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Pats chatter

Comments from Patriots players after the game:

Kicker Stephen Gostkowski
(On field conditions and adjusting to them)
"It’s tough. You have to adjust. You have to do what you can to adjust to kick in that situation. You have to shorten up. That’s about all I can think of. Just try to get your best plant. You can’t run at it full force in that stuff and try to kill it. Practice on it and wear the proper cleats, that’s about all I can say."

Defensive back Artrell Hawkins
(On Asante Samuel’s interceptions)
"He read a route and stepped in front of it and made a great play. On the second one, he was Johnny-on-the-spot. He was hustling and covering his guy and it happens like that sometimes. We got points off of both of his turnovers and we needed that to win the game."

Defensive lineman Jarvis Green
(On bye week)
"We have a few guys beat up but not seriously. It’s a big week for us to rest and it’s also a big thing to be 3-0 in the division. I think it would be a lot different if we were 4-1 without any division wins yet."

Cornerback Asante Samuel
(On interceptions)
"Turnovers are huge. It’s the best way to defeat another team. If you win the turnover battle, you have a good chance to win. It was a flat coverage for us. I went for the ball and went up and got it. Every week you watch the films on different teams and you get a couple hints. They like to go outside a little bit."

Safety Rodney Harrison
(On the mentality of the defense)
"It’s really no different mentality. I’ve been preaching about turnovers the entire year. At the beginning of the season, we weren’t able to get them. We’re starting to create some turnovers now. Guys are doing a good job of flying around and getting their hands on the ball."

(On points off turnovers)
"It’s huge. That’s what we expect. They expect us to get them the ball and we expect them to score. Our offense fought the entire day. It’s tough going against that defense. We always struggle against that defense and they always come up with big plays. They are strong and big and physical and to get that win was huge."

Linebacker Junior Seau
(On bye week)
"Whenever you can get a win against a divisional opponent, it’s a big game. We did that today and hopefully we’ll be able to continue that. We have a bye week so obviously that’s going to help all of our injuries. It’s going to be a tough year, but we’re looking forward to it."

Receiver Troy Brown
(On points off turnovers)
"We didn’t create any turnovers in the first three games. We got some big ones last week and some big ones this week. So far we’ve been able to score off all of them. That’s always a plus and that was the difference in the game today."

(On offensive consistency)
A lot of it was us and a lot of it was that defense over there. They’re pretty good. They’ve always been pretty good and they’re playing even better now. They put a lot of pressure on us, batted down four or five balls today and made some good plays on the football too. We have to give them some credit.

(On approaching all-time receiving record)
"I don’t really think about that. I just want to go out and do whatever they ask me to do: play defense, special teams, whatever it may be. I just like to play my role and I like to do it pretty well. But if it happens, then it happens and hopefully it happens when we’re winning."

(On success the Miami defense has had the last few years against the Patriots)
"I don’t think they really confuse us. They just get after it. It is a tough defense. They have good pass rushers. They are always good against the run. They have some big boys in the middle and some speed on the edges. The DB’s get after you. They make it tough on you. We just have to be able to hang in there and take the little dink and dunks when you have a chance and if you get any shots on them, you have to hit them when you take them."

(On what needs to improve in the passing game)
"Just guys getting more familiar with each other and with Tom [Brady]. Just getting in a rhythm and getting it going and being more consistent. We have come a long way from Day 1. Doug [Gabriel] has been here five weeks. Reche [Caldwell] has been here since just the offseason. It takes time. I think we are getting better. I see us improving."

Linebacker Tedy Bruschi
(On defending Joey Harrington instead of Daunte Culpepper)
"We heard Harrington got some reps early in the week and we figured it was a possibility. I was still thinking Culpepper up until game time, until we heard it was going to be Joey. We really didn’t change much because it was really thrown upon us at the last minute. We had our game plan and stuck with it."

(On going into the bye week after a win)
"A bye week is so much more enjoyable when you have a win to think about. We are 4-1 and going into a bye and I know coach is giving us a break a little bit and giving us a few days off and it will be nice to just recoup."

Running back Heath Evans
(On being on the side winning side of close game wins)
"When I was running off field today and talking to Junior Seau, I said, 'Aren’t you glad we are finally a part of these things?' For years you watch these games and you are puzzled at the end of games thinking 'how do they do this?' Being here I still don’t know how we do it but we just seem to get it done. Its fun doing things as a team and walking off the field with a lot of pride for your team instead of a quarterback, running back, or a linebacker."

(On how it felt to score)
"It feels great scoring here and it doesn’t hurt doing it against your old team. It came at a good time where it kind of took the wind out of their sails. It was a great throw and a great scheme to play for what we knew on how they were going to play us on the goal line. It worked and that’s some credit to Bill [Belichick] and his coaching staff."