The countdown to Super Bowl LII officially kicks off with Opening Night in Minneapolis. Players and coaches from the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles were thrown into the media madness Monday night.
Here's a sampling of what's going down:
Doug Pederson on underdog role
"We've been the underdogs. I think that's the mentality of our football team. I think that's the mentality of our city, and I'm okay with that, I'm fine that. I've been an underdog my whole career, my whole life. Everything I've done, I either haven't been good enough or something negative has been written or said, and I just blow it off. I have confidence in these guys and this team."
Nick Foles on starting in the Super Bowl
"No, I did not imagine I would be the starter in the Super Bowl when the season started. When you're playing behind Carson Wentz, you're playing behind Carson Wentz. He's one of the best in the NFL. He's got an extremely bright future. I can't wait to see what he does in his future. ... He's going to have a great career and his time will come."
Nick Foles on playing against Tom Brady
"He's one of the greatest to play the game. I'm excited about the challenge. When you play this game, you want to play against the best, and you really want to play against the best of this stage. I'm glad, I'm excited to play in the Super Bowl this Sunday."
Zach Ertz on team playing with chip on their shoulder
"We've had a chip on our shoulder the entire year. No one picked us at the beginning of the year. No one picked us after Carson got hurt. No one picked us first round, second round, the NFC Championship. We're just excited to be here, the chip on our shoulder will never leave. I think being in the NFL you have to have one."
Zach Ertz on Nick Foles
"His confidence is off the charts right now. He's playing extremely confident football. He's playing at the level that we expected him because we knew the type of player he was. He's been phenomenal since he was here my rookie year then he kind of came back. I think he's just having a lot of fun right now and enjoying the moment."
Zach Ertz on Vikings fans booing them during Opening Night
"As expected, NFL fans love their teams. Obviously Minnesota isn't over last week. But hopefully they'll kind of change heart and root for us next week."
Doug Pederson on Tom Brady
"Well it has to start with our defensive line obviously. You've got to get good pressure on him. If you let him sit back there, he'll pick you apart. He's a Hall of Fame quarterback. He's got great vision. He gets the ball out of his hands extremely quick. So our defensive line has to get that pressure on him."
Tom Brady on his future
"Well, I never want to be a detriment to the team. So I think for me, as long as I'm playing at a high level and I make the commitment to take care of myself year-round, I'll continue to play. So I don't know, things change quickly. Anything can happen, but obviously I want to keep playing. I love playing. I just love playing for the Patriots."
Bill Belichick on team reaching Super Bowl
"Last thing I want to be doing is sitting at home with other teams playing. I'm happy to be here. ... Overall our growth as a team, I'd say, has happened day-by-day, hour-by-hour, in some cases meeting-by-meeting."
Tom Brady on how to get Belichick to smile
"Man, I have no idea. ... Navy. Lacrosse. Lawrence Taylor. Bon Jovi. Those four."
Tom Brady on Josh McDaniels
"It's interesting. He and I have been so in the moment. We haven't talked too much about the future and his plans and so forth. I know there's always been a lot of opportunity for him. He's a great coach. He should get a lot of opportunities because when you're a great coach, that's what you get. Any team would want him to be the leader of the organization. If this is our last game together, we're going to try to make the best of it. We've still got a week of prep. There's a lot of important things ahead for us. I enjoy that part of it as much as I enjoy, not quite as much as the game, but I don't mind it, and I don't think he does either. So we need to create another special memory but that's going to take a win. That's going to be tough to come by."
Danny Amendola on Bill Belichick
"I've seen him laugh or smile two times, and both after Super Bowl wins. That's the mentality we bring in every day. It's all business, it's all work."
Bill Belichick on Jim Schwartz
"I can't say enough good things about Jim Schwartz. He's one of the smartest people I know. .. Schwartzy...he's one of the best guys I've worked with. ... He's a really talented person. Look, I couldn't say a bad thing about Jim Schwartz."
Danny Amendola on the meaning of the Patriot Way
"Be a good teammate and don't say too much."
Danny Amendola on getting Belichick to smile
"I've only seen him smile a couple of time and it's usually late at night around this time of year after we win a Super Bowl. That's how I plan on making him smile. I don't have any idea how to get him to smile any other way."
