QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY
Q: We have two quarterbacks wearing No. 12 in this game. Looking back, how did 12 become your number?
TB: Oh, for me? It wasn't really my choice. I was 10 in college and when I got here, Lee Johnson was 10. So whatever number was on my locker - which was 12 - that was the one that Don Brocher gave me. I wore that my first year and then we released Lee and I thought about going back to 10, but I just stuck with 12.
Q: The number 12 has an unbelievable legacy in the league with Hall of Famers wearing it. Jim Kelly, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw. What does the legacy of the number mean to you?
TB: I haven't thought about that much. But yes, there's a lot of great quarterbacks who have worn it and it's kind of a pretty typical quarterback number. But it's worked pretty well for me. I'm glad they gave me that when I first got here and it's had a lot of good games in it, a lot of great wins.
Q: Have you talked to Aaron Rodgers at all this week? Your relationship is pretty well-documented. Some people call it a "bromance".
TB: Oh really? I don't call it that.
Q: What do you call it?
TB: Call what? My relationship with him? We know each other. We're friends.
Q: Have you reached out this week?
TB: No, no we haven't.
Q: Do you ever in your mind wish you could give up some of your arm for Aaron Rodgers' legs?
TB: No. I don't think about giving my arms up.
Q: Would you like to have his mobility?
TB: I'd love to move as best as I possibly can. But God gave me this body and trying to use it the best I can to help us win.
Q: Can you just take us through what it's like to be in the two-minute drill at the end of the game when you're dealing with the clock, you're dealing with various situations that are evolving quickly - what is the key for you in those situations to be at your best?
TB: I think just understanding the whole concept of what we're trying to get accomplished. So every situation's a little bit different. Sometimes you need a field goal, sometimes you need a touchdown, sometimes you need at least a field goal and then you've got a chance to go for the touchdown. You've got timeouts, you don't have timeouts. You've got weather, you don't have weather. You've got another great player on the other side of the ball so maybe you have a chance to score but you don't want to go too quick. So I just think it's - depending on the situation, there's so many things that kind of go into your mind and we talk about them as a team with our coaches and figure out a good strategy and then call the game as it unfolds. It's just part of a lot of experience and especially being in the same place with the same coaches. It's a lot of repetitiveness that we're trying to get accomplished.
Q: Everyone is talking about this being a matchup between the best two quarterbacks in the league. How do you approach a game like that?
TB: Like every other week. I try to put everything into it. We need it. This is a great team. You're right, they have a great quarterback and it's just a great test. They've been a great team for a long time, very well-coached team that executes really well under pressure. They play well at home, they play well on the road. We just can't have anything less than our best. So a lot of things go into it - turnovers, penalties, how we do in the red area, third down. Ultimately we've got to figure out how to score more points than them.
Q: What worries you most about Aaron Rodgers?
TB: He's a great player and I think he's going to play his best. He always does. He plays pretty great every week. We've faced other great quarterbacks this year. Our defense has had some pretty tough challenges. I have my own going against that defense, really well-coached, they've got a lot of scheme, they've got a lot of talented players, very versatile players on defense. That's where my attention's focused and I'll let our defense really focus on how to stop their offense.
Q: What is your view of the inability to connect consistently with Rob Gronkowski over the last five or six weeks?
TB: I don't know. I don't think we've played our best offensively over the last eight games. So I'd say we've got to all figure out - whether it's me and Rob, or me and Josh [Gordon], or me and Jules [Julian Edelman] or everyone, I think we're just trying to work at it every week. But we're 6-2. I think we realize our best football is ahead of us if we work hard at it and that's what our goal is.
Q: What stood out most to you about the Packers defense? Obviously, Mike Daniels is good up front but also Clay Matthews as a pass-rusher and they've got their two inside linebackers.
TB: Yes, I think it's just that. They've got a good front, the linebackers are very athletic and [Blake] Martinez is very solid in everything they ask him to do. And again, they have a lot of cover guys. I think with [Mike] Pettine's scheme, they can do a lot of different things. They've got guys that can cover, they've got guys that can rush, they've got a lot of guys that cover-rush and then those other guys drop. They need to be very versatile. We played against this type of scheme a lot of times but it's challenging. You see a lot of looks, you prepare for a lot of different things, but they'll probably have some new wrinkles in there this week that we've got to just adjust on the fly. I think a lot of it is just following our rules, being instinctive when we get out there and then just reacting to what we see.
Q: Was it an adjustment this week with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix being traded?
TB: Definitely. I think we have to kind of see how some things go. But we've studied every DB on their roster. We know what they can do, what they do well. Those things can change, for example, in the first drive of the game, someone goes out and they adjust. We talk about starters, back-ups, different rotations that they could have. In the end, whoever's back there is going to be well-coached, they're going to play their scheme well and they'll have confidence in whoever's out there.
Q: You're three yards away from 1,000 career rushing yards. Are there any running plays you've made that you're particularly proud of?
TB: Wow. I had a good dive over the top against the Ravens when we beat them and Ray Lewis put his helmet right in the middle of my back. That was probably the one I remember the most, because it probably hurt the most. I've kind of inched along there for a long time. It really hasn't been a part of my game. But I'm getting close. I've been at it for a long time. Hopefully we can get it this week. Hopefully we can get more than that.
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.
