Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addresses the media during his postgame press conference at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, October 4, 2009.
Q:Good win. You guys needed this, didn't you?
TB:We did and it was a good team. You've got to earn everything off them and there were some opportunities out there that we took advantage of and ones we didn't take advantage of, which was why it was pretty close at the end. But it was great to see the defense step it up like they did at the end. That was a big situation for them against a good offense, and they really stepped up and made the plays.
Q:You finally connected with Randy Moss for his first touchdown of the season.
TB:Yeah, it's about time. You know, we're finding our way out there and he's a huge part of this offense. And we need to keep finding ways to get him the ball down there because he's able to make those plays. We're just going to keep at it.
Q:How much of a difference is it to have Wes Welker out there?
TB:He's a great player. I've thrown him a lot of passes over the years and he's fighting his way back and made some great plays today for us. It was a great boost for the offense.
Q:Did you feel more in your rhythm today? Can you feel it each game?
TB:You know, I think offensively we're still doing...we're making some good plays and then are some things that we need to do better. I'm glad we got the win, but I'm sure there're plenty of things we need to improve on. We're just going to stay at it.
Q:How different of a feel does the game have when you're running the ball?
TB:Well, we have really good running backs. I think that's why you run the ball.
Q:I mean when you personally are running the ball.
TB:I don't care. I do the plays that are called. Whatever he calls, that's what I do, so if we've got to throw it, we throw it, like we've done the first couple games. We ran it a little more. Whatever it takes to get the job done. The job of the quarterback is to lead the team to the endzone and there're a lot of ways to do it. Sometimes you throw the ball 50 times a game. Sometimes you throw it 20 times a game. It's just a matter of how you feel matching up. When they do call the pass plays, I've got to be efficient with the ball and take care of the ball, and like I said, keep picking up those first downs and get the ball in the red area, put it in the endzone.
Q:Is that a sign of you being more confident?
TB:I don't think I've ever really lacked for confidence. I don't think that's...
Q:I mean in your knee.
TB:I don't think I've ever lacked for confidence in anything. I'm out there because I feel like I can help the team win and lead us and that's what I try to do every week.
Q:Do you feel like this was your sharpest game yet?
TB:You know, I don't know. We'll have to see the film. There were plays that I wish I had probably done different things on, there's no doubt about that. We made some good plays out there, but we had some opportunities to really put the game away and we didn't do that, which I'm a little frustrated by. But we've got a big opponent this weekend [Denver Broncos]. I don't know if they won or lost. They might play this afternoon. They're undefeated right now in Denver, so it's going to be a tough matchup for us.
Q:Are you sensitive to defenders' cries that quarterbacks get too many calls?
TB:Certainly not. No way (smiling). Are you kidding me? They've got to find ways...We're holding the ball, we're unprotected, just sitting there defenseless, so they've got to stay away from me. They deserve to get flagged (smiling).
Q:You pointed at your knee after one play. You seem to know the rule well. Are you going to encourage officials to make those calls?
TB:Of course. They can't go low. We learned that lesson a few years ago. They threw the flag. They threw a couple flags on our defense too, so it goes both ways out there.
Q:Were you making a statement with that fourth and goal? By taking it upon yourself, were you saying 'Hey, I'm going to get in the endzone'?
TB:No, no. It was just something that Billy [O'Brien] thought we could kind of sneak it. The call came in from the sideline and we had good blocking up front. I mean, head to head with Ray Lewis, I certainly wasn't thinking that going to bed last night that that was what I was looking forward to today, but it came up and we scored.
Q:You guys were much more successful in the red zone this week than the past weeks. What was the difference today?
TB:Well, we ran it in a few times. If teams are going to take away some of the passes and double cover our guys, we've got to find ways to run it in and we did. Those were big plays. That was the difference in the game. We got it in three times and they got it in twice, and that was the difference.
Q:Can you recall another time you took a crack at the endzone two times in a row with your feet?
TB:No. Hopefully never again either. We've got to do what we've got to do, but I'd rather hand it off to those guys.
Q:Did it feel more balanced in terms of running and passing and getting more people involved? Is this what you're looking for?
TB:Well, I think we have a lot of good football players - at the running back position, at the skill positions - so we've got to use everybody. It does no good to have all these good players and not use them, so I think we're finding ways to get guys involved in the offense and we're going to do whatever we need to do to move the ball. You've got to get the ball to the playmakers, and our running backs are playmakers for us and we'll see how it goes this year. I'm sure there are plenty of things we'll be changing over the next 12 weeks.
Q:Was it nice to have Wes Welker back out there?
TB:Yes. I said earlier, he's a great player. He's so smart out there and he's really been wanting to be out there the past couple weeks, so I know he was excited today. Hopefully we'll all go out this week and have a good week of practice and make some improvements, but to be 3-1, I'd love to get to 4-1.
