Chandler Jones shows off his personality in an exchange with reporters Friday in Foxboro. (Mike Petraglia, WEEI.com)

FOXBORO — So often, rookie draft picks are shy, cautious and quiet, showing the occasional grin.

Can’t blame them since they don’t want to say the wrong thing and get off the wrong foot with Bill Belichick.

Defensive end Chandler Jones had no such worries Friday night when he met with reporters in the Gillette Stadium press box.

Asked if he knew anyone on the Patriots or if he had crossed paths with anyone, Jones played it cool.

“I know who they are, I’m a fan,’ Jones said. “That’s one thing I’ll have to get out of fan mode when I see Tom Brady walk by, being like ‘Oh, that was Tom Brady.’ I’m kidding. But I don’t know anyone. I haven’t met anyone. I’m looking forward to meeting all the guys. Like I said, it’s a great opportunity.

Jones showed off his friendly disposition from the moment he walked on the Gillette Stadium field for the first time Friday evening with owner Robert Kraft. That beaming grin continued in his press conference 30 minutes later. But that’s just one side of his personality. After all, he comes from rich athletic bloodlines. His brother Jon Jones is the heavyweight UFC champ. His other brother Arthur Jones plays defensive tackle for the Ravens.

“Both of my brothers were happy,” Chandler Jones said Friday in Foxboro. “My brother, Jon, the light heavyweight champion, he threw water on me. I don’t know if you guys saw it on ESPN, but there was water all over my grey hoodie. He was smiling from ear-to-ear. Everybody was happy. As far as the distance, my mother was actually crying the few nights leading up to the draft because she didn’t know where I was going to go. I could be in Texas, I could be in California. But it’s a three-hour drive. How close it is from my hometown, I could have driven here and this press conference would be over. But my whole family is happy. They’re very supportive. I just thank God for them.”

As matter of fact, it was his brother Jon who bailed him out with a purple shirt when he got stuck in New York City on a flight transfer on his way to New England.

With two big brothers, does his persona change when you’re on the field? Does he become a beast?

“I wouldn’t put a label on myself,” said Jones, who had 10 sacks in four seasons at Syracuse. “I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Oh, I flip the switch on and off.’ The way I play, I’m relaxed. That’s how I play better; I don’t know if you guys watch film. I’m not going to sit here and call myself a beast or I’m untamed or all that. I don’t get into that at all. I’m the same person all the time. I know when it’s time to play and when it’s time to sit here and talk to the media.”

And when it’s time to play?

“In college, I was double and triple teamed a lot – it’s funny that you brought that up,” Jones said. “I have no expectations as far as what’s going to happen to me at this level. I was told about it – my brother plays for the Ravens – but I really don’t know until I get out there. As far as me being a rookie, my job right now is to know my role. Take whatever I can from whoever, anyone from Dont’a Hightower to all the veterans on that defense and front seven. For me being a rookie, I’m just going to be a sponge and just learn what I can. As far as my jacket, like I said, I didn’t know I was coming here and my brother didn’t have a full suit that fit me. He had suits but his suits stopped like right here [at my elbow]. So I was like, you know what, ‘I’m going to go without the jacket. You just give me a shirt and I’ll just roll it up. Give me some jewelry and I’ll be fine.’”

Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he decided not to ice Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff. (AP)

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, in his weekly interview on The Big Show, suggested that he considered calling a timeout to freeze Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff but that he sensed that Baltimore was rushing its way into the kick. As such, he opted to allow Cundiff to kick under pressure rather than having time to set the play following a timeout.

The decision was validated when Cundiff hooked his 32-year field goal attempt wide left with seconds remaining, a miss that allowed the Patriots to seal a 23-20 victory in the AFC championship game that secured New England’s passage to the Super Bowl.

“We thought about [freezing Cundiff]. We talked about it. I thought they were a litte late making the substitution. I thought they sent it out a little bit late,” said Belichick. “It was fourth-and-2, something like that. I thought maybe they might have even lost track of the downs. It just seemed like it was a late substitution.

“It just seemed to me like they were rushing a little bit. I felt we were better off letting them go, letting them rush and handle it under pressure rather than give them a chance to settle down and get it all lined up properly. But we definitely thought about it.”

Still, Belichick had to wait to figure out that Cundiff’s kick had sailed wide.

“I really couldn’t tell whether the ball was good or not. Then I looked at the referee. He didn’t give any signal at all. He stood there for quite a while,” said Belichick. “Then I saw the fans cheering, and [someone] almost knocked me over. That’s when I realized the kick had missed. I was waiting on some kind of signal. … Seemed like it took a little while.”

To listen to the interview, visit The Big Show audio on demand page. Some highlights from the interview are transcribed below: Read the rest of this entry »

Brandon Spikes (55) carried Sterling Moore (29) after his interception. Moore would provide a pick-me-up later. (AP).

FOXBORO — He was the forgotten man in the Patriots defense for half of the season.

Either because he was having trouble earning playing time or staying healthy, Brandon Spikes was the great talent out of the University of Florida who couldn’t get on the field for the Patriots after having a big impact at middle linebacker in his rookie season of 2010.

But against the Broncos he began to emerge as a force. On Sunday he broke out and made one of the key plays that propelled the Patriots to Super Bowl XLVI against the Giants on Feb. 5.

With Broncos driving across midfield and into Patriots territory at the 46-yard line, Joe Flacco dropped back and saw tight end Ed Dickson break downfield and flash over the right seam. Spikes as it turns out saw the same thing.

Spikes dropped back with Dickson and read Flacco, stuck out his right hand and hauled in the pass for an interception, killing the Baltimore drive. It would be the first of three defensive stops the Patriots would make on their way to a heart-pounding 23-20 win.

“I’m the responsible for the vertical [pattern] from the tight end and he was going vertical and I just wanted to roll into him, and the ball was right there,” Spikes said. “It was either now or never. I was able to get one hand on it and pull it in. So, it was a big play.” Read the rest of this entry »

Robert Kraft takes a call from Sir Elton John while holding the AFC championship trophy. (Mike Petraglia, WEEI.com)

FOXBORO — As Robert Kraft was holding the new-fangled Lamar Hunt trophy as AFC champions and talking about his late wife being the heavenly force that blew Billy Cundiff‘s 32-yard field goal wide left, he was handed a cell phone.

“It’s my pal Elton John,” Kraft announced, after hosting Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler in his owner’s suite as the Patriots beat the Ravens, 23-20, to advance to Super Bowl XLVI.

“Hello, Elton! How are you my friend,” Kraft said. “You’re so kind.”

As the conversation wrapped up, Kraft again expressed his appreciation.

“Thank you, your call means a great deal. I love you, man,” Kraft told John.

Turns out, a phone call from Sir Elton John has been a tradition of sorts.

“He always used to call and he’d speak to my wife first, when we won a Super Bowl,” Kraft said. “He’s never won for an AFC championship. Whether he’s in Dubai or wherever he is in the world, he watches our games. He’s a huge Patriots fan and been a good friend of our family for over 25 years. I promise you he’ll be at our game in London. We’ll try to get him to Indy.”

Speaking of his late wife, Myra, an emotional Kraft thanked his “angel above” several times.

“Someone was smiling. We had an angel,” Kraft said, before briefly breaking down in tears before reporters. “Thank goodness for that kick. That kick was the greatest play of the game for us. It was pretty special.”

The other rock superstar who actually was on hand for the game was grateful that the kick did sail wide left.

“We all thought we were going to overtime,” Kraft said. “It was interesting, Steven Tyler has been a friend for a long time, since the old stadium. He flew in from L.A. He was sticking until the end. He goes, ‘Oh my goodness, overtime.’ He had to get back to the West Coast for tomorrow.

“To win this game at home, in front of our fans, is the greatest thrill. I love this team, this locker room. This is the 18th year we’ve owned the team and you see the chemistry that exists here, it’s unbelievable. I really hope and pray it carries us through next week and in two weeks in Indianapolis.

From left to right, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Vince Wilfork are ready for AFC championship Sunday. (Mike Petraglia, WEEI.com)

FOXBORO — Mother Nature has cleared her slate while the Gillette Stadium crews have cleared the several inches of snow that fell between Thursday and Saturday, and the stage is set for the Ravens and Patriots to battle for the first ticket to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.

Partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 30s are expected at 3 p.m. ET. Winds out of the northeast between five and 10 MPH will produce a wind chill in the low 20s. Still, it won’t be nearly as cold as last Saturday night when the wind chill dipped near zero.

The Patriots are hosting their fourth AFC championship. They have won their previous three, beating Jacksonville in the 1996 contest at old Foxboro Stadium, beating Indianapolis in 2003 and besting San Diego in 2007.

Overall, the Patriots are making their seventh appearance in the ultimate AFC game, losing only in 2006 when they blew a 21-6 halftime lead in Indianapolis and lost to Peyton Manning and the Colts.

Today, the team will commemorate the 15th anniversary of the 1996 AFC champions when they introduce four members of that squad as honorary captains. Troy Brown, Ty Law, Tedy Bruschi and Drew Bledsoe will head to midfield for the coin flip while baseball hall of famer and Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken will do the honors for the Ravens.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced on the Patriots All-Access show on Saturday night that if the Patriots win, Bledsoe will have the privilege of handing off the Lamar Hunt AFC championship trophy to coach Bill Belichick and the team.

A game of hard hitting figures to get off to a rocking start as Aerosmith lead vocal and superstar Steven Tyler will sing the national anthem.

As for the game itself, the inactive list shouldn’t be a big factor as both teams are relatively healthy.

The Patriots took quarterback Tom Brady off their injury report on Friday. He missed practice on Wednesday but was back to full participation on Thursday with a left shoulder injury. The NFL Network’s Albert Breer reported Friday Brady is dealing with a sprained AC joint in the shoulder that will require six weeks of rest and treatment to get back to full strength. Brady – who set an NFL postseason record last Saturday with five first-half TD passes – hasn’t seen his performance fall off. Brady and the team are monitoring the shoulder as Brady deals with the discomfort.

The Patriots listed 14 players as questionable in their final injury report on Friday, including Patrick Chung (knee), Wes Welker (knee), Deion Branch (knee), Aaron Hernandez (concussion) and Nate Solder (concussion). All are expected to play.

The Ravens, meanwhile, listed just one player – Ed Reed – on their injury report all week. The perennial Pro Bowl safety injured his left ankle on Houston’s “Hail Mary” at the end of the game last Sunday. He was limited on Wednesday and Thursday but returned to full participation on Friday and was listed as probable. He will almost certainly will start today for the Ravens at free safety.

Here’s the full rundown of the Patriots in the AFC championship game:
1/12/86 Patriots 31, Dolphins 14 in Miami
1/12/97 Patriots 20, Jaguars 6 in Foxboro
1/27/02 Patriots 24, Steelers 17 in Pittsburgh
1/18/04 Patriots 24, Colts 14 in Foxboro
1/23/05 Patriots 41, Steelers 27 in Pittsburgh
1/21/07 Colts 38, Patriots 34 in Indianapolis
1/20/08 Patriots 21, Chargers 12 in Foxboro

Some other notes:

Patriots are 12-3 overall at home in the playoffs.

Jackie Slater (78) appeared in one Super Bowl. His son is one game away from his first. (AP)

FOXBORO — Hall of Fame offensive tackle Jackie Slater played in exactly one Super Bowl.

His son is one game away from his first.

Matthew Slater acknowledged Friday that his dad did offer some advice this week as Slater gets ready to play the Ravens in the AFC championship at Gillette Stadium.

“I got almost an email every day from him this week, just telling me to really not take this opportunity for granted,” Slater said. “He played 20 years and he only played in one Super Bowl. You realize that this is why we all play the game. Everybody has been brought here for games like this, to win games like this. He just keeps telling me, ‘You can’t let anything come between you and what you have to do on the field on Sunday. You have to be extremely focused.’ Obviously that message has been echoed around here all week. He knows what’s at stake, I know what’s at stake, we all do.”

That one Super Bowl for the elder Slater was Super Bowl XIV in Pasadena, when Jackie’s Rams lost to the Steelers.

Before last Saturday night, the younger Slater had played in two playoff games, losing both. Both like the team, Slater feels like a weight has been lifted.

Adding to the confident feeling is the chemistry in the locker room, which Slater said came from overcoming midseason adversity. That’s when the Patriots were 5-3 and had a porous secondary, contributing to the worst defense in terms of yards allowed, in the NFL.

“I think during the middle of the season we really went through some adversity,” Slater said. “Adversity can do one of two things – it can either tear a team apart or really bring a team together. I think looking back on it now and when we lost those two games back-to-back and everyone was counting us out, we really rallied together and showed some resiliency. I think in hindsight that might have been a good thing for our team. It’s never a good thing to lose football games, but we really responded and we really showed some mental toughness down the stretch being able to string together wins.

“You don’t find that often, that takes something special and this team has it. We realized that as we went along in the season that you know, we have something here, we think we have a chance to do something special. The guys on this team really get along so well. We all just have that same singular focus and we all just want to win. Any of us are willing to do what it takes for the man next to us so we can go out there and achieve our ultimate goal.”

What was the biggest thing that had to change?

“I think our mindset definitely,” Slater said. “We had to start believing that this team is a good football team, meaning us, and we can do something here, we have something here but we had to believe it. Physically everybody has talented players, but I think it’s the chemistry and the mindset that puts you over the top. Once you started believing and buying in and kind of ignoring what was going on outside our team and just focusing on the guys in that locker room and the coaches, then I think we started to see things turn around and it’s brought us all the way to this point.”

Wes Welker (83) has been in step with Tom Brady all season, a trend Patriots fans hope continues Sunday. (AP)

FOXBORO — Wes Welker is regarded – by teammates and opponents alike – as one of the toughest receivers in the NFL.

That will likely be in full display on Sunday in the AFC championship against one of the most physical teams in football.

“They’re very physical,” Welker said “They are a physical football team and you have to understand that they are going to come out hitting and you have to come back and hit just as much. You have to understand that it’s going to be a physical football game and it always is with this team. You have to make sure you’re not backing down from any of that.”

The numbers show that the Ravens have had a good deal of success in containing Welker in the last two meetings. On Oct. 4, 2009, Welker had just six catches for 48 yards for a eight-yard average per catch. On Oct. 17, 2010, Welker had seven catches for 53 yards. Welker was held out of the end zone in both meetings and of course, he suffered his season-ending knee injury on the final day of the 2009 season, keeping him out of the 33-14 loss to Baltimore in the playoffs.

But now, Welker could benefit from defensive schemes designed to control Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

“Hopefully it creates a lot of them,” Welker said of the potential man-to-man coverage in the slot and on the outside. “Any time you have great players on the field, it helps everybody out. We’re all in this together. When they get open like they do, it’s going to free-up other guys when they want to try and cover them. I just have to do the best job I can to get open whenever I get an opportunity.”

Welker, in turn, believes the Patriots can handle any pressure situation – physical or mental – because of their offensive leader, Tom Brady, who is playing with a reported sprained AC joint in his left shoulder.

“He’s always got a great mentality,” Welker said. “He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever been around. I can’t think of too many quarterbacks that don’t have a low completion percentage against the Ravens. I think that pretty much goes across the board in the NFL. I wouldn’t say he was the first or would be the last either. He’s obviously Tom. He’s going to fight and keep coming at them. We’re going to be right there with him.”