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More Steelers postgame quotes

Hines Ward, Wide Receiver
(On the game)
We were going up and down the field, but they scored touchdowns and we didn’t. That is the biggest difference. We drove the ball fairly well and got down into the red zone but just weren’t able to put the ball in the end zone. Against a great team like that you can’t do that. Today they were a better team. They executed when they got in the red zone. Randy connected with Brady a couple times. Then the trick plays. You can’t give up trick plays like that. Maybe one, but not two in one game. The play action was deep, okay, maybe we can overcome that. But then the other one, we were playing catch-up. That is hard to do against a great team.

(On the Steelers’ offense)
You look at it and keep things in perspective. You learn from it. We drove the ball fairly well. We went to no-huddle and they seemed to have a problem with that. We went down to the red zone but didn’t punch it in. We are a good team and usually when we get down the red zone we get touchdowns instead of field goals. Today we didn’t get anything and you can’t do that. Against a team like that you have to execute every time and today we didn’t do that. That was the difference in the game.

Willie Colon, Tackle
(On the game)
We beat ourselves, to be honest. We did, for the most part, what we had to do. That wasn’t our best performance. They got away with the two gadget plays. It is what it is. They didn’t break our spirit. If we come back we are going to be ready, I know that for sure.

Larry Foote, Linebacker
(On the Patriot offense)
He knew that blitz was coming. So he was throwing into it. When we were coming free, he was throwing into the hot route. If we play them next time, and I am not even thinking about them, we are going to change some things around. You better believe that.

(On the guarantee)
The only ones that were fired up about that was the crowd. We play the game between the lines and it doesn’t matter what the guy said. The media doesn’t motivate that. It has nothing to do with guarantees or whatever you say during the week. You have to go out there and run and tackle.

(On Patriots)
They’re a good team and they had a couple of big plays. You have to make more plays than the other team and we didn’t.

(On defense giving up big plays)
One of them was a trick play and it tricked everyone on the field. The other one was a miscommunication with the coverage and we beat ourselves.

Sean Mahan, Center
(On the Steeler offense)
We know we can play with them. We just didn’t come out with a win tonight. We’ll look at the tape and see what the tape shows. We’ll be ready for next week.

Brett Keisel, Defensive End
(On Brady’s quick passes)
There is no way to get pressure on him. You have to rally to the ball and tackle him. They got a bunch of little squirmy guys who know how to break loose. Welker is very quick. He would make one guy miss then get at least seven yards. That was a great game plan by them.

Ike Taylor, Cornerback
(On the game)
Tom Brady does not make mistakes. It is just plain and simple. He is going to capitalize on your mistakes and that is what makes him so great. He pretty much can see the whole field and if he sees something, he is going for it. He is rarely wrong. They were just making plays. I have to give those guys credit. They came out to play and they played well. They won and so there it is. They have got Tom Brady out there and he does not make mistakes. When you have a guy like that and receivers like that, you just about have to play perfect. We just have to get ready for next week.

(On the long plays allowed)
If you just keep playing football things are going to happen regardless [of] whether you’re good or bad. We just have to learn from today. We made two crucial mistakes. We have got a lot of football left and we can’t keep our heads down. This is in the past. We just have to move on and we have Jacksonville next.

Anthony Smith, Safety
(On the game)
We did not come out here to lose. We just gave up some big plays and that is what it came down to. They have got a good offense, but we just beat ourselves. We didn’t play all of our right keys and gave up some deep plays. They came up with some new gadget plays that we haven’t seen and that is pretty much what it was. Besides that one play-action play that they hit for the touchdown, that is all the play-action we saw. I don’t think play-action was a big emphasis for their offense. The way our defense is run and the way we rotate, they really couldn’t target me. We will see them again.

James Farrior, Linebacker(On today’s game)
We didn’t play well today and we didn’t execute on defense as well as we should have. They made some big plays on us and you can’t win like that.

(On big touchdown plays)
That put us behind the eight ball a little bit. We were playing catch up from there, but that’s part of the game and we have to be prepared for things like that. We can’t get beat on big plays.

(On playing a team that doesn’t run the ball)
It was a little weird at first. I thought they would try to run when they had a lead on us, but they kept throwing the ball. It was a tough day. [Tom] Brady is good at reading defenses and our disguise wasn’t good enough today. I think he picked up most of our blitzes.

Tyrone Carter, Safety
(On trying to hard to be physical with receivers)
I won’t say we tried too hard, because they didn’t give us a chance to be physical. They ran a lot of trick plays; they didn’t just come out and run routes. They kept running that bubble screen, then you come up on the bubble screen and they hit you deep. You have to learn from that. Had we stayed on our keys, we would have been OK.

(On Patriots’ receivers)
They’ve got three good receivers, but my focus point is still on the quarterback. He makes this team rise. He gets them in the right plays when he sees what we were doing and he did a great job of doing that. We can’t make mistakes in the back end and we did and we lost.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Ben Roethlisberger postgame transcript

Q: Do you say, "If a couple red zone plays work out differently, you're right in it," or do you say, "Hey, major ground to make up?"

BR: I say that we look at the scoreboard and realize that we got outplayed and that they were the better team. We need to improve, but the good thing for us is that the season is not over and we still play next Sunday, no matter what. Win or lose, if things went our way we still would have to come back here. So, we move on, we take the loss and we go forward.

Q: How frustrating is it that you guys controlled the time of possession, but you could only get three points out of some of those drives?

BR: It's very frustrating. We're proud of the offensive line-we did a lot of no-huddle tonight. I called a lot of the plays and there was no cadence, so you have to give the offensive line a lot of credit. We moved the ball all the way down the field and then we faltered, for whatever reason, in the red zone, whether it was a little bit of them, a little bit of us or a little bit of both.

Q: Does it feel pretty correctable?

BR: If I sit here and say, "We made too many mistakes and we screwed everything up," then it makes it sounds like if we play and we don't make those mistakes we beat them. I don't know what happens. It's too hard to tell. I will say that they made us make mistakes; they made us do things in a negative way, especially in the red zone, so give them a lot of credit.

Q: After the game, Tom Brady came over and talked to you. What did he say to you?

BR: Oh, just real quick he came up. He kind of surprised me as I was saying something to the defense because I wasn't expecting him to be there that quick. He just told me that I was doing a good job and that he was proud, and I told him I hope he breaks the record next week, because it's so much fun watching him play. I don't like him playing against us and how well he played, but it truly is an honor to watch such a great quarterback play the game.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Mike Tomlin postgame transcript

MT: Obviously, the Patriots were the better team today. They are to be congratulated for that performance. We couldn't stop them consistently. We couldn't make critical plays when we had to. Offensively, of course, we couldn't make critical plays when we had to, particularly in the second half. [Defensively], big plays by their offensive people, who are good and we knew that they were good. But that still doesn't mean that they should go up and down the field like that on us. We've got some work to do, and that is what we just talked about in there. We have a ways to go. If that is the measuring stick, we're not close. That being said, we'll roll up our sleeves and go back to work tomorrow.

Q: What did you do to prepare for Tom Brady this week?

MT: Like we always do. We focus on what it is that we do and put our defensive plans together. We make sure that we are prepared to execute, a lot of which we didn't do tonight.

Q: What happened during the Patriots flea flicker?

MT: It was a nice play by them. We were out of position. We thought we were closing but we didn't make the play.

Q: The Patriots seemed to be aware of Anthony Smith's comments guaranteeing a win. Will you have your team downplay comments like that in the future?

MT: Those comments don't mean anything. At 4:15, what was said during the week was irrelevant. It is about what you do and how you play. After a performance like that when they beat us up, then yes you can point back to that comment. But, that is a good football team. I doubt that those comments were a motivating factor in terms of how they performed today. They were the better team today. They beat us.

Q: Do you think that the situation affected Anthony Smith's mental state more than anybody's?

MT: You would have to ask him that.

Q: Would you say that there was a lack of pressure?

MT: You know, sometimes we got to them and sometimes we didn't. They are very good. They executed at a high level and we didn't.

Q: What did you find out about your team today?

MT: That is to be determined. We are still writing our story. This is not the final chapter in our story and it wasn't going to be, whether we won or lost. We have another game to play, a big game coming up at home. We have to prepare to do that. Get back with me in a couple of months.

Q: On that long touchdown pass to Randy Moss, was Anthony Smith supposed to be there on that coverage?

MT: I'm not going to get into pointing fingers. We are a football team. The reality is that they rang the scoreboard up on us, the Pittsburgh Steelers. We accept responsibility, starting with myself for that.

Q: Randy Moss did have a big day. What were you not able to do against him?

MT: We weren't able to stop him from catching the ball, like a lot of people. We weren't able to keep him out of the end zone, like everybody else that he's played.

Q: It looked like you were trying to do something different this week by moving Ike Taylor around a little bit.

MT: We did. We did. Ike, of course, is our biggest guy. He is our fastest guy. It didn't mean that we were going to match him up in man-to-man situations all day. That wasn't the case. We called our normal defenses, we just had what we thought was a physical matchup that leveled the playing field, so we did that.

Q: What can you improve on with your red zone offense?

MT: We just have to find ways to finish. Those are the minute details that are the difference. Of course, those are the realities of this business. We have to get back in the lab on that. Because when you play good people like these guys, particularly on the road, field goals aren't going to get it done. We were in some situations where we were close. We have to execute a little bit better. We have to put them in position a little bit better. We have to keep punching the clock.

Q: Did Santonio Holmes' ankle flare up a little bit in the second quarter?

MT: I don't know. At this point we don't have anything major from an injury standpoint. We'll see where it is tomorrow.

Q: When they were in five wide and you don't get any pressure, is that just a function of them getting rid of the ball?

MT: They were in 4-wides. Faulk was on the field. We got pressure sometimes. Sometimes we didn't. When we did get pressure he got the ball out of his hands. He is very good.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

More Patriots postgame quotes

Wes Welker, Wide Receiver
(On guarantees from the opposing team)
Yeah. We just went out there and executed and just did our thing out there. I don't think that it played too much, I think that we just went out there and executed our plays. We are not going to pay attention to what anyone says or does out there, we are just going to go out and execute out there and do what we do out there.

(On if a win against a team like the Steelers is more satisfying)
Yes. They are a really good football team, so anytime you can get a win against a team like that it's a good deal.

(On the Moss to Brady to Gaffney touchdown pass)
It was really impressive and I didn't realize that Tom could throw that far. He really threw the ball down there and made a nice play.

Jabar Gaffney, Wide Receiver
(On the touchdown play from Moss to Brady to Gaffney for 56 yards)
The play was called the Ravens Special. We had it in for last week but we never got to use it. I knew it was going to be a touchdown.

(On what his touchdown catch did to the game.)
I think it put it out there a little bit and got us excited and got the crowd into it and I think we just rolled from there.

(On if Tom Brady took a while to throw it)
I think that he wanted to make sure that he could throw it that far and he just threw it all the way to the end zone. When I took off everyone bit up and I knew that if it made it back to Tom, it would be a touchdown. It took like forever for the ball to come down. I looked back and it was still in Tom's hand and I was like "come on, lets throw it".

Tedy Bruschi, Linebacker
(On the win)
The theme of the week was to go back to being a smart and tough football team. We have been doing some things the past couple weeks that we wanted to fix. We talked about fixing these things with just being a smart team because that's what you have to be to beat a team like this.

(On if the Patriots were trying to make a statement with their level of play tonight)
I don't care about statements and what people say, I just care about what the scoreboard says. We came away with a victory and that was all this week was geared for. We weren't focused on who was saying what, but more on us just doing our job.

(On the dominating 2nd half of play by the Patriots)
We had a couple of key series where we went three-and-out and got the ball in the offense's hands and they were able to do things with it. On defense we put them on a few three-and-outs and that's how we got them scrambling a bit.

(On what the team did well)
TB: Red zone, red zone defense, winning on third down, things like that, things that Baltimore had success with, Philly had success with. You may win games but you're constantly trying to still learn how you can get better. Number one we wanted to do better versus the run, we wanted to do better in the red area. I think we did that tonight and have a better percentage on third down. Those are things we'll continually harp even after this game going on later in the year and into the playoffs.

(On how the defense improved)
TB: I think we made progress. I think we made progress. It feels good when you talk about things during the week and then you go out and execute them. You set a goal of, let's get better in the red area, lets get better on third down and you go out there and your supposed to perform you have one chance a week. When you go out there and you do that, it feels good.

Rodney Harrison, Safety
(On the defense's success in the red zone)
It's an area that we struggled at this entire season, the goal line. We're not very proud of it. The only thing we can try to do is get better. We're probably the worst team in the league in the red area. Nowhere else to go but up.

(On how the Patriots did their talking on the field Sunday, not through the media)
A win is a win. They have a very good team. It's just, we don't get caught up in that cat and mouse game. The games aren't won or lost through the media. They're won or lost on Sunday and that's what we focus on. When I was a young player like that, I barely opened my mouth. You have to go out there and play football and not worry about the other crap that's going on.

(On if he's surprised that another opponent had to re-learn that lesson)
That's not my problem, that's their problem. Our team is focused on the 53 guys in this locker room and what we have to do and what we stand for and what we're trying to get accomplished, and that's to win one game at a time.

(On making the goal line stop on Hines Ward on fourth down)
I've seen that play over the course of my career maybe four or five times, when the wide receiver lines up wide and comes across on motion and they hand it off to him. Once he started motioning in - Hines is a big, physical receiver who likes to run the ball, [an] ex-quarterback - I figured they were going to run that play and I was able to come and make the play, along with all the other guys blowing up things to get myself, as well as someone else free to make that tackle.

(On the play of the defense Sunday)
We played Patriot football and this is what I'm used to playing since I've been here for [the last] five years -- going out here, not taking any crap, standing up to a big, physical team like Pittsburgh and doing what we do best. That's playing sound, fundamental football very physical and that's what we proved today.

Ellis Hobbs, Cornerback
(On the Patriots doing their talking on the field Sunday)
The game should speak for itself. You shouldn't have to do the extra talking. The really great players and great teams don't have to say all that. Play speaks for itself.

(On whether he has said anything he has really regretted afterwards - referring to Anthony Smith's guarantee)
Yeah, I've said some things, but nothing to that degree. Personally, when I said the things I regretted, [they were] more about my character, how I want to be portrayed, things like that, but nothing where you have the whole east coast waiting for you to come over here so they can slap you around. Nothing to that degree.

(On if the Patriots' offense was picking on Smith with the two long touchdown passes)
I have no clue what they were doing over there. I know he was back there and didn't make the plays. I don't know if they were picking on him, if it just happened like that, but whatever the offense did, keep doing it.

(On whether God has a sense of humor when things come around on people for something they say)
My God does, me being a Christian believer and everything. "Lower yourself so that he may be exalted." There's nothing wrong with confidence, don't get me wrong. You have to have a swagger out on the field. But there's a fine line and he definitely crossed it. He was definitely knocked down when he crossed it today. It is what it is. I wish the best for him, but not tonight.

(On what he expects in terms of motivation this week for the Jets game)
I expect us to go out there and continue to play. We've played, to this point, 12 games since [the first match-up between the teams] and we've done just fine. We're not worried about what happened then, definitely not worried about what's going to happen in the future. I just want to enjoy this win and let's move onto the Jets on Wednesday.

(On teams continually giving the Patriots bulletin board material)
EH: I think, maybe it's a defense mechanism. They see it as a weakness or as an approach of 'we're going to show you that we're not scared and we got all the confidence in the world.' Which is fine if that's how they feel, whatever, but we're going to continue being the same team. That's what keeps us driving, what motivates us, knowing that when we come in here, all of us, you're going to get 53 players plus who ever else is in here of guys that are dedicated to winning the right way. Doing the job in practice, not talking about it, going out there and doing the job and letting it show on Sunday.

Logan Mankins, Offensive Lineman
(On how the team responded and was more physical than last week)
LM: Oh, I think we did great. If you look at the scores someone was more physical than the other one.

(On whether or not the team got bullied in Baltimore and how they bounced back)
LM: At certain times your guy's going to beat you. That's how it goes, they give it and we give it. It's going to go back and fourth but I think tonight we won the majority of the battles.

(On the team coming out with more energy tonight)
LM: I think so. It felt like the first series was not that great but after that it felt like the momentum picked up our way and we were playing fast and playing physical. I think we played a lot better tonight.

Vince Wilfork, Nose Tackle
(On his sack)
VW: I knew the block that was given [because] they were giving it to me all game. I basically gambled on that play. He [Ben Roethlisberger] made a check at the line and I heard the same check earlier in the game and it was [a] pass so I knew right then and there what I was going to do. [Alan] Faneca came down and it was a double team but it was a pass play and I spun out of it and I was back there before he could even fake the ball. I think I kind of surprised him because once he turned around he tried to curl up. I stole a play. Preparation, I still do preparation on the field, during game time. Like I said that was something I picked up early in the game and I carried it over. I heard it again and I knew exactly what they were doing, so a win for me.

(On the teams' physicality)
VW: Of course, I mean you have to be to physical to beat this Pittsburgh Steelers team, to do what we wanted to do. There was a lot of talk leading to this game but we knew they could play some football. We knew that they could back up what they say so we had to match it and I think tonight we matched it. The outcome was in our favor, which we kind of wanted it to be. We are very happy with that win, very happy.

(On the difference between tonight's game and Monday night)
VW: It might sound funny but I think we played with more emotion tonight. I think we really did. I could see guys running to the football, guys having fun on the field and I think [Richard] Seymour or [Mike] Vrabel, one of them turned to me and he was like 'you know the problem is we having fun' and we always play good when we're having fun. I think last week we lacked that. Today we didn't lack it today.

Richard Seymour, Defensive End
(On how the win feels)
RS: Well it's always good when you beat a good football team and we classify them, those guys that we played today as a good football team. They're well coached and they play tough smart and physical, that's the way we try to play. We can go out and get a win against a quality opponent and every team we've played so far has been a quality opponent. It was a big night for us, one step closer to the ultimate goal.

(On how they felt about stopping the run in the past couple weeks)
RS: Yeah, I thought they just ran the ball but I didn't feel like they were effective. I thought they ran the ball and we stopped them when we needed to. I think throughout the game when you need to make stops and you need to score offensively and you can do that I think ultimately it helps our football team out a lot. I think going down the stretch we are definitely going to need everybody but it was a big win today.

(On how he is feeling, and if he is at 100% yet)
RS: Not quite 100 yet, but moving in the right direction. It's just good to get a win at this point. 13-and-0, one step closer and it's a quality opponent. That's always good. This is the time of year when you want to play your best football.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Randy Moss postgame transcript

Q: Did the talk surrounding this week's game at all affect your preparation for this game?

RM: I think our focus, with everything that's been said was really held in. Coach [Bill] Belichick and his coaching staff did a great job of getting us prepared - on and off the field- because when we were sitting in the classroom doing work, it was more talking and looking at that humble pie and then motivation at the same time. Then, when we go on the field, it's the same thing. I think, for the most part, our preparation was very focused and very set on going out here and getting it done.

Q: How much attention did you pay to what was said by Anthony Smith?

RM: I've played in the league for 10 years and I don't think I've ever heard a player ever say anything like that. There's trash-taking each week, but just to guarantee a victory - that's something hard. I don't know if his teammates had his back or whatnot, but it was said, it was documented and it was printed. It came to us and we went out there today and you [could] see we wanted it more.

Q: Do you feel like teams are playing you more physically at the line of scrimmage as the season has gone on?

RM: I've been doing my thing for 10 years. What defensive coordinators throw at me is what they throw at me. What they throw at the offense is what they throw at the offense. Like Tom [Brady] has said time and time again, and that's the whole unit, we're going to go out there and execute. Tom is going to find the open man and let's get with it. I don't really get caught up in watching the game. I don't really know how many completions he had to Wes Welker on one drive. I said, 'Wes, if you don't slow down, you're being greedy. Let somebody else.' It was a good victory today, overall. Like I said, with how teams play me, I've seen it my whole career. Sometimes it is frustrating to get bumped and then once you get up to another level, you're still going to get bumped. My main thing is just to try to stay focused and do what I have to do week to week to help the team move the ball.

Q: What was more impressive about that lateral play: The fact that you fielded a grounder from Tom Brady, or the pass back, or his pass downfield?

RM: To be honest with you, I think it was just all 11 of us executing. Tommy [Brady] had to step back. I had to step behind Tommy and make sure that it was a backwards lateral, and he had to step behind me. The offensive line had to protect. The wide receivers had to do their thing. It wasn't just one individual and it wasn't just one pass; it was everybody executing on the same cylinder. And you saw what the results were. Sometimes you look at a play, and before I came here, I've seen all the gadget plays that the Patriots ran and when I first got here, they said that nobody throws the ball but Tom Brady, so I've been lobbying and lobbying, 'Let me throw the ball. Let me throw the ball.' Eventually it worked and we scored a touchdown so that actually felt good.

Q: So they weren't going to let you do it?

RM: They made it very clear that Tom is the only one in this offense that throws the ball. Like I said, it was us executing on all cylinders by the whole unit. It was a great call by Josh McDaniels and we just had go out there and once he threw to me and I threw it back him and he threw it up and everybody was like, 'Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh.' And then, it was caught on [Anthony] Smith so I think that was probably, after all of that… it was all on Jabar [Gaffney] catching it on No. 27 [Smith.] It was really worth it.

Q: What sets Tom Brady apart from other quarterbacks?

RM: Poise, patience… and going out there determined to kill you at any given time. They can give you a fourth and 24 and Tom's still ready to kill you. I don't know how you're going to get it, but that's really his mindset. When you have a guy like that leading your team, leading your offense, everybody else has to pick up and get on his level. Tom Brady, like I've said before, I've always been a big fan of his. Now that I'm on his team, I'm not going to stop. Him - being our leader and our quarterback and all his upsides and his knowledge of the game and his precision and him making good decisions with the ball… my hat's off to him.

Q: Was it important that you develop a relationship with Brady heading into this season?

RM: We see each other every morning. It's 'Good morning,' then 'I'll see you tomorrow morning.' We're around each other a lot and that's the one thing that I said time and time again that Tom and I had to develop some kind of relationship because on the field it's down to business so we don't really get time to talk a lot, but when we're in that locker room, getting dressed, or doing whatever, we get the time to really get to know each other. In my time here, we have gotten to know each other. We talk about everything. That's one thing-I really have trust in him that I can talk to him about anything that's going on. It's not just even football-related. I hope he has the same trust in me. That's how you develop a relationship.

Q: Is there time during the season to put into perspective everything that's going on around here in regards to offensive records by yourself, or Tom Brady, or the offense?

RM: Not really put things into perspective, but-I don't really read the papers or watch a lot of sports television, but my phone rings and text messages come across my phone and it's hard not to really pay attention to what's going on. One thing that I really try to do is to try to stay in straight tunnel vision, try to stay humble, try to eat some of Coach Belichick's humble pie, just follow the road and just keep going each week.

Q: Will there be a period when you will reflect on all of this?

RM: I don't think we'll look back and reflect until the season is over. If we do, do these things-fine. If not, we're still going to look back and reflect after the season. It's really hard to look ahead right now because of the Coach that we have. Coach Belichick really doesn't let his players get ahead of themselves. That's one thing that I really commend him for because he keeps us grounded. We're out here working, preparing for the next team that week. I can't even tell you who we've got next week…

Q: The Jets…

RM: Well, there you go. I really know that Coach Belichick doesn't like us looking forward and, after tomorrow, this game is behind us. When we come back to work, we'll prepare for the Jets.

Q: Do you think there will other players to guarantee victories going forward?

RM: There's plenty of young players in the league so there's no telling what will come out next. I actually think that just being young and being caught up in the game and all the hype that something was bound to slip out. I think that the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as far as their toughness and their mouths, it's no telling what's coming out next. Like I said, they've done their talking throughout the week and we did our talking on the field today.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:00 PM to Randy Moss | Permalink | Comments 0

Tom Brady postgame transcript

Q: What did you think of that lateral play for the touchdown?

TB: That's the first time that's worked in weeks. It doesn't work against the scout team-they've seen it, but we've been practicing it. I told Randy [Moss] that I guess he expected me to throw it on the ground. That was not the intention, but he made a great play to pick it up and get it back to me. I just barely got enough on it and it was a big turnaround in the game for us.

Q: How much does it help when Wes Welker produces like he did tonight?

TB: It always does. It always does. He's always a big part of the plan. I thought he played really well, made a bunch of huge catches. He made that huge third and one on our first scoring drive. He played well all night, caught the last touchdown on the post. He really played well.

Q: It seems like defenses are jamming Randy Moss at the line more. Does that affect how much of a factor he is?

TB: Sometimes they get good jams, that's part of being a good defensive back. I think if you ask our defensive backs, 'What's the best way to play receivers?' [It's] to be physical. Sometimes you're physical and it looks great. Other times, you miss and he was able to create space for himself. He's got great quickness for a guy his size, but sometimes they make pretty good plays, too. When he gets off clean, he's usually into his route, up on those safeties and makes it tough on them. He works extremely hard and we'll continue to find way to get him the ball and, obviously, he had a huge impact on the game tonight.

Q: Was that touchdown [to Jabar Gaffney] to start the second half a shot across the bow at the Steelers?

TB: No, we just try to execute on offense. That's what it comes down to. Good execution overcomes a lot of things. I think the last few weeks, we haven't necessarily executed as well as I thought we were capable of. Tonight was better, but I still think we let some plays out there. But, you know you're going against the first-ranked defense in the league and that's what it takes.

Q: Was it intentional that Gaffney's touchdown went in Anthony Smith's direction.

TB: No, he just ended up being in the right place at the right time.

Q: It looked like Randy Moss returned a pretty tight spiral to you. Do you have to wait before you set and threw downfield?

TB: Nah, I've got good hands… You know, as a quarterback you catch the ball quite a lot while you play catch so I'm lucky I didn't drop that. He made a better throw to me than I did to him.

Q: It looked like you got into it a little bit with their players in the first half. Do you care to elaborate on what you said?

TB: There's always just a little jawing. I don't care to repeat what I said.

Q: Can you give us a hint of what it was?

TB: I don't care to repeat it, especially if my mother reads it. She wouldn't be very happy with what I said.

Q: What do you put into players guaranteeing victory?

TB: It comes down to execution. You've got to come out and as soon as the ball is kicked off you've got to execute your plays.

Q: Are you at all surprised to see a player doing that?

TB: Yeah, he's a good player. I think he was trying to motivate his guys and I think him saying, 'We've seen the best receivers in the league.' Maybe that's their opinion, but hopefully we can go out and execute our offense. No matter what you say during the week, it comes down to execution.

Q: After you've wrapped up the division and home-field advantage, does going undefeated at all enter the picture in your minds of things to accomplish this season?

TB: 14-0 means something to me. I think that's about as far as I would go.

Q: Did it mean anything extra to have those plays on Anthony Smith?

TB: I think the receivers get more motivated than the quarterback. I think I'm kind of aware of that whole defense and just happened to be… Like I said, we happened to have those plays on him. He's the one that's got to go back to his team. Other than that, we're just going to move on and try to go out there and play great against the Jets.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:58 PM to Tom Brady | Permalink | Comments 0

Bill Belichick postgame transcript

BB: That was a good win today for us. [I'm] really happy for the players, proud of them, proud of the way they played. I thought we played a smart football game and did a pretty good job of taking care of the ball. [We] had a couple of stops in the red area on defense, which was good, and again, our offensive line really did a nice job of handling all of the pressure. They gave us a lot of pressure, a lot more than we've seen, especially last week. I thought our line did a good job. We threw the ball well, made some big plays and played better on defense. It was a good win and Pittsburgh is a good team.

Q: You mentioned last week that you were tired. Did you like the energy and the bounce-back…

BB: Now, hold it. What I said was on Monday night we were tired - midnight. And we were tired.

Q: Did you like the energy tonight?

BB: I thought our team had good energy all week. I thought we had good practice all week and I thought we played well today.

Q: Could you comment on the role of the passing game and big plays to help your team take control of the game in the third quarter?

BB: I thought that we threw it and caught it a lot better than we have the last couple of weeks. Josh [McDaniels] and the coaches and the players, they did a great job with the passing game. Our execution was pretty good and, of course, the protection was pretty good, too, for the most part. It was the number one-ranked defense and all of that. I thought we went out there and moved the ball and scored some points. Most of it was throwing and we felt like that was a good match-up for us, and I would say that it was.

Q: On the second red zone stop they came out with nothing. That was a particularly effective play. It ended the game, really.

BB: You're talking about where they ran the sweep to [Hines] Ward? Yeah, that's kind of one of the things they do down there. You know, they run a lot of trick plays with Ward at quarterback or hands-offs or halfback passes, stuff like that… kind of their two-point package, so it was a heads-up play. I thought Rodney [Harrison] made a great play on the fade pattern on the play before. He went out and played the ball perfectly. It was an outstanding play. It was back to the ball and then making the tackle on that fourth down sweep was heads-up, too. We were in goal line defense. It was good to make a stop down there. We know that hasn't been one of our strong points this year, but it was good that we came up big today, what was it, two or three times, whatever it was. So I thought it was good.

Q: On the lateral to Randy Moss, was he supposed to drop that on purpose?

BB: Yeah, that really sold it, didn't it? No, he wasn't supposed to drop it on purpose, but he did a good job with it. He did a good job of… I think that sold the play a little bit and everybody kind of was hustling over there and he made a nice throw back to Tom and you can't get him much more open than that. It was well-executed. It's a play that we've practiced a few times and it came in handy today. It was a big momentum play for us in the third quarter. It was a nice job by [Jabar] Gaffney, really selling it, and Moss by dropping the ball, I think that really gave it a little more draw. I wish I could take credit for that, but that wasn't part of the play.

Q: What was it about that situation that made you call that play? I would imagine there'd have to be a lot of factors that go in to deciding to use that kind of play.

BB: We had talked about it earlier. I think where the situation in the game [was] and the ball being on that hash mark… We actually were going to run it earlier and we ended up having to take a time out. We just couldn't quite get it worked out right. I think it just kind of worked out right that time. But the most important thing is execution. I don't think it was so much when it was called as how well it was executed.

Q: What was your feeling at halftime, and did you make a decision at that point that, 'We threw the ball a lot in the first half. We're going to even throw it more in the second half'?

BB: We tried to mix it up a little bit. We ran some no-huddle and then we also ran some of our regular stuff and tried to mix some runs in there and some play-action passes, so it was just trying to keep moving it around on them and keep them off-balance. We had some three-wide receiver sets, some four-wide receiver sets and ran some empty sets where nobody's in the backfield. We tried to give them some different looks. Again, I think the players did a great job executing the passing game. The receivers, the quarterback, the backs, the line, the tight ends - We did a good job with our spacing and our blitz pick-up and getting open in man-coverage when they tried to play man against us.

Q: What did you say to the team, if anything, about Anthony Smith's guarantee?

BB: You know, I think Rodney put it the best, so I'll just leave it at that. But we've played against a lot better safeties than him, I'll tell you.

Q: Did running that play have anything to do with Pittsburgh, or was it something you'd been looking to get in? Was it because of their aggressiveness?

BB: Well, again, the safety play at that position was pretty inviting.

Q: Randy's production today - the touchdowns, and every catch he made for first down - Is that good throws by Tom?

BB: [He's been] doing it all year. Good quarterback, good receiver. He's leading the league in receiving, right?

Q: If you reach a point where there's nothing left to play for - the bye, home field advantage - does it change the way you prepare?

BB: [We] treat every game… We'll treat the next game just like we treat the other ones. Right now all we're thinking about is one game and that's the Jets. We'll get ready for them just like we [got] ready for Pittsburgh this week and Baltimore the week before and Philadelphia the week before that. We'll do the same thing we've been doing for the last however many weeks it's been… 12, whatever it is: 13.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:57 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Official postgame notes

PATRIOTS CLINCH FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF BYE
By virtue of their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers today, the Patriots have clinched a first-round playoff bye for the fifth time since the current NFL playoff format was implemented in 1990. New England has earned first-round byes in 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2007. If the Indianapolis Colts lose to Baltimore tonight, the Patriots would also clinch the top seed in the AFC and homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. If the Colts defeat Baltimore, the Patriots can clinch homefield advantage with a victory over the New York Jets next week.

500 POINTS FOR THE SEASON
With Tom Brady's 2-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker in the third quarter, the Patriots' season point total stood at exactly 500 points scored, marking the first time an NFL team has broken the 500-point mark since the 2004 Indianapolis Colts scored 522 points. New England finished the game with 503 total points this season. The 2007 Patriots are the 11th team in the 88-year history of the NFL to break the 500-point mark. The 1998 Minnesota Vikings hold the NFL record with 556 points scored.

PATRIOTS RAISE SEASON TD TOTAL TO 65
Following four touchdowns today, the Patriots have scored 65 touchdowns this season, a total that ranks seventh in NFL history. The 1984 Miami Dolphins hold the all-time record with 70 touchdowns, following by the 2000 St. Louis Rams (67). Four teams have scored 66 touchdowns in a season, most recently the 2004 Indianapolis Colts.

BRADY'S 45 TOUCHDOWN PASSES ARE THIRD HIGHEST NFL SINGLE-SEASON TOTAL
Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes to raise his season total to 45 touchdown passes. Brady's 45 touchdown passes are the third-highest single-season total in NFL history, trailing only Peyton Manning's NFL-record 49 touchdown passes in 2004 and Marino's 48 scoring throws in 1984 Brady's 45 touchdown passes have eclipsed the Patriots' old single-season mark of 31, set by Vito "Babe" Parilli in 1964. Brady has thrown 45 touchdowns and just five interceptions so far in 2007.

NFL SINGLE-SEASON TOUCHDOWN PASS LEADERS
Player Team Year TD
Peyton Manning IND 2004 49
Dan Marino MIA 1984 48
Tom Brady NE 2007 45
Dan Marino MIA 1986 44
Kurt Warner STL 1999 41

BELICHICK RECORDS 100th VICTORY AS PATRIOTS HEAD COACH
Bill Belichick recorded his 100th overall victory as Patriots head coach today. Since being hired by the Patriots prior to the 2000 season, Belichick has now recorded 88 regular-season victories and 12 playoff wins for a total of 100 victories. He is one of four current NFL head coaches to win 100 or more overall games with their current team, joining Washington's Joe Gibbs (168 wins), Denver's Mike Shanahan (130) and Tennessee's Jeff Fisher (117). Belichick has an overall coaching record of 137-84 (.620), including a 124-81 regular-season mark and a 13-3 playoff record.

MOSS'S 19 TOUCHDOWN CATCHES ARE SECOND HIGHEST NFL SINGLE-SEASON TOTAL
With two touchdown receptions in the first half, Randy Moss caught his 18th and 19th touchdown passes of the season, recording the second highest single-season receiving touchdown total in NFL history. Moss's 19 touchdown catches this season trail only Jerry Rice's NFL record total of 22 in 1987. The 19 touchdown receptions set a new career high for Moss, topping his 17 scoring catches in 1998 and 2003 while with the Minnesota Vikings.

NFL SINGLE-SEASON RECEIVING TD LEADERS
Player Team Year TD
Jerry Rice SF 1987 22
Randy Moss NE 2007 19
Sterling Sharpe GB 1994 18
Mark Clayton MIA 1984 18
Randy Moss MIN 2003 17
Randy Moss MIN 1998 17*
(Six others tied with 17 touchdown receptions)
*-NFL Rookie Record

BRADY RECORDS FIFTH GAME WITH FOUR OR MORE TOUCHDOWN PASSES IN 2007
Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes, marking his fifth game of the season with four or more scoring throws. Brady's five games with four or more touchdowns tie the third highest total in NFL history, trailing only the six games with four or more touchdown passes by Peyton Manning in 2004 and by Dan Marino in 1984. Brady's five games with four or more scoring passes tie Donovan McNabb's 2004 total, Marino's 1986 total and Brett Favre's 1996 total.

MOSS SETS TEAM RECORD FOR MOST OVERALL TOUCHDOWNS IN A SEASON
With his first touchdown catch of the day, a 4-yard reception from Tom Brady, Randy Moss set a new Patriots record with his 18th overall touchdown of the season, topping Curtis Martin's previous record of 17 touchdowns in 1996. Moss added a 63-yard scoring grab in the second quarter to raise his season total to 19 touchdowns. All 18 of Moss's touchdowns have come via receptions. In 1996, Martin had 14 touchdowns via rushes and three via receptions.

PATRIOTS SINGLE-SEASON OVERALL TD LEADERS
Player Year TDs Rush Rec. Ret.
Randy Moss 2007 19 0 19 0
Curtis Martin 1996 17 14 3 0
Curtis Martin 1995 15 14 1 0
Corey Dillon 2006 13 13 0 0
(Five others tied with 13 overall touchdowns)

GAFFNEY HAS CAREER HIGH YARDAGE
Jabar Gaffney set a career high with 122 receiving yards on seven catches, including a 56-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Gaffney's previous career high was 109 receiving yards, achieved while playing for the Houston Texans against Chicago on Dec. 19, 2004. The 100-yard receiving game was the second of Gaffney's regular-season career. He also has two 100-yard games in three career playoff contests, all with the Patriots in 2006.

BRADY HAS SECOND HIGHEST YARDAGE TOTAL OF CAREER
Tom Brady totaled 399 passing yards against Pittsburgh, completing 32-of-46 passes (69.6 percent) with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a 125.2 passer rating. The 399 passing yards are the second highest of Brady's career, trailing only his 410 passing yards in a 41-38 overtime win over Kansas City on Sept. 22, 2002. Brady's 399 yards are his highest career total in a non-overtime game. Including today's yardage total, four of Brady's top five career single-game yardage totals have come this season. Against Pittsburgh, Brady recorded his sixth 300-yard passing game of the season and the 21st 300-yard game of his career.

BRADY PASSES 4,000-YARD MARK
With a 4-yard completion to Wes Welker in the third quarter, Tom Brady exceeded 4,000 passing yards for the season, marking the fourth 4,000-yard passing season in Patriots history. Following that completion, Brady had 4,001 yards on the season. He finished the game with 4,095 passing yards, a total that ranks third in team history. Brady has accomplished the feat for the second time in his career, having also exceeded the milestone in 2005 (4,110 yards). Drew Bledsoe also exceeded 4,000 passing yards two times in a Patriots uniform (4,555 yards in 1994 and 4,086 yards in 1996).

TWO COMPLETIONS OF 50 YARDS OR LONGER FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2001
The Patriots completed two touchdown passes of longer than 50 yards, marking the first time since 2001 that the Patriots have had two completions of 50 yards or more in the same game. Against Pittsburgh, Tom Brady hit Randy Moss for a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter and later completed a 56-yard touchdown toss to Jabar Gaffney in the third quarter. The last time New England completed two passes of 50 yards or longer in the same game was on Oct. 21, 2001 at Indianapolis, when Brady threw a 91-yard touchdown pass to David Patten and Patten threw a 60-yard scoring pas to Troy Brown.

WELKER BREAKS 90-CATCH MARK
With an 11-yard reception in the fourth quarter - his 90th catch of the season - Wes Welker recorded the fifth 90-reception season in Patriots history. He joins Troy Brown (101 receptions in 2001 and 97 receptions in 2002), Ben Coates (96 catches in 1994) and Terry Glenn (90 receptions in 1996) as the only players in Patriots history to achieve the feat. Welker finished the game with 93 receptions this season, a total that ranks fourth in team history.

MOSS PASSES 1,200-YARD MARK
On his 63-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, Randy Moss passed the 1,200-yard receiving mark for the season, becoming the second player in Patriots history to achieve the 1,200-yard receiving plateau. Following that catch, Moss had 1,212 yards on 78 catches in 2007. Moss joins Stanley Morgan (1,491 yards in 1986) as the only players in franchise history to achieve the feat. Moss has exceeded the 1,200-yard receiving mark for the seventh time in his 10 NFL seasons and has achieved the milestone for the first time since gaining a career-high 1,632 receiving yards in 2003 with Minnesota.

MOSS RECORDS 54th CAREER 100-YARD RECEIVING GAME
With 135 yards on seven catches, Randy Moss has recorded his eighth 100-yard receiving game of the season and the 54th 100-yard receiving game of his career. Moss's 54 career 100-yard receiving games rank third all-time, trailing only Jerry Rice (76) and Marvin Harrison (59). Stanley Morgan holds the Patriots single-season record with nine 100-yard receiving games in 1986. Moss's 135 receiving yards are his third highest total of the season, trailing only his 183 yards against the New York Jets on Sept. 9 and his 145 yards against Indianapolis on Nov. 4.

MOSS CATCHES 63-YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS
Randy Moss hauled in a 63-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 14-3 lead. The reception was Moss's longest of the season, topping a 55-yard grab at Indianapolis on Nov. 4. It was also Moss's fourth catch of 50 yards or longer this season and was the 33rd reception of 50 yards or longer in his career. The 63-yard touchdown was Moss's 11th touchdown catch of 60 yards or longer in his career. It was the second longest reception of the season for the Patriots, trailing only a 69-yard scoring pass from Brady to Donte Stallworth at Dallas on Oct. 14.

PATRIOTS HELD ON OPENING POSSESSION
New England did not score on its opening possession for just the second time in 13 games this season. The only other game this season in which the Patriots did not put points on the board on its first offensive possession of the game was at Indianapolis on Nov. 4. On their 13 game-opening possessions this season, the Patriots have scored eight touchdowns, three field goals and have punted twice.

STEELERS BECOME FIRST PATRIOTS OPPONENT TO SCORE ON OPENING POSSESSION
The Patriots allowed the Steelers to convert a 23-yard field goal on Pittsburgh's first offensive possession of the game. The points were the first of the season that New England has allowed on an opponents' opening possession of the game. Entering this week's game, the Patriots were the only NFL team not to allow an opponent score on their opening possession. Jacksonville entered the week ranked second by allowing nine points on opponents first drives.

QUICK HITS
-Vince Wilfork stuffed Willie Parker in the backfield for a 2-yard loss in the first quarter.
-Chad Jackson returned a kickoff 39 yards in the first quarter, marking the fifth kickoff return of 35 yards or more by the Patriots this season.
-Jarvis Green sacked Ben Roethlisberger for a 9-yard sack in the first quarter. The sack was Green's fifth of the season, a total that ranks second on the team.
-Vince Wilfork sacked Roethlisberger for an 8-yard sack in the third quarter. The sack was Wilfork's first of the season.
-Adalius Thomas sacked Ben Roethlisberger for a 2-yard loss in the fourth quarter. The sack was Thomas's fourth of the season.
-James Sanders recovered a Steelers fumble on a punt in the second quarter. Sanders pounced on the ball after it his Pittsburgh's William Gay, giving the Patriots possession at the Steelers' 34-yard line.
-Rodney Harrison batted away a pass intended for Santonio Holmes in the end zone on third down in the fourth quarter. On the next play, Harrison combined with Richard Seymour to stuff Hines Ward for no gain and keep the Steelers out of the end zone.

HOT WHEN IT'S COLDThe Patriots have enjoyed tremendous recent success in cold weather and are 21-3 since 1993 when the kickoff temperature is 34 degrees or less. Today's kickoff temperature was 34 degrees. New England has won 16 of its last 18 games when the kickoff temperature has been 34 degrees or colder. Tom Brady is 23-2 as a starter when the temperature is less than 40 degrees.

PATRIOTS GAMES 34 DEGREES OR COLDER SINCE 1993 (21-3)
Sorted by Temperature
Date Opp. Temp Notes W/L Score
01/10/04 TEN* 4 Wind Chill -10 W 17-14
01/23/05 at PIT* 11 Wind Chill -1 W 41-27
12/26/93 IND 19 Wind Chill -1 W 38-0
01/07/06 JAX* 24 Clear and Calm W 28-3
12/21/96 at NYG 24 Wind Chill 17 W 23-22
01/01/06 MIA 25 Wind Chill 20 L 26-28
01/16/05 IND* 25 Snow W 20-3
12/14/03 JAX 25 Wind Chill 16 W 27-13
01/19/02 OAK* 25 Snow W 16-13 ot
12/05/05 NYJ 26 Light Snow W 16-3
12/10/95 NYJ 26 Wind Chill 12 W 31-28
01/12/97 JAX* 27 Wind Chill 11 W 20-6
12/07/03 MIA 28 Wind Chill 17 W 12-0
12/11/05 at BUF 30 Light Snow W 35-7
12/26/04 at NYJ 30 Wind Chill 21 W 23-7
12/20/03 at NYJ 30 Wind Chill 20 W 21-16
11/05/06 IND 31 Clear and Calm L 20-27
12/24/00 MIA 31 Wind Chill 22 L 24-27
01/02/05 SF 32 Wind Chill 27 W 21-7
01/18/04 IND* 32 Light Snow W 24-14
11/16/03 DAL 33 Cloudy and Calm W 12-0
11/26/95 at BUF 33 Flurries W 35-25
12/09/07 PIT 34 Cloudy and Cold W 34-13
12/16/01 at BUF 34 Wind Chill 25 W 12-9 ot
12/12/93 CIN 34 Wind Chill 23 W 7-2
*-playoffs

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

First-round bye clinched

With their victory today, the Patriots have secured a first-round bye for the playoffs. It is the fifth time since the current playoff system was implemented in 1990 that New England has earned the bye.

They can also clinch the number one seed if Indianapolis loses to Baltimore tonight, but given the way that game is going right now, that probably won't happen this week.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Patriots 34, Steelers 13

The New England Patriots today took a giant step toward a perfect regular season, easily defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers today in Foxboro. On a day when the Patriots handed the ball off only eight times, Tom Brady threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Randy Moss.

After going into halftime with only a 17-13 lead, the Patriots clamped down and shut out the Steelers in the second half, while their pass-happy offense moved the ball methodically down the field.

We'll have a full game report tonight on projo.com's Patriots page, including game stories as soon as they are filed and a photo gallery later this evening. For now, you can vote in our survey: How confident are you about a perfect season? Or, you can tell us what you think now about Anthony Smith's guarantee.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 7:22 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

"Guar-an-tee! Guar-an-tee!!"

The crowd here at Gillette just started chanting "guar-an-tee!" mocking Steelers' safety Anthony Smith's prediction from earlier this week.

It went on for a few rounds before Tom Brady asked the crowd to quiet down so he could communicate with the Pats' offense.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

500 points

Stephen Gostkowski's extra point gave the Patriots an even 500 points for the year, making them the 12th team in NFL history to score at least that many points.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 6:31 PM to Stephen Gostkowski | Permalink | Comments 0

Moss moves up all-time lists

Randy Moss now has 118 yards receiving, the 54th 100-yard game of his career. That is the third-highest number of 100-yard games in league history.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 6:11 PM to Randy Moss | Permalink | Comments 0

Time of Possession

FOXBORO -- The Patriots have the lead at halftime, even though the Steelers had the ball most of the time. Despite Pittsburgh's dominance in time of possession -- 19:12 to 10:48 -- the Pats led, 17-13. One reason is that New England had a one-play scoring "drive" in the first minute of the second quarter, when Tom Brady threw a 63-yard TD pass to Randy Moss.

Posted by Jim Donaldson  at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

You Can Count This One

FOXBORO -- Gostkowski made good on his second long-range attempt, connecting from 42 yards with 42 second left, increasing New England's lead to 17-13, and boosting his percentage to .500 -- 2 of 4 -- on field-goal tries from 40 yards and beyond.

Posted by Jim Donaldson  at 5:41 PM to Stephen Gostkowski | Permalink | Comments 0

If You're Counting on Gostkowski...

FOXBORO -- Pats kicker Stephen Gostkowski's miss (wide right) from 48 yards midway through the second quarter left the second-year specialist 1-for-3 this season from 40 yards and beyond. He also has a miss in the 30-to-39 range, where he's 5-for-6. Overall this season, he's 14-of-17.
His miss meant the Pats failed to capitalize on a fortuitous turnover, having gained possession at the Steelers' 34 when Chris Hanson short punt bounced off a Pittsburgh blocker and the ball was recovered by New England's James Sanders.

Posted by Jim Donaldson  at 5:15 PM to Chris Hanson , James Sanders , Stephen Gostkowski | Permalink | Comments 0

More Moss

As the scores come in for Randy Moss' pirouette into the end zone...

With 83 yards receiving today, Moss now has 1,212 for the season, making his just the second player in Pats' history with more than 1,200 receiving yards in a season. Stanley Morgan holds the team record, with 1,491 in 1986.

Moss' TD was his 19th of the season, and is now alone with the second-most in league history in a season, as he's three behind Jerry Rice's league record of 22 in 1987.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 4:54 PM to Randy Moss | Permalink | Comments 0

Notes on the TD

That Tom Brady-to-Randy Moss touchdown was noteworthy for several reasons:

It was Brady's 42nd TD of the season, fourth-most all-time for a single season.
It was Moss' 18th TD reception of the season, a new career high, and ties him for second-most in a single season. It also sets a new Patriots single-season record. Curtis Martin had 17 touchdowns (14 rushing, three receiving) in 1996

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Brady lets Smith have it

After completing that touchdown to Randy Moss to put New England up 7-3, Tom Brady had some words for Steelers' Anthony Smith, he of the we will win guarantee. As Brady jawed, linebacker James Harrison came up behind him and bumped him.

Brady continued to talk to Smith as he backed off the field.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 4:41 PM to Tom Brady | Permalink | Comments 0

Pittsburgh points

The Steelers' 23-yard field goal marks the first time this season that the Patriots have allowed an opponent to score on their opening drive of the game. They were the only team in the league with that distinction at this point in the year.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

No points on opening drive

For just the second time this season, the Patriots failed to score on their opening drive of a game. New England went three-and-out against the Steelers, and also didn't put points on the board after their first drive against the Colts.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Pursuit of $, Not Perfection

FOXBORO -- To a disappointing number of Patriots fans, pursuit of the almighty dollar apparently trumped their team's pursuit of perfection.
Given that Gillette Stadium is sold out on a season-ticket basis, there are a surprising number of Steelers fans obviously in attendance, as evidenced by the yellow towels they're waving.
The people from Pittsburgh had to have obtained their tickets on the secondary market, where they were marketed by New England fans who may have wanted the money to go shopping at Patriot Place.

Posted by Jim Donaldson  at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Photo: Belichick and Bonds

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
A plane carried this banner over Gillette Stadium today as the Steelers and the Patriots prepared to play ball.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

You've Gotta Be Crazy

FOXBORO -- No one in their right mind would come to shop at Patriot Place on the day of a game. In fact, only the most hardcore fans are willing to put up with what continues to be an utterly ridiculous, and highly frustrating, traffic problem getting to Gillette Stadium.
I've been covering games here since 1979 and, for the most part, I could drive to Foxboro with relative ease if I arrived between 10:30 and 11 for a 1 o'clock game. Not any more. Traffic on Route 495 was backed up almost to Route 95 nearly four hours before the 4:15 kickoff. It was bumper-to-bumper, poking along, all the way north on Route 1. Team officials insist there are more parking places than ever, despite the space taken by the new mall just south of the stadium. Nevertheless, traffic is worse than it has ever been.
As for shoppers -- why would anyone battle game traffic to get to Patriot Place? And since most of the parking spots around the stadium are a healthy hike from the stores, why would those stores even bother to open on the day of a game? Did they expect extensive walk-in traffic from fans? Hard for me to picture a Patriots fan heading to Bed, Bath, and Beyond before he enters the stadium.
Other media members arriving from the North report similar problems.
The best move might be to go to Circuit City during the week, buy a big, flat-screen, HDTV, and watch the games at home.

Posted by Jim Donaldson  at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Game inactives

For the Patriots:

QB Matt Gutierrez (third QB)
CB Eddie Jackson
S Rashad Baker
G Stephen Neal
T Wesley Britt
WR Troy Brown
DL Le Kevin Smith
LB Chad Brown

For the Steelers:

QB Brian St. Pierre (third QB)
WR Willie Reid
RB Gary Russell
S Troy Polamalu
LB LaMarr Woodley
C Marvin Philip
G/C Darnell Stapleton
T Trai Essex

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Welcome to Gillette

Hey all --

Welcome to Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots will play the first of three straight home games, and their first non-prime time game in over a month -- their last such game was Nov. 4 in Indianapolis, which was also a 4 p.m. start.

Beloved Bruins' National Anthem singer Rene Rancourt will perform the song here today, and the color guard will also have a bit of a local flavor, as the Swansea Fire Department will present the colors.

We got here a bit later than usual, so the Pats players who usually do early warm-up have already retreated to the locker room; we did see Mike Vrabel out there. There are several Steelers still on the field currently.

We'll be back shortly with the inactives.

shalise

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 2:17 PM to Mike Vrabel | Permalink | Comments 0