**
On the New England Patriots...**
"They've had a lot of things happen to their football team, just like we have had a lot of things happen to our football team, and I think that they've done a tremendous job kind of reinventing as far as the run game. They've lost pass-catching tight ends and have incorporated some guys that are doing a really, really good job in the run game. They roll the whole stable of backs throughout the season. They've kind of settled in on LeGarrette Blount who's a really physical downhill runner."
-Head Coach John Fox
On Head Coach Bill Belichick...
"Coach Belichick is the best coach that I've ever competed against. I think it's safe to say he'll go down as the greatest NFL coach of all time. So, the teams that he has coached that I've competed against have always been well-coached, always been prepared, always played hard for 60 minutes. If I had to think of a couple of things that have stood out about the teams that he has coached – and you know I've played against him when he was a defensive coordinator with the [New York] Jets and then as the head coach at New England – those things jump out every single week. To me, that speaks to his coaching."
- Quarterback Peyton Manning
On the similarities between the Broncos and the Patriots...
"They've got great continuity in that organization. They've been very, very successful. We've got tremendous respect for their organization from the top down and I think that speaks for itself."
-Head Coach John Fox
**
On Tom Brady...*
"I think the one thing that jumps out about Tom is just his consistency. I feel like he's been a better player each year than he was the year before, and that, to me, speaks to his work ethic in the offseason, his refusal to be complacent or satisfied. He always feels like he can step his game up one level higher, which [in] some of the seasons he's had you say, 'How can you get better than that?' But I think he has done that. The conversations that I've had with him, I can tell that's something that's always a goal and a focus of his every offseason – targeting something that he wants to work on and improve. And he's done that, and that's a real credit to him. That's just one thing. There are many, many well-deserved accolades and adjectives to describe the way he's played quarterback and the way he's competed, but [consistency is] one that's really impressive to me."
*- Quarterback Peyton Manning
"Brady has always been tough against us. I don't know how many times we've beaten him, but not a lot. He is one of the better quarterbacks to play the last 15 years. It's going to be one of those challenges (where) we've definitely got to bring our 'A' game. We know they're going to be ready, so it's going to be a war out there."
- Cornerback Champ Bailey
On comparing the way the Patriots use Edelman compared to how they used Broncos WR Wes Welker...
"I can't compare the two because Wes is—he's something special. He can jive up the ball and then speed out and have you off balance. Edelman, he doesn't do that. He's a one-speed guy. He doesn't have the same ability or the quickness that Wes has in the slot. I guess that is the main difference between them. But I don't know if they use him the same as they used Wes because they're totally different players."
- Safety Mike Adams
On Patriots Running Backs...
"That's what it's about in the playoffs—just running the ball and playing solid defense. Whichever team can stop the run and whichever team can run the ball will win the game."
- DT Terrance Knighton
**
On how the Patriots' passing game has worked without the tight ends...*
"It's a little bit different. They've got [WR Julian] Edelman, [WR Danny] Amendola and [RB Shane] Vereen that are kind of their top-three pass catchers. They do a terrific job of moving them around, making you adjust to where they are. They've pretty much had the same passing attack for some time now and they're very, very good at it. Of course, when you've got a guy like [Patriots QB Tom Brady] pulling the trigger, he makes it pretty special."
*-Head Coach John Fox
On the youth of the Patriots defense...
"Bill [Belichick] and their personnel staff obviously have done a good job of scouting. They've got tremendous athleticism. I think youth—it's a young man's game. And it stays that way. They've gotten better. They've gotten game reps that ultimately those are experiences. They've gotten better. They've improved a lot over the season that I've seen. They've got a lot of currency as far as draft picks and those types of things in those players. And they're developing every week."
-Head Coach John Fox
On the Broncos playing at home...
"We like playing at home because our fans have been outstanding all season. I think anybody prefers to play at home and like I said, with their home fans. But this has been an excellent team—at home and on the road—that we're playing. We need to do our job on the football field from an executing standpoint and count on that. At the same time we know our fans will be loud and excited. We're certainly glad to be playing here."
- Quarterback Peyton Manning
On getting pressure on Brady...
"I think getting to Tom as many times as you can hit him and try to force and make turnovers—I think that rattles most quarterbacks. That's obviously our game plan. We want to hit him as much as possible and see if we can get to him. A guy like that doesn't get rattled too much, but if we can keep the ball out of his hand and keep pressure on him, I think it's in our benefit."
-Defensive End Shaun Phillips
