(On Drake Maye’s performance)
“It’s super cool, I’m proud of him. He’s doing a great job back there, just being a conductor of the offense, I see it. He’s a baller, he’s a baller every week and that’s not really a surprise. He shows up Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, ready to work and it pays off on Sundays.”
(On if there is any surprise at their 11-2 record)
“No, I’m not surprised. Since we came in, and at OTAs, we set a standard for ourselves. I feel like all the players bought into it, and I feel like it’s paying off.”
(On why OTAs were so important)
“Just that a lot of people were there, everybody showed up, ready to work. We set a standard for ourselves. I won’t get into exactly what that was, but I feel like we all bought into that and we’re still staying on that.”
(On Mike Vrabel as a coach)
“He’s been in our shoes before, he’s done it before at a high level. He’s won some Super Bowls and caught some touchdown passes, he’s done it all. It’s easy to listen to him and follow behind his lead.”
(On how Mike Vrabel has gotten the team to buy in)
“I think just the way he is able to connect with the players and he’s played this game, of course, so he’s really understanding. I think just the passion that he has for the game as well. When it comes to coaching, he has a lot of passion. He does a great job of just pointing to the guys on the team.”
(On what Drake has done for the team this season)
“I think the most important thing is lead us, he’s such a great leader for this offense. He’s helped me out so much, just teaching me the ropes, talking about a lot of different things. It’s good, we continue to take reps together, it’s great for both of us.”
(On where this team can go)
“I think we can go pretty far. The biggest thing is we don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves, we just want to continue to take it week by week, game by game, day by day, and continue winning.”
(On playing with Drake Maye this season)
“It’s been exciting, as far as with a young quarterback, showing a lot of promise, a lot of confidence. Coming from a quarterback position and being young, it’s obviously something there. But I think the biggest thing is, he comes in each and every day and he’s the same guy. He approaches the game like a professional and he has a lot of fun. And he’s super hard on himself.”
(On what makes this team special)
“Probably the camaraderie, guys really pulling for each other. It’s not fake out there. You want the guys to play well, you want the guys around you to play well. Throwing those extra blocks and doing all that. I think it goes a long way…we’re super hard on each other. I think the accountability is there, coming from when a guy doesn’t get as many yards or does this, we all hold each other accountable.”
(On what he sees in Kyle Williams after his touchdown)
“The consistency. He is a young guy, but he can roll, he’s fast, he’s savvy. He’s been open a lot. They haven’t connected throughout the year but it’s around that time that those banked reps that you’ve had, and that consistency that you put on tape of getting open, start to turn the corner for you. So, super happy for him.”
(On what it has been like playing for Coach Mike Vrabel)
“It’s exciting. We talk about him, I speak highly of him. I respect him as a coach. He is one of my favorite coaches up to this point. I look forward to building off of that. It’s been a very, very fun year. A lot of things have taken place, coming off an injury, being around a new group of guys. He’s made the transition real seamless as far as helping the team band together, spending time together, getting to know each other, and appreciating him as a man.”
(On their dominant performance before the bye week)
“I think it was good. It was a big challenge for us tonight. As y’all can see, never take no opponent lightly. But like you said, 10 in a row, we know what we can do, day in, day out. It’s all a result of what we do in practice, so I think focus on the bye week, get our bodies healthy, then come back ready to roll for Buffalo.”
(On how he feels physically)
“I mean, it feels good. Nobody really wants to not be playing football. We’ve been doing it since we was five, seven years old. So it feels great to be back.”
(On how proud he is of the locker room)
“It is a result of how we practice. But I think just being the way last season ended, just putting that behind us, a new season, and new turning point. So, I think it’s great. We’re sitting at 11-2 right now, so I mean, it’s great. Can’t ask for a better feeling.”
(On if he is ever surprised by how often Drake Maye throws into the end zone)
“No, it doesn’t surprise me. We see it every day. It is just a result of what we see every day. Just translating it from practice to the game.”
(On Drake Maye’s ball placement)
“I mean, it is unbelievable. You know, sometimes you just sit there and be like, that is too good to be true. But, you know, he has a great arm talent. He sees the field very well, and overall, I am just so proud of him.”
(On the wide receiver room’s joyful attitude approaching practice and games)
“It is hard not to feel it. As soon as you walk through the building, you see we share a whole locker, so we are always just cracking jokes and uplifting everybody. It is hard to be in a bad mood when you’ve got so many joyful people around you.”
(On what the season has taught him about staying ready for opportunities)
“Just being patient. You never know when something is going to come. You just always got to be ready. It’s a saying, ‘Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.’ You don’t want to wait until it is the last day or the moment. Even if things are not going your way, stay on your routine because at some point it’s going to be when the things you were doing before are going to help you out in the long run.”
(On how the coaching staff enables different players to contribute every week)
“I mean, he (Coach Vrabel) demands a lot from us, you know, in a good way. He is really positive and everything. He tells everybody, prepare to start. So, you don’t go into a week not thinking you are going to play. You go into a week, even if you’re not starting, you go in there prepared to feel like you’re going to play. So, we have everybody prepared like starters, and everybody is ready to play. It is easy to just have anybody pop out at any moment. So, I think we just got a team full of dogs, and we are going to keep doing it.”
(On his journey so far this season)
“I mean, it has been unbelievable. It has been great. I have never been a part of an 11-win team. So, you know, this is new, but I’m taking it all in. But we know we have bigger goals.”
(On going into the bye off a dominant win)
“It feels great. At the end of the day, all we want to do is keep stacking them. We practice hard all week. Vrabes (Mike Vrabel) prepares us really well. It was good to go out there and put it all on tape.”
(On having 11 wins heading into the bye week)
“We have put in so much work, just the team itself, at OTAs, camp and preseason. Coach Vrabel has not taken his foot off the gas one time, and we’ve all bought in, so this isn’t a surprise.”
(On seamlessly stepping into a starting role on the offensive line)
“It’s really just a lot of talking, preparation and making sure that we know the game plan in and out — just communicating and making sure we’re on the same page. At the end of the day, we knew if we just talked to one another and we made sure we were on the same page, we would be fine… It definitely helps having a full week of preparation, getting all the tips and reminders from the coaches and what they see throughout the week. It definitely helps, 100 percent. They laid together a plan for the rushers they (Giants) have. The Giants have a great front, a lot of athleticism, and we went out there and executed.”
(On his hit on Jaxson Dart along the sideline)
“During the play, I saw the scramble. I started chasing him down. He started tiptoeing on the sideline. I thought he was just going to go out of bounds, but then I saw him tiptoeing. When I saw he was going to stay in bounds, what am I supposed to do? We play hard on defense. We try to bring life to this team. That is all I was trying to do, was just do my job and hit anything in the white jerseys.”
(On the bye week before the final stretch of the regular season)
“Yeah, you know, it is good. It is a good opportunity to be able to reflect, reflect on this game, reflect on the season so far, while being able to rest our bodies. So, it is a good feeling to be able to get here. All the guys in the locker room, this is a unit that we play hard for, that we will lay our lives on the line for one another, and that is what we try to do. Kudos to them, first and foremost, and thank the Lord, my God, that we were able to get to this point.”
(On how he would attribute the Patriots’ success this season)
“Without the abilities given to us by God, we would not be here. We would not be able to perform on the field. We would not have another breath, another moment. So, first things first, giving glory to God. The second thing is going to the head man and setting the tone and tempo. How we want to play, who we want to be. I would say, lastly, is the guys in the locker room. It is easy to come to work here. It is easy to come to work and work with the guys in there. We love doing it. I love doing it, and it just makes a lot of things easier. It is not like that everywhere.”
(On how much fun this season has been after struggles in previous years)
“Yeah, you know, trials and tribulations produce character. Then they also produce endurance. So, looking back on it, yeah, it was hard. But I’m thankful that it happened, thankful that we were able to learn from it, grow from it, and then be able to carry it on to this year. I think we have done a good job of that.”
(On the Giants’ reaction to his hit on Jaxson Dart)
“Yeah, well, I understand it. I understand it, 100%. If that was Drake [Maye] who took that shot, we would probably react the exact same way. But for me, I was more excited, just ready to celebrate with my teammates. So, I was ready to go celebrate with all the guys on the sideline. I saw him come flying in. I was like, oh, yeah, we are good.”
(On starting the way they did)
“Yeah, it was good to get out there and get ahead of them quick and then be able to play from ahead. That is always good. Shoutout to the offense. Shoutout to Marcus [Jones], that always sparks a lot of momentum. In each game he has returned a touchdown, it has just sparked the offense and defense. So, that is a big weapon we have. As a defense, it is always ‘get the ball to Drake [Maye] or get the ball to Marcus.’ It was a good win, good way to come out fast and finish the game.”
(On the impact Marcus Jones has)
“He was voted captain for a reason. He has a voice and he uses it. Everybody, we look to him, especially in the secondary. We are real close in the secondary. He plays a big role, being nickel. He has got to travel around, he has got to do a lot of things that are on your plate while you are playing nickel. He handles it amazing and being in the locker room, he is one of the most energetic guys in there. At eight in the morning, he is in there smiling, laughing, joking. Sometimes we tell him, ‘Alright, Marcus, you have got to calm down a little.’ But no, he is amazing. It is awesome, him being in the back seven for sure and on the team.”
(On the hit on Jaxson Dart around the sidelines)
“Oh yeah, that sparks some energy. Especially on their sideline. It was a clean, legal hit. We can never relax on the football field. So, [Christian] Elliss was able to go over there, make a play, and they retaliated, and it helped us even more. It sparked momentum. It is always fun being on defense with linebackers that can go up and hit like that.”
(On his performance as a returner)
“First off, I think of those situations where my dad had me in a parking lot when I was like four years old. And he used to throw the ball in the air and be like, ‘track it.’ That was the first thing I thought about. It is a long journey, especially with punt returners. Not everyone wants to do it, but I find a lot of joy when it comes down to it. But at the end of the day, ever since I got into the league, I would say the guys that have been blocking for me, I commend them 24/7. Without them, I would not be able to get any yards, I can honestly say. I commend my guys out there and everything like that, I try to just make them right. They do the hard part out there. I just follow the blocks and go from there.”
(On learning from Troy Brown)
“Yeah, I have seen him before the game. We go way back and everything like that. He taught me a lot when it comes down to catching punts and watching his film. He was one of the best to ever do it.”
(On the punt return for a touchdown, and his thoughts when it was just the punter to beat)
“Yeah, my main thing was, ‘do not get tackled by the punter.’ But I would say also, the field was kind of shrinking so I was trying to stay up and do my guys right for sure.”
(On the defensive pressure on Jaxson Dart)
“That’s what our coaches talk about, disguising and showing different looks. Zak (Kuhr) is doing a good job of calling and certain calls with us making it look like one coverage, but we’re putting up another coverage, something we’ve been doing all year. Right now, as a defense, we’re really just working together and playing good ball.”