Patriots 50, Jaguars 10
Q. Mac, how much needed was this offensive explosion by you guys today and to really distribute the ball to everybody, patting game, running game had to feel good?
MJ: Yeah, I think we had a really good plan and Josh outlined that for us, and then the offensive line obviously did a great job executing and keeping the pocket clean and all that, and the receivers making their catches, and the running backs running. That's kind of how offensive football should work, and obviously we'll watch the tape and see what we can get better at, but we finally kind of got some momentum early and just played the game on our terms and all that. That's what we wanted to do.
Q. On some of the hand-offs particularly at the goal line, I noticed that you had a particular habit on the four touchdown runs today you were putting your hands up signaling touchdown. By the time the guys were getting to the line of scrimmage, how confident are you in your running backs right now and what sort of brings that about?
MJ: Yeah, I think every time we get close like that, it's always good to celebrate when your teammates going to score or you think you're going to score. I like how hard they run and how big the holes are for them to run through with the offensive line. It's just fun to get that view from behind and celebrate with the team and score points and score touchdowns in the red area, which is something that we need to get better at, and we're trying to do that.
Q. We saw you work with Kristian a lot during training camp; how much did that foundation help now that he's a part of the offense?
MJ: Yeah, I think that's just a great example of someone being ready for their opportunity, and I think all of our receivers, we have great chemistry because we put in all the extra work, not only in training camp or whenever but throughout the week. We get the game plan and those guys will come over and run extra routes and all that while someone else is doing special teams or whatever it may be. We're trying to get the extra work, get the timing and all those guys did a great job today, and we'll just try and continue to build off that.
Q. How exciting is it to have a playoff spot, and does this reinforce the notion of how happy you are to be drafted by the Patriots?
MJ: Yeah, I think any sport you play you want to get a chance to play for a championship and for a playoff spot. We have a big game next week, and that's what we're going to focus on, and finishing strong and all that. We'll focus on that and be where our feet are, and then when the next thing comes we'll have a new plan and attack it.
Q. Third quarter when you were scrambling for the 1st down, at the end of the play we saw that you put two hands around the ball, just like holding a baby. Is that something you particularly practiced this week, something you want to share?
MJ: Yeah, I think we just talk about ball security and the past couple weeks my ball security hasn't been very good, so I'm trying to work on it, just like everyone else is. The coaches put a big emphasis on that, and the goal was to protect the ball, whether you're throwing it or running it. That's all you've got to do.
Q. If you had to pinpoint two or three things knowing obviously there are probably thousands, what were a couple things that made the difference in your execution here overall today from your past couple games?
MJ: Yeah, I think just doing our job better. We talked about how it's just us; it doesn't have to do a lot with the other team. We just have to focus on what we're supposed to do and how we can do better at it, and we didn't do that in recent weeks, but we've got to do that more consistently, and I think that was a good step today, but the job is not done.
Q. The idea of going to the playoffs, I know that your focus is going to be on Miami and then whatever comes after that, but only four Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the history of the game have taken their team to the playoffs as rookies. Can you talk about what that accomplishment means to you, and is there any little extra satisfaction that you did it against your hometown team?
MJ: I think, like I always say, we're trying to play for as long as we can and get as deep as we can in the playoffs. Not a lot of it has to do with me. It's our great team that we have. My job is just to distribute the ball and get it to our playmakers. At times I've done that and at times I could do that a lot better. I realize what we're playing for, and like I said, we're going to focus on this next week like we always do and put a good product out there and finish strong, and then all the stuff that happens in the future we'll deal with that when it comes, but it's been a great privilege to play here so far, and we've got a lot more work to do, so that's what it comes down to.
Q. What about doing it against Jacksonville?
MJ: Yeah, I think it was cool. When you're a kid growing up, whatever team you root for or whatever, you get a chance to play against them, it's always fun to go out there and compete. That's pretty much all there is to it.
They came out there and fought and all that, and I think we just did a good job playing a good team game together, and yeah, it was really cool.
Q. I know the last couple weeks we've seen you make some plays outside the pocket, rolling out, and the touchdown pass to Kristian. When you were drafted I think some draft analysts didn't think your legs were going to be a big part of your game, but we've seen you use them quite a bit. How do you feel comfortable wise to be outside the pocket and throw on the move like that?
MJ: Yeah, I feel really comfortable with it. I mean, it's always good, and I think every offense has those type of plays, and Josh does a good job creating different platform throws and stuff like that. My job is to execute them and get the completions. The guys were open, and that's what matters, so they're fighting to get open, and obviously the line -- it's a different blocking scheme, too, so they did a good job executing that. We work on them, but it's part of our game just like a normal run or a normal pass.
Q. Obviously you were going against your hometown, but on the other sideline was the No. 1 quarterback taken in last year's draft. Was there any added incentive going into the game obviously besides trying to get the team back on track?
MJ: Yeah, I think we didn't play our best the past couple weeks, and our goal was to come together and kind of come together as an offense and address our issues that we wanted to fix. We have a lot more work to do, and every week when you get a chance to play, it's motivating because we're trying to be the best versions of ourselves, and our best version of our offense. We've got to just keep doing that. Every time you get a chance to play, you've got to attack the week and prepare really hard, and when Sunday comes just go out there and be yourself and have fun.
DraftScripts by ASAP Sports
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports