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Replay: Patriots Postgame Show Mon Dec 02 - 05:58 PM | Tue Dec 03 - 11:55 AM

Bill Belichick Post-Game Press Conf - 12/16/2002

Belichick on Tennessee: They out played us and out coached us tonight. They deserved to win.

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BB: First I mainly need to give credit to Tennessee. They out played us and out coached us tonight. They deserved to win. They were the better team on the field. They just did more things right than we did all the way across the board. Really, it is about as simple as that. Of course third down conversions was a big key. Turnovers were a factor. But in the end they just played a better football game than we did. So the credit goes to the Titans, they deserve it. We just weren't good enough tonight, it is as simple as that.

Q: Do you feel like you came out flat?

BB: We didn't play as well as they did.

Q: Over the past few weeks the team had played better against the run, but tonight it was over 200 yards on the ground and it seemed like you had trouble stopping them, especially on third down?

BB: Right. I agree. The quarterback [runs] hurt us. They had a couple of substitute [running back] runs. They had a lot of time of possession, converted third downs and handed the ball off.

Q: Is it particularly tough to prepare for what [Steve] McNair can do in terms of throwing and running?

BB: Look, they are a good football team. There is no question about that. They are well balanced. They are strong in every area and they were better than we were tonight.

Q: Have you faced a team that was as physical as that team was?

BB: I don't know, but they are right up there. They are a physical team. They are tough and they played well tonight.

Q: Did you sense that the [Rich] Coady interception changed the momentum of the game?

BB: Sure, it was a big play. No question.

Q: Did they do anything that you did not anticipate?

BB: They mixed it up like they always do. They have a real good defensive package. They've got an extensive scheme. They mix in their coverages. They usually do that. I thought that Jeff [Fisher] and [Jim] Schwartz did a good job defensively of keeping us off balance. That's the way that they play. They mix in some zone, mix in some man, blitz you, keep you off balance and that's what they did.

Q: When you ran in the package just before the interception were you changing the play or was it going to be that all the time?

BB: Yeah, we just changed the substitution. We just subbed people at the end.

Q: Seemed like [David] Patten wasn't ready for the ball, was there a communication problem?

BB: No, he was a little bit late getting on the field but I don't think...we just didn't make the play. The ball got batted up in the air and he ran it in.

Q: Why was McNair able to rush so much in that first half?

BB: We broke down on our rushing lanes and missed a couple of tackles.

Q: How do you look at the situation for your team now with two games left to go?

BB: Right now we have a game in six days, that's the way I look at it. It's a division game at home. It's a big game against the Jets. The Jets are one of the hottest teams in the league. They've really improved since we played them earlier in the year. I am sure that will be a tough game Sunday. That's all we can work on right now.

Q: Are some losses harder to come off of than others? Do you worry about the frame of mind of your team?

BB: I don't know. I guess we will find out Sunday.
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