Patriots Celebrate Super Bowl XLIX Berth, But Know Work Is Far From Done
BOSTON (CBS) -- For the eighth time in franchise history, the New England Patriots are off to the Super Bowl.
While they know their work isn't done yet, with one more big game left on the schedule in two weeks, the players made sure to soak it all in Sunday night after their 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game.
"It's awesome; it's an unbelievable feeling going back to the Super Bowl," said tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is going back to the "Ship" for the second time in his career. "I know this team has worked hard all year, including myself – worked really hard and we've just been sticking together as a team throughout the whole year and we played a great game today, the defense played well, special teams, and offense. We played together as a team, no doubt."
"You know, 32 teams start at the same position. You start at the bottom and you kind of climb yourself up the ladder and being AFC champs, that says a lot," said nose tackle Vince Wilfork, who will be playing in his fourth Super Bowl in two weeks. "We put so much work this year, we grind, I mean there were times where things didn't go so well. There were times where we played great football. It's a rollercoaster. But just to see everything that we did up to this point, and to for it all come down to one game, the one game you all play for. Everybody plays for this game."
While some are returning to a familiar setting, others will be playing in the Super Bowl for the first time in their career. Darrelle Revis signed with the Patriots in the offseason for this very opportunity, and is ready to finally live out a dream.
"It's pretty awesome," said Revis. "There are rookies that are in the draft every year and get drafted to a great team. There are rookies that play their first year that go to the Super Bowl. There is one every year. Eight years later for me is very surreal. It's pretty awesome."
"It feels great," said linebacker Dont'a Hightower, also ready for his first taste of the Super Bowl. "There's no words that I can use to describe about how everybody feels in this locker room. You look around and people are posing with the trophy, everybody's smiling; even coach [Bill] Belichick is smiling. It's just great to see so many guys work so hard and for us to come together and play the way that we did all season; I'm just proud of everything."
Bill Belichick did indeed smile a few times Sunday night, even having some fun with the soaked Patriots fans who stayed to watch the Patriots receive the Lamar Hunt Trophy for yet another AFC title.
"We're on to Seattle," Belichick yelled to the crowd.
Standing in New England's way of their fourth Super Bowl title in franchise history is the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. It should be quite the showdown two weeks in Glendale, Arizona, when the Patriots take on one of the best defenses in the league, and one of the best young quarterbacks who has already proven he's got what it takes to win a Super Bowl in Russell Wilson.
It's an unfamiliar foe for New England, but one they'll be ready for come Feb. 1 in Arizona.
"Just from watching here and there they're a really good team. They don't turn the ball over, they get turnovers, they got a defense that's ferocious, they've got a D-line that's awesome [and] they've got a secondary that's really good," receiver Julian Edelman said of Seattle. "So we're going to have to prepare hard for these guys. This is the best football team we've played yet. They're a good team so that's what I think about them."
"I'm going to enjoy this tonight, but I think we've got to turn the page fast. We've got to play a great team," said safety Devin McCourty. "They wouldn't be there if they weren't and to go back two years in a row is tough and they did it. They're a deserving team and we'll have our work cut out for us."
So after a little bit of celebrating and trying on some new T-Shirts on Sunday night, it will be back to work for the Patriots on Monday. They'll begin to break down film on the Seahawks, and plan out their final two weeks of the 2014 NFL season -- hopefully adding a parade through the streets of Boston to their agenda.
"There are 32 teams that started; there are two remaining. We're trying to be the one that finishes off the season the way you want to, like we wanted to from the start of the year," said Tom Brady, off to his sixth Super Bowl. "It's a great challenge. We're going to play a great team. That's why they're in it too. They've overcome a lot of adversity too. They're really well coached, but we have two weeks to prepare. We'll be ready to go."
"To play this good in the AFC Championship, it gives you some confidence going into the Super Bowl, where we know if we play like this, teams will have problems with us, and we know if we play like this we give yourselves a good shot at winning," said Wilfork. "We got the Seahawks. To be a champ, you got to beat the champs, and they're sitting right there waiting for us."
