(on any updated news, particularly about the quarterbacks) "There is nothing really new there (in regards to naming the starting quarterback). Coaches will be flying in this afternoon. They are leaving Boston around 1:00 p.m. so they should be here later this afternoon. We will then try to pull the game plan together and start the scouting report tonight and then a regular day tomorrow. We're just trying to get ready for the best team in the NFL."

(on Anthony Pleasant) "I keep telling Anthony, and you might want to remind him, that most of his success has been when he's with me. He's gone some other places and gotten hurt and then not had quite as much production. I remember my first year in Cleveland when Anthony walked into my office and said 'I know I'm not your kind of player, but I want to play for you. Tell me what I have to do.' So we talked about two-gapping and improving his strength and his hands and his technique. There is no defensive lineman that I've ever had that I feel is more like my kind of player than Anthony Pleasant. He's learned how to two-gap. He's learned how to use his hands. He's learned how to be a good leverage pass rusher. He plays hard and he plays with a lot of heart. He makes very few errors. I'm really proud to have him on my team."

(on what advice you could give kids about pro football) "Get a real good education, do well in school and then have fun playing football."

(on Antowain Smith's contributions in the Championship Game) "I thought he had a good strong game, particularly at the end. We were looking to throw it a little more maybe then run it at the beginning of the game. Then when we had a little lead and got to the second half we were counting on Antowain for some runs and he came through with a couple of big ones, especially that last one."

(on being labeled as the "under dog") "Being called the under dog is for the fans and everybody else. What's really important is what our team thinks and what our players think and what's in their minds. I think our team feels it can play with whatever team we need to play with."

(on if the Patriots are a team of destiny) "We are a team that tries to prepare well each week, go out and play hard and we feel like we need to make enough plays to win. If we don't make them no one is going to make them for us and we're accountable out there for what happens. That's the way we approach the game. We don't think anyone else is going to do it for us."

(on the difference between two weeks and one week before the Super Bowl) "I've been in both of them. I think it's okay as long as it's the same for both teams it doesn't really matter to me. Whatever is best for the league and best for the game and best for you (the media)."

(on when he evolved as a head coach) "My first job as a head coach was in Cleveland in 1991 and that's been over 10 years. I've learned a lot in that time. I think I've learned something every year. I think I've learned something every week. A lot of things have been on the field. A lot of things have been off the field with the team and the coaching staffs, dealing with different situations."

(on the trend for teams to have bigger receivers) "The advantage to bigger receivers is to have a bigger target; it's easier for the quarterback to see, especially in the red area where you have jump balls and fade passes. Tackling is an issue and with some of the defensive backs who are more in the game for coverage than tackling will sometimes have trouble bringing down the bigger guys. There's an old saying in coaching that says 'a good big guy beats a good little guy.' I think with all things being equal, you would rather have the size than not have it. Sometimes a smaller guy can offset his size with his quickness or instinct or heart or intelligence. In the end, what you are looking for are good football players."

(on the idea of bringing some of his former Jets players with him to New England) "It's a little bit overstated in thinking that an objective when you take a job is to hurry up and bring as many players as you can from the place that you left. What I would say is that when you get into a new situation and you have a need on your team and you're considering two or three guys for that need, because of the familiarity and because the player knows your system, you have a tendency to go with the guy you know and who knows you. I think it happens more that way than 'Gee I want to try to get six guys from that team.' That's not really the thought process and I think a good example of that for us this year was Fred Coleman. We had some problems at receiver. A couple of guys got hurt and then Terry (Glenn)'s situation and we brought in three or four receivers. I can't sit here and tell you that Fred Coleman was better than all the other guys. But what we did know about Fred was that he was tough and dependable. Charley (Weiss), Scott Pioli and myself had seen him in practice for over a year and we had seen him in training camp and we knew what he could do, he knew our system, it was in the middle of the season and we felt like he could come in and probably contribute quicker than some of the other people we had. That's not to say that the other guys aren't going to be good football players or that they couldn't contribute some where else. But at that point in time, Fred was probably just a little bit better fit for us. It wasn't so much that he was an ex-Jet as it was that we were familiar with him."