Q. The phrase next man up is something we hear in football all the time, and I'm sure you've heard it. How did you feel about the way like a Rex Burkhead today? I know James White wasn't here with you guys. So what did you think about the way he stepped in? That notion of like the next guy up and just overall what Rex was able to do today?
CN: Burky had a game. He had a day. Those guys was teasing each other in the locker room with Sony. Sony did a lot of heavy lifting. For the most part, guys -- I wouldn't say it's more or less like that because we practice to maximize our role. I think that's what you got guys doing.
When you come to guys like Small Fry, Burky, Son Son, and everybody else, it doesn't matter if it was at the running back position, which was highlighted today, or anything else we're looking for.
Q. Several players today just talked about James White being a motivating factor for them and for the team. How much could you feel that leading into this week? And just how much was that on your mind as you prepared?
CN: James, he's a captain for a reason. The thing about it most is we have a guy like that, we empathize with what he's going through. You don't necessarily feel it per se, but you feel it emotionally. We just want to reward him and put him in good spirits, and I know, if he's watching this or if he did watch the game, we're excited like heck to hopefully get him back here soon. We've been praying for him, and we need Sweet Feet back.
Q. Cam, just curious, your thoughts on what you've seen so far through the first three games. The different game plans to attack different teams, it's one of the staples of the Patriots. They adjust week to week. First week it was you run for a couple of touchdowns, you throw for 400 yards last week, and then the running game and company take over this week. What's that like from your perspective to watch it unfold week to week? Is it pretty cool to see the game plan when you get it in your hands the beginning of the week?
CN: Yeah, that's exactly what we want to do. We want to put defenses in fits knowing that we have so many different ways to beat you and a plethora of different type of schemes, a plethora of different type of -- we want to run downhill. We want to run on the edge. We want to throw it deep. It doesn't matter.
I think that's been our biggest edge, for the most part, just having that ability to attack the teams in so many different ways and to still be successful.
Q. So back to the next man up topic, Joe Thuney played center today, so I'm just wondering how you'd assess the performance of him. You talked about the importance of a clean snap. What was the sense of urgency like going into this game to get ready for that?
CN: We didn't have no issues, so it was great. Smokin' Joe is a person who is very reliable on this offensive line. The moment wasn't too big for him to step right in to fill the shoes of Dirty Dave. So I was just excited that, to have anybody be replacing somebody, you'll want that transaction to be what it was.
Q. Last week I asked you about the running backs and you picking up the slack a little bit for them. This week it seemed like you leaned on them, not just in the running game, in the passing game, Rex led the team with I think seven receptions. What does it mean to you to be able to rely on them in a game where maybe you really need them?
CN: It's just another different asset to attacking the defense. Like I said, Burky had a day, and who knows who it could be next week?
Q. Cam, there's a funny clip going around with late in the game, N'Keal was talking to you, and you slid down off the bench. I was curious if you could clue us in on what led to that reaction, and just how having positive chemistry like that really helps you guys on the field as well.
CN: I'm just going to keep that discussion on the field. We can just go from there. I don't think anything good -- I just think it's better that people wonder what we were talking about rather than actually knowing, and to be honest with you, I don't even know. I was trying to read his lips, you know what I mean.
Those guys have just did not great. Doughboy is growing up by the game, and obviously having the leadership of Jules, you know, he's done a great job for us, and we expect him to keep pointing upwards with his production.
Q. You had that run in the fourth quarter, looked like a design pass. You dodged like three guys in the pocket and picked up 21 yards on the scramble. I wonder if you could just take us through what you saw on that play.
CN: The play before, I just remember we had another play action pass, and I missed Byre, and I seen it on the replay, and he came back with the big eyes. I was like, man, I know I missed you. Look, bud. Coming back, I knew that would have been a touchdown, so we had to make for doggone sure that this drive wouldn't be capped with just a field goal. We wanted to make sure we did a score.
So when I seen the run like open, they did a great job defensively with having a spot, and I realized they didn't have a spot that specific time. So I just tried to do what the defense gave me.
Q. Cam, we're only three games in. You've got a month longer than that. What do you like about this group?
CN: Just finding ways to win. That's it. We've played three different teams, three different type of teams, and each game there's been 100 percent consistency in the feel of knowing that we're going to be in the best situation to win and still having the opportunity to win.
You're back with guys who play for each other, play for the common goal, and that's what it's all about.
Q. You mentioned Doughboy growing up before our eyes. I'm curious, the timing on the play was 23:13 with a 27 yarder down the sidelines. Is that, to you, a signal of quarterback and receiver being on the same page and growing together in this offense?
CN: What clip are you talking about?
Q. It was the 27 yarder down the sidelines. You hit him on, I would say, the deep comeback.
CN: Yes, I know what you're talking about. You see, for him -- every young receiver feels like, if I'm not catching the football, then I'm not productive, and for him, he has such a productive game because he was setting the edge for us in the run game, and he did such a great job, and that still keeps you in the game.
So that play happened, if I remember it, it was in fourth quarter. Any time before that, he probably had a checkdown or something like that, which I know I remember vividly watching him in college, it's just a different type of ask of what we're asking him to do in this particular system. For him, he has to stay in the game -- and he's been in the game, making sure that he's doing his job, whether that's from finishing blocks, setting the edge, getting the force defender, running guys off, doing his job with the passing game. So for him, still being relatively young, for him to still be in the game when it's time for him to catch a ball, it works hand in hand.
So I told him on the sideline, man, I'm extremely proud of him and his growth because it is tough, mentally for than anything, for a young guy to come in here and try to thrive in ways that they don't always ask for you to thrive with just catching the football, and I think that's the biggest misconception for receivers, especially coming into this league.
Q. What kind of confidence does it give you to be able to dial up a run game or a pass game when you need to? You were talking about finding ways to win. What does that do for a team's confidence?
CN: Well, I'll tell you what, with it being a lot of speculation with the offensive line, those guys really accepted the challenge this week. Coach challenged us all from finishing the play, and finishing the play isn't just being penalty free, it's taking your guy and making sure your guy doesn't make the tackle.
I think Sony made a couple people miss in the open field, just as well as Burky and those guys. For us to be able to attack and stay on the attack all game, it's something that doesn't just go unnoticed for us. We understood we had a pretty good passing game last game. We had pretty much of a mixture the first game, which we would kind of prefer, as well as this game was kind of a slow start, but at the end of the day, we find ways to win.
When you're able to do that as a team collectively, as Coach said, playing complementary football, then things will be ascending for us as far as success.
Q. Cam, I know the running game was really productive. I'm curious, did you put any pressure on yourself to make things happen in the passing game? It just looked like there are a few throws that you tried to get into some tight windows there. Was there anything the Raiders were doing to kind of force you into those spots? How would you sort of assess how some of those pass plays went where you were trying to maybe squeeze some things in to your guys?
CN: It's just a game. Every read is not going to be ideal or perfect. I've just got to do a better job with protecting the football. That inexcusable interception was completely my fault. Trying to extend the play, kind of pressing a little bit too much. Yet at the end of the day, those type of games will happen, and we did what we needed to do, and I think that's all that matters.
Q. Cam, could you just comment on the way that you guys finished the game on both sides of the football, the drive with obviously your emphatic first down run on that drive, and also the way the defense finished as well, and how that bodes for this team moving forward.
CN: Prior to that drive, Mickey Ds, Coach McDaniels, came to me, as well as Jules, and kind of challenged us to not let our foot off the gas. We've had a relatively interesting practice this week, knowing that the tempo was extremely high, the expectations was extremely high coming off the loss. This was kind of different for me being in the building and seeing how people react differently to losing. It wasn't acceptable to me, and I know it wasn't acceptable to a lot of others in this building.
So we knew we had to finish with the ball in our hands as well to create some type of cushion, with that kind of centerpiece drive, so to speak.
We had plays that was called, and we try to execute as much as possible, and I think we did a great job of that, outside of one or two specific forced. But at the end of the day, we had a couple of those answer drives this year, and I'm extremely pleased with our team with how the way they handled it, defensively as well as offensively, and when you got that type of chemistry early, it only builds great habits here moving forward in the latter part of the season.
Q. Just to follow that up, how good is it to see you guys had that drive, but then coming right back, the strip sack and the touchdown by the defense, complementary football? Then just a final thought is from Mickey Ds, the twin number 1, number 2, Dirty Dave, to everybody, do you have a nickname now for everybody on this football team now, including the coaching staff?
CN: That's just the steze, guy. You know what I'm saying? You've just got to keep it fun. I just appreciate the guys for just rolling with it, man.
One thing I did, kind of from walking in day one, there's an aura that you get when you play as a member of the New England Patriots, and that aura can sometimes be like grrr, you know what I'm saying? The Patriot way, to a degree, from the outside looking in, but from the inside looking out, these guys really enjoy the process, as well as myself. And me being a member, I'm just lucky to be here.
Any time I can lighten the mood in some way, shape, or form, I hesitate not.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports