Find out what Houston Texans coaches and players are saying about their upcoming Divisional Playoff game against the New England Patriots.
On the game...
"We have to play good, sound, fundamental football. They're the type of team that if you make too many mistakes, they're going to bury you. So we have to do a good job - not to be perfect - but we have to limit our mistakes regardless of defense, offense or special teams."
- Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien
"It's always a great feeling in any situation. Of course, you definitely want to play at home, but you go on the road to get a chance to play against the big dogs. It will be a great challenge for us. We definitely are looking forward to it."
- Texans Cornerback Kareem Jackson
On Tom Brady and the Patriots offense...
"It's a great opportunity going against in my opinion the greatest quarterback of all time. You got to be prepared, at your best because we already know that's what he's going to be at and he has great weapons around him."
- Texans Cornerback A.J. Bouye
"I just think the guy's the most poised quarterback in the NFL. Playing him, he doesn't get rattled at all most of the time. He just keeps staying calm, and that's what makes him so good. He just stays calm back there. Even when you do get the pressure, he steps up and makes the best pass. You got to get after him. We just have to go in there, execute our game plan and try to force him into some bad throws and some turnovers. Try to get away with a win."
- Texans Defensive End Jadeveon Clowney
"The biggest challenge is probably trying to get to him. They definitely do a great job of protecting him. Like you said, he's Tom Brady. He definitely will be one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. For us, it's all about going out there and executing the game plan. Coach (Romeo Crennel) will give us some great stuff to go out there and be successful with. For us, we just have to go out there and do what we do."
- Texans Cornerback Kareem Jackson
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On LeGarrette Blount...
"Blount is a just a very, very big guy, but he's got really good athleticism. He's very difficult to tackle. He never stops his legs. He's always churning for extra yards. You have to square him up in the hole. You're not going to be able to get him down with a glancing blow from the side you know and he's really been a productive player for them."
- Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien
On the Patriots running backs...
"The backfield that they have now is very, very, very explosive. They're very dynamic when they're all in there. With those backs, you can be attacked all different type of ways."Â
- Texans Nose Tackle Vince Wilfork
"You have guys like Dion Lewis and James White who you know are totally different than LeGarrette Blount. The way that they use them whether it's in the passing game or even in the running game you know it's a very, very difficult challenge for us and it's a difficult challenge for anybody that goes against them because of that group of guys. They're all very good at what they do."
- Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien
On playing the Patriots at Gillette Stadium...
"It's tough to beat them at home. We just have to do a great job of just doing our assignments. They are a great team at home. We just have to go out there, play fast and do what we have to do."
- Texans Running Back LaMar Miller
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On coming back to New England...
"Well, this one obviously means a lot more than the previous time we went up there. This time around, you lose, you go home. We all understand that. We know it's going to be a tough game going on the road in the playoffs against the hottest team in the NFL, against the greatest quarterback in the NFL – probably of all time. We have a really good football team we have to go face. We understand we have to play probably the best game of the season to actually be able to hang with them. We all understand that. Like I said, this is for a chance to move on in the playoffs, something for this organization that they haven't done here, to move on to be able to play in the AFC Championship if we can get there this week. So, we understand we have to put all the marbles we have in one basket and go up to Foxborough and play against a tough football team."
- Texans Nose Tackle Vince Wilfork
On the Texans being considered underdogs in this game...
"I think we saw the game between Alabama and Clemson where these so-called experts had Clemson as underdogs. In 2007, those experts had the New York Giants as underdogs and both of those teams went on to win the Super Bowl and the National Championship. So, it goes to show you what these experts know. One of the things is we don't pay attention to outside, what people have to say about us or how good or how bad we are. I think this team is a close-knit group. We play well together and we keep everything as a family. We approach every game the same, win or lose. We win as a team, we lose as a team. I don't think anything outside this building should have any impact on how we feel as a team for one another. At this level, you have to be a tight-knit group in crunch time in critical situations. We're in it right now. We're in the playoffs. We have a shot. We gave ourselves a shot, we gave ourselves a chance to play for the big dance. We're in that spot. It's going to have no bearing on how we'll go up there and how we feel because of what someone else said. We're going to go in and play our tails off."
- Texans Nose Tackle Vince Wilfork
