*(on the flight to Arizona)
*"The flight was great. It's always great to come to the Super Bowl. The guys are ready to go and it's up to us to have a good week of preparation and take care of business on Sunday."

(on if Tom Brady was limping on the flight)
"No."

*(on the fans' rally for the team before they left for Arizona)
*"Anytime that you leave, it's always great to have your fans be a part of it. They've done a great job of supporting us all year long and I told them that we would be thinking about them on Sunday as well. It's always great to have a great sendoff. I told them that I hope it's not the last time that we would see them this year."

*(on if he allows himself to think about the immortality of a 19-0 season)
*"We are taking it one game at a time. We understand what the Giants present and we are trying to win this one game and we'll let you guys decide our place in history."

*(on how he is feeling)
*"I think that I am definitely moving in the right direction. The last few years, football was very tough for me - not being healthy and not being able to go out and give the level of expectations that I had. Now, football is starting to become fun again. It's at the right time. I think you learn from all of the situations that you're in and now it's made me a better football player."

*(on if he was afraid and frustrated not playing)
*"I believe everything happens for a reason. Obviously missing the first eight games was disappointing, but you have to be 100 percent or you have to be healthy enough to get on the field and where you feel like you can contribute. And I wasn't that."

*(on how much respect he has for the Giants based on the way they played New England in Week 17)
*"We have a lot of respect for the Giants. They play the game the way the game is supposed to be played. They're tough and they have a lot of good players. They are well-coached in all three phases of the game - offense, defense and special teams. They do a great job and our work is cut out for us. We understand that they are leaning upon their leaders who have proven themselves in this league time and time again. It's a big challenge for us but it's Super Bowl 42 and the world will be watching. It's an exciting time to be a part of such a great sport."

*(on how excited he is to be here)
*"Don't tell Coach (Bill) Belichick, but I think mentally I was here a few days ago when we were back in the snow in Foxborough. It definitely feels good. We had a great flight over here and we're excited to fine-tune our game plan and we will be ready to go."

*(on playing to the whistle)
*"I play the game the way the game is supposed to be played. When the whistle blows, it's time out and time for you to stop. I play the game within the rules."

*(on if he thinks the offensive line has a monopoly on playing to the whistle)
*"I don't know. You might have to ask the offensive linemen."

*(on the Giants)
*"I picked them out of the NFC. I faced that team and I saw that they had talent on their side of the ball and they also play the game tough. I don't think they will sit back there and throw the ball all day. They will try to pound the ball and they can do a lot of different things. Any time that you are not turning the ball over offensively, you can rush the passer, you can run the football, if you play good on special teams - that is a recipe for success. They've proven that time and time again. It isn't surprising for me to see them in this position. We understand the team that we are facing - now we have to try to continue to try to get the edge throughout the week in terms of preparation is concerned. If you are facing a guy who is the same height, weight, size, ability … if he out-prepares you during the week - and we pride ourselves on knowing our opponents inside and out and being ready to go when the whistle blows - it's an exciting opportunity. We've been in several of these games before, but each one of them is different. We are cherishing this moment."

*(on enjoying the flight out to Arizona)
*"Like I said earlier, I wouldn't tell Coach (Bill) Belichick, but mentally we were here a few days ago. It's always great to come to the Super Bowl city and finally arrive. It's a different plane ride than we have experienced knowing that we didn't have a game so guys were a bit more relaxed and just a bit more chatty - just having a good time amongst our teammates because we've all worked so hard to get to the position and the point we are now. It's about finishing it, finishing the deal and closing it. We wrote the story and now it's about writing the end and closing the book. Our fans gave us a great farewell and it was the right sendoff. It was snowing and it was cold in Gillette Stadium. For us, that is what it is all about. I think anytime in life, when you have success, you want to share it with people. They have been definitely supportive of us all throughout the year and the ups and downs, not necessarily the wins and losses. We're excited."

*(on the weather in Arizona)
*"I said that it was snowing when we left and it was raining when we got here. Hopefully, it will be sunshine on Sunday."

*(on his own personal journey)
*"Personally, and it's much bigger than me, I went through a point in the beginning of the year where I didn't know whether I was going to play or not, or when I was going to play so there was a lot of indecision. There were some frustrating moments. I've probably been many headaches to my wife, but she listened to all of my stories. Taken from that standpoint and not knowing what I was going to do early on and it is a blessing to be able to start to play my best football now. As a defensive lineman, you need strength, power and explosion - and all of that in my game is starting to peak at the right time."

*(on when that started for him)
*"Toward the end of the season, I started to feel that I could really do the things that I was accustomed to doing and playing up to my expectations. The last two playoff games, I've set out some goals and I've been able to accomplish that as well. It's exciting to be able to not play the first seven or eight games of the season and now, being able to be on the stage like this to display your talent. That's definitely a blessing in my book."

*(on the key to the Patriots' defense in the red zone during the playoffs)
*"Obviously the attention to detail throughout the week - I think we do a great job in game-planning our opponents - that's been really key. From a players' standpoint, we've been just going out and executing and tackling on defense. Anytime you can tackle on defense and you know what the other team is doing, it puts you in the position to make plays. We've had some guys step up and our linebackers - everyone always talks about how old they are - but they continue to make plays for us."