(on what concerns he has about the Texans' defense for this game)
"Well, they're very good in all phases, a very good situational football team. They have some great players in the secondary, a very experienced group of linebackers and a great defensive line, and one of the best defensive players in all football in (DE) J.J. Watt. We have our hands full. It's going to be a very tough game."

(on if this will be a different Texans team from the team they played in the regular season)
"Every game is totally different and this one is certainly different than the first game. I think there are some matchup things that you may look at, but at the same time, the Texans are going to have a few different things, we're going to have a few different things. It's just going to be a totally different game. You face that when you face division opponents; you play them twice a year, so every game ends up being a little bit different."

(on what impresses him about DE J.J. Watt)
"Yeah, he's an incredible player. He's had another great season. What he does in both the run game and the pass game – the passes defensed is an amazing statistic. You have to know where he's at on every single play because he's so disruptive with tackles for loss and his penetration of the backfield. He gets to the quarterback. He led the league in sacks. He's as good as anyone playing in the game and we know how challenging it is to play against him. We have our work cut out for us."

(on if the team is using brooms in practice again to simulate defenders getting their hands up and how it helps)
"Yeah, there's been some of that this week. Coach (Bill) Belichick always really challenges us in different ways. He finds strengths of the other team and then really tries to emphasize it with our team. That's been one of the things, and like I said, the passes defensed, and just to get into our mind that they're a very active group up front that defends a lot of passes, certainly, not only over the middle but in all parts of the field. There's no team better in the League at it than the Texans."

(on if the team has talked about the playoff loss to the New York Jets a few years ago)
"Not really. No, not within our team a lot. A lot of us were a part of that team. We talked about it at one point and kind of moved forward, and a lot of guys weren't a part of that team. No one has really brought it up."

(on if the playoff loss to the New York Jets resonates now that they're facing the Texans in the playoffs after beating them in the regular season)
"There's always a chance of losing every game you play. I think that's part of the competition: sometimes you play well and sometimes you don't. When you play well you usually win and when you play poorly, you usually lose, so I hope we play well this weekend."

(on the important of the pace of the Patriot's offense)
"I think there are a lot of different tempos used over the course of the season. We can go fast, we can go slow, there's two-minute type tempos, there's no-huddle versions. Whatever we do, we have to do effectively. I think that really is about execution in both the run game and the pass game. It doesn't do you very good if you go quickly or slowly if you're not executing, because then you're going to be off the field, and there's no better team than the Texans in time of possession. They led the League this year in time of possession. Last week against Cincy, it was almost two to one time of possession. That's a big strength for them and we have to make sure we stay on the field, especially on third down. But they're a very good situational team, so they get off the field on third down. They're very good in the red area; they're very good in short yardage and goal line situations. It's easier said than done. That's why we're practicing every day. We're trying to practice hard and get a lot of looks, and hopefully we can be prepared by Sunday."

(on having TE Rob Gronkowski back this week, the difference he can make)
"Well, he is a very good player. And the guys that are in there, like I said, it comes down to execution, not so many of the players that have been in there or not in there. I think the important thing is we go out and execute well. We've got a lot of good players on our roster and guys that we expect to play very well, so whether it's Rob or (TE) Aaron (Hernandez) or (WR) Deion (Branch) or (TE) Daniel Fells or Mike (TE Michael Hoomanawanui). All these guys have to play well in addition to (WR) Wes (Welker), Deion, all the running backs. It's really a team effort from us. So whoever is out there, we have to go out and execute well."

(on what stood out for him that the Texans did well against the Bengals)
"I think, like I said, the time of possession. The Bengals couldn't stay on the field. They were on the sidelines for 40 minutes of the game on offense. It's hard to score when you're not out there. That's what they do. They do a great job of getting you into third-down situations, especially third-and-longs. They're the best team in the league at third-and-long. They had more third-and-longs than any team we've played all year, so that tells you they're doing it all on first and second down, and that really shows to the strength of their whole defense."

(on how difficult of a challenge it is for QB Matt Schaub's second playoff start to be in Foxborough)
"I'm not sure. I don't want to speak for Matt, but I played games early in my career when I had no experience and we did pretty well. I think it's all a matter of how well you play. It always comes down to who is executing the best and not so much the experience. That's kind of how I feel."

(on what the Texans did well in defending WR Wes Welker when the teams played in the regular season)
"Well they have a very good secondary. (S) Glover Quin and (S) Danieal Manning and (CB) Kareem Jackson and (CB) Johnathan Joseph is as solid of a group as there is in the League. They challenge you. You've got to be able to make really good throws into tight coverage. We just wished we could have done a better job after the first time we played them, so hopefully our execution in that part of the game will be better."