Fred Taylor, Running Back

(On facing his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars)

"It'll be great to see all those guys. It's just a buildup this week, but it's not me versus them. It's the Jaguars versus the Patriots. I've been around a long time. I know how buildup is always good entertainment, but Sunday, I have a job to do."

(On how he feels about coming back this week)

"You know, the team policy [is] first and foremost, but we're going to keep playing [it] by ear and see what goes. At the end of the day, ultimately, it's Coach Belichick's decision and we're going to do what's best for the team, so we'll just play it by ear and see what happens Sunday."

(On the severity of the injury and recovery)

"I'm grateful for the opportunity not to be on IR and just to be here, even having that possibility of playing. I had a pretty severe injury. At this point, it's no holds-barred with the season winding down. Right now, any type of playing time would be outstanding. I don't know what to expect, but I'll be ready."

(On what his emotional level will be suiting up against his former team)

"Of course, there's always a measure of emotion. I'm sure tons and tons of it will be pouring out from those guys as well as myself. We were ranked number one or two in run defense when Jack Del Rio first got there and I would always tease the guys, 'Hey, I would bust y'all up if I was somewhere else.' Part of it is joking, but part of it is serious in me being confident in my abilities. It will be a whole lot of fun to go out there and see all the former guys and go up against them."

Leigh Bodden, Cornerback

(On David Garrard)

"David Garrard can run around. He's big, he's strong, and he's physical. He has some accuracy, so it's going to be a tough challenge for us, but we're definitely always up for the challenge."

(On how Garrard runs)

"At times he runs to throw and at times he runs to run. He makes really good decisions on that, so he knows what he's doing when he scrambles. So it's going to be tough for us because he might find someone open or he'll just tuck it and run."

(On if James Sanders has improved the defensive communication)

"I think everybody [did]. Everybody just really buckled down and said we need to talk more, just period. That just so happened to happen when he came into the lineup, but I mean, he's really vocal. He really gets out the calls and things like that, which everybody [does], but it's really a point of emphasis because we kind of got hurt on it in the past weeks and that's something that we really wanted to get accomplished"

(On the team's awareness of potentially clinching a playoff spot this weekend)

"There's definitely awareness, but it's every week. Every week we try to get a win, but this one is definitely, definitely significant because it would put us in the playoffs, win the division and all of that. So that's definitely in our minds and we definitely want to accomplish that."

Laurence Maroney, Running Back

(On the Jacksonville Jaguars' physicality)

"They are big, strong, fast and physical. We just have to go out there and play ball. I've never been scared of going against strong, physical, fast defenses. It's going to be tough. It isn't going to be easy. As a running back, you never want it to be easy. I'm going to have to work for every yard and that's the glory behind it, knowing you earned every yard and it wasn't just given to you. So it's definitely going to be a fun game for me."

(On improving the second half woes of the offense)

"As an individual, all I can do for my team is, 'How can I get better? What can I do in the second half to help my team out or how can I play better in the second half to help my team out.' So that's been my main goal."

(On the severity of the injury and recovery)

"It got a little better when we wanted to run the ball out and waste some time. I got the carries a little bit more and wish I could have kept the clock running. But I did what I could with what I had, so it's always good to know that the coaches want to count on you to run the score up. It makes you feel good as a running back that the coaches have confidence in you to keep giving you the ball and waste time. It does make me feel good to know that I am doing things the right way right now."

(On Fred Taylor's possible return ... )

"Man, I really don't like [the] dude, man. You it's upsetting that he's coming back because then that's like less carries for me and stuff. So I was really ... No, I'm just playing. It's always great to have that guy back. Even when he's not playing, he's playing because he's always texting me before every game, 'This is the way to run. Do this against this team.' He's always giving me his insight. So whether he's there or not, he's always with me because he's always telling me, 'Run physical. Run behind the pads, one cut and go get up field. [Against] This team, you're going to break a lot of arm tackles.' Everything he's been teaching me the whole year, whether he's with me or not, it's always good to have him back on the sideline. He's like my extra eyes. He can see things differently than what I can see on the field, so I can come to the sideline and be like, 'Fred, what did you see?' And he can make corrections on how to help me run better."