TOM BRADY, QB

Q: Any way to explain this one?

TB: Just a lack of execution. In order to score points, you have to consistently be able to put together plays and we could never really do that or find a rhythm. They made a lot of plays. They didn't make many mistakes. We made too many mistakes. There were too many plays that weren't the way we drew them up.

Q: Did they do a good job of mixing up pressures and coverages?

TB: Yeah, I think they played a lot more coverage today - probably similar to what they did last week. They mixed it up quite a bit. They certainly have a lot of calls. I think it was a good plan by them and you've got to give them a lot of credit

Q: Did the amount of zone that they played surprise you guys?

TB: No, I don't think we were surprised by anything. I thought they could certainly zone us off more. They did. I thought at times we handled it well and at times we didn't. Yeah, they mixed it up. I thought they executed well. [They] didn't really give up any big plays. We just didn't make enough plays.

Q: Were you okay with your clock management in the fourth quarter? You were down 10 and it was a long drive that seemed to take a lot of time. Was there any urgency or were you not worried about how much time that was taking?

TB: Well, we thought if we can get in the end zone it's a three-point game. I think there were probably four minutes left when we ended up kicking that field goal. If we had scored a touchdown with four minutes left [then] we're down three with four minutes left. We thought we had an opportunity there, but ended up kicking a field goal. We didn't really execute the way we needed to [in order] to finish that drive and then we just couldn't get the ball in the end zone when we needed to.

Q: Are you at all in shock that the season is over?

TB: I think you always are. It's like you're on the treadmill running at 10 miles an hour and then someone just hits the stop button. I think we certainly expected to play better today. I think we're a pretty good football team, but not when we play like today. Like I said, a lot of the credit goes to the Jets and the way their players performed. It's disappointing the way we performed. I certainly wish I did a better job.

Q: Coming off of big games like this in the past, what's your process of getting over it and moving on?

TB: I think it's just that. I think you've got to move on. You've got to learn from your mistakes and hopefully move forward with even more determination than before. The team fought hard. I think it's really a great group of guys and I think I really enjoy playing with these guys. I think everyone really is always trying to do the right thing; it's just that today we didn't execute the right way.

Q: I think fans went from hope to expectation at some point this season. Do you feel like the same was true for you guys as the season progressed?

TB: I think our expectations were very high. I think you finish the way we did - we won a bunch in a row against some very good teams and played well... But playoff football comes and really it comes down to who makes the plays and we made too many mistakes. It's totally a new season. There is a sign back there that said 0-0 and that's the truth. Every team really has the same opportunity once you're in the playoffs and we've seen that throughout the playoffs. A lot of teams had great seasons, but there's ultimately only one Super Bowl winner and in order to get to that game and to win it, you've got to play really well in the playoffs. I think that the teams that are still playing have played really well. I think the teams that aren't, certainly haven't played their best games.

Q: What did the Jets do to make you guys feel so uncomfortable all game?

TB: I think they spun the dial pretty well on their pressures and coverages. I think we had some opportunities to make some plays that we really didn't. It just felt like we were fighting hard out there to gain yards. We were trying to stay balanced out there. I think it probably turned into more of a passing game for us as we got behind. We talked all week about fast starts and getting ahead of these guys and playing ahead and we had some opportunities there in the first quarter and really let those slip away. And we made it a dog fight and ultimately couldn't really dig ourselves out of the holes we made.

Q: Can you talk about that early interception and what you saw?

TB: It was a screen play and I was throwing to BenJarvus [Green-Ellis] and Calvin Pace kind of flashed in front of me and I tried to throw it over the top of him and down to Benny and I threw it over both of them. Not probably the safest play in the playbook. That's not really the way you draw them up.

DEION BRANCH, WR
(On if the Patriots were surprised by what the Jets showed them on defense)
"No. I think we adjusted a little bit on the sideline. I think they did a great job of mixing it up.
The thing is that we couldn't get going for some reason. We kept driving the ball, but then we would have something that kills us, just no consistency at all."

(On what adjustments the offense should have made)
"The biggest thing is us executing our plays first. We tried not to focus on what they're doing so much and we just couldn't execute. Once we got started, something killed us - a flag, couldn't convert on third down. In the first half, we got the ball in the red zone twice and got one field goal. It was things we weren't doing earlier in the season, a lot of bad football."

(On whether frustration set in during the second half)
"No, we stayed calm for pretty much the entire game, up until the last three minutes, then we started pressing a little bit because we knew we had to get the ball in the end zone and score."

BENJARVUS GREEN-ELLIS, RB(On the interception thrown his way)
"I would have to go back and watch it on film. It was kind of a screen play, so I wasn't really looking behind me to see what happened and it was just an unfortunate situation."

(On his feelings about how the Jets reacted after the game)
"The Jets did what they did. They won the game. [So] they do what they want to do."

(On the fake punt call)
"I'm not on the punt team, so I wasn't aware of the call. As a call, our coach has been aggressive and we support him."

JEROD MAYO, LB
(On what the Jets did tonight)
"They just came out and played more physical than we did. They were able to establish the run. They were getting four yards, three yards, four yards, four yards, and we just could never get on track."

(On whether he was surprised how the game went)
"A little bit. You're always going to be surprised and disappointed when you lose a game, especially the way we've been playing. I was disappointed we couldn't get it done today."

(On what went wrong)
"I think the coaches did a good job getting us prepared and getting us ready for the game. We just didn't go out and execute."

(On his view of the regular season in light of today's game)
"It's very disappointing. The regular season means nothing now. We came into the postseason 0-0. They had won a playoff game already to get to here. It's disappointing that ... I'm personally 0-2 in the playoffs, so it's very disappointing."

(On message for offseason)
"It's going to take a lot of work to get back to the position that we're at now, but we're willing to do it. Everything happens for a reason."

JAMES SANDERS, SAFETY(On what happened in the game)
"The game went up and down. We had some successful plays; we had some not so successful plays. Just like in the other locker room they had the same thing. We just went out there, it was a battle, they were just the better team today."

(On whether the Jets had the Patriots off-balance)
"No, I don't feel like they had us off-balance, they just made some key plays. We were in a position to make plays at times, but we didn't make the plays and they did. They did what they had to do to come away with the victory."

DANNY WOODHEAD, RB
(On why the Patriots lost)
"You know, we lost the game. We didn't play well enough, and that's what it came down to."

(On whether losing to his old team makes this harder)
"Hey, this is the NFL playoffs. You want to go out and do your best in the NFL playoffs and hopefully advance. And we didn't advance tonight."

(On what the Jets did defensively)
"They were mixing stuff up. We just didn't put points on the board. We didn't put enough points on the board. That's what happened."

MATT LIGHT, OT
(Thoughts on the game?)
"We didn't make the plays when we needed to and it's unfortunate. We have got a great team and great guys, we have had good chemistry throughout the year. Unfortunately in this game it's doesn't mean much at the end of it. It's not everyday you get an opportunity like this and to fall short, it's a tough pill to swallow."

(Did they come out any higher than you guys?)
"I am not sure I can judge that from where I am standing at least, but we just didn't make the plays. When we had a little rhythm we stopped short, when we needed to convert we didn't do it. We didn't help out our defense. I just think overall, we didn't execute the way we have in the past. It's kind of hard to believe."

(On the drives in the fourth quarter seeming slow?)
"I felt like the operation was the operation. I really didn't realize anything much different from what we have done in the past. You still have to communicate and do what you do. In a mode like that where it's pretty much desperation, it's all about getting your best plays out there and hopefully let the situation run itself. It didn't work out for us."

(Is there a sense of disbelief?)
"No, it's pretty final. Unfortunately. Again, you know having been there before and knowing the excitement of what it is all about, it's tougher for me to see some of these younger guys that have come a long way in a very short period of time, that have done everything that anybody could have asked them to do. That's the toughest part. I felt the same way in '07 with guys like Junior (Seau) and guys that deserved a shot at the title. When this happens a lot of things run through your head and hopefully these guys will be able to regroup and do what we do."

(Have you given any consideration to your contract being up?)
"I have had a great 10 years here, this has been a great organization, obviously a great place to come play as a rookie. Ten really solid years and I hope like hell to be here and continue to do what I have done, but we will have to wait and see if that works itself out."

WES WELKER, WR
(What happened tonight?)
"We just didn't execute very well out there and I think at the end of the day that's what it comes down to is executing well and we didn't do that today. The Jets were a better team today and we paid the price for it."

(How much different was their game plan tonight?)
"It was a little bit different definitely, a little more zone and they did a great job game planning and at the end of the day we made too many mistakes to win and that's the way it went."

(How did that change things seeing so much zone?)
"Well you work on one thing all week and then you get something different. We adjusted, but at the end of the day it's about us making plays and moving the ball down the field. We didn't do that on a consistent basis."

(Is this harder to swallow since you were the No. 1 seed?)
"You have such a great regular-season to get yourself in a good position and we just didn't really take advantage of it."

(Do you attribute the mistakes to them or just to you guys?)
"They are a great team and they did some great things out there. At the same time, we didn't execute the way we should have and we paid the price."

(Is it shocking to have the season end like this?)
"Anytime you lose and not get the ultimate goal it's not what you are expecting. You are definitely disappointed and you have to regroup and get back at it whenever you get the opportunity."

ALGE CRUMPLER, TE
(On the tough way to end the season)
"It is tough. Your emotions are going to be at one extreme, you're either going to be really happy or really sad and I hate that we all have to feel this way."

(On if there is one explanation that he can point his finger on)
"We just didn't play well as a team."

(On if he can reflect positively on the Patriots' regular season success)
"I don't care about that. All I care about is what happened in the last three hours and it wasn't good. And I've got to deal with it."

FRED TAYLOR, RB(On if he's come to any kind of decision about his future)
"No. I think right now at this point I've got a million things kind of floating through my brain. It's kind of hard to comprehend, none of it's really clear. But I've just got to probably take some time to be realistic. I kind of know what my body's telling me and what my family has been telling me. But I also know that this is what I've been programmed to do the majority of my life. So I'll probably just take some time, get to training this off-season. The camaraderie, being around the guys, it's just really hard to separate from that. So I don't want to be too fast on the trigger."

(On how he thought the team played Sunday)
"We didn't play our best, but unfortunately you don't get any other chances in the tournament. At the end of it all, we came to play. We just didn't play as well as they did. So you've got to suck it up, swallow your pride and give credit when credit's due. They played well today."

(On if he's shocked to see the season end like it did)
"Coach [Bill Belichick] laid it out on the line for us. This is a new season and everything we did up until this point is just to put you in position. You still have to go and play, especially in this tournament. I won't say I'm shocked. You look at the parity that's developed around the league, even in this playoffs. A few home teams lost, I think four of them. You had a 7-9 team Seattle) that fought. This is football, I think this is why it's one of the greatest sports. You never know what you're going to get really. I don't know, it's just [football]. It's a funny game."