Chiefs head coach Todd Haley:
Q: Can you talk about what you've seen from the Patriots so far?
TH: I think that they've been one of the great teams of the last decade and a lot of that continues to just evolve and get better in a lot of different areas. Starting offensively, Tom [Brady] looks like he's playing at as high a level as I've seen him play. He's got a lot of good - some veterans, some young developing players that look like they all have a chance to be really, really good. What [Wes] Welker is doing to this point is phenomenal. Having coached receivers for a long time, I knew he was really, really good but what he's doing right now is just off the charts. Throw in the fact that [Rob] Gronkowski has 700-plus yards and you still have a guy named Deion Branch over there and Chad Johnson and [Aaron] Hernandez and two running backs I really, really like including [Danny] Woodhead. Up front, they are as solid and sound as any team we've seen as far as protecting the quarterback. They look like they have a chance to keep getting better. So it's a great challenge for our defense to even slow down this offense. Their defense [has] some familiar guys - Shaun Ellis is a guy that I've coached with or around with the Jets. We drafted him while I was there. [Vince] Wilfork [and] Andre Carter, I've had to game plan against a bunch through the years and it looks like he's kind of had a rebirth and playing at a high level. [Jerod] Mayo is just one of my favorite linebackers just through the years of coming out of college and then seeing him play and perform at the level he has. The secondary has had some injury issues that they continue to fight through, but they're a competitive, tough group that makes plays at the right time when they need them most, that's really helped the team win a bunch of games here. It's going to be a great challenge. [They're] always a team I try to watch and pay attention to even when we're not playing them, just from the standpoint of trying to see what's hot and working in the NFL.
