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Replay: Best of the Week on Patriots.com Radio Thu Dec 12 - 11:00 AM | Fri Dec 13 - 10:24 AM

Bill Belichick Post Game Press Conf. Transcript

Belichick: I thought tonight was easily our worst performance of the preseason. I thought we were erratic in every phase of the game.

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            **BB:**  Okay.  Well, preseason is over.  I think that there were some positive things that we have accomplished here in preseason.  I think we still have got a lot of work to do.  I thought tonight was easily our worst performance of the preseason.  I thought we were erratic in every phase of the game, especially the first half.  We couldn't play defense, couldn't punt, couldn't cover kickoffs, couldn't do much of anything.  But in the second half we had some guys that played hard, made a few plays there.  But you know, overall, I just think it was an inconsistent effort.  But on balance, looking at the whole preseason, I think we accomplished a few things.  We were certainly a lot better than we were when we started and I think we have got a long way to go and a lot of work to do.  And right now our sight is on Buffalo.  We know that will be tough.  That will be a big challenge going up there on opening day.  So we will try to look at the evaluations, try to get our personnel set up the best we can, and then work on our game plan and preparations for the Bills.  I believe that sums it up, so that's where we're at.  

**Q: Kevin Faulk and Antowain [Smith], did that situation in your opinion sort itself out?

BB:** I think that they will both play for us. I think they will both have a role offensively and I hope that will be productive.

**Q: Bill, could you comment on Tom Brady's play throughout the preseason?

BB:** I think Tom had a solid, I think he had a solid preseason. Some things were better than others. Some games were better, a little better than others. But I thought overall it was solid. I think for the most part he managed the team well.

**Q: Have you made a decision on your number two quarterback? Is it Rohan [Davey]?

BB:** We haven't announced anything on the number two quarterback yet.

**Q: What does Patrick Pass's performance tonight do for him? I mean, obviously, against the second stringers but what he did in the second half --

BB:** Well, it was an up and down performance. He did some good things and a couple things that weren't so good. The time he gave up a touchdown running the ball, that is not good. But Patrick had a nice kickoff return. I thought he ran hard and made some plays, and a couple plays it looked like they might not have been so good. So we will weigh the positives and negatives, take a look at the film, and then make a good evaluation of him. But there were certainly some nice plays he had out there, probably a couple he would like to have back.

**Q: How about Dedric Ward and Michael Malan, two receivers, do you suspect they'll have a good chance to play?

BB:** Yes. Well, I would say Michael and those guys are coming along. I think they are day-to-day. I hope that they will be ready to practice next week when we begin our preparations for Buffalo, yes.

**Q: Does it appear to you that Adrian Klemm will probably be your free starting right tackle?

BB:** Well, I think that is a possibility. I think that our, our tackle situation has been a positive in preseason, all four guys including Brandon (Gorin) and Tom (Ashworth). And I think that is going to be a competitive situation and I think it has been a positive for us. So I think that Klemm will play, I definitely think he will play. And I think the other guys are competing for playing time too.

**Q: Bill, when did you know that [Ted] Washington wasn't going to suit up tonight?

BB:** When did I know it? When we traded for him, whenever that was, a week and a half ago. He had some things to take care of in Chicago and he was here Monday night and then left Tuesday. So we talked about that. It was over a week ago.

**Q: Did you miss him out there?

BB:** Yes. The defense did.

**Q: Did you miss him? Well, with Asante Samuel and Eugene Wilson alternating at the starting spot with Tyrone Poole and the reps that they have gotten, is there a pretty good chance you could have a starting cornerback in the opener?

BB:** I think that is definitely a possibility. I think that is definitely a possibility. Those two guys have been out there pretty much every day since we drafted them. They came in after rookie mini camp and they have taken their reps every day. I don't think either one of them has really, missed hardly any time at all or any plays or anything like that. So therefore, they have worked hard and they have continued to improve and they have gotten better and they played themselves into a position where they are going to be competing for playing time. Tyrone [Poole] has missed a little bit of time, but I think he will be in the mix there too. You know, he has played in the league, he has got some experience, you know, has a little bit more of a track record. Asante [Samuel] and Eugene [Wilson], but the entire group has done a little bit more than they have to this point. If they are all out there that could be a competitive situation for us.

**Q: Do you take some confidence that you escaped serious injury over the four games considering what has happened to some of the other teams?

BB:** I am glad we don't have anybody seriously injured, yes, that is definite that I feel that way. That really hasn't been a big problem here. You always had the -- everybody gets banged up out there and that is part of the long training camp and four preseason games. But we have been relatively fortunate here through the last four years here in preseason.

**Q: Would you talk about Davey (Rohan) a little bit?

BB:** Well, I think it was another up and down performance. I probably could say that about the whole team and probably most of the players around there. Rohan had some good throws, had some good reads, had some other ones that he would probably like to have back. But I thought that once, once he kind of seemed like he got into a little bit of a rhythm there around the end of the third quarter, that he played his best football there at the end and had some plays against different situations, blitzes, TD coverages, man-to-man coverages, so that was good.

**Q: Bill, the first group out there that you had, you were playing a little bit more wide open and throwing the ball a little bit more?

BB:** Right. We came in and we went with the no-hold offense the first couple series and that is something that we have done from time to time through the year. We hadn't done that in preseason. It is a little bit different from our two-minute offense but we are not fighting the clock as much so we want to go in and get a couple of shots with that so that is what we did. That was something we wanted to work on.

**Q: Antowain Smith, any of that just to show Buffalo you have a little bit different kind of offenses or are you thinking of giving them some different things?

BB:** Well, I don't think there is any secret there. We have used a no-hold offense plenty of times before. We used it last year in a number of games so I am sure Buffalo knows it. They have seen us running. They will be preparing for it just like we would if we had seen them do it last year. So I don't think that is any big secret. But we did want our players to get out there and be able to experience it and run it in game conditions. And then once we got through that period, I think it was around the end of the first quarter, then we went back into a more of a conventional mode and that is when Rohan came in at quarterback as well.

**Q: Could you comment on Joe Andruzzi?

BB:** You know, Joe has played a little bit more in each game starting with the second game, the Washington game. He has played a little bit more, even though he got a little bit of a late start in preseason, I think he has had a pretty solid preseason and I think he is moving well, certainly way better than he did last year.

**Q: So you don't see any ill effects because that is kind of a new injury, no?

BB:** Well, last year we had the big mysterious illness and all that that everybody was throwing about. So this year we are not dealing with that anymore and I think Joe's rehab has been more -- there has been more of a schedule to it and he has maintained that schedule and he is about where we thought he would be. Last year it was something mysterious that nobody could really figure out what was going on and it was much harder to predict on any kind of pace.

**Q: Bill, can you just comment on positive aspects of finishing 4-0 here in the preseason, what it means going into the regular season?

BB:** I don't think it means anything. What we have done in preseason is try to prepare our team for the opener against Buffalo and the 16 game regular season schedule. Everybody is 0-0. I don't think it means anything. I think what is important is what we have been able to take away from these games in terms of teaching and learning and playing together in game conditions, in terms of communication and teamwork and that kind of thing, and execution of plays against, opponents instead of just ourselves in practice. I think those are the positives that we have for preseason. I don't think the record is that significant.

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