Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addresses the media during his postgame press conference at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, October 18, 2009.
Q: You're not supposed to be able to throw a football that well in these elements. It wasn't a problem?
TB: You know, some days out there when it's snowy like that, it's actually an advantage for the offense. Today was one of those days because we had good footing and it's just fun to be a part of it. I was saying, when you see the weather forecast on Thursday, you're kind of [angry] and then once the day of the game comes around, everyone is excited because you're out there and you're like, 'This is football. This is how it should be.'
Q: At the beginning of the week you mentioned those long plays that you haven't been able to get. And then tonight - was the wind not that big of a deal? How did you pull it off in this weather?
TB: It's important for the offense to hit those when they're there, and had we hit a few more of those in the last - last week, obviously, it would be a different story. We've got to make those plays when they're there, and they gave us a couple of opportunities today. Coach Belichick was on us pretty tough, being the only team to not hit a 40-yard pass play or have a 20-yard run all season, so hopefully we kept him quiet for a week or two.
Q: You guys have had a lot of great games here in the snow. You've got to say it's a home field advantage. Any particular reason?
TB: We practice in it every day. I mean, we haven't obviously practiced in the snow - this was pretty unexpected by all of us - but we don't go in the [Dana Farber Field House] too often, whether it's windy or it's cold or it's rainy or obviously snowy like this. There are certain ways you have to play the game and I think Arizona was the same way last year for us and we played very well. We're kind of a team in the Northeast - football conditions, you've got to go out and play in them and I think it's just a big benefit to practice in them, so it was fun to see the way we preformed out there. Hopefully that really helps us to go into next week.
Q: Were you seeing things better tonight than you had been or were you just throwing better?
TB: I just think the execution was better. We've had guys open, and it's the quarterback's job to throw the ball accurately and get the ball to the guys who are open. We did a better job of that today all around. The pass protection was great. That's a very good front seven that they have, and the offensive line kept them out of there. Guys were getting open in the secondary. Randy [Moss] - any time he has three touchdowns, you know that's a great game. Wes [Welker] had another great game, as he always does. It was just a better all-around effort. I think that's what we need.
Q: In the context of this season, you coming back, and everything that has happened so far, what does this game tell you about the offense and where you are at?
TB: Well, when we execute better, this is the outcome. Not every game are you going to win by this many points, but you're going to score touchdowns, you're going to get the ball in the red area, you're going to hit the big plays, you're going to change the field position with big plays. We had a lot of good runs out there too, so I think that just shows us that what we've done up to this point, the times that we go out and execute well, we're able to score points, we're able to keep the defense off the field. It's able to become a one-dimensional game because we're getting ahead of the teams, which forces the other team to throw more and that's what creates turnovers. It was a complimentary game for us. That team was 13-3 last year and they still have a lot of great players and I think we came out with a great effort. It was a great practice this week and I think we're going to need the same thing this week.
Q: Can you go back to the flea flicker and how you saw it develop?
TB: I don't remember the defense they were in, but Benny [BenJarvus Green-Ellis] kind of went through there and the guy was really far up field. He turned with Benny and Benny pitched it back and had great time on the throw. You can always tell when Randy's open, because he puts on another gear. I just threw it out there and he was wide open and he made a great catch, so it was a big play for us.
Q: When you were on the sideline in the second half and you looked up and saw almost a high school football score, were you surprised or shaking your head?
TB: You know, not really. You'd think we would have been like that, but we've won a lot of big games around here. We've played well on offense for a long time, and I don't think it really shakes anybody up when you go out there and do that. I think we were just excited that we finally played well and put together 60 minutes of football. I think we've had some good halves. We've had some good three quarters, but today we put together four pretty good quarters.
Q: Did you expect to go back in in the second half?
TB: Yeah.
Q: Were you told at halftime that you'd be going back in?
TB: Yeah.
Q: Were you surprised by that hit on the first play of the second half?
TB: No. I don't think he meant it. He said he got kind of pushed into me.
Q: What did you think of Sebastian Vollmer's play, in for Matt Light?
TB: He did a great job and he's really worked hard. He's very well coached. He's a smart kid. He's tough. You see how big he is out there, so he's got a lot of physical tools. His intelligence gets him in the right position, the right calls. He did a great job today. That's what the job of a backup tackle is - to go in and play great and that's a tough spot to be in at left tackle, especially with a guy like [Matt] Light who's been so dependable.
Q: Do you have to make any adjustments to the way you hold and throw the ball in weather like this, or is it just like normal?
TB: You've got to make a couple adjustments. I move my hand on the ball a little bit to just to try to control it a little better.
Q: Forward or backward?
TB: I move my hand up on the ball and you end up pushing a little more, but you can lose control of it pretty easy if you're not gripping it right.
Q: Did you personally need a game like this? Not necessarily five touchdowns in a quarter, but a game where you were hitting well?
TB: I think it was good for all of us, I really do. It was a great week of practice for us. I think every week we're learning something more about ourselves and what we need to do. There's no doubt a game like this can really give you a lot of confidence and we're a confident - we've always been a confident team. I think we've been a disappointed team at times this year, not performing the way that we expected to, whether it's not getting in the red area or not getting the third-and-one situation like against Buffalo, against the Jets. There have been some situations that come up and we've always tried to be a good situational team, a good bad weather team, really put a lot of pressure on the defense and today was a lot better
Q: Can you comment on heading to London next week?
TB: It should be a great experience for all of us. It's probably the only time in all of our careers that we'll do it. It's going to be a short week for us and we've got to go over there and play well and hopefully take some of the confidence that we gained from today and go over there and try to play in a different country and try to play well.
Q: Do you realize what you accomplished today? Five touchdown passes in one quarter.
TB: I didn't even - to tell you the truth, I didn't even know. I mean, I really didn't. I knew we were playing good - I knew that. We were kind of going up and down the field, and the two-minute drive, I always love getting the ball with two minutes, especially with no time left on the clock for the defense. So that's always the goal - to score and not give the opponent time to come back. It was good. We did a great job. Play calls were great. It was really a fun day to be out there.
