Darqueze Dennard, Cornerback
(On getting into the swing of things after the shoulder injury in preseason)
"It was tough at first but the training staff did a good job making sure I was healthy before I was thrown back out there. Right now I'm just playing special teams and doing anything to help the team win."
A.J. Green, Wide Receiver
(On playing against Darrelle Revis)
"He made some plays but I also got open. He played a heck of a game. They were not giving up the big plays. Nothing I haven't seen before, we just didn't play well. We had too many turnovers and couldn't get into a rhythm."
(On if the Bengals underestimated the Patriots)
"No, we didn't underestimate anybody. We just had a bad game. You can't win if you have four turnovers. It just happened like that."
(On if they were rusty after the bye)
"The bye didn't throw us off, we just didn't play well. We don't make excuses, we got our butts whipped."
Leon Hall, Cornerback
(On what went wrong in the game)
"I am not sure, we will have to take a look at it. We just didn't play well. There were a lot of points on the board so we have to go figure things out. I am not sure at this moment. We have to take a look at things when we get back to Cincinnati. We didn't take them lightly, we just didn't play well. Again, I am not sure, we just didn't execute. Any time you lose on national television it is hard to take but it is not the end of the world."
Jeremy Hill, Half Back
(On catching up with Stevan Ridley at the end of the game and trading jerseys)
"Yeah I just congratulated him and was reminiscing on some old stuff."
(On the challenges against the Patriots' defense)
"They were pretty simplistic in most of their looks. We've just got to make plays, and they trusted their defensive backs and their linebackers to make plays. They didn't do anything crazy; they just matched up to man to man coverage. They spread it all the way across the board. We just had to make plays and not turn the ball over."
(On fumbles killing their momentum)
"Yeah definitely, I think we had some momentum going in the third quarter. We had some fumbles and special teams had some fumbles as well. When we do that you put yourself into a position to not win the football game. All the credit goes to them, they made the plays, they got the turnovers when they needed them and that's why they won the game."
George Iloka, Safety
(On how frustrating it is to have another bad performance in prime time)
"We hate losing in general, but this one stings a lot. We came out flat and they came out fired up. They had a tough loss last Monday and the whole nation was watching and we didn't play Bengals football. We have to lick our wounds, watch the tape and bounce back like they did. That's a good example, they got embarrassed last week and look how they came out this week."
(On whether the Patriots came out stronger than they expected)
"No, they were fired up. We knew it. We thought they took their best shot early, but every time we started catching some momentum, they made a big play here or there. It was tough, we were playing catch up the whole time and it's tough to come back, especially on the road."
(On how the Patriots were successful)
"They didn't run anything different. They didn't really get too many big chunks of yardage, it was just a missed tackle here or there and a few lapses in coverage. I couldn't tell you, they just converted every third down they needed to and won the plays they needed to."
Reggie Nelson, Safety
(On why he thought the Patriots got off to a fast start)
"They came out and played a good game. You can't take anything away from them. We just have to come in tomorrow and see what we did wrong and try and fix things."
(On how the team responds to the loss)
"We'll see next week."
(On how disappointed he was with the loss)
"It stings. It hurts. We just have to move on to the next one."
Domata Peko, Defensive Tackle
(On the game)
"They ran over one hundred yards on us and then they went way over and that is something we need to correct. That starts with us up front here, the defensive line. We all have to be on the same page and they got us off kilter in the beginning of the game. They got us today and they were the better team tonight. We have a strong team here and we have to bounce back from it."
Mohamed Sanu, Wide Receiver
(On the loss)
"They just played better than us. Offense, defense, and special teams, they played better than us. They executed, they made plays. We turned the ball over way too many times. That's not like us, we gave up a sack, and we can't do that. They capitalized on the turnovers and made plays."
(On getting this game behind them)
"It will happen overnight. We've got to come in tomorrow look at the film, and look at what we did wrong and fix all the details that we need to correct. We've got to come back and bounce back and get a win next time."
Devon Still, Defensive Tackle
(On being told Robert Kraft donated $25,000 to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital in his daughter's name)
"I didn't know he gave a donation. That's great. It's great how everybody has been stepping up, not just from here [Cincinnati], but across the country. It has just been amazing and it is great for the cancer community."
(On the Patriots cheerleaders wearing his jersey)
"I was surprised. I didn't know they had the jerseys on. And then they played the video. It definitely made it emotional to see the cheerleaders take off their jackets and to see the jerseys definitely took it over the top for me. We came here to play a football game with an opposing team and I didn't expect them to show the support that they did today. It was amazing what they did today. It shows this fight is more than about football. Everybody is trying to chip in and step up for the cause."
(On the game)
"We came here and we didn't get done what we needed to do. All we can do now is go back to the drawing board and try to fix our mistakes and prepare for next week."
Brandon Tate, Wide Receiver
(On his kickoff return miscue)
"It is just one of those things, it just came out. I just have to hold onto the ball. This game is behind us and we have to move on to next week. If I can catch the ball in the front without backing up coach said I can take it. I just have to hold onto the ball and that is about it. I just have to hold onto the ball if I am going to take that chance."
Andrew Whitworth, Offensive Tackle
(On the game)
"We didn't make some plays and we dropped some balls and it is what it is. We just have to make the plays. We have said it before, when you get in these situations they made the critical catches and runs tonight and we just didn't have any."
(On losing on a nationally televised game)
"I don't think we think about it that way. We think about coming into New England against a team that just got their teeth kicked in and they were going to play their best game possible. They came out hot and ready to go with the crowd. You can tell this was a game they were prepared for and you knew you were going to get their best…they came out and wanted it more in the end."
(On the first loss)
"It is football, so it didn't surprise me. I know it was possibly going to happen at some point and we are just going to have to respond. I felt like we started to turn it around and we just couldn't ever seem to get momentum enough to turn it around all the way."
Kyle Arrington, Cornerback
(On how satisfying the win was for the secondary)
"Not only from a secondary standpoint, but from a team standpoint, it's great to come out here and get a win on this type of stage, this magnitude. I thought we got contributions from all three phases – offense, defense and special teams, so it was a good complimentary football game."
(On the key to slowing the receivers down)
"Stick together. As you just said, they have a lot of great weapons – it's not just receivers. They have a lot of great backs out of the backfield, tight ends – [Jermaine] Gresham – he's a great threat as well. We just took it upon us tonight just one play at a time, just try to win your individual battles as much as you can and take it one play at a time."
(On his touchdown)
"Aww man, my eyes got huge. Great kick by Steve [Gostkowski] [as] always. I think it was Brandon Bolden who forced the fumble, and as soon as that ball came out, I put it in second gear and as I said, my eyes got big. I saw a couple guys try to dive on it and it squirted even further, I guess closer to me. We do turnover tackle drills at the beginning of practice every day as far as scooping and scoring and things of that nature, so it just came secondhand. I tried to put some style points toward the end on it."
Rob Gronkowski, Tight End
(On if the Patriots wanted to make a point Sunday night)
"Yes, definitely. We had to go out there and we had to execute. We were executing as a team very well. We were clicking on all cylinders – the running game, the passing game, the defense with the turnovers. It was a great game and we've got to take it, practice hard this week and get ready for the Bills for sure."
(On if this was a statement game for the Patriots)
"It's another game. It's a long season. You want a victory every single week. We came out with a victory and that was our goal. That's what happened and we've got to keep rolling."
(On what the Patriots' mindset was during practice this past week)
"The practice mindset is the same every week: you want to get better, you want to prepare to the best of your ability. You want to prepare to the max, no matter who your opponent is and that's what we did. We've got to do that again and we've got to practice hard."
(On hearing the fans chanting Tom Brady's name)
"…[Tom Brady] came back strong and showed them that he's still a young buck and he has a lot in his tank left. I'm proud to be playing with him and it was awesome seeing all those 'Brady' chants out there. It was just a good game overall with a lot of teamwork."
Darrelle Revis, Cornerback
(On how much the rule changes impact his game)
"The rules are the rules, man. You just got to play within the rules as much as you can. As a secondary, we want to continue to play aggressive and want to continue to play tough ball. That's all you can do. There's a lot of tough calls out there today, but at the same time you've got to give us credit for sticking in there and sticking through some of those calls and just playing tough defense."
(On if this is his best game as a Patriot)
"I don't know. Whatever the coaches say, that's the only opinion I'm focused on; make sure I'm doing my job and to make sure, collectively as a secondary, we do our job."
(On the importance of Sunday's win)
"It was awesome, man. It was very awesome. It showed a lot of heart that this team has and we knew we needed this win. It was against a great football team. They were undefeated and we just wanted to get this one at home and secure this win."
(On the intensity of the matchups with Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green)
"They were great matchups, man. I'm sure he was looking forward to it as well and I talked to him after the game as well and I just told him I'd probably see him down the road in the future. It was great, a great matchup. He's a great competitor and a great receiver. One of the top guys, so I did talk to him after the game and said, 'Hey man, just keep up the great work that you're doing and it was good playing against you.'"
(On what he thought about matching up against Green)
"I'm used to it. To compete and take out the number one guy, but whatever the game plan is it is. It's a different game plan week by week and you got to play what the coaches call."
(On the crowd chanting quarterback Tom Brady's name)
"Tonight was great, man. The fans were into it. We started off fast. That was one of the things we did want to do as a team. Congrats to Tom getting into the history books [surpassing 50,000 career passing yards]. That's awesome for him and this organization. It was great, man. Everybody had a lot of fire tonight and the biggest thing we wanted to do was to start off fast and we jumped on them really fast. You can just see the intensity that we had as the offense went out first. We kind of handled that on the defensive side as well."
Matthew Slater, Wide Receiver
(On rallying behind Tom Brady)
"No question. We'll go to the ends of the earth for our guy and we have the utmost respect for him and we'll battle with him every day, any day of the week. We were all taking a lot of heat this week, and rightfully so, we didn't play well last Monday night. Tom is going to be Tom and he's our leader and as he goes, we go. He played with a lot of emotion tonight and we were just really happy for him – 50,000 [career passing] yards, but more importantly, the win. You can't say enough good things about our leader, our quarterback, really the heartbeat of this team."
(On if Tom Brady's runs fired up the team)
"When you see your quarterback out there sacrificing his body and doing whatever it takes to win the football game, you better make sure you're doing the same. Like I said, we just feed off of him. He still plays the game with a child-like joy. He loves football, and it's contagious, and thankfully, things worked out for us tonight."
(On how the team was able to look so different from last week's loss to tonight's win)
"I think it starts with the leadership. We have one of the best coaches that has ever coached this game and he knows how to mentally get us in the right place. He knows how to motivate his football team and then you got guys like Jerod [Mayo], Tom [Brady], Vince [Wilfork], [Devin] McCourty, [Dan] Connolly and other leaders on this team that know how to respond to adversity. The reality is that football is a game of ups and downs and it's not going to be smooth sailing all the time. There's going to be bumps in the road and we had a big bump in the road last week, but we were able to refocus ourselves on the task at hand this week and respond."
Nate Solder, Tackle
(On what motivated the team this week)
"That was the result of a lot of great guys in this group, in this team, who were just committed to getting better this week. We knew we had to show up for this game."
(On whether recent criticism has affected Tom Brady's play)
"We know criticism is part of the job. We always want to play at a high level; our standards are so much higher than anyone else's so I don't think that affects him. I think that we all just play for each other and we try to improve every week."
(On what was working this week compared to previous games)
"We had some success early. We did some things good and we did some things that we need to improve. We are going to look at that and improve it. It's a building process. We're not where we want to be. We're going to continue to build. Every week we just have to believe that we are recommitting ourselves to getting better."
Sebastian Vollmer, Tackle
(On the fans chanting Tom Brady's name)
"It's pretty sweet. What was it, 50,000 [yards]? That's pretty sweet. It was awesome that the fans acknowledged that and to hear the name of one of your teammates is pretty sweet."
(On criticism of Tom Brady during the week)
"I didn't criticize him [laughter]. I can't control what anybody else does."
(On if Tom Brady was more emotional than usual)
"He's a pretty intense guy…He's always very intense and always a great leader."
Ryan Wendell, Offensive Lineman
(On his overall thoughts of the game)
"It was fun. When the team performs like that, it's great. The offense was energized by the defense and what they were doing. Our runners, man. When our runners run like that, it's fun to watch. Tom [Brady] was controlling everything and keeping the pace up and it was just a total team win today. Special teams making great tackles. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it."
(On recent criticism of the offense)
"I think for us, I try not to listen to any of that stuff and just do my job and I think that's how Tom goes about it too, so it worked out for us tonight."
(On having a strong start to the game)
I think with a team like the Bengals, as good as they are, you better come out and be tough because they're tough. I think that might have been a product of who we were playing. I've got a lot of respect for those guys and there's a reason why they've been playing as good as they have."
Vince Wilfork, Defensive Lineman
(On what kind of week it was)
"We got back to business after Monday night. A lot of us understood that team wasn't the team we wanted to be. It wasn't us Monday night. Only thing we could've done was do something about it, and it started with a good week of practice. Tuesday coming back in and getting going, watching some film, and then Wednesday coming in with a walkthrough, and Thursday a regular Thursday, and then Friday kind of being a normal Friday. So we kind of missed some time. You know what, guys kind of stepped up big today and took everything in stride, and everybody did their job. We played consistent football, played 60 minutes of good football, started fast. Offensively, defensively, turnovers, special teams – you name it, this is a great team win against a real good football team. I'm not going to discredit those guys because that's a hell of a football team over there. There's a reason they were undefeated coming here. It means a lot for us to get a win like we did today."
(On what he and Tom Brady did to help the team bounce back)
"Just leading by example. We knew what we had to do coming forward, coming into this week, and the team followed. It was just one of those things, everybody, even rookies – the things that we do around here, how hard we work, and for us to play the way we did, it just wasn't us. It was out of character. So everybody knew we had to step our game up individually, and ultimately boost the team game. We played good today. It was just one foot in front of the other, continuing to just keep chipping away. That's what it's going to have to be every week against good teams. That's a good start. Hopefully we can keep it going."
(On if this was the best way to answer the critics)
"Best way to answer anything is to win. If we were sitting here undefeated, everybody would be blowing smoke up us, how great we are. That's why we don't pay attention to anything outside of here. Our job is what we have in here, being able to put it on the practice field and put together a good game plan and try to execute. Tonight we did well. We executed well. That's something that we've been lacking this season. We've been inconsistent, so we have to start being more consistent playing football, and I think today was a good day to get it going against a good football team, being on Sunday Night Football, Sunday Night Football again on national TV [with] everybody watching. You've just seen two different teams from Monday night to tonight – two different teams. It just goes to show you we're capable of doing it. We just have to continue to do it every day and every week just being more consistent and we'll be alright."
Tim Wright, Tight End
(On the win)
"It felt good. The offensive line protected, Tom [Brady] threw great balls – went through his reads and the wide receivers ran great routes and he delivered it and we played a complimentary game tonight."
(On his touchdown reception)
"It was just something that we practiced and we got the look that we wanted and the ally opened up and I took it and Tom [Brady] delivered a great ball and I held on to the catch and got in the end zone."
(On starting the game with such high energy)
"We definitely wanted to take that approach, start fast and see where it gets us. It's something that we really haven't done all year as of yet, but it's a great tempo for us. Guys fed off it – offense, defense, and special teams and that's how we want to play."
