New England Patriots Quotes: Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski Talk Chargers

Nov 30, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots have been practicing in California all week, and yesterday a few players spoke with the media about staying out west, and their upcoming matchup with the Chargers.

Here are their official transcripts:

Tom Brady

Q: What’s the week been like for you?

TB: It’s been good. I think we’ve had a good couple days and got off to a good start yesterday. It’s still kind of early in the preparation. Now it starts to feel like California weather, as opposed to yesterday. Hopefully we’ll have another good day of practice. Guys have a lot of time to kind of be together and spend a lot of time that we don’t typically get to spend so that’s been a real plus.

Q: With you being from California, how has it been to be back in the home state?

TB: It’s fun. I was born and raised out here. I didn’t really spend too much time in San Diego, although my best friend went to this school so I had a few visits when I was at Michigan, coming down here. It’s always been a fun place to be.

Q: You have a reputation of being clutch especially in December. How do you think your competitive nature might help in big moments?

TB: That’s a good question. I always say it’s really a game of emotion. You have to be at your best when the game is on the line. I think that our guys have always figured out a way to do that, especially at this time of year. December is when football season is, this is what it’s all about. Regardless of what you’ve done to this point, everybody’s season is decided at this point in the year. This is when you’ve got to be at your best. We got off to a really slow start last weekend; hopefully we can rebound this weekend and play much better.

Q: You and Philip Rivers both have good December records. How much pride do you take in that record?

TB: Like I said, this is the strength of our team, it’s not my strength. I think that really speaks to the work ethic, the discipline of our guys, the mental toughness. It’s not easy to get up every day, on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and grind through it like we do. I think that although it may not be really short-term, the positive feelings from some of those things in the end, that’s when it pays off the most. I think you just have to grind through it. It’s hard for everybody. It feels a little easier out here on days like this. But ultimately it comes down to your execution and how well you go out and play. Like I said, our team has always done a good job of that this time of year when it matters.

Q: How much have you focused on getting the ground game going this week?

TB: Yeah, that’s important. I think to be balanced is really important. I thought we ran it really good last week. I think we’ve been running it good for a while. I think we just have to figure out how to run more plays so we can get more runs, get more passes, get more yards. I think that speaks to a lot of things – third down conversions. It’s a very complementary game. We have to do enough things to stay on the field which enables us to continue to run the ball [and] stay balanced. Last week we were behind the whole game. That’s not the way to play in the NFL. You don’t really want to be behind too often.

Q: Two of arguably the best tight ends in the game will be on the field on Sunday in Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates. What are your thoughts on that?

TB: Well, they’re both great players. I’ve been a big fan of Antonio Gates and his style of play. He’s been doing it for a long time. He’s at such a high level. Gronk’s a phenomenal player. He’s a great part of our team. They’re two great players. It’s really a tough matchup when you play guys like that. I think that particular position, especially for us and how important it is in our offense and I know it is in San Diego’s offense because you watch them play. It’s just a tough matchup. You’ve got a big guy who has a lot of movement skills, he’s got size on the small guys and he’s got speed on the slower guys. Unless you double him and it frees somebody else up, it’s a very important position. Philip does a great job finding him. We were watching clips of them this morning against Seattle. You know, three touchdowns, drawing pass interference penalties – he can do it all. He’s been doing it all for a long time. Hopefully we can really limit him. We’re going to need to.

Q: Gates was saying Rob Gronkowski might want to take it a little easier on his body. You have played with him for a while. Does he know any other speed?

TB: You’re right, he’s a different style of player. I think Antonio, when you watch his style versus Rob’s style, they’re a little different style. Rob has had a couple tough injuries, but he’s a tough guy. He plays the game just how he knows how to play it. He tries to run people over. He’s a big, strong guy. He’s got to use his body to his advantage and also play smart. I think that’s, you have to be out there helping your team win [and] in order to do that you have to be healthy. That’s a challenge for everybody. It’s a physical game.

Q: What stands out to you about the Chargers defense?

TB: There’s a lot. They’ve got a real good pass rush. I mean [Dwight] Freeney has been a pain in our butt for a long time. He continues to be. They have a good, athletic group of linebackers. They rotate a lot of guys. The secondary is really solid. Eric Weddle is one of the best safeties in the league. He’s just free all the time, finds the ball. He’s a really smart player. You can see how he really brings that whole defense together. They have a lot of good players. They’re 8-4. They’ve had a great season. They went on the road in Baltimore and beat a really good team on the road, which is tough to do. That’s what we’re going to need to be able to do.