WR Stefon Diggs
(How much do you learn about this team in a win like this?) – "It's a gritty win, an ugly win. I'll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day. I think that we came in here ready for a fight. Obviously we had a little lull, and we talked about it all week that it takes one person to make a play. Drake (Maye) made a hell of a play. As far as staying consistent and staying in the green, we saw what it did for us. We stayed in the green and no self-inflicted wounds. Obviously we had success, but we just have to eliminate those penalties."
(What did you think of Patriots QB Drake Maye's performance? He only had four incompletions, made plays with his legs, what did you see out of him?) – "[He's] growing up, it's early. Game 2, obviously we try to go 1-0 each and every week. I feel like he made a jump from last week, just settling in. It's hard being a young quarterback, but I feel like he is doing the best job he can and obviously four incompletions, that's something to be happy about."
(Take us to the sideline, a game that had five lead changes, what were the conversations like on the sideline for all three units and what kept the confidence high throughout the day?) – "Just staying positive. Obviously, if it's up to me, I'm going to always yell and say everything that I want to say, but more just positive reinforcement and saying we got it. That's how the game is – you swing, they're going to swing back, you have to keep swinging. At the end of the game, we'll see the chips lay, but there's no give-up on this team. There's no guys out there hanging their head. I feel like we took a step this week and obviously there's a lot of things to clean up."
Patriots LB Marte Mapu
**(*****On the interception, what was, not the exact defensive call – it looks like you were sort of playing zone robber there in the middle and reading the quarterback's eyes. What was your responsibility on that play?)* – "Yeah, that's just exactly what I was doing, just reading the quarterback's eyes, how the play played out, it's just allowed me to do that."
(Did you guys have three or four safeties in the game at that time? You have three in the game, a lot.) – "Yeah, it might have been two."
(How big of a win was it for you guys to really come out, come down here, this game went back and forth, a lot of emotions going back and forth, but you're able to sustain it, able to overcome it, and come away with a win in that locker room?) – "I think it's important just because how early it is in the season, we weren't able to start this new regime off with a win. So I think this does a lot for our identity and our character as a football team, being able to grind it out all the way to the end and ultimately, do whatever we have to do to come out with the win. So I think it does a lot for us there but we got to keep winning."
(Coach Vrabel spoke very glowingly of you, he said you're in all the meetings, all the special teams, had up guy on the punt and you're just so involved. Then you get in there, get a chance to make that play. How happy are you to get it for him to get that first win as head coach here?) – "Yeah, for sure. I mean, that was just the tip of the iceberg. If we were losing by a lot and I got that pick, it wouldn't matter; if we're winning by a lot and I got that pick, it wouldn't matter. So for everybody to do their one part, come up with one play at a time, it just ended up being my moment at that point in time. But they're a great football team, and I mean we just came out to win."
(You were asked about the swings and emotion after De'Von Achane apparently scored and then that they ruled correctly that he stepped out of bounds, how did you guys regroup in that defensively?) – "That's kind of going back to – I kind of spoke on our identity and stuff like that. You've just got to have a next play mentality, flush it, because if you're on that play for too long, then next thing you know, you look up and they're winning again."
(These new kickoff rules, now that you guys are getting used to, it seems like these were implemented to the league to sort of take that out of the game. Feels like these are big plays in games now. Can you see these moving forward that you could use, not only the punt return game, but especially the kickoff return game as a weapon?) – "Yeah, for sure. I think that's everybody's goal in mind going into the week, they want to make the return units a weapon. So whether you're on the defensive side, you want to stop that, and then when you're on the offensive side, when you're returning, you want to show that weapon. You want to make it do damage."
(What did you see on the two returns?) – "On the punt return? I didn't really see it. I was on the opposite side, so I got to see the film. But on the kick return, I think it was a great job from the people that just came off the sideline and also the people that were just on the field to come in together in the huddle and be intentional about going out there and not just being down on ourselves about the score, them having an explosive play like that. We were able to respond with our own, so that kind of just shows the power and unity."
RB Rhamondre Stevenson
(My goodness, you did it with your legs. You did it with your hands. Talk about the big play over the shoulder, down the sideline. You almost scored on the play.) – "Almost. I got a little tired, I ain't gonna lie. (laughter) But I think that's a play, me, all the running backs and Drake and all the quarterbacks have been working on all offseason and just dialing that up. So I was excited to be in the game when they called it and make a play."
(How would you just sum up this game?) – "It was a dog fight. We went in knowing it was going to be. It's just being relentless, playing four quarters and coming out with the dub is huge for us."
(Mike Vrabel, I think he mentioned it was like we knew we were to be in a street fight. When you win a street fight, what can that mean to a team?) – "It just shows our toughness, I think. It shows we can do it for four quarters. Don't be a front runner, don't only be good when things are going good. Adversity is going to happen so just fighting back against that and becoming victorious, that's huge."
(Are you happy to stick with that run too, especially early? Your games, I feel you get stronger as the game goes on, lowering that shoulder?) – "Yeah, I think so. I kind of told the running backs, we're downhill this first half and then try to make something happen. So just trying to lean on our toughness and make something happen, make the defenders move out our way."
(What was your view on Antonio's kick return?) – "I had a front row view on that. Great return. I always knew he had the ability to make huge plays, explosive plays like that. So I'm just proud of him for making that play for us, and it was a huge turn in the game for us too."
(What was that moment like in the locker room after the game just with Coach getting in his first career win here?) – "It's great. We love Vrabel. So we want to go out there and play hard for him, and I think they did that today for him. I think he should be proud about that. But just going out there getting a dub, we put all this work in, from OTAs to training camp. Winning is hard in this league, so when we win, we've got to celebrate it."
(How about for you? I mean, last year you were one of the Patriots who stayed on with this team. And personally, you faced adversity in your personal life to come out today, play the way you did and help Mike Vrabel to his first win?) – "It feels great. Like you said, it's been tough. Been tough on me for the last couple of months, but just putting my best foot forward and just know what my Pops would want me to do. He probably would have loved this game, so just remembering that and just remembering the things he would say and just keep going. Yeah, I think he'll be proud of today."