FOXBORO -- Reporters got a treat from the Patriots Tuesday evening: A chance to chat with Brandon Spikes.
Why so notable? He tweeted it himself after the fact: "I done media 2Day twitter ! That's not normal for spikes. Ijs SimpleTruth."
That in mind, the majority of his Q&A is presented for you here.
How are you feeling? You've been on the injury report with knee and ankle issues.
BS: "I feel great, I've been feeling great. But like I said, it's postseason, it's been a long year, and nobody is healthy, nobody is 100 percent. I've just got to deal with it and try to get better every day."
You get excited for every game, but does that feeling get amped up in the playoffs?
BS: "Postseason, that's what it's about. You either go hard or go home, it's that simple. I'm definitely looking forward to this. This is everything we've built on."
The Texans got up pretty badly, 42-14, at Gillette in Week 14. Are you expecting the team to return with a chip on its shoulder?
BS: "I hope so. It is the postseason. If not, we're going to be ready no matter what."
What do you take from that first meeting?
BS: "Honestly, that game I'm happy the way that turned out, but that's in the past. Like I say, any given Sunday you've got to come out and play your best, but, we know they're going to have a chip and we're expecting the unexpected. We're definitely going to be prepared, no matter what."
What do you feel is the biggest difference between the regular and playoffs?
BS: "In my opinion, I feel like every game is important, but I approach the postseason as 'that's it,' you know? If we don't come out and play well, we're going to get beat at home, plain and simple, watching the next game, and it's an awful feeling. It's terrible. We just have to come out and execute."
How much does last year's loss in Super Bowl XLVI motivate you in this playoff run?
BS: "Why you gotta bring that up? Rueful laugh I'm trying to forget about that. Of course. Everybody just feels like we came up short, but that's part of the game, that's part of football. We've just got to come out and do whatever we can to not let that happen again. Like I said, we had a great day today and we're looking forward to tomorrow and trying to get better and get that edge. No matter what, we're just going to come out and play hard the whole four quarters."
Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower are two rookies who play huge roles for this defense. What are your expectations for the two of them as the team prepares for the postseason?
BS: "I tell them all the time, they stopped being rookies around Week 8. I definitely feel like they'll be out there and be accountable for the defense and they're going to play hard and show up and make plays throughout the game."