PATRIOTS RUNNING BACK JAMES WHITE
Q: Bill Belichick mentioned that you often ask questions as if you were a coach. Can you expand on that a little bit? Where does that come from?
JW: I'm not sure. I guess from my parents. They're pretty detailed people. My dad is a police officer and my mom is a probation officer, so they're very detail-oriented and I think that kind of got instilled in me, just trying to get all of the finer points. Maybe that's where it comes from.
Q: Could you see yourself becoming a coach someday?
JW: Possibly. Yeah, I feel like I could do it. I mean it just depends how I feel once my career is over with, but I feel like it would be cool to kind of pass down my knowledge to the younger generation.
Q: How do you handle your workload? It seems like the more players you lose on offense, the option seems to be to get you the ball more to make up for it.
JW: I mean it's just taking care of your body and going out there and executing, getting the job done whether it's more touches or not. I just want to make the most of the opportunities that I get and just have fun out there and play to the best of my abilities. That's all it is. It doesn't matter whether it's 10 touches, one touch, 20 touches. It doesn't really matter. Just go out there and play hard and do whatever I can to help this team and take care of my body to make sure I'm available.
Q: Do you feel like more of a receiver given all of the catches you have this year?
JW: It doesn't matter to me. I still consider myself a running back, so whether I catch more passes than I rush, I still consider myself a running back. I feel confident in my abilities to run the football. I mean, week to week it may be different. I may run the ball more one week. I may catch it more one week. It just depends how a defense is going to match up against us. That's how it is for everybody on our offense.
Q: How has it been to work with Kenjon Barner and Kenneth Farrow?
JW: They're good guys. They're working hard, trying to learn as much as possible. It can be a lot thrown at you pretty fast, but they're willing to work, ask the questions and they try to go out there and perform on the practice field. You can tell it's showing up for Kenjon in the game. He's running hard, doing everything he needs to do.
Q: What would you attribute your success as a player in the red zone to?
JW: Good play-calling. I just try and pay attention to the details. Coach [Josh] McDaniels does a great job of having us in the right place to beat whatever the defense is going to do against us, so I think everybody just tries to be on the same page and run the right route or pay attention to the right defense that they're playing and get the job done. I try to do my job and the results just happen I guess.
Q: You had a career high in carries last week. Do you feel any more sore following a game like that?
JW: No, I don't really feel any different. I feel just the same as if I would after any other game. Just take care of your body, do the extra treatment. Like I said, just make sure I'm available out there.
Q: What's the difference between getting the ball in space when you're catching the ball out of the backfield versus when you're running the ball between the tackles?
JW: Just knowing who those guys are blocking, knowing my run reads and just making the proper run read each and every time I touch the ball. It's not going to be an 80-yard touchdown every time you run the football. You've just got to take those 2 and 3-yard gains and then eventually you may pop one for 10 or 15. You've just got to be patient and trust those offensive linemen. They've been doing a great job for us. I don't think they get enough credit in the passing game and the run game. They're the reason we've been able to have a lot of success out there.
Q: Does the environment of playing a division game on the road in primetime make a difference in how you how have to get ready because of the crowd element?
JW: No, it doesn't make a difference how you have to get ready, but it's definitely going to be a hostile environment. It's always tough playing up there in Buffalo. I mean, those fans are going to be excited for a Monday Night Football game, and divisional games are always tough, no matter what those guys' record is. They're still a good football team. They're going to play you tough for four quarters. I mean, going to be a good environment, got to be ready to go from the get-go.
Q: We don't see you take many big hits, even when you run between the tackles. Is that a natural skill or instinct to be slippery and avoid those?
JW: I don't know. Yeah, that's kind of a tough question. I pick and choose my battles, I guess. You know when you have to put your shoulder down and get the extra yards and know when your journey's over, I guess. That's kind of how I see it.
Q: What's been your impression of Tremaine Edwards, the rookie linebacker? He's been out there every snap. That's pretty impressive for a rookie, right?
JW: Yeah, he's big, strong and he's fast. He ran like 4.4 at the combine, so I mean he flies around, you can tell he's very active on defense and definitely a guy you have to pay attention to. You can tell he's going to be pretty good for years to come.
Q: How hard is it to prepare for a guy like that who you haven't played before and only has a few games of film?
JW: Yeah, I mean, you've just got to study up on the film that we have. Like I said, he jumps out on the film. You can see every single play. The guy's running sideline to sideline making plenty of tackles. So, I mean, he's probably going to be like a bell cow for that defense for the next few years. So, definitely a guy you've got to pay attention to.
Q: Bill Belichick told us the other day that it is sometimes hard to figure out the right workload for a guy like you because they could have you out there for every snap if they wanted, but they also want to try to manage you. Is there anything you have to do personally to try to make sure that you're as fresh as can be for the long hall, versus expending too much and being a detriment to yourself?
JW: I mean, I'm ready for whatever they ask me to do – just go out there and practice hard, make sure I'm in shape, make sure I know what to do. I mean, whether it's one snap, 70 snaps, just make sure I'm in shape to do it – lift the weights, take care of my legs, arms, shoulders, everything. I think that's just all it is, just going out there and proving you can do it on the practice field, maybe doing extra conditioning, whatever. Just doing whatever it takes.
Q: Do you also take naps?
JW: Yeah, naps too. Those come in clutch.
Transcripts are provided by the Patriots media relations department as a courtesy to the media and are edited for readability. All press conferences are posted and archived in their entirety at patriots.com.
