AFC Pregame – Champisonship Minutes
Q: It’s the AFC Championship but does it make it more exciting that you’re playing against the Patriots considering what hap- pened the first time you played them this season?
CR: “What happened in the regular season is what happened and we’re a much better team for that. We learned from those mistakes and we’re moving on and right now we watched one tape on them just kind of getting a good idea and just getting ready for the week.”
Q: They say you have to beat the best to be the best. What does that say about the confidence of this team that you can go into these hostile environments and pick up these big wins?
CR: “We just have to continue to keep winning in the playoffs. Stats and all the other stuff doesn’t matter. The only stat that matters is a ‘W’ or an ‘L’. So right now our main focus is to prepare the best way we know how, get the game plan and go into Foxboro and try to execute it to a tee and get the ‘W’.”
Q: In what ways did you grow from that first meeting with the Patriots?
CR: “Just doing the little things, not trying to do too much. Staying on top of the details. The fundamentals of tackling. Talking and com- munication as far as the coverages go. Getting pressure on the quarterback. All the little things that we preach and we teach all week, just doing the little things. That’s what we got away from and that’s what we jump back on.”
Q: What is it about this defensive line that has allowed you to be able to get pressure on the quarterback and be successful against the run game? Everything seems to be clicking right now.
CR: “That’s the whole point of playing every single week. We don’t want to be the best team Week 1 and then basically shut it down for the remainder of the season. We want to grow and get better week-in and week-out, and in doing so you’re going to take some tough losses, and you have to learn from them and bounce back. That shows you the resiliency of this team. That shows you the heart of this team. That shows you the character of this team. Those are the things that we continue to keep doing and we’re just playing at a high level right now because everybody’s fighting for one another. Getting the good details, and making tackles and making plays.”
Q: What’s the key to getting pressure on Tom Brady?
CR: “Never stop rushing, period.”
