Tom Brady completed 19 of 32 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's win over the Panthers. (AP)

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made his weekly appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show Monday morning to talk about Sunday’s win over the Panthers and criticism of receiver Randy Moss. Following is a transcript. To hear the interview, visit the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page.

Do you agree with the Panthers defensive backs [in their criticism of Moss]?

Everyone takes kind of liberty to say what they want to say in a situation like yesterday. I’ve seen plenty of plays made on Chris Gamble, too, over the course of the season. When they play Randy, they want to show everyone what they can do. I guess they came out of the game pretty confident. Randy’s one of the best players in the history of the NFL. When it doesn’t go perfect out there, everyone always wants to jump on Randy. But it’s all of us, and we’ve got to do a better job, and I’m real proud of the way we won, and the way we made some pretty great plays there in the third quarter, and in the fourth quarter we made some big kicks on special teams and some big stops on defense. There’s a lot to be encouraged about. One down and three to go.

Can you share the tone and tenor of those conversations [with Moss on the sideline]?

He’s one of the favorite guys I’ve ever played with. He’s one my good friends on the team. I’m always trying to keep everyone motivated and into it, whether it’s the receivers or offensive linemen. When we don’t make good plays. when I throw interceptions or there’s dropped passes or there’s a fumble, I’m always trying to go over and pump the other guy up, and just let him know it’s easy to get down on yourself but it’s always important to go back out there and keep battling, too. We did that definitely at times yesterday. And Randy’s definitely done that over the course of his career. He’s had to, because it just doesn’t always go right. We didn’t certainly play our best game on offense, but we won, and that, to me, is what’s important.

Do you have to get more from Randy, and do you think you will get more from Randy these last three weeks and into the playoffs?

We’ve gotten a lot from him all year, he’s one of the top receivers in the league right now. He’s up there in yards and catches and touchdown. Every game plan that the defense comes up with is trying to stop Randy Moss. They all say, “OK, well, we’ve got to stop Randy Moss.” So, it’s not like they don’t have respect for him, when the game plan’s built around stopping him.

You only threw in his direction once in the second half. Was that a function of the defense?

Yeah, mostly that’s a function of the defense. When he gets single coverage, he usually gets the ball. He’s a dynamic player for us. We need all of our best players to play our best. That’s what it comes down to. In these critical games, we need everybody to play their best. We’ve had 13 games, we’re at 8-5, a game ahead in our division, and certainly the three most important games to go. I love having Randy out there, I love having him on this team, with Wes, and the third receiver, whoever it may be at the time, and the way we ran the ball better yesterday. There’s definitely some positives we take out of it. We all want to go out there and do our best every week, but that’s just not always the case in the NFL. We’ll just come back and rebound and try to do it better next week.

Have you ever felt compelled to have that motivational, inspirational sideline conversation with Wes [Welker]?

Yeah, you don’t need to do it with Wes very much. He’s unbelievable. His leadership and what he’s able to do and the way he’s able to perform. The way he’s able to compete on a down-to-down basis with his size and stature in the middle of the field, and getting hit by those guys. Some of the shots he takes. I don’t think television does it justice. I see it up close. When you fall with the ball underneath you and a guy landing on top of you. That’s pretty unbelievable. He’s what this team’s all about. He’s the kind of guy this team was built around. And obviously the kind of player that coach Belichick loves, and all the fans are really attracted to, because he’s the undersized guy, undrafted free agent that got cut by San Diego, now one of four players in NFL history to have three straight seasons with over 100 catches. That’s pretty unbelievable.

[One play after he got crushed, he got the ball again], was that play designed to go to him or did it just work out that way?

It just worked out that way, just based on the coverage. He kind of got free underneath there, I gave it to him, he made a great catch and run. That was a big play. We went 96 yards on that drive to score, after the other drive where we went a decent amount of yards but didn’t end up getting the ball in the end zone, we had a turnover. That showed to me a lot of heart by our team and Wes. The crowd really got into it. Wes got up pumping his fist, he was fired up, and he just came back and I kept trying to get him the ball.

Fourth quarter, there was a second-and-9 at the New England 25. At one point you yelled “Omaha” and I think you also yelled “Wes” and you went to Wes for his 10th catch of the day and a first down. Did you not yell the name “Wes” out?

If those defensive guys were any smarter, they’d be on offense. There’s a reason why they’re on defense. I never give those guys too much credit. Trust me, they’re not the smartest guys on that side of the ball.

So you said “Wes,” right?

I did.

He didn’t respond.

He knew what I wanted.

On the pick, it just looks like Randy didn’t go hard enough, and you were the victim. You get blamed for the interception.

There’s always things that come up with receivers and quarterbacks. As a quarterback, you throw it to a place where you think the guy is going to be, and Randy saw something. He went to the place where he thought the ball was going to be. I don’t think you blame Randy on that. I’m the one ultimately responsible for the football. I hate games where I throw interceptions, especially against a team like that that’s a turnover-driven team. It’s not too often that we lose the turnover battle like we did and still win the game. Those turnovers are tough to overcome. We found ways to overcome them. We’re just going to keep battling. We’re just going to keep trying to be on the same page, keep trying to make the good throws and the good reads, and hopefully we connect on them.

John and I want to take credit for pointing out the big guy, No 84, in your huddle, you never noticed him before, but you did yesterday, Do you just want to give us credit for calling those plays?

After that conversation on Monday, I did some soul-searching last week. I just kept mediating on 84, 84, and sure enough, you guys were right.

It took another failed fourth-and-1 with a quick-hitter to the fullback on the first drive for you to remember that we gave you the advice to include Ben Watson in the game plan.

Yeah, we didn’t get that one either. If you guys want a second job, come on down to Foxboro and fill out an application. I’m sure you’ll be welcomed.

Not a pretty win, but as they say, this time of year any win’s a good win, right?

I think so. We’ve played plenty of better games offensively and lost. It’s a team game. The special teams did one of the best jobs all season. We played a great game defensively. Offensively, we made some critical drives when we needed to. It wasn’t all perfect, but ultimately it comes down to winning games. And when it’s rainy and 40 degrees out, it’s not typically going to be your cleanest game offensively. There’s going to be some ball-handling issues and so forth You’ve just got to overcome them and ultimately be the one standing there at the end of the day.

Did you see Julius Peppers coming or did you hear him coming when you ducked under?

I can feel him coming. He’s one of the biggest men. When you see him standing out there, he’s probably 6-7, 280. I mean, he’s huge, and so athletic. He’s a great player for them. We were so concentrated on our pass protections being over toward him. I don’t think we [allowed] a sack yesterday. Two games in a row, the offensive line, the way they’re performing down the stretch here. Two sackless games in a row, that’s a big credit to those guys.

Are there any issues in the locker room?

I think from anybody, there’s frustration when you lose. There’s one thing Coach said last week, there’s one thing that’s going to make us all feel better, and one thing only, and that’s to win. There’s no sense of well-being when you lose games. It’s pretty much as simple as that. We’ll have a much better feeling down there in Foxboro this week. I can actually turn the TV on this week. Week’s like last week, it’s so frustrating. Everyone wants to think back on the game, back on the game, while you’re trying to move forward on the game. You obviously have the disappointment from the week before, but you’ve got to move forward with what’s ahead. You don’t sit there and reflect on Thursday afternoon, ‘Oh, man, we should have won that game last week,’ because it’s not doing anything for you the following week.

Is the leadership of guys like [Richard] Seymour, [Rodney] Harrison and [Mike] Vrabel missed? If so, are there guys who are capable of filling the void?

Those leadership roles are established over time. That’s mostly by example, and then by performance. Do you work hard? Are you committed to the team? Are you selfless? Do you put whatever personal goals behind whatever the team goals are? Do you practice hard everyday? Do you show up with a winning attitude of energy and enthusiasm? Do you play through injuries? I think that’s how people gain respect for you as a player. Then, ultimately, you’re chosen as a leader or a captain. A guy like Junior Seau, he’s such a great example for our locker room. He’s in there at 6 in the morning, working out. He’s a 40-year-old man, working out harder than any 22-year-old we have, who still comes out everyday and leads us by example. He’s still one of the most enthusiastic guys we have. He’s a winner.  Guys rally around that. You need a bunch of players like that. We’ve had a bunch of players like that in the past. Obviously with the transition of the roster, other guys step in and fill that. A guy like Wes has, really in the last year or so, he’s taken that to the next level. He’s comfortable in the system. Just the way he goes out there and performs, he’s so reliable for us. We’re just finding ways to keep building.

Do you guys vote on the captains, or are they selected by the coach?

We vote.

Is it embarrassing for the quarterback if he’s not selected?

Well, if I told you what the teammates think of him … That’s probably a big reflection of his personality.

Has there ever been an election rigged by the coaches?

I wouldn’t think that would be the case, though I wouldn’t put that past Belichick.

When you said, “We don’t fight very hard,” it became a huge news story. Does that surprise you that the statement got that much play? And did you feel like you fought harder this week?

I thought we did. I thought we did. I always speak collectively. This is a team game, and it’s never about one player or two players or five players. It’s about the whole. That’s every position, that’s every player, that’s every coach, that’s everybody’s commitment, ultimately, to winning.

Coach said it after the game: “Listen, we have three games. We’re going to put everything we have into it. We’re coming in today to practice. This is what we’re going to have to do. If that’s not important to you, then stay home and we’ll move on without you.”

That’s the message he sends. That’s what I’m always talking about. I kind of take the cue from our coach. I think he always is kind of right on top of the pulse of the team. He’s got a great sense for that. He’s been around so many teams. When he says we’re not mentally tough, that’s kind of how I feel, too. I see what he sees. Mental toughness is a lot of things. It’s your attitude on a Wednesday at practice or a Monday when you’re told to come in, getting together with teammates to watch film, or staying together after practice to get more reps with the things you haven’t been very good at. That’s everybody’s willingness and energy to do that. At times, we really do display that. There’s no doubt. You can’t be first place in the division and not have that. It’s the consistency that we need to show. A game like yesterday, when you can win a game, that obviously builds some momentum for you moving forward. Hopefully you can keep building on it.

Can you tell us whether your injuries are getting better or worse?

I feel a lot better. I hardly got hit yesterday. That goes a long way to me feeling better. I didn’t have much of a chance to practice last week. I never like to go into a game without practicing. It’s just the way the circumstances came out. Hopefully that goes better this week. Hopefully I’m out there practicing. Everybody is fighting through things this week. It’s me. It’s everybody.

I always think injuries are an excuse for poor performance. People say, “You didn’t play that well.” And people say, “Oh, I was injured.” I think that’s a bunch of BS. I just think you’re either out there or you’re not. You’re either helping your team win or you’re not helping your team win.

We’re going to keep fighting through it: injury, weather, a bad bounce. That’s what mental toughness is.

Since you named your first baby after John Dennis, Callahan hoped that you would name the second kid Gerry, after him. Can you make an announcement?

That I’m not so sure of. You’ve got to convince my wife. She makes all these decisions.

What’s the decision?

You know what? I haven’t been home all week. We thought we had a name picked for about six months. Then about two days before he was born, she said, ‘I don’t like that name anymore.’ It’s kind of back to the drawing board. I’ve been practicing all week and getting ready for the game.

You really don’t have the name? It was probably Tiger, and then she said it wasn’t good for her anymore.

I assure you it wasn’t Tiger. I can be honest about that.

Will it be traditional or exotic?

Probably traditional.

She let you win one?

Yeah. Yeah.

Will it be Brazilian or American?

I certainly want a name that I can pronounce.

How about, based on yesterday, Ben Brady?

That’s a great name. That’s a great name.

How about Wes Brady?

Wes…Wes is a good name, too. We’ve got about seven or eight choices. I’ve got to be home for more than about two hours to sit down so we can talk about it.

Can you tell us what you had that you rejected?

No, I can’t tell you that either, because we could go back to it.

You kept a game ball. Did you have any plans for it, a crib you might put it in?

Yeah, I had that one. The last one, when my first son was born, it was the preseason with Carolina in ’07. We didn’t lose a game until the Super Bowl. Maybe there’s something about that. I kept that ball for him, which is probably destroyed. It’s actually in his room. I was actually throwing with that ball the other night in the house. We kept that one. It’s a good one to keep.

Question of the week: would you prefer to play in a domed stadium that’s climate controlled or outside?

That’s a great question. I see all these other teams like Minnesota or the Colts, these cold-weather environments with the climate controlled. For an offensive team, that’s obviously a great thing. It’s hard to go through in December, playing where we play or playing in Buffalo, offensively, you’ve got to have a team constructed to play that way, in those conditions. I do think that helps build a lot of mental toughness as well, like last week, when it was 25 degrees with 30 mile an hour winds. You begin to kind of enjoy that, and understand that becomes a big advantage for you when you play a team that doesn’t play in that. Like when we played the Colts in 2003 and 2004 here, when the weather was crappy, I think that was a big advantage for us. When it’s perfect indoors, there’s nothing to it. But understanding how to play in these conditions can be a huge benefit for you. I kind of like the advantage of it, even though I get pissed off when it’s rainy and cold out because we’re trying to be really effective throwing the ball. It’s just kind of the way that it is, but it leads to more mental toughness and discipline down the stretch. I’m all for that.

You don’t think the Colts will try to prove their manliness by opening the roof in Indy if you meet in the playoffs?

The Colts, that’s not their thing. They want it nice and cozy, 70 degrees, no wind. That’s why Adam [Vinatieri] signed with them – to kick in a dome. He was tired of life in Foxboro.