What the Titans are saying about their playoff matchup against the Patriots
"You know what? I don’t care who they are, or what they think, and I never will."
The Patriots face the Titans on Saturday with a trip to the AFC championship game on the line. Tom Brady is 6-1 against Tennessee as a starter, including a 2003 victory at the same stage of the playoffs. Kevin Byard and the Titans defense will need to slow him down to keep their season alive.
Here’s what the Titans had to say about the matchup:
Head coach Mike Mularkey
:
He is just another one that you have to be aware of where he’s at. He’s tough to cover. Everybody tries to stop these guys, and it’s a chore to try and do that. He is a little more involved in the run game – this is a guy that can block the point like a point of attack tight and then beat you down the middle just as easy. So he is a dual threat, and a tough guy to cover.
On his team’s status as underdogs:
You know what? I don’t care who they are, or what they think, and I never will. And that won’t matter. It didn’t matter last week.
Safety Kevin Byard
:
It’s a playoff game, so it’s not like it’s the preseason where I can go out there, ‘Oh, it’s Brady,’ and I’m chillin. This is a playoff game. So I don’t really care if it was Joe Montana. You know what I’m saying? I’m trying to go out there and win the game. I want to make him look like Blake Bortles if I can and try to catch a couple picks.
On Rob Gronkowski:
I think Kelce is a little more finesse than Gronk. Gronk, just watching him on film, he is definitely physical. He likes to mix it up in the run game as well. But he is definitely physical.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota
On the Patriots:
They’re the champs. They’re one of the teams you have to beat if you want to become the champs.
:
Their red-zone defense is probably one of the tops in the NFL. They find a way to make you kick field goals. They do a lot of different things, whether it’s their fronts, whether it’s their schemes and their coverages. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ve got to be good in the red zone, we’ve got to convert third downs, that doesn’t change for us. If we’re able to do that, I think we can be successful.
On playing in the playoffs:
This is what I’ve worked hard for, it’s to get into these situations, to get in these kinds of games. To see where it’s come, to be a part of it, I think is very gratifying. Obviously, it’s not the end of the road, but this is what you want to do and this is who we want to be consistently.
Offensive lineman Taylor Lewan
On people doubting the Titans chances Saturday:
With social media nowadays, you don’t really have an option but to see what people say. So as much as I don’t pay attention to it, it is in my face. … I know people are counting us out. But I think this is the kind of team people make movies about.… People are going to put odds on us, but I don’t give two &%!$ one way or other. My focus is to be the best left tackle I can be and if I do my job and 10 other guys do their job, then there won’t be a line to worry about.
On reports of a rift in the Patriots camp
:
I feel like the Patriots for so long have been so great with the owner, the coaching staff, the quarterback, everybody’s gotten along so well I’m going to sit here and say this is media BS. This is people watching the perfect storm of individuals together on this dynasty, and people want to throw a wrench in it. I’m not biting that there’s actually some turmoil going on over there. Who knows? I might be totally wrong. I might be 100 percent right. I don’t think there’s as much going on there as people say there is.
Linebacker Derrick Morgan
On oddsmakers setting the Titans’ Super Bowl line as low as 80-1
:
Did you say 80? How many teams are left in the playoffs? And we’re 80-1?
