*INDIANAPOLISCOLTS HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY *
CONFERENCE CALL
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Q: How are you doing?
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TD: Doing well, thanks, [I'm] exited, fired up.
Q: Does a week like this, a game like this, and a match-up like this heighten the senses at all and get everyone putting forth their best effort?
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TD: Sure it does. And you have to balance that fine line because you do have to get up the next week as well. You can't make it like it's the Super Bowl and you've got eight weeks off or 12 weeks off until you start your off-season program after the game. You have to get up, you have to know the urgency of it and how well you're going to have to play to win a big game like this, but still it's a regular season game and you've got to keep it in perspective.
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Q: From a coach's mentality, what's a more comfortable role? You've been kind of the chaser in this series and now you're the chased.
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TD: Well, I don't think it matters whether you're chasing or being chased. I know one thing: getting a little less public scrutiny or media scrutiny is pretty good. You don't have as much in terms of distractions that way, but in terms of trying to prepare and whether you've won the last year or they've won the last year, it's really all the same. You're looking at this year's team and trying to see what you can come up with to try to counteract that.
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Q: With the changes the Patriots have made, especially on offense, does last year even matter or is it a whole new game plan on defense to defend these guys?
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TD: They're doing some things a little bit differently, in the passing game especially. But their running game is the same and obviously their mentality is the same. They've got a few new people and guys who have brought some special skills, but it's not all that much different.
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Q: Do you feel like the fact that you beat them last year and the manner in which you won sort of inspired their off-season acquisitions and maybe the run that they're on now?
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TD: I don't think so. I think everybody tries to improve their team at the end of the year. We tried to improve our team and we got some new guys that have helped us and they got some new guys that have helped them. I'm not sure what their thought process was other than really just improving their team.
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Q: What kind of luck did you have in Tampa Bay defending [Randy] Moss when they were in the same division?
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TD: Not very good luck. We split with them every year that I was there. He made a lot of big catches, a lot of big plays. He was a phenomenal force at that time and he and Chris Carter were the focus of the offense and they got a lot of balls. Even when you had him covered he made big plays, and that was probably the frustrating thing.
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Q: Weren't you the only team in '98 to beat them in the regular season, though?
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TD: We did beat them in '98, the year they went 15-1 in the regular season
