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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: We were better in the red area defensively and that held some points off the board.

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            **BB:**   Well, you know, once again that was a tough physical game against the Jets like it usually is.  And I know we were fortunate to be able to make enough plays to win the game.  I thought that our third down defense did a good job.  We were better in the red area defensively and that held some points off the board.  Made enough plays overall in the game, even though at times it was a little bit sloppy.  But I was very pleased with the effort and the toughness and the grit that we showed there going down the wire making some plays there in the third and fourth quarter when we had to do it.  And so it was good to, good to get that streak over with and, you know, good to get an additional win here in the opener at home.  So that is good.  

**Q: Bill could you talk about the job Asante [Samuel] did stepping in today?

BB:** Yes. I mean he made a big play there. Our young guys have been making the contributions for us and they have been pretty consistent doing some positives all the way through. It is not always perfect, but they have done a good job making some positive plays somewhere along the line. And it was a big play for us today.

**Q: Bill, there was a sequence in the middle of the fourth quarter when you had the ball and it seemed like with the lead that you might try to run some time off the clock. Brady threw three passes, the last one was almost intercepted. I mean any reason why you didn't run the ball at that point?

BB:** Well, because we thought that they were I mean they were starting to give us some pressure. We thought we would get some passes outside. We were trying to move the ball and pick up first downs.

**Q: (On Ted Washington)

BB:** It looks like he has got a fracture in his leg so he will probably miss a couple weeks, a few weeks.

**Q: How about the rest of the guys, David Patten and –

BB:** I don't know. We'll take a look at them. I don't know.

**Q: Bill, your view of the play which Ty Law was injured, I mean

BB:** Yes. He made a nice play on it, on the play down the sideline.

**Q: And then he was out for some time and came back in, I believe, when the jets came out in the fourth quarter.

BB:** I think that is right, yes.

**Q: Was he hurt all that time or could he have come back earlier?

BB:** Well, he came back when he was ready to come back in, yes.

**Q: Okay. Bill, could you go over what your saw on the interception return for the touchdown, what the defense was and why it seemed to be so kind of effortless?

BB:** Well, I wouldn't say effortless. It was, you know, they came out and all three receivers were to one side, and you know, we played a beginning coverage. Wayne [Chrebet] read it out and, you know, Asante made a nice play and, you know, read the throw and hit it. You know, he has always got to be aware on the slot. Of course, he killed us for a touchdown there, but that is something defensively you have always got to look for him on third down. You have got to have a lot of respect for Wayne. He is a third down receiver. Asante made a nice play, got a good jump on the ball and just was under cut.

**Q: Bill, could you talk a little bit about the effort you got from Kevin Faulk?

BB:** Kevin ran well. I thought he ran out, made positive yards, did a good job.

**Q: Does there come a point in one of these games when you have players dropping like flags and you are really just trying to hold on and get to the fourth quarter to maintain?

BB:** Just trying to win every time. Every time you are out there, you are trying to win. You do what you can to win.

**Q: I just imagine it is not exactly the scenario you are looking for.

BB:** Yes, I agree with that. It is not, but you manage the game the best you can. That is all you can do. You know, it is why you have 45 guys. You find somebody that is try to put together the best group you can out there. Give them the situation, you have got to play them. We have confidence with everybody that is here, everybody that is on the team, everybody on the practice squad, everybody that is inactive.

**Q: Bill, did you get to the point where the injuries started to affect some things you could do offensively?

BB:** Well, you know, I don't know. I don't know. It didn't seem that way. But you know, any time you lose players and you go out, you know, you have to make some kind of adjustment. So I am not saying it didn't have any effect on it, but I can't remember a situation where we sat here and said well, let's call this; no, we can't call that because he is hurt. You know, this wasn't one of those things.

**Q: Bill, did you see enough from Asante the whole game, besides the play, the big play, did he play a good game as far as you could tell?

BB:** I thought defensively he played pretty well, even though we gave up an easy touchdown in the fourth quarter. It looked like we had about five guys out there during that drive. But other than that, it looked like we played competitively on defense. We have got a good offensive team, you know, a team that has a good balance. I thought we did an overall good job. It wasn't one guy out there making every play. It was good on third downs in the red area, other than that one terrible series.

**Q: What went into the decision to move [Joe] Andruzzi into the left side and move –

BB:** I don't know. We just felt like this week that was the best combination for us. I guess that is the best way I can put it. That was the best combination this week.

**Q: Bill, nobody likes to dwell on injuries. Ted Washington, it is hard to shrug that off. I mean you feel like it is just bad luck or not –

BB:** You know, I don't have a good reason for it. It is what it is. You just have to deal with it. I don't know what else you can do, rub the magic ball or something, but I think our players are in good condition. We went through preseason, really didn't have any problems, and had a couple unfortunate

**Q: Well, I mean it is a lot of luck. Do you feel that you have to have luck to win any games? Do you either think your luck is going to turn or

BB:** Well, I really think you win when you play better than the other team. That is usually what it is. I am not turning down any good breaks, don't get me wrong. I am not turning those down. But you try to play better than the other team. And that is really all you can worry about.

**Q: Well, the depth is obviously a good problem. It is almost better to be lucky than good sometimes. It is hard to be good when you are not lucky, I guess?

BB:** Well, I understand what you're saying. I mean there is certainly a part in that. But I think it is better to play good than be lucky.

**Q: Bill, what did Asante show you? I mean from day one, he has been in the mix. He has come back strong from training camp. What has he done just to show that he can play? I mean I know he was a fourth round pick.

BB:** Well, I think he has just been a pretty solid playmaker since he has been here. He has got a knack of being around the ball. He is instinctive. He has got some quickness. He kind of knows how to play and he certainly has done a gone job at being a productive player. The ball seems to find him or he seems to find the ball, however you want to look at it. But since the mini camps, training camp, preseason, I am not saying he plays perfect, I don't mean it that way, but he consistently seems to show up where the ball does.

**Q: Bill, how would you characterize Tom Brady's play today at quarterback?

BB:** I thought he made some good plays. He made some big plays when he needed to make them. I think a couple of plays he wanted to have back. Offensively, it wasn't our top game. We did some good things, but we missed some opportunities out there.

**Q: Is his elbow okay?

BB:** I don't think he missed any time, yes.

**Q: Ty Law's injury, I mean, obviously, they just taped it up and he came back when he could?

BB:** Right. Yes, he finished the game.

**Q: All right. Asante, on that play, he looked like he read it with his eyes. He almost knew it was coming. Was there anything on the field that was showing?

BB:** I am not even sure if they had run that formation before. I am sure they had run it but it hasn't been a while. It wasn't something like a go to play for him. But all four receivers were on the same side. Wayne was running third and fourth or third and five, whatever it was. He was kind of reading it right and Asante did a good job with being there, playing that, just the down situation.

**Q: Do you think you guys can put that rough start behind you now, with the two wins?

BB:** Well, I mean it is a long season and a 16 game season so one week in a 16 game season, there are 15 other important games to play. So next week it is on to Washington. This is a great win for us today. It is a good division win, but we have got to get ready to play the Redskins and tie it up again. So we can't stay too long on any game, win or lose

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