**Q: Did you have any idea the game would come down to the final play?
TB:** It looked like early on that we would have our way with them and then in the third quarter, we had the big pick and then Strickland intercepted that ball and the next thing you know, it's a dogfight. They're explosive on offense and when you make mistakes like we were making in the second half, offensively we really gave those guys a chance to get back into it. We did a good job scoring when we needed to and then our defense, once again, just took to the task. That goal line stand was unbelievable.
**Q: Did you know you started 11-for-11 (actually 12-for-12)?
TB:** Is that what it was? We had it going early and it should have kept going. Like I said, it was just a few plays here and there really got them back in the game. Normally we're slow starters and good finishers and today we were fast starters and slow finishers. So we're still waiting for one of those four-quarter games.
**Q: You were throwing with the lead late in the game…
TB:** We were being aggressive. We threw a fade on the first play and got the holding call and then we had some opportunities to make some plays throwing it, we just didn't get it done. In hindsight, you'd always like to do otherwise, but we were moving the ball all day throwing it and they were loading up on the run. We felt like we could take advantage of some of those passing opportunities.
**Q: Talk about this win and what it means to come in here and beat this team and be 10-2 and answer challenge after challenge.
TB:** Them being 9-2 and playing at home, I think we came in and started off real well. Like I said, we really kept them in the game with our mistakes. I wish it wouldn't have been that close. But when you play a good team … coach Belichick came up to us when it was 31-31 and said, "what would you guys expect playing these guys? It's a tie ballgame in the fourth quarter." Sometimes that's all you can ask for. We went out and scored a touchdown and once again the defense held.
**Q: You'd rather have a big lead but at 31-31, you're thinking, "here we go again."
TB:** Yeah, 31-31 you're saying, "0-0. Let's go out there and do just what we did to start the game." Their emotions were high at that point. Their fans were into it. You couldn't hear a thing out there and the defense was playing at a faster speed. Overall, I think it's a great win. Anytime you beat a team that's 9-2 on the road late in the year, that's pretty good.
**Q: Could you feel the momentum shift?
TB:** Yeah. [Heck] yeah. I think after the second interception, you could really feel it switch. The crowd was into it after that second interception and then they score on the next play. At that point, you say, "here we go." We don't want to do that. We're never trying to leave teams in the game like that, we just have to be sharper at those more critical times and usually we are. Usually we're very sharp at those critical times, but today we weren't.
**Q: In the first half you threw it as well as I've ever seen you throw it. Every ball was on the numbers; the timing was perfect. Then you throw a couple picks in the second half and look almost like a different guy.
TB:** I think the first pick I threw the ball really quick and Bethel wasn't expecting it and when he turned to look it was behind him. I think those happen. I'm throwing to a spot. The second one, they try to undercut those types of routes and when I threw it, the guy turned and undercut it. So those types of things, as a quarterback when you throw it, they happen. We weren't as sharp as we wanted to be in the second half.
**Q: ???
TB:** Yeah, we were and it should have kept going in the second half. We'll look at the film and I'll probably have a better explanation for you on Wednesday. It was going good. And they made some adjustments. They played some routes a little bit better. But we still had it going.
**Q: Could you talk about how Bethel Johnson gave you the short field to work in?
TB:** That was a huge play. That shows you the kind of speed he has. To run that kick back before halftime was unbelievable and then to do that again when it was 31-31, that really changed the whole tempo of the game. Then on the third down play, we score the touchdown and at that point, we have some momentum again. The defense came up with the big stop. They got the fumble and kicked a field goal. And then it was a dogfight. Those were big plays, but you need big plays like that on the road, especially when you're playing an explosive team like that.
**Q: ????
TB:** I think we realized at 2-2 with all the injuries we had and the type of games we had lost -- we lost to Washington and didn't play well at all and lost to Buffalo and just got manhandled – but the team just rallied around the older guys. The coaching believed that we had a good team and they believed the schemes they had were going to work and we just needed to do them better. And we have. Over the course of these eight games, these haven't been pretty wins and we're not just blowing them out, but we're finding ways to win and I still feel like we're getting better out there. I feel like the first half today offensively was as good as we've been all year. The second half wasn't. What do we do? We evaluate why they were good and why they were bad and try to get them better. We also had injured guys coming back. The team is starting to get healthy and starting to play with a lot of confidence. We have three of our last four at home. Miami next week is, I guess for the division, so we'd love to go out and win that one.
**Q: Usually as offensive, you're making plays at the end to win. How different is it to see the defense do it?
TB:** It's tough, especially the things we did to the defense. We gave them two short fields, three short fields on those turnovers and it seemed like they were out there for a while. That's a tough offense to keep stopping. Was it first-and-goal on the 2? It was almost like I was looking at guys and saying, "I can't believe we let this one get away." Then obviously on third-and-one, you figured they would try to throw it because there was only 18 seconds left. Had they run it, they probably wouldn't have gotten another play off. So they threw it, then it's fourth-and-one for the game. They're trying to run up there into Ted Washington and Willie McGinest and Richard Seymour. That's tough sledding. It's just unbelievable what those guys do.
**Q: Of the late-game wins, which one was the most improbable?
TB:** I hate to put rankings on them. They're all big and each week they seem like they're bigger. Because as the season goes along, the more you win, the bigger they get. It was pretty awesome to win this one. Being 9-2 and playing these guys to get to 10-2 … it's just a huge effort to win this game.
**Q: Next week, we can expect a wild finish?
TB:** If you're a fan of ours, I think you'd have a heart attack by now. Anyone with high blood pressure probably shouldn't be watching our games.
**Q: Was Willie McGinest really hurt?
TB:** Mac is a soldier out there. He's been doing that eight years now? Ten. He looks like eight. He looks so young.
