Tom Brady Talks 4th Quarter Deja Vu
As supplied by the New England Patriots:
Q: How sweet was this win?
TB: It was great. It would have been a lot sweeter if we had done something there in the fourth quarter to help our defense. When we play these guys, we know it's going to come down to the end, as always. We started fast. I wish we would have executed a little better there in the second half. But any time you play these guys, you've got to play to the end and that's what it came down to.
Q: How important was it to get the ball out of there quickly with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis?
TB: It's always important. I think those guys are game-changing type players, so that's always a part of the thought process. They made some plays. Our guys did a great job of blocking them and that's what it takes against them.
Q: What was the difference in the fourth quarter?
TB: We couldn't convert a couple of third downs. That's what happened. We had a third down in the red area and we didn't convert and we had a third down on our sideline that I threw to Deion [Branch] that we couldn't convert and we had one at the end that we couldn't convert.
Q: Did they change any looks or anything defensively or coverage-wise?
TB: No. Nope.
Q: Did you have a feeling of déjà vu after what happened last year?
TB: We put ourselves in that situation at the end. I'm sitting on our sideline saying, 'We did it to ourselves.' If they kicked the field goal there…if they scored a touchdown, we've got to out there for a two-minute drive. If they kick the field goal, it's going to overtime. That's what I was thinking. You can't…you know, you just say, 'Well, this is the situation. Let's go out there and try to get it done.' But our defense came up with a big play. That was a great catch by James [Sanders]. It was unbelievable.
Q: You sometimes say that style points don't matter, but right now you seem a little frustrated that you guys weren't able to close it out yourselves.
TB: Sure. Yeah, certainly. In the fourth quarter, we had an opportunity to go up three touchdowns on them and we had a couple of third downs that I wish we would have converted. But you've got to give them credit. They were tough on those plays and they were tough on the route on Deion [Branch] there on the sideline. I was looking for a call, but didn't get it.
Q: There were a lot of good things in the game, but does it overshadow the effectiveness of the first half to finish the game that way?
TB: Yeah, and I think that's how we feel. Believe me, we're happy we won. You beat the Colts; you've got to be happy you won. But it also means we've got to do a better job there. There are games that we have closed out in the fourth quarter, but they have such an explosive offense, when we have the opportunity to end the game, it's what we've got to do.
Q: How have you seen the running game evolve as the season has gone on with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead taking on bigger roles?
TB: They've done a great job. Their vision…they're tough runners. The offensive line is doing a heck of a job blocking. They're getting a lot of opportunities because we're running the ball. It's just me dropping back and throwing it every time. That's certainly important. Especially in a game like this, you've got to be able to run the ball and we found ways to do it.
Q: How do you get ready with such a short week for the Lions?
TB: That's a good question. That's a good question. I've got film tonight, probably.
Q: Tonight?
TB: Yeah, we've got to get started. It's such a weird week, but we'll figure out a way to be prepared. By the time the game kicks off, we'll be ready to go.
