New England Patriots Links 1/25/12 - Belichick: This Will Be Our 'Toughest Game'

Bill Belichick responds to reporters in his Tuesday conference call with the media.

Can you talk about the play of some of your lesser known defensive linemen like Kyle Love and Brandon Deaderick and how they've progressed throughout the season?

Of course, Brandon started out the year on PUP, so he wasn't able to participate with the team in training camp or in the first six regular season weeks and then started practice after that. He kind of got a little bit of a late start. But Brandon has worked hard; he's certainly improved a lot from last year, his rookie year, just in terms of technique and consistency and his quick reactions and so forth. He's had a good solid year for us, as has Kyle.

Kyle, kind of similar to Brandon, had a good year for us last year, was able to contribute. But unlike Brandon, Kyle was able to start the first day of training camp and really build on his rookie season. He had a good camp and has had a good season. Every day, every week really, he's been able to work, to improve, to just refine his game and take it to a higher level. I think that time that Deaderick missed in the early part of the year , which was significant – all the training camp practices and the first six weeks of the season – just put him a little bit behind, but he's still way ahead of where he was last year.

Both guys have done a good job for us. They're both good, young defensive linemen that are continuing to get better. They've contributed for us in a lot of different ways: the running game, the passing game, sub situations. They've shown good; they've been very valuable for us. It was good to get Deaderick back, along with Ron Brace after that sixth game.

Can you tell us how gratifying it was to see your defense come together at in the AFC Championship? What was it like to see Sterling Moore, who wasn't even on the initial roster, make a play like that? How does it feel to be able to identify people like that and have them contribute in timely situations like he did?

I think that our defensive players and coaches have really worked hard all year. At the end of the regular season, I think things, we had more to show for it, let's put it that way. I don't think that necessarily the work ethic or the desire or the competitiveness to do it has changed a lot, but the results started to improve because of a little more continuity, a little better execution, better technique, more confidence, all those kind of things that came together. I thought that we had our moments, but there were a lot of times in the latter part of the season where we had stretches where we played very competitively on defense. That was true in the Denver game and it was true in the Baltimore game.

There were other moments that were certainly less than ideal, but overall it's a group of guys and coaches that have worked hard and tried to get better on a daily basis and I think they have over the course of the season, more so in the last five or six weeks. we recap the Patriots 23-20 win over the Ravens to advance to Super Bowl XLVI. Plus, we start our Patriots-Giants preview.

TEAM TALK

• Andy Hart gives props to the hard-running efforts of BenJarvus Green-Ellis who came up big when the Patriots needed it most.
• Erik Scalavino analyzes Gronk's injury.
• Paul Perillo opens the Ask PFW mailbag: Prepping for Big Blue.
• Conference Call: Bill Belichick (24.09 min.) plus Transcript.
• Patriots Today - Green-Ellis keeps grinding. (3.15 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Belichick, others on WEEI. (3.11 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Super Bowl for Super People. (1.36 min. video)
• PFW in Progress - A recap of the Patriots 23-20 win over the Ravens and a Patriots-Giants preview. (2 hour program)

LOCAL LINKS

• Greg A. Bedard says Tom Brady got the job done Sunday and had a pretty good game despite the statistics.
• Ian Rapoport sees this as a chance for Patriots to right history.
• Karen Guregian reports that ex-Patriots players have permanent scars from Super Bowl XLII, and believe revenge can't help but be a factor for this team too.
• Shalise Manza Young takes a look at just how different the Patriots and Giants teams are from four years ago.
• Mike Reiss gives us an update on what the Patriots' itinerary will look like this week and next.
• Mike Reiss highlights Bill Belichick's comments on Bill O'Brien, Josh McDaniels, and Rob Gronkowski's health.
• Arielle Aronson notes Eli Manning is already being hailed as a hero and the "greatest QB in Giants history," ahead of the Super Bowl.
• Christopher Price brings in an AFC scout and an NFC scout to tell us how the Patriots can beat the Giants.
• Tom E. Curran thinks the 2007 team was better, but this team and this season have been far more enjoyable - plus 22 more post-game thoughts.
• Jeff Howe thinks Tom Brady will bounce back with a strong Super Bowl performance, and 19 other Patriots thoughts.
• Brian MacPherson reports the Patriots and Giants already know each other pretty well.
• Mike Reiss serves up some leftovers from Bill Belichick's conference call with reporters Tuesday.
• Mike Reiss answers his Patriots Mailbag: Come along for the ride on the Patriots' Redemption Tour '11.
• Jerry Spar reports the Super Bowl referee crew will be headed by John Parry, the same referee who officiated the 2009 "4th and 2" game in Indy.
• Dan Duggan focuses on the importance of special teams play, which was proven out last weekend.
• Rich Levine says the regular season records are nice, but post season sounds so much better.
• Mike Cole reports a Ravens kicking consultant isn't ruling out that the Patriots may have been behind the scoreboard being one down behind Sunday.
• Michael Hurley says the Ravens are embarrassing themselves with soft cheating accusations of Patriots' scoreboard error.
• Chris Gasper writes that the Patriots defense answered the call, and their critics Sunday.
• Tony Massarotti is suddenly feeling good about the Patriots.
• Michael Vega Patriots Notebook: Bernard Pollard hopes the Giants 'put a thrashing' on the Patriots; Belichick is glad to have Josh McDaniels back on staff to help prepare the team for the Super Bowl; Bill O'Brien is working very hard to manage both situations; Belichick lauds the Giants and coach Tom Coughlin.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Bucky Brooks (NFL.com) Monster in the middle: Wilfork keys Pats' defensive resurgence.
• Brian Baldinger (NFL.com) Drive of the Week: Patriots drive to Super Bowl XLVI. (4.10 min. video)
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) If Pats "cheated" Ravens, then shame on the Ravens.
• Scott Kacsmar (Cold Hard Football Facts) Kicking Cundiff-iculties: Writing a new chapter.
• Report (NFL.com) Belichick didn't freeze Cundiff so kicker could feel pressure.
• John McTigue (ESPN Stats & Info) Patriots-Giants: Then and now.
• Kevin Fishbain (Pro Football Weekly) Patriots' play in the trenches gives them shot at revenge.
• Jonathan Comey (Cold Hard Football Facts) Favored sons: Why aren't the Giants favored?
• Mike Freeman (CBS Sports) Ten-point stance: Giants have Patriots full respect between the lines.
• Larry Dobrow (CBS Sports) Storylines alert: Brace yourself, all of this is coming your way.
• Jason Whitlock (Fox Sports) Not even NFL can offer perfect endings.
• James Walker (ESPN) Peyton Manning on Eli vs. Patriots.
• Peter King (SI) MMQB Mail: Keeping Giants pass-rush from Brady is Pats' tough task.
• Jim Corbett (USA Today) Brady seeks help from throwing coach.
• Andy Benoit (NY Times) Giants-Patriots Week 9 film review.
• Michael Silver (Yahoo! Sports) Five biggest losers entering Super Bowl XLVI.
• Marc Sessler (NFL.com) Ex-Pats DL Green woke up in 'cold sweats' after loss to Giants.
• Video (ESPN) Dr. Michael Kaplan on Rob Gronkowski's ankle. (1.07 min. video)
• NFL32 (ESPN) Suzy Kolber talks with Sterling Moore about 'living the dream.' (1.32 min. video)
• NFL Live (ESPN) Merril Hoge and Trent Dilfer talk Pats-Giants. (2.02 min. video) Giants favored in every matchup.
• Scott Van Pelt Show (ESPN) James Ihedigbo describes the past few days as surreal. (2.45 min. video)
• Video (Yahoo! Sports) Patriots don't rank with past Super Bowl teams. (2.58 min. video)

VIEW FROM NEW YORK

• Paul Schwartz (NY Post) Eli tells Giants how to prepare for Super Bowl win.
• Filip Bondy (NY Daily News) In Super Bowl XLVI, Giants must play game of cat and mouse vs. Patriots QB Tom Brady.
• Mike Lupica (NY Daily News) Giants and Eli Manning must battle odds, Tom Brady and Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
• Brendan Prunty (Star-Ledger) Giants-Patriots: Super Bowl from A to Z.
• Mike Garafolo (Star-Ledger) Giants see upside in rematches as they approach another with New England Patriots in Super Bowl.
• Jenny Vrentas (Star-Ledger) Patriots coach Bill Belichick full of praise for Coughlin and Giants.
• Mark Cannizzaro (NY Post) Different styles but big-time results for Coughlin, Belichick.
• Staff Report (Star-Ledger) How to stop Rob Gronkowski?
• Andy Benoit (NY Times) Top 10 Super Bowl Story lines, and reasons to sigh.
• Peter Botte and Ralph Vacchiano (NY Daily News) Giants deny they tried to hurt concussion-plagued 49ers return man Kyle Williams.