Q: Just talk about how the team came together throughout the course of the year.
A: We've had our ups and downs this year, obviously. But like you said, things have started to take place as we thought they would have a long time ago. It's just all about being persistent; resiliency and guys are getting healthy at the right time. We're still somewhat banged-up, but healthier than we have been in a long time so hopefully that translates into us playing better. We've played pretty good football the last couple of weeks and we can still play better so that's where our focus is this week.
Q: Do you appreciate that coach talked about this 'Road Warriors' mentality?
A: He didn't have to talk about it. We understand it. We know that to get to where we want to be we have to embrace it. We won't have another game in MetLife Stadium this year. Hopefully we have three more road games. That 'Road Warrior' mentality is more than just a saying, it has to be something embedded in you. Going into hostile territory it's easier said than done, especially when you have a team like Green Bay and that home field advantage that they have in Lambeau Field. Hopefully we can embrace it and wake up some echoes to what it meant to us in '07-'08.
Q: What are your memories of the interception by Corey Webster in the 2007 NFC Championship game?
A: Not much. I remember the replay more than I do seeing it live. It's just one of those plays. You give Brett Favre that ball and to throw that out 10 times, he probably puts it away from Corey nine out of the 10. But it just happened to be our time. I'm sure you've asked Corey. It's probably one of the best breaks Corey's had on a football. Hard football – I'm giving Corey a lot of credit here – hard football, wind was blowing like a 100 miles per hour. It was a hard catch.
Q: Do you remember the reaction?
A: No, you don't remember little things like that. You were just so engulfed in the chance that you have to end the game and go to what was my first Super Bowl. You don't remember any of those little tidbits.
Q: Do you have to bully the Packers? Is that what the Chiefs did?
A: It looks like it. It looks like they were more physical. The Chiefs missed a lot of opportunities too. Obviously I saw a lot of dropped passes from the Green Bay Packers that they normally wouldn't drop. But I think at the end of the day the team that wins this game is the team that is more physical. You used the word 'bully.' I'll use the word 'physical.'
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Q: Do you have to bump the Packers receivers at the line to get them off of their timing?
A: I think you do. I think it helps a lot. With the talent they have at wide receiver and the talent they have at quarterback, those guys have been working on this stuff for a long time. A lot of the film with Aaron and those guys, the ball just finds ways to be in the right place at the right time. When it doesn't happen that way it's normally when guys have knocked them off their rhythm and have knocked the timing off and it just buys that extra second for the rush to get there. I think that's important, very.
Q: Considering the defense didn't play its best, are you surprised the Week 13 game against the Packers was as close as it was?
A: It is what it is. Like you said, we didn't play our best game and I think that's encouraging to know that we hung in with the best team in the country and didn't come close to playing our best game. Our motto around here this week is to just go out there and play our best game and see what happens. I'm sure they're going to play a great game too, but we always felt around here that if we play our style of football and play our best game, we can play with anybody.
Q: Can the defense feed off the physical run game of Brandon Jacobs?
A: We always do. Absolutely. It's exciting to see other defenses start short-arming or trying to arm-tackle a 265-275 pound back. It's exciting to see him plowing his way for 3,4,5 plus yards. It wears down a defense. I've been in games where we've had the same thing happen to us. I know the effect it's going to have on a defense come the fourth quarter when you have [Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw]. It's such a great changeup from Bradshaw to Jacobs. It's tough to mentally prepare for that. You can't simulate 270 pounds hitting you with that force and then coming back with a scat-back like Bradshaw, who is powerful also. It's tough to simulate.
Q: Did you ever think you weren't going to be here in the postseason?
A: You never allow yourself to think that, regardless of how bad things are at the moment. I've seen it too many times, where it seems like a team that's been counted out finds a way to right the ship. It happened to us in '07. It happened to Green Bay last year. There's so much parity in this league that once a team figures it out and gets hot, it's hard to stop. Hopefully that's where we're at right now. We've been here before. We know how this feeling feels. I think we're poised to get on a run, but it's going to be a tough ride.
Q: When playing a mobile quarterback like Rodgers do you have to rely on the speed guys to get to him?
A: As far as the D-line speed? Yeah. We have some things that we're trying to do on the backend to kind of get him to hold the ball a little bit longer, but the pressure is on our D-line. Even when you can't get to him, just to let him feel you, make sure you're around him, maybe some batted passes. Things like that. Even when the rush gets to him he's athletic enough avoid it and with his feet he buys himself some more time to make plays downfield. He's pretty athletic like that. It is a lot of pressure on us up front to not only contain him and get pressure on him, but even when we can't get pressure on him, get our hands up and make sure that he doesn't have those windows to throw the ball in. That's when he's tremendously dangerous. He's dangerous anyway, but obviously letting him sit back there and get comfortable, we don't have a shot.
Q: What was one thing that you took out of the Week 13 game defensively that encourages you the most? A: Nothing. We gave up [33] points.
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