed on IR. It turned out to be the same time where I got better enough to play. I took myself back in to play. To give it a shot was something that I was going to do. I think to not give it a shot was something that would eat me up looking back 10 years down the road. I was like, 'Let's do it now and not wait, because I have been cleared to do it.'
ROSEVELT COLVINLINEBACKER
Q: How do you think Bill [Belichick] has handled this season having to overcome many obstacles?
Colvin: I think Bill continues to show his passion on a day-to-day basis regardless of what the situation is. Obviously this year, his father passed and a lot of guys have been hurt. He is what you would want as a coach. Obviously he continues to show that on a year-to-year basis. He has proven that and the team has proven that and we hope to continue to perform at a high level to show that his coaching goes from that and our playing goes from that.
Q: Do you ever think about what Tedy Bruschi has overcome as a football player?
Colvin: I don't really think about it because he is back out there with us doing those things on a day-to-day basis that he had a passion to do even before he had the stroke. It just shows the hard work, commitment, toughness and all those things that he exemplifies. A lot of guys in the locker room have been through a lot of those situations and it's a credit to his honor that he was honored as the comeback player of the year. My hat goes off to him.
