What the Texans are saying about the Patriots this week
"It’s a great opportunity going against in my opinion the greatest quarterback of all time."
The Patriots welcome the Texans to Gillette Stadium on Saturday for a divisional-round playoff matchup. While the Patriots are heavily favored by oddsmakers, the Texans will bring a defense ranking No. 1 in the NFL in yards allowed during the 2016 season to Foxborough.
During the week leading up to the game, several Houston players as well as Texans head coach Bill O’Brien have offered their thoughts on the difficult assignment in New England.
Texans head coach Bill O’Brien:
- On Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia and his players: “I was very fortunate to work with Dante for five years. He’s an excellent coach, very detailed, very hardworking, been doing it for a long time. A guy that really demands a lot out of his players in many different ways. The detail of the play, the detail of the technique, just does a great job and I have a lot of respect for him. I think that was big for them to get him back there. Those guys have played really well – obviously familiar with Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon, those guys were there when I was there, they’re excellent tackles that have played well. The inside guys, those guys weren’t there when I was there, but you can tell how well coached they are and the type of players they are. (Joe) Thuney is an excellent player, he’s a guy in the tradition of the Patriots offensive line with guys like Logan Mankins and Matt Light, guys like that, Dan Koppen, guys that were there when I was there. That’s a lot to live up to and those guys have played well for them. (David) Andrews at center, Shaq Mason at guard, and even their sixth and seventh guys go in there and play well for them. It’s a testament to those players and to Dante.”
- How he “reads” Tom Brady pre-snap: “I don’t know, he’s seen it all. It’s really just a matter of really fundamental football. The thing about the Patriots is that they’re a very fundamentally sound team. You’re going to have to go in there and beat them – they’re not going to beat themselves. They’re not going to jump offsides, they’re going to take care of the ball, they don’t beat themselves. So I think that’s more the key than it is all the exotics that you can draw up to try to do this or do that. You have to go in there and you have to play good, smart, tough, disciplined football, and you have to play every play. Every single play in the playoffs is a very, very important play. Everybody has just got to go in there and do their job at the highest level. That’s a difficult task against the Patriots, but that’s what we’re talking about.”
- On Martellus Bennett: “Yeah he’s a great player. He’s a big guy, I think he’s a 6’7”, 270-pound guy that can run, athletic, big time catch radius, he’s got great hands, good route runner, he can block, he’s a big weapon for them, and a huge challenge for our defense because they move him around, they don’t just line him up in the core. He’s lining up as a wide receiver, he’s lining up in the slot. They do a lot of different things with him, so it’s a big challenge and he’s a big part of their offense.”
Cornerback A.J. Bouye:
- On facing Tom Brady: “It’s a great opportunity going against in my opinion the greatest quarterback of all time. You got to be prepared, at your best because we already know that’s what he’s going to be at and he has great weapons around him.”
- His reaction to the Patriots being favored by 16 points: “I think it fuels everybody. At the end of the day, like I said, this game is about respect from the opponent across the line and either way it goes you know you see things like that. I try to stay away from it, but it motivates you when you see it and you just go harder and keep going harder and at the end of the day like coach told us today it’s going to get harder with each round and we have the number one seed this round and we have to be at our best.”
- His thoughts on Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler: “I just remember watching him – was it his rookie year in the Super Bowl when he made the play – and before he even made a play I was like man this guy competes. He plays hard. He plays with a chip on his shoulder because he was undrafted. As far as against us, I mean I don’t think I’ve seen him against (DeAndre) Hopkins. I think he was following (Will) Fuller (V). I remember the year before he was following Nate (Washington), so I guess they have a game plan for Hop, but at the end of the day he makes plays and he competes and it shows on film and in stats.”
Linebacker Brian Cushing:
- Why the Texans have struggled in Gillette Stadium in the past: “There’s a lot of reasons. There’s a lot of reasons. I think they play great in their home stadium. Obviously they play great everywhere, but definitely in their home stadium. I think there’s a certain energy and vibe and confidence that they have there. Obviously the quarterback, the defense, the head coach. They got a lot of good things working in their favor when they play up there.”
- “Is Tom Brady the toughest quarterback to make uncomfortable?”: “Yeah he’s up there. He’s up there. He’s seen everything before. I mean he’s played a ton of football and he’s just very experienced. He’s been through it all. He’s seen all different kinds of pressures and different looks and different disguises. So we just got to continue to mix it up on every single play and never really give away exactly what we’re doing.”
Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork:
- On if it’s still a “special game” to play his old team: “No, it’s not special. This is going to be my third time playing them as a Texan. The first time is different and the second game is a little different just because it was my first time on the road going back there. Now, I’ve been gone for two years. It’s all about football now. I’m not thinking about anything but what it’s going to take to go to Foxborough and win a ball game. We have a chance today to start preparing well on the practice field. I’m looking forward to the game, a playoff game. You have to be excited about the playoffs because you give yourself a chance.”
- How his career in New England evolved and what it taught him: “When Bill drafted me as a penetrator, a four-three guy out of the University of Miami, when I got to New England, he turned me into a nose tackle and I had no clue what I was doing. He threw me in the fire early. I had to learn early. It wasn’t no give him a couple of games and practice squad. It was the first game of my career playing against Peyton Manning at home. I think I had like six or seven tackles and a fumble recovery in the end zone. I was just playing football. I look back now, 13 years later, six tackles was a lot. Now, I’m lucky to have six tackles in 10 games. It taught me over the course of my career how tough the position as a nose tackle is because you don’t get a lot of recognition, you do a lot of dirty work, but you have to be tough.”
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