Q: On a serious note, tell us about your role as a Patriots fan in the Adam Sandler movie.
RR: That is a very serious note. When you look at it, initially I went in there and only had one line but I dominated it so much that they gave me several lines. As far as you guys know, that's what happened. Nah, there's no telling how many lines they're going to show or anything like that but it was a lot of fun. They did have a billboard up there in the Boston area and I thought that could be trouble. Hopefully they took it down shortly thereafter, but it really was a lot of fun.
Q: Was it tough to play a Pats fan?
RR: It was a stretch. There's no doubt it was a stretch. [Laughs] No, it was good though. They had Red Sox stuff in there. They had Patriots stuff all over the place. They even had some Bruins stuff in there. Quite honestly, I'm not a big fan of any of those teams. [Laughs] No, it was good though.
Q: Did you consult anyone to do research to get into that character?
RR: Well yeah, I did extensive research on it and all that... No, I will say this: I studied my lines. I was just assuming that when you go and you do your lines and you're out of there in like 30 minutes. Wow, was that wrong. They did take after take after take after take And I had rehearsed my lines and then when Adam Sandler would improvise, I'd be like, 'Wait, aren't you supposed to say this?' But, it was a lot of fun. I actually did prepare, now. Especially the day before, I was studying those lines. I never wanted to mess up.
Q: Did you do it in a Boston accent?
RR: No, no chance. No chance of that. That'd be the worst. I did not overact, I don't think. That's the worst thing you can do.
Q: Did you draw your acting inspiration from watching Bill Belichick in Rescue Me?
RR: There were a lot of different guys I looked at. Maybe Jim Brown in The Dirty Dozen or something; I thought he was tremendous.
Q: Do you still have the Belichick bobble head?
RR: [Laughs] No, for some reason I think that thing dropped off... the thing got knocked over somehow and it broke into several pieces. No, I'm just kidding.
Q: Looking at the Patriots this week, can you put your finger on why they have struggled and yet here they are amongst the league leaders in offense?
RR: I think it's funny because we're saying that New England's struggling. I think they had 450 yards against us, 450 against the Giants or something like that. It's not like this team is struggling. It's just that they have turned the ball over a little bit. I think in the Pittsburgh game, Pittsburgh had controlled the clock so much that it was hard to get in a rhythm, obviously, because they weren't out there. This is one of the premier offenses in the league. I don't know how good Green Bay is. I haven't played them this year, but obviously New England's about as good as it gets, that we face.
Q: They may not be struggling moving the ball, but they are struggling at points.
RR: [Laughs] Yeah well, I hope that trend continues
Q: Do you tell your defense that this game is a chance for them to be more aggressive than usual and make plays that way?
RR: You're always trying to force turnovers. You study tape, you study how guys carry the football. But they do a tremendous job taking care of the football. I know [Tom] Brady's thrown some interceptions this year unlike last year when I think he broke an all-time record on pass attempts without an interception. They know how to protect the football. They study it like crazy, but so do we. If we think there's vulnerability in a player, we'll go at it. You look at Wes Welker's caught 100 balls already. He's the hardest guy to get a fumble from. The running back does a nice job protecting the football. I think he might lead the league in most attempts without a fumble. They do a tremendous job protecting the ball. Sometimes interceptions happen. It could be a tipped ball. It could be anything. Hopefully we're fortunate enough to get a couple.
Q: What has changed for your team since the last time you played the Patriots?
RR: I just think we got back to playing our style of football. We've been a team that plays good defense, good solid defense, solid special teams and [has] the ability to run the football. That's who we've been and that's who we are. I think we got back to those roots a little bit.
Q: How significant was it for your defense to succeed like you did last week on the road against a good quarterback? How big of a factor is that for you this week?
RR: Well, I think Buffalo is a good football team, there's no doubt about it, but we had a lot of confidence going into the game. Our defense is a little different than other peoples' defense and we feel good about it. We're multiple in what we do defensively. Sometimes we get the personnel and can give you some problems. That's how we approach the game and we executed our plan pretty good.
Q: Do you think your game plan for the playoff win over the Patriots last year set the blue print for how to beat this team?
RR: With Brady you can't run traditional coverages. You have to get to him. You have to get hits on Brady. You can't just let him sit back or he'll absolutely just carve you up. That's a priority for any team that's going up against the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. That's no great shock, but you definitely want to make him uncomfortable back there. If it's a seven-on-seven or it turns into what we call, 'Pass Skelly,' then you have no chance to beat him.
Q: The Jets are favored in this game. Does that change your approach and do you agree with that assessment?
RR: [Laughs] It's not going to change how we approach the game. We're trying to win. I don't care if we're favored or underdogs by 50 points. [It] makes no difference. We're trying to find a way to win the game and that's who we are. I really don't care, I'm not betting on the game, so I don't care what the spread is.
Q: How do you think Mark Sanchez has performed this year?
RR: Yeah, he's made a couple mistakes but a lot of people make mistakes. I like the way he bounces back. We had a great driven - I think the second longest drive in the NFL this year - and then we turned that ball over in the end zone. You have to give Buffalo a lot of credit. Kid made a nice play, [George] Wilson did, but still we have to do a great job protecting the football, especially against New England. You can't turn the ball over and expect to beat New England. But you still have to be aggressive and I think there's a fine line, but then number one thing is that you have to protect the football.
Q: I'm sure you were game planning for Albert Haynesworth. Were you surprised that they released him yesterday?
RR: Nah, to be honest with you, our concern was not Albert Haynesworth. Whether you believe it or not, they have a lot of big guys. Vince Wilfork is the bell count in that front. I'd say Andre Carter's a pickup they had. I think he's playing well. Getting [Jerod] Mayo back - he never played in our first game. He's a tremendous player. But Haynesworth wasn't like specifically we had to know where he was at. He's just a big guy. But they have a lot of good ones. Vince Wilfork's the guy. I think the Kyle Love kid is underrated and then they have the big kid from Boston College [Ron Brace] back, so I guess Haynesworth does have some good ability and things like that, but he wasn't a guy that we were absolutely concerned with.
Q: Why do you think the Patriots defense has been more successful in a man scheme as opposed to a zone scheme?
RR: The Pats defense? They play a lot of zone coverage. That's what I've been seeing on tape, so I don't know.
Q: The have added a few more man elements. I think they did that more against the Giants.
RR: Again, I think their defense is playing better. I think they're playing better on the run. That one drive, obviously, was a huge drive at the end of the game against the Giants, but I thought their defense was playing pretty good, whether it's man or zone.
Q: Can you give us your impressions on Rob Gronkowski? It seems almost as if he's overshadowing Wes Welker.
RR: I don't know about overshadowing Welker. The guy's phenomenal. He's breaking all kinds of records. If he stays on this pace, he'll break almost every record. But certainly Gronkowski is a guy that Brady has a great deal of confidence in. He's been fantastic. He uses his big body. He doesn't have to run by you, he uses that body and gets open. He's a big target. I also think he's a good blocker. He's a complete tight end. We're talking about Dan right, not Rob?
Q: Dan's not even here anymore.
RR: I know. I never realized that, I just threw his name out there.
Q: You can pick him up now.
RR: We will. We'll pick his brain.
Q: Do you feel like you threw the ball enough in Week 5 against the Patriots and do you plan to throw more this week against this secondary?
RR: I think the big thing is we'd like to not have seven three-and-outs. [That] will help us a little bit. We did in that game had seven three-and-outs. Obviously we're not going to beat anybody if we do that. I think of we're able to move the football consistently, we'll be able to run it more and throw it more. That certainly will be our plan.
Q: Brady had four picks last year and has 10 already this year. What do you think is contributing to that?
RR: That does surprise me because I thought he had five picks last year [Laughs]. Things like that happen. Sometimes maybe it's a tipped ball. Sometimes you think you have a read and you try to stick it in there and someone makes a great play. Certainly those things happen, but the streak he had last year I don't think can be duplicated. He was breaking record all over the place, but we'll see. I think you can do a lot worse than having Tom Brady as your quarterback. He's the best quarterback in the league now that Peyton Manning's not playing.
Q: Antrell Rolle gave Wes Welker fits last week before he came out of the game. He does have some vulnerability right?
RR: I don't know about that. Maybe we need to trade for Antrell Rolle. Welker I think can beat anybody in this league. He's one of the best receivers in the game. I'll take my corner on him, [Darrelle] Revis, because I clearly think he's the best in the league. But if Welker's not the best receivers in the league, he's certainly mentioned in the top two or three guys.
Q: What has Darrelle Revis been doing to have such a great year?
RR: He's been preparing like he always does and getting ready to go. The thing about this game is that is both teams are going to be ready. It's a big game and we're not saying any different. We know it's a big game and we also know that both teams will be ready.
