Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addresses the media during his postgame press conference at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, December 13, 2009.
Q: Can you talk about a subject that's near and dear to your heart - Wes Welker? By the way, congratulations.
TB: Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, he's a great player and it seems like whenever we've got to make a critical play in a game, he's the guy that's making the play. Those plays that he made there in the third quarter really sparked us. We had a couple good drives there. We didn't get the ball in the end zone on the first one, but the second one was a great drive and Wes was the key ingredient as he always seems to be.
Q: Are you amazed at how many hits he just keeps taking and getting back up?
TB: Yeah, he's a tough guy. For his stature, he's got the biggest heart on the team. More so than anything, that's what you need. He's just been such a big player for this offense since he's been here. He's consistent, reliable, durable. He's an explosive player. [He] catches the ball every time you throw it to him, so he's pretty awesome.
Q: Is comparing him to Troy Brown a fair comparison?
TB: Both are great in their own sense - very different styles. Troy was a big slot receiver that got open with his quickness, but also with his strength. Wes doesn't have the strength that Troy did; he's a little bit smaller. His quickness is second to none. They were both great players and big in this offense, especially with how much we try to get the ball into the slot.
Q: On the other side, Randy Moss had a difficult day - a pick going to him and then a fumble. I saw you talk to him. What are you saying to him now?
TB: Yeah, I mean, it's frustrating as a player when you're - you know, he was frustrated in himself and the situation and it's just something you've got to fight through. He keeps fighting through it and you have those days where it's not all great, but you keep lining up and you keep going up. You've just got to keep fighting. I think that's the message I always try to convey to everybody. I mean, if you're a quarterback, you throw picks, you throw bad balls. If you're a receiver, you drop balls. If you're a running back, you fumble balls. You know, it's just part of the process and it's about making the next one a good one and not making the next one another bad one because you're a little bit down in the dumps.
Q: How would you characterize the first half offensively? What was not happening?
TB: Well, we got stopped on a fourth and one. We had an interception. We had a fumble. I mean, that's going to kill any real semblance of a good performance. There's nothing about that that we were happy about. We had a good drive there to score some points. We had a good drive to start the fourth quarter. We just, like I said, didn't get it in the end zone. We had another good drive in the third quarter - a [96] yarder, so we can make the plays and move the ball. Ultimately, it comes down to getting the ball in the end zone. We've got to stay at it. We're kind of a grind-it-out team. That's what it looks like to me, so it's what we need here in the last quarter of the season.
Q: It's been an eventful week here. Can you just talk about how satisfying it was to get a win?
TB: Yeah, it's - not only for me, but for everybody. I mean, it was a great week for me, obviously, but to really top it off with a win... It seems like everything else is good, but when you lose games at work, it makes for a hard week. We've had two straight losses and I was really excited to come out and play this week and get a win, so it turned out to be a pretty great week.
Q: Benjamin Watson had a pretty good game. How big was he?
TB: He did great. He caught a [touchdown]. Everyone always asks me, 'Why don't you get the ball to Ben,' and when we do get it to him, he makes those plays. He's always been a consistent player for us and he was today. He caught some really good - that touchdown was a big play on third and five in the red area. I mean, that's what we've been talking about - those critical plays, you know. That's a four-point swing. Really, the way we played last week, that was a seven-point swing, so that was what we needed.
Q: The pass interference you picked up - when you see a linebacker on [Watson] is it almost automatic that that's a good matchup for you guys?
TB: Yeah, I mean, Ben's got good speed and he was able to get down the field on him. That ended up being a big play for us; That was a touchdown drive. He got up on that guy and turned the Jets on and forced the pass interference call. I don't know how many yards we gained on it, but [it was] a significant play in the game.
Q: Why was the running game so successful today?
TB: Well, we executed pretty well in it. The backs ran hard, the offensive line - you know, you never like to see unblocked guys in the hole, and I think our offensive line did a great job and we didn't get sacked today. It was a great performance from the offensive line. It's what we need to do when you have a day like this and it's raining the whole game and, you know, it's tough to really get the ball consistently in the passing game to throw it and catch it and execute it well, so the running came up big.
Q: It was a tough week here this week with some controversy. Can three hours on a Sunday change the tenor of the season that drastically from one week to the next?
TB: Sure. I mean, we've been a part of a lot of these games this year, like the Miami game, where we lose, but it's literally one play. I mean, you make one more play in that game and you win - or the Colts game or some of these games where there have been tight games. Well, there was the one play today - the touchdown to Ben - that ended up being the difference. A play like that that we've got to make, and we're certainly capable of making it. It's about going out and practicing and all being on the same page and communicating about it and being attentive and supportive of each other. I mean, that's what a team is all about, so as a leader on this team and as a quarterback and being here for a long time, I always try to convey that message. I'm proud of the way we fought today. It was a hard-fought win. It's a December win, and now it's on to the most important game of the year.
