New England Patriots Audio

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addresses the media during his press conference at Gillette Stadium on Friday, December 31, 2010. Q: Can you talk about the year you've had and making the Pro Bowl and do you evaluate it at the end of the season? TB: I mean, I think the only thing I really think about is what we have to do this week. This season, I think we put ourselves in a good position and I think it would be great to finish it off the right way this week - go out there and play a real good game against a team that we've split with the last few years. So, I don't get into all the personal evaluation or anything like that. I think that's really a waste of time for me [and] probably all of my teammates, too. Q: Can you evaluate Brian Hoyer a little bit and how far have you seen him come from last year? TB: Brian is a great player, even though he's a Michigan State kid. Q: Tough for you to say that? TB: It is. He's really come a long way. I think for any quarterback, really, that first to second year is a big jump. He's really a smart kid that's got all the physical skills. He just needs the opportunity. We always talk about [the fact] that you never know when you're going to get that opportunity because at quarterback, it's one play. And then you go in there and you seize the opportunity. He's done everything the coaches have asked for. Obviously they have a lot of confidence in him; he was the backup last year. I think the whole team has a lot of confidence in Brian. Q: How do you deal with your backups? Do you consider yourself almost a tutor or a mentor? Do you take time to really deal with them on a one-to-one basis? TB: Well, I think you provide a good example. I think that's what you try to do best as a veteran player for any young player. You try to lead by example and well-done is always better than well said. I always think you should go out there and do the right thing and you hope that the younger players see that and take a liking to it. I mean, e...