How Did The New England Patriots React To Advancing To The Super Bowl?

Jan 18, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) smiles after beating the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady

Q: Do you think this is the most well-rounded team you’ve been on?

TB: Well, we have a good team. We’ve worked hard to get to this point. It’s hard to compare year to year. I think every situation is different. We’ve had a lot of good teams in the past. This one is going to have to win a very important game to kind of leave our legacy, so we have two weeks to prepare for it. We’re playing a great team. I’m obviously proud of our effort tonight. We won two pretty tough games here at home. Now we have to go on the road and win another one.

Q: Today Bill Belichick became the winningest coach in playoff history. You’re going to become the first quarterback ever to start six Super Bowls. As you think about that, what does that mean to you?

TB: Well, look, I haven’t had much time to reflect. I think we’re right in the middle of it. It was a great team win. We needed it from all three phases and to make it to this point is a great accomplishment for our team. Hopefully our best is yet to come.

Q: You probably practiced that play with Nate Solder all week or all year. When you call it in the huddle, does everybody kind of look around and say, ‘Really? This is the play we’re going to run now?’ Or does everyone say, ‘Yeah, this will work.’

TB: Well, we thought it would work. It was a great time. Josh called it. Nate made a great catch. Tough conditions out there – it’s raining, I mean, for God’s sake and he runs over two guys to get in there. He played a little tight end in his first year [of college]. So I don’t know, maybe we have more tricks up our sleeve.

Q: Is this especially gratifying for you because earlier this year people were questioning you specifically and wondering if your time had passed?

TB: Well, I talked about that before. There’s a lot of motivation for a lot of different reasons and I’ve had a lot of belief in my teammates over the course of the entire year. You don’t want to judge your team after three or four games into the season and it’s important not to ride the roller coaster. We put ourselves in a good position getting into the playoffs, won two home games and now we’re in the Super Bowl. It’s pretty sweet.

Q: You mentioned the word legacy. So often these games become about somebody defining or validating what their whole career has been about. Do you agree with that take – that one 60-minute game can boil down to that?

TB: Well, I think for me, it’s about our team; it’s a journey. I think being able to accomplish winning the final game of the year is what you play for. So when you don’t do that, you always feel like you come up short. 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. 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.