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**Q: Were you surprised by the move?

TW:** Somewhat. That's just part of the business. It's done. I'm here. The Bears are in the past now.

**Q: I understand you had a conversation with Coach Belichick yesterday. Are you excited to be a Patriot?

TW:** When you get traded, you just swap teams. I'm excited to be here. This is a playoff team. Obviously, they won the Super Bowl. Being a 13-year veteran, I now have the opportunity to be with a team that can get back there.

**Q: Ted, how's your health?

TW:** It's great.

**Q: A hundred percent?

TW:** A hundred percent.

**Q: Will you play this weekend?

TW:** Yes, I will.

**Q: Obviously it's not hard for a veteran like yourself to make the adjustment. Can you just jump right in?

TW:** I've played in the 3-4 for most of my career, so just give me the playbook and I'll go over the plays and get the little kinks out and line back up in the two-gap position.

**Q: Do you have any thoughts about being reunited with Rosevelt Colvin?

TW:** I met briefly with Rosey. He's a great player. An up-and-coming player. It's going to be fun to work with him again. A lot of laughs and we know what to do on the field together.

**Q: What do you bring this team? What is your strong point?

TW:** Being a nose guard and making the Pro Bowl, leadership, a true veteran, and just to help out as much as I can.

**Q: You played in 119 straight games then got hurt last year and missed the rest of the season. Can you talk about whether you missed it and if so, how much?

TW:** Miss what?

**Q: The game.

TW:** I never miss the game. Just being out for the first time in my career, I'm eager to get back on the field in the regular season and to get back to where I was, in Pro Bowl form.

**Q: Your position isn't really a glory position. How tough is it there down in the trenches?

TW:** Somebody has to do it. When I went to Buffalo, that's where it started. I've adjusted to it. I laid off of it for a couple of years in Chicago, and now I'm back to it. It's not going to be a problem for me.

**Q: What's the most important thing to do at that position?

TW:** The most important thing is to really tie up a lot of guys in the middle. When you dominate and free up the linebackers, you just help those guys out. But, nobody wants to play that position. Trust me.

**Q: Why do you want to play the position.

TW:** I've been playing it. It's what I'm used to now.

**Q: Do you feel like with your veteran status, you can fulfill a leadership role in this locker room? Will that be necessary?

TW:** There are always teams looking for leadership amongst the guys that have been there and know what to do. I'm just going to try to fit in and do what I have to do to help this team get back to where they were.

**Q: Is it attractive to come to what is a very good defensive team and a coach who knows defense very well and you're in the position to just add to that?

TW:** Once again, it wasn't my decision. It was a trade. I packed my stuff up and headed out. I'm here. This defense is a great defense already. I'm just adding a little bit more to it.

**Q: When you find out something like that, is your initial reaction to balk at it a little bit? You had to uproot a few weeks before the start of the regular season.

TW:** I've never really been in this situation before, so I can't really answer that. It just caught me off guard. I didn't expect it, but I'm here now so I just have to deal with it and get adjusted and start playing.

**Q: You only have one year left on your contract.

TW:** Okay.

**Q: Is this a place where you'd like to stick around and play for a few more years?

TW:** Oh, most definitely. I'd like to stick around here, play in this stadium. I love the guys in there and most of them know me. It feels very at home.

**Q: What about in terms of playing time? Bill [Belichick] says it will be more on running plays …

TW:** I don't know. I don't know. Whatever he wants me to do, I'll do what I have to do just to help this team out. Whatever he wants, it doesn't matter. I can handle whatever. I've played in the past two preseason games in Chicago and had a game coming up Friday. It makes no difference.