Q: What's the difference between going to this Super Bowl compared to those in the past?
TB: I haven't thought much about that, you know. I think [I'm] just very grateful for the opportunity. It's a pretty cool thing for our team to be able to accomplish this. A lot of work goes into it. There are a lot of people that support us - our families, our friends, old coaches, old teammates - that'll all be excited a week from Sunday, so I want to go out there and represent everybody really well.
Q: During this season, when did you first think to yourself that this group has a chance to get to this point? Is there something that led you to believe that this group might be a little bit more special than other teams?
TB: Well I think every year is a little bit different. You have different circumstances and I think [we've] just done a good job taking advantage of our opportunities. This is a pretty tough, mentally and physically tough team that has proven itself over the course of a long season. We're playing against a great team. This team has beaten everybody. They're just a great football team - offensively, defensively, special teams - they're well-coached. This is a great football team we're playing so we're going to have to our best game of the year.
Q: Will any of the recent happenings surrounding you and the Patriots play into your motivation to win this game?
TB: I mean I'm motivated for my teammates. I said that after the game. I think they're all the motivation that I need. It takes a lot of work to get to this point and nothing that has happened in the past is going to help us win this game. What's going to help us win this game is going through that process that we talked about and being ready to go. That's enough motivation for me.
Q: Are you glad that you're able to take on questions such as that and avoid putting any of that pressure on your teammates?
TB: Well I'm a positive person so I just focus on all the positives. I don't get caught up in negativity and bashing other people. I'm very blessed. I get to do something I love to do, show up to work every day, play football in the National Football League and play for the Patriots. I grew up watching Joe Montana and Steve Young in the Bay Area during a great time. I've got great support from my family and great support from my friends and I love playing for this team. I'm very blessed and I try to keep a positive outlook and I try to influence people in a positive way. I try to be an encouraging person in other people's life and hopefully that wears off on my teammates. It's a tough game. There's a lot of challenges that you face and I think always [focusing] on what's positive has worked for me.
Q: Where would you and this team be without Coach Bill Belichick? Can you reflect on his importance as a motivator?
TB: We came in at the same time. It was our first year together. I wasn't drafted at the time obviously of that announcement but when they picked me I had to look on a map to see where the New England Patriots played because I had never been this far east. But it was a magical day in my life and I know for Patriot fans having Coach [Bill] Belichick come to this team was the best thing for this franchise. He has been a great coach, a great leader for our team along with Mr. [Robert] Kraft and Jonathan [Kraft]. It always starts at the top. We've had a good run. We've got to keep it going. This is an important week for us. It's a lot of practice the next couple days and then obviously with the start of Super Bowl week there's a lot of hoopla that goes into that. This is the biggest game of the year and it's our opportunity to be at our best and not let anything get in the way of what our goal is, because I've been a part of a few of these that we've lost and it has been pretty crappy to think about those memories, so hopefully we can make it a great outcome.
Q: How similar is this Atlanta defense from the one you faced in Super Bowl XLIX? How difficult is it when they have so many first and second-year players that you might not be familiar with?
TB: Yeah, well that has been the biggest thing - understanding how they play their scheme and then the strengths of their guys. They've got a lot of good players, a lot of youth, a lot of speed. [They're] very well-coached, very disciplined. I mean they're ahead by 20 points in so many of these games it's tough to really see 'got to have it-type defenses' but they play with enthusiasm, they play aggressive, [they're a] very tough, hard-nosed team. We're going to need to play really well in all phases of the game. You don't get to this point and [be] able to go out there and play an average game and expect to win. So it'll be great to be at our best.
Q: How can you sum up the best way to approach fast defenses like Atlanta's?
TB: It's tough because you don't really get that look in practice because you're going against your guys who are trying to figure out scheme stuff. I think these guys, they know what to do. They're focusing on what their job is. They know what their responsibilities are and they play hard. They create a lot of turnovers and when you give this offense the ball more times than they're supposed to get it they put touchdowns on the board. They've been getting them all year. It's going to be important - ball security is always important for our team. We talk about it every week. It's our number one goal. I think their number one goal is getting the ball off the opposing offense. So it's going to be a battle of who can possess it.
