How Did The New England Patriots React To Clinching The AFC East?

Dec 7, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork (75) jogs off the field after the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Darrelle Revis

(On shutting out the Dolphins in the second half)
“We just made adjustments at halftime and really just started faster. We felt like coming out, we played a little slow in the first half, so just making some adjustments at halftime and starting faster out there.”

(On having Dont’a Hightower and Chandler Jones back from injury)
“[It was] great. The more the merrier for us. We knew those guys were down, and we’re just happy that they were healthy and able to contribute.”

(On what Hightower and Jones bring to the defense)
“They bring experience, one. Two, they’re two great players on our defense and on our team, so the impact they make on our defense is very key for us and for us to have them on the field.”

(On if there was an added edge this week considering the things the Dolphins said after Week One)
“One, yeah, it’s big. This week was big for us – to clinch the division, but also it’s a rivalry – a Pats-Miami Dolphins rivalry. It was a big emphasis this week for us to get this win.”

(On winning the AFC East)
“It’s my first one, so I’m very excited. It took a lot of hard work, and I’m just excited. This is my first time, so I’m happy to wear the hat and wear the t-shirt. It’s pretty awesome.”

(On if winning the AFC East was why he signed here)
“Yeah, to win. That’s it – just to win.”

Ryan Wendell

(On Rob Gronkowski’s ability to set the tone on offense)
“Anytime you can get a big play like that [34-yard reception by Gronkowski on first play of third quarter], especially coming out of the first half where we are not playing well – the defense and special teams were carrying us – it’s nice to get something positive going and I think it just kind of set the tone and we all kind of just built off of that.”

(On how hard it is to defend Gronkowski)
“I couldn’t cover him. I don’t know, I guess talking to our defensive guys would be better, but he’s a freak. He just seems to catch everything around him.”

(On the reaction of the offensive line after Tom Brady scrambled on third down for 17 yards during the opening drive of the third quarter)
“We just worry about the next play. He led with his left shoulder; he knows what he’s doing.”

(On the biggest difference between the first and second half)
“We all just started doing our jobs a little bit better, I think. I think the defense played well in both halves; I think special teams played well in both halves. I think the offensive line started to pick it up a little bit in the second half, especially myself. We didn’t play well in the first half at all. Fortunately, it’s a team game and the rest of the team carried us.”

(On if it took time for the offense to understand Miami’s defensive game plan)
“They did everything that they’ve done on film all year. They’re a good defense, but we just weren’t playing well. I give it up to them for outplaying us in the first half.”

(On if the offense was frustrated heading into halftime)
“Guys are always disappointed when we don’t do our jobs well.”

Vince Wilfork

(On if he is happy to be a division champion again)
“Always feels good to be a champion, AFC East champion. We worked very hard to get to this point. But that’s just one step in the right direction. We played pretty well today. Gave up a few plays early but then once again got settled down. We really started playing Patriots football and it showed at the end. Very happy. Always feels good to be AFC East champs. Never gets old.”

(On how much the return of Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower helped the defense)
“Anytime you can get playmakers back, it’s always going to help your team as a whole. So I was happy to see both of them back. They [brought] a lot of energy for us, they made some plays for us today. It was just good to have everybody back to play, especially to get this ‘W’. To win the East, it was special for all of us. Something we can really enjoy because we put a lot of hard work into it. It’s a growing process though. We still have got time to fix some things and get better at some things moving forward. But you’ve got to be able to win in December. So that’s a good start for us, we just have to keep it rolling.”

(On how it felt as a defense to see Chandler Jones come back and get the sacks he is used to getting)
“It was fun to see. I knew [Chandler Jones] was feeling good all week and today he came out and showed me. It was just one of those things where, with him on the field, the way he played it – he’d have fun, he’d bring that enthusiasm to the game. As a defense sometimes, and as a team sometimes, you can miss that. So getting him back this week, getting Sealver [Siliga] back last week, getting [Dont’a] Hightower back this week, we got all our dogs back. And that’s where we want to be. We want to be healthy going into December and these next games – getting the team healthy to take care of bumps and bruises – so we can be at full speed moving forward. So that’s where we’re at.”

(On the field goal block)
“That was the best – I mean, we practice that to a ‘T’. We got the perfect look we wanted and we executed it well. And always say, if you don’t execute at this level, you’re in trouble. I think tonight we executed and it showed tonight. We made plays, we handled our business. It’s good for us.”

(On if the division title feels any better because the team was doubted early in the season)
“We really didn’t care how people felt about us. The one thing we had was the people in here and our fans, our true fans. It always feels good to win the East, I’ll tell you that. It feels good to win a division. Out of my 11 years here, that’s 10. I’m blessed, I’m lucky. It’s all of that. What can you say? We worked our tails off. Nothing was given to us. We played tough games, we won some tough games. We had some tough situations and we fought through them, as a team should. A good team should fight through some stuff and we did. Not saying it’s going to be the last time we’re going to have to fight. But every week we going into the game saying we’re going to have to play our best football, we’re going to have to execute to beat teams. As long as we do that, we’re going to put ourselves in a good situation.”

(On giving up a lot of yards early in the game)
“The biggest stat was 13 points. I don’t care how many yards you give up. 13 points, shutout in the second half, defensively – that’s something that we’re proud of.”