PATRIOTS RUNNING BACK JAMES WHITE
Q: What's it going to be like seeing Dion Lewis this Sunday?
JW: It'll be cool to see my guy, get to talk to him after the game, before-hand. Just focused on trying to get a win, that's for sure.
Q: Does seeing all those guys make the game extra special?
JW: No, it's just another game on the schedule that we have to win. We have guys that we've played with on many teams across the league and that's just the way it is in the NFL and guys change teams. But you just catch up with them after the game.
Q: What makes this team so tough to score on?
JW: They're good on every level - on the defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary. They do what they do and they make plays. I think they're the number one team in the red zone. They make it tough on you, they make you drive the football, they make you work for it. So you've got to be able to string together drives and protect the football, for sure.
Q: What do you guys have to do better in the red zone besides punch it in?
JW: Just getting the right play, run the right routes or if we run it, everybody get their blocks, make the right reads. Just execution, I think that's pretty much it. Coach [Josh] McDaniels does a great job of drawing up a game plan, we've just got to go out there and make it happen.
Q: Is it unique to have so many guys that were on your team recently to be on the opposing sideline?
JW: Not necessarily. I'll give you the same answer to this - there's guys that we've played with on a bunch of different teams and like I said, you catch up with those guys after the game. It doesn't make the game any more unique than what it is.
Q: Specifically you spent a lot of time with Dion Lewis. What does he mean to you on and off the field?
JW: He's a guy that came in my second year and he jumped in and had an immediate impact. He's a good football player, he can catch, pass - not catch, pass - he can catch, run and block and he's a versatile player. He can create explosive plays.
Q: Can he throw it too, though?
JW: I mean, I don't know. I never really saw him throw.
Q: Have you ever been in a situation where you've been able to take advantage of knowing another player's tendencies? Is that a realistic thing at this level?
JW: Not necessarily. Things change, people change, players can change. I don't think you can necessarily take advantage just off previous years or what happened recently.
Q: We've heard a lot about how the Patriots offense isn't the easiest to pick up for receivers. Why do you think Josh Gordon's been so successful?
JW: He's just working hard at it. Taking all the coaching points, asking questions, maybe getting those extra routes on the side during defensive period. Just putting the work in and he's bought into the process and it really shows on game day. He's been improving each and every week
Q: Does it keep it interesting to come in each week and get the new game plan and new set of challenges?
JW: It's always interesting. Each team has their own defensive schemes and you have to draw up the best plays that work against what they're running. Like I said, Coach McDaniels does a great job of putting people in a position to succeed and we've just got to go out there and execute the plays.
Q: What did Dion Lewis mean to you off the field? Seems like he went through a lot to make it to the NFL.
JW: Yeah, I mean, he went through a lot in his beginning stages in the NFL, bounced from team to team, getting injured. Just the perseverance that he had to be where he's at today is pretty impressive. He's a guy who I still talk to all the time, all the running backs that were here, we still conversate. We're all really good friends.
Q: Do you feel that this team is getting better every week?
JW: That's what we're trying to do. I still don't think we've played our best football yet. We're still working, still trying to improve, especially as an offense. We can be better. We're still working, trying to improve. I think the coaches are staying on us and guys are staying on each other, holding each other accountable knowing that we haven't played our best football yet and we've got to keep working to do that.
Q: You guys have had a streak of primetime games. I know Devin McCourty said last week he enjoys the 1 o'clock games, too. Do you guys enjoy that sometime too, being out of the limelight, just in and out?
JW: Yeah, definitely enjoy the 1 o'clock games every now and then. But at the same time, you've just got to go out there and play football, no matter what's on the schedule - night, day, midnight, whatever it is.
Q: Is it fair to say you haven't put together a full 60-minute effort together on the road as a team? What needs to happen to put that kind of effort together?
JW: Starting fast and executing for four quarters. Don't have any lulls as an offense. You can start fast and then in the second, third quarter not do anything and then try and pick it back up in the fourth quarter. Just playing for a full sixty minutes, executing, good tempo. No negative plays. I think we're still working on that. I think we have that in us.
Q: It sounds like there's going to be a lot of Patriots fans down there. Does that make a difference once the game starts?
JW: Not necessarily. Still got to play football. This will be my first time playing in Nashville but I heard it can be pretty loud down there. It'll be a good atmosphere, two good football teams. We've got to be ready to go.
Q: You guys just played this team in the divisional round. They have a whole new coaching staff but a lot of the same players on defense. Does having that experience against them help you at all?
JW: It'll help me a little bit. But new coaching staff like you said. They've got new schemes and new coaching staff bringing their own wrinkle to their team. So you've got to study up on them this year. There's a lot of games that you can watch to get a feel for them.
Q: Does it at all motivate you that if you win this week to win eight in a row, that Bill Belichick will give you the whole week off?
JW: Good luck with that. No, we're just focused on this week and trying to get a win versus the Tennessee Titans. They're a good football team. It'll be a tough atmosphere so just prepare on this week.
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.
