DE Richard Seymour
*(On what he tells younger players heading to their first Super Bowl) *
Seymour: I think in a game like this everything that you do is magnified times however many media people are here. I think we've done a good job all year of keeping our focus and this is a prime situation to continue that, and I think we have the formula to keep it going.
*(On how the team kept their focus this week) *
Seymour: That's a prime example and, like I said, we can't control that. We play in the world's best game and we play in a sport that everyone loves and it's a physical, tough, aggressive game and the world is going to be watching. We understand that and we know what this game is all about.
*(On the video of Tom Brady) *
Seymour: The funny part, or the good part was the flowers. I was on the flowers, not on the boot.
*(On the attention paid to the video) *
Seymour: Obviously, Tom [Brady] can speak for himself on this, but I don't foresee him not being in this game.
*(On Tom Brady's toughness) *
Seymour: I think he puts in the work to be one of the elite players because when Tom first got here, he was a slim, skinny kid and now you kind of look at him and he has legs, chest. He's in there doing Olympic lifts and working out in the offseason just like he was an offensive or defensive lineman. He's a part of us and that's the way he carries himself.
*(On dealing with distractions) *
Seymour: I think each year and each game, each season you have different circumstances that you have to deal with year in and year out and this is a different team now than we've had back '01. I think we've done a good job all year long of understanding what we have to do to be prepared and I don't see this week being any different.
*(On Tom Brady's conditioning) *
Seymour: He's a tough guy. He's also getting the job done, because in this business if you don't get the job done, somebody else will. If you have longevity in this league, I think it speaks volumes about what you've been able to year-in and year-out. I think you have to be a consistent player on a lot of different fronts and have good offseason workout programs and do a good job of taking care of your body. When you see guys like Rodney Harrison and Michael Strahan, being in this league as long as they have, there's a reason for that. I think young guys need to pick their brains in what you do with some of your workout regiments, et cetera.
*(On how significant it is to have so much playoff experience on the defensive line) *
Seymour: I don't think it hurts, but at the same time, you know the most important thing is preparing throughout the week and playing well on Sunday. Obviously, the health of our team, I think some of the other things can be blown out of proportion just a bit, but we understand what we have to do and I'll probably give you a little bit more insight about the game by what we did and what we didn't do.
*(On whether experience helps) *
Seymour: I think it helps. I don't think it hurts by any chance. It's a different year, a different set of players, a different set of guys and obviously a lot of it has to go with how you match up with a different team and I think that speaks more in our opinion just because I've been there several times.
DE Jarvis Green
*(On whether the game will be won in the trenches) *
Green: I would hope so. They have a pretty good offensive line and two guys, [Brandon] Jacobs and [Ahmad] Bradshaw, just those back going with a 1-2 punch, I think, for us, we've got to be smart and play the run.
*(On whether the Patriots' offensive line is overshadowed by that of the Giants) *
Green: That's the way it's been since I've been here. The way we play defense and it's a little bit different with the guys, but we know what's going on and watching those guys play, the Giants, they have a great pass rush. They lead the league in sacks this year. That adds motivation to go out there and try to out play them.
*(On how the loss of Michael Wright affects depth on the line) *
Green: Michael Wright is a great football player that was a rotational guy. To lose him was a big loss, but for us, the guys that we have on the field, we know that we have to work even harder out there and work together as far as communicating and just playing football.
LB Junior Seau
*(On whether he's in 'Super Bowl mode') *
Seau: No, not really. We have our game plan. We're trying to insert that. It's too far away. It just seems like a month away yet.
*(On how intensive the game planning has been) *
Seau: You try to put as much as you can in there and whatever sticks, obviously you can condense it toward the end. Hopefully, we can go out there and perform and execute it.
*(On how handle the rush before the Super Bowl) *
Seau: You just try to keep the same regimen that we've been on the last 18 weeks. That's going to be a key factor just making sure that we stay focused and humble and stay hungry. It's always going to be a key factor in what we do, trying to keep the same regimen that got us where we are is going to be a key.
*(On how the Giants have changed in the time since the teams last played) *
Seau: They're doing a heck of a job scoring. Eli [Manning] is playing out of his mind. He's doing a great job of controlling, managing the game. The have a combo running attack back there that are doing a great job running the ball downhill. Yeah, they're definitely a hot team.
*(On how Eli Manning has managed the game) *
Seau: Every quarterback has to manage the game. You have to be able to manage the game. Whenever you manage the game, you do what you do best and you take whatever the defense gives you and you go from there. To have the game come to you, instead of trying to force the game onto you is probably the better option, but [Eli's] been able to do that. The three games that they've played, they've been on the road. That's tough to do and he's come out with flying colors.
*(On whether the teams' last game convinced them of how good the Giants are) *
Seau: It doesn't matter what happened in the past. It really doesn't. What we have to do is insert our game plan and obviously work one day at a time and to position ourselves to go out there and execute on Sunday.
*(On the physical nature of the teams' last meeting) *
Seau: Being chippy and everything else, that's the name of the game. You're going to have that every once in a while. Whatever happened the last time we got together, it really doesn't matter now because it's a different game, obviously. It's a different day and there are different things on the table now.
*(On whether the Patriots are responsible for lifting the Giants on their playoff run) *
Seau: No, we're not responsible for anything they did. They did it on their own. They're a great team and they went out there and performed under some adverse conditions. They took the scenic route to where they are. You've got to tip your hat off to them.
*(On the Patriots' red zone defense) *
Seau: The red zone is always important. That's something that we want to solidify and, hopefully, we can repeat what we did last week. That's going to be a challenge every game.
*(On the Giants' running attack) *
Seau: They're a tough team. Up front, offensively, and the offensive line does a great job staying on their blocks, power-housing some of the down linemen into the second level with the linebackers. The running backs are… You have a fast running back and you have a powerful running back and they do a great job of changing it up.
*(On whether Coach Belichick shows film from his days with the Giants) *
Seau: Only when we mess up. He'll break out the black and white film. He definitely makes sure that we're definitely humbled by it, but he has a library of great athletes on the Giants team. He has some fond memories there.
*(On whether he ever compliments the Patriots' defense saying they did it better than the old Giants' defenses) *
Seau: No, that's never going to happen. They've always done it better than us, every play. The compliments coming our way are very slim.
*(On Mike Vrabel) *
Seau: He's [done] a terrific job of performing at the outside linebacker position. You've got to remember Vrabel's been one of the most versatile, unselfish players on this team. Whenever you're taking a player that's an outside linebacker and putting him in the middle because you need it for the team and he goes out there and performs, that's a credit to him and then he gets a chance to play outside linebacker all year and look what he does. I tip my hat off for him and say it's a long time coming. All his work is coming up to surface to see that he is a great outside linebacker and he can do it.
*(On the ability of Coach Belichick to re-focus the team continually) *
Seau: Coach Belichick is obviously the best coach you can ever have. What he does is so many other things besides the X's and O's. He communicates well with his players and he's established himself in terms of his integrity and his ways of playing football. I haven't met a guy that has so much passion and so much love for the game and so much knowledge and he's able to transfer that over to the players so they can learn from it. There's always a learning curve from here. All you have to do is listen. You want to play for a man like Belichick. You really do and as much as he doesn't show it, he has a lot of love for his players. He really does.
*(On the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl) *
Seau: This game is the reason why we all are here, just for a chance to go out there and, hopefully, win. I've said it before, having a chance here with a coach that is that established, it gives you a chance to win and when you win often, it leads you to great things. So here we are.
*(On what Kevin Faulk contributes to the team) *
Seau: You've got to remember that Kevin Faulk plays third down, but he also backs up our running back whenever they need help. But to play one down, you come off the bench cold and you're playing one down-third down. They know you're in the game; they're all coming after you on that one down and you still win. That's special.
*(On what it's like playing against Faulk) *
Seau: Well, he can run the ball. He's smart. He's quick. He can catch the ball and he can pick up blitzes. There are a lot of things that he brings to the table that a lot of guys just can't do. He's definitely our X-factor.
RB Kevin Faulk
*(On if the regular season game against the Giants felt like a playoff game) *
Faulk: Every game we played this year felt like a playoff game, plain and simple. Every team that we've played has given it 150 percent, 200 percent.
*(On if that atmosphere helped the Patriots this season) *
Faulk: I don't know if it helped, but I know it helped knowing. I know it helped knowing.
*(On if the pressure built as the team kept winning) *
Faulk: Pressure is only something that you build on yourself, plain and simple.
*(On Glen Davis of the Boston Celtics) *
Faulk: I've known Big Baby [Glen Davis] since he was in high school…I knew he played football but I didn't know he wore my number…Me and him have been real close for a long time. I actually watched him play last night.
*(On Wes Welker) *
Faulk: Wes, just - perfect place, the perfect situation for him. I told him when he first got here that he couldn't have come to an offense that was better for him, that fits his ability and what he does as a receiver.
