TOM BRADY, QUARTERBACK
On Rob Gronkowski...
He's a great player and we depend on him. I think he came up very big tonight. We needed him to come out big tonight. It was a tough match up. He's big, but he has good speed. He's a very good runner and he's a good blocker. We have to keep finding ways to get him the ball.
On the secondary...
I think we battle. We say that you know who the guys are, but we've never really seen them perform under pressure. Some of the guys come off the practice squad and play scout team defense this week and now I see them in the game on our defense. A lot of guys really stepped up to the challenge. It was good to see. This is a tough place to play. They are a very good football team, so it was very sweet to get this win.
On the Jets calling timeout before the half...
I thought it was important for us. Anytime you score before halftime and get the ball to start the second half which we didn't do much with. That was a big score.
On building a young team's confidence...
Our confidence is week-to-week. We gain our confidence from practice. Every week is a different game plan. What we did against the Giants last week was very different than what we did tonight. We have an extra day to prepare for Kansas City and we will take advantage of that because we have some guys banged up. You win and you move on. We are happy we won, but we have a lot of football left.
On capitalizing on lineup mistakes...
That was important. We took advantage of some opportunities there. We went fast and made some pretty easy plays with the Jets not being lined up. Sometimes they got us if we were going fast because they weren't all lined up and there were no blocking assignments. You are just trying to get an edge and take advantage of them. We did a pretty good job of that.
On the inaccuracy of the passing game...
It was just indecision. Sometimes the football is just starting to be released than you just don't put everything on it. You have to try and eliminate those.
On the sense of urgency to win this game...
Losing two games straight, you have 14 days of just feeling crappy. Every day at practice is harder. It's hard to build on losses. You are just trying to regroup. It feels really good to win this one. We had two really tough losses and then to come here and play a little bit better (was great). We have to play better next week. The good teams keep getting better this time of year. That's what we need to do.
ROB GRONKOWSKI, TIGHT END
On getting matched-up against Darrelle Revis at times...
He's a great player and it's a great challenge going up against Revis. I just basically have to run my route how I have to run my route, how the coaches and how Tom (Brady) teach me how to run my routes in practice. Whoever it is, that's how you have to do it, just run your route correctly.
On his chemistry with Tom Brady in the no-huddle offense...
He just hits the open man. That's who he looks for. A lot of receivers are getting open, Aaron (Hernandez) is getting open, the running backs are getting open. He just hits the open man and whoever he is looking for. He's doing a great job.
On if he thinks his size plays a factor in being a favorite target for Brady...
There are a lot of guys that are main targets for him. Everyone is playing great. You never know who can be the main target that game. You never know what the coverage is going to be. You just have to be prepared for every game, every coverage and go out there ready.
ANDRE CARTER, DEFENSIVE END
On his 4.5 sack performance...
I tell everyone, I thank God for my performance. I also thank my family for constantly driving me, and the men that I play with. It's a great honor to play for such a great franchise.
On the improvement of the defense...
It all boiled down to communication among the defensive line and the secondary. There were games where we were consistent for three quarters but not in the last quarter. This game was a great opportunity to put together a full game.
On how he defines the Patriots ...
We are a team that goes out and finds a way to win. It was frustrating to lose two close games back to back. We had to look in the mirror and say to ourselves, "what will be our defining moment?" We just had to go out and play the game we are capable of playing.
On if he knew he broke the franchise record for sacks in a game...
Someone did tell me. I tell everyone, God is great. This is a game I will always remember and I'm still shocked. Regardless, I'm just happy we won. That is the most important thing.
ROB NINKOVICH, LINEBACKER
On their preparation this week...
It was a huge week for us. We knew that this was for the division and that this is a hard place to play. We knew that it would be a hard game and that the Jets always come with their best stuff. We had to prepare for everything.
On his first interception...
I was just dropping back in coverage, I think the receiver missed it, (Jerod) Mayo tipped it, and it came my way. It was one of those lucky tips, the ball came right to me.
On his second interception...
That was a nice one. I will be interested to see that one on tape. It was the icing on the cake.
On the performance of the defense...
Our defense has been up and down from week to week, and hasn't been where we want it to be. It is a work in progress. The two previous losses were tough, and we had to bounce back. We knew this week was a huge week for our defense.
On the defense playing with new players...
This was a great team win. When guys get hurt, somebody has to step in to whatever role they are asked to fill. Guys were injured and other players came in and did their job.
On Andre Carter's performance...
Andre had a great game. He is a great player and competitor. He has a great motor and is a great guy to look up too. I'm happy that he's a Patriot.
On if it will be difficult to focus on the Kansas City Chiefs...
It will not be hard at all. We have to move on from this game. Every NFL team has great players so you have to respect everyone. Because we don't play the (Chiefs) often we don't know what they will do or their personnel. We really have to do our homework and learn their scheme.
VINCE WILFORK, NOSE TACKLE
On the pressure on the edge...
We basically said let's get back to basics this week. Everyone just looked themselves in the mirror and seeing what they can do better for this football team. Individually we had to raise our level of play. It wasn't a magic wand we had to pull out. It was being able to execute. I'm not saying guys weren't doing what they were supposed to, but being able to do some more stuff. Extra film, extra conditioning; whatever it may be. I think a lot of guys took it upon themselves to do that and it showed tonight. It's a great team win on the road, after losing two in a row, one at home. It was a big stage tonight and I think we stepped up to the occasion.
On the perception changing week to week...
Absolutely. That's why we don't pay it much attention. All along I've always said we know who we have in this locker room. From the players to the coaches, we know what type of team we can be. We just need to work at it. It's a work in progress, so each week is different. Sometimes you have good weeks, and sometimes you have bad weeks. That's what we're going to do. We're going to keep working no matter what anyone says. We have to block all that out and focus on what we can do. That's practicing better, preparing better, and communicating better. It's the little things that lead to big things. That's what we have to do better. It'll be the same this week. Things won't change.
On the interceptions...
There was so much that we put into this week, jamming the receivers and tight ends and being able to take away some reads. I think Ninkovich stepped up big for us. He was there, that was his job and he knew where he had to be. He read Sanchez, and that's just good situational football. I think we did that a lot tonight. I know a lot of people thought at halftime what type of game it was. Playing the Jets is always tough. We were lucky to get the points we got when we did. We had to force them into some bad situations and capitalize on them, which we did. When we can do things like that, this team is moving in the right direction. We just have to continue to work on that stuff. You have to be able to win games in November and December if you want to be a good football team. That's what we're trying to do.
On if win is a confidence builder...
It's a great win. We had a lot of guys roll in. Whether from injury or playing certain guys in certain situations. Bill (Belichick) challenged us last week. He said there's going to be some moving parts. Guys playing certain positions, playing a lot of football. Roles are going to be changing. You have to be ready to rock and roll. It showed tonight. Those guys stepped in and did a great job. This is a young football team but at the same time they work hard. You can't ask for anything better than hard work. Bill is tough, he runs a tight sled. We all rallied around one another. We didn't back away from anything. We've gotten better. We took his challenge and it showed tonight.
On Belichick...
It's always exciting to come to New York. We were on the road, division game in New York, Sunday night football. It was a big win. The way things were going with a three way in the division. We had an opportunity to do something about that tonight. I think Bill knew, but we put so much into this week. We worked our tails off. It was all the little things and guys took the time to handle that. When you have all this stuff come together as one and you can win a football game with your three big parts, offense, defense and special teams. Your coaches have to be proud of that. Not only Bill, but the whole coaching staff. They are proud of us, and we're proud of them. They put us in the right situation. They gave us the game plan, we took it in stride, we made the preparation and we executed today. It's a great win to come here on the road after dropping two games in a row. Our backs were against the wall and this just shows you what type of team we have.
