Atlanta Falcons coaches and players comment about their upcoming game against the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football.
On playing the Patriots again...
"I recognize we're not facing any demons here this week. It's the 2017 version of us and them. We don't get to replay that one. How it ended, it was a bummer. We talked about it maybe once or twice during our time. But what I can say is when you get back in the regular season, man, you just go play for it and get all you can, as hard as you can, right into it, to be the best we can be. That's where we're at and that's where we're headed."
- Head Coach Dan Quinn
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"This week is about trying to find a way to get a win versus this New England team at week 7 in the NFL. We have to find a way to get the job done with the team we have right now."
- Quarterback Matt Ryan
On Tom Brady...
"He has never quit in him. Regardless of what the circumstance is, regardless of how many times you hit him he has never quit. You see a guy take a shot at his legs. Dirty things that other guys do. He stands back up and comes right back and throws it right back in the pocket. It doesn't matter who lines up with him - he's got great guys - but it doesn't matter who lines up and the consistency he plays with down in and down out. No matter who the opponent is it's nameless faces for him, like it is for us, but he's the best to ever do it."
- Defensive Coordinator Marquand Manuel
On Rob Gronkowski...
"What makes him great? I would say it's the size and catch radius. A play could be really positioning the ball in a spot where only he could catch it. He has such good hands to go and make that play. They can split him out wide and use him as a receiver to have that kind of a matchup, or he can be on the line to try play-action and be [used] that way. He's a pretty versatile guy. He can line up outside the formation and play like a receiver, and then play on the line like a tight end. When you have guys that can do both of those jobs, that's pretty unusual. Lots of times when you have a tight end that's split out, he's a fast guy who can't play on the line a lot. Oftentimes when you have a guy who is a big, strong blocker who can play on the line, you don't have the ability to move out. He's versatile enough to be both."
- Head Coach Dan Quinn
"The talent that he brings on the field. He's a threat within himself. They have threats all over the field, but you have to keep an eye on him at all times because he can make a big play and he's good in the run too."Â
- Safety Ricardo Allen
On the Patriots run game...
"It's for sure a big playbook. I do admire the way they feature the players in their different roles, and that includes at running back. It's not so uncommon that other teams don't do that as well in terms of how you feature a player. They're really equipped because of the versatility of their running backs and how they want to play. [Mike] Gillislee is somebody that's featured in a certain way different from [James] White at running back. Both of them are good in their own unique ways, and much like we feature [Taylor] Gabriel and Julio in different ways on our offense. Both are good, or Tevin and Free[man] at the same position to be more accurate."
- Head Coach Dan Quinn
On what Brandin Cooks brings to the Patriot offense...
"It's the flat-out speed, and the ability to have some shots down the field. I think when you go back and look at their [film], some of the explosive plays this year have been from some really deep shots to him. That part of the game [is] much like how we want to play where there are some guys that make you defend the whole field based on their speed. That opens up other throws and other things that are there. Not only is it his ability to catch the deep ball, but also to clear out so other options are there. [Phillip] Dorsett is another one who has that kind of speed on their team to be able to run the routes that are going to make you stretch the entire field."
- Head Coach Dan Quinn
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On the Patriots...
"Good teams get better as the year goes on. That's been the case for New England. Historically, they've been a team that gets better throughout the year. I'd expect that they would continue to improve as the year goes on, but I still think they've got a bunch of talented players and solid guys on the defensive end of the ball."
- Quarterback Matt Ryan
"Great team. They do a lot of different things well. Talented players. Obviously, Brady, it speaks for itself what he does. It's a great challenge, but we'll be ready"
- Cornerback Desmond Trufant
"It's a great challenge. We say that from the standpoint of the best to ever play the game. It's a lot that we've learned and we understand that it's a huge challenge from that standpoint."
- Defensive Coordinator Marquand Manuel
