Skip to main content
Advertising

Official website of the New England Patriots

replay
Replay: Patriots Postgame Show Mon Oct 14 - 06:00 PM | Tue Oct 15 - 11:55 AM

Bill Belichick Press Conference

Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick addresses the media at Super Bowl XXXIX media day.

(on the Super Bowl environment) "There is a lot to this game. We are very respectful of the game, the situation, and the overall attention that the game gets. That's part of it. It's a thrill to be here and play for the championship. We understand what it is and it's the same for both teams. Is there more? Absolutely. In the end, I think we have good opportunity to focus on our job and prepare for the game, and hopefully, go out there and play our best."

(on what he takes from Eagle game tapes with, and without, Terrell Owens) "There are a lot of games you have to take into consideration, especially when you look at a team like Philadelphia that played those games so differently. They are very much a game plan team, offensively and defensively. They put a lot into their game plan strategy and so much of what they do depends on what you do. We certainly will look at them and take them into consideration, but I don't think they are going to play us like they did Atlanta or like they played Minnesota. I'm not sure how they are going to play us, but I am sure they will have a good strategy for it. We'll have to react to it on game day."

(on how the Eagles attack pass protection schemes) "The way they set up their blitz packages always works into the weakness of the offensive pass protection. They do a good job of overloading those protections and getting away from where your blockers are. It's sometimes tough for the quarterbacks and the receivers to read because they have some changeups in variations on it. Pass protections are a part of any game plan and the Eagles do a good job with their blitzes and that's an area they target and attack and is something we'll have to be ready for."

(on how coming as an assistant helped prepare him for the Super Bowl as a head coach) "There were two different scenarios. One was in the '86 Super Bowl in Pasadena where we had two weeks like we had this week. The '90 Super Bowl in Tampa was a one week setup so that was similar to when we played the Rams a couple years ago. Going back to some experiences we had in terms or organizing your practices and your game plans, you don't have a lot of situations like this. Usually you are in a one week game-planning mode. "

(on the biggest difference in coming to the Super Bowl as a assistant rather than head coach) "The media demand would be the number one thing. There are some logistical things you have to make decisions on, like setting up your operation at the hotel and practice facilities. You are involved in a lot of the organizational things as a head coach that you would not be as an assistant."

(on the perseverance of the Eagles) "They have won a lot of games. I think the Eagles franchise, starting at the top Jeff Lurie, Joe Banner, and Andy Reid, down to the coordinators, the players, the way they have managed the cap, the team by integrating young players into their system, I think they have done a fantastic job. It is a team we look at very closely in the offseason and when we have to evaluate how they manage their team, I think they are one of the model franchises and one of the very best teams in the League, and I think that is reflective by them being here."

(on his decision to leave the New York Jets and then go to New England) "It wasn't a decision to go any where. It was a decision to leave that organization because I just didn't feel like I could fully commit to it based on all the circumstances that were in place. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't know what I was doing. I knew what I wasn't doing. I didn't know the Patriot opportunity was going to present itself, but when it did, I am very thankful to Mr. Kraft for bringing me to New England. He paid a substantial price to get me there, giving up a number-one draft choice and he has made a great commitment to me in terms of providing us with facilities and the opportunity to coach and manage the team in a way that I believe and that we believe in organizationally. Robert (Kraft) and I have talked at length philosophically about how we want the team to look and be managed. It's been a lot of fun and very rewarding to do that with him. I'm very appreciative of that opportunity because that certainly wasn't there when I resigned from the Jets."

(on how he can tell if a player is willing to make the necessary sacrifice to be part of the team) "When you bring a player into a team, you bring all that comes with him. You bring his attitude, his speed, strength, mental toughness, quickness. Our evaluation is comprehensive. Scott Pioli and the scouting department do a great job of getting a lot of details by going into the history of a player, his mental and physical makeup as well as attitude and character. He eventually receives one grade and that establishes his overall value to the team, whatever that happens to be."

(on his biggest difference as a head coach now compared to his first time as a head coach) "One would be my record. I think the two changes that would be most notable would be delegating things to other people in the organization. I am a detail oriented person and sometimes that is not good, it's better to let somebody else worry about the things they can do and let me worry about the things that only a head coach can do. Off the field there are a lot of things that can affect your football team. It is not all about technique and play calling, although that is certainly a significant part of it. Sometimes there are things off the field that can affect how your team functions and I have tried to be a little more cognizant of those."

(on what kind of team he wants to have) "Professional, hard working, playing with physical and mental toughness, and able to stand up to a competitive challenge on a week-in and week-out basis."

(on the complete nature of the Eagles team) "I think they are very complete as a team. It starts with the coaching. They have a great head coach. They have three great coordinators. They very experienced on offense and defense. They've got a great kicker and cover guys. They've got ten guys in the Pro Bowl. They led the NFC wire-to-wire. I don't think you could do much more. They have been running out the clock since the end of November waiting to get it over with because they had everything wrapped up. They came back and played well against Minnesota and shut down Atlanta. There's no question that they not only deserve to be here, they've done about as much as you could possibly do this year as a football team and they are solid in every area. That's tough to deal with because they come at you every single play. You can't put on one play and say, 'We're going to be okay here.' You're not okay. David Akers is kicking them from midfield and they have Brian Westbrook and Lito Sheppard and Dexter Wynne returning kicks. They cover well. It is a strong football team."

(on if it's necessary to have a franchise quarterback to be successful) "We weren't saying that last year or a couple of years ago in the Oakland and Tampa scenario. We weren't saying it about Baltimore. I think every team is its own team. I don't think there is anything you have to do. You can have a young quarterback. You can have an old quarterback. You could have a guy who has been there for a long time or you could have a guy who has just gotten there. The bottom line is you need a good team and that takes a lot of people into account. Everybody has a role to play. If you collectively put more out there than your opponents, then that is what you are looking for. It could come at the quarterback position or it could come at other positions."

(on the research and signing of Corey Dillon) "The people I talked to were coaches and players who had been with Corey at Cincinnati and nobody had one negative thing to say about him. They talked about his toughness, his consistency, and how in key situations they would want him to have the ball and counted on him and they were confident he would come through for them. He was a player that everybody wanted on their team, had confidence in him, and thought he would perform well in critical situations. That's really what carried a lot of weight with me. It is obvious that every team is a little bit different and one has to adapt to those differences whether they are a player or coach. When you go to a different organization, there are things that you have to adjust to. As far as Corey as a football player, he has pretty much been everything he was advertis ed to me. He has been consistent every day, whether it is Wednesday practice, Friday practice, or Sunday at games. He is consistent in the running game, his reads, his toughness, his pass protection, his ability in the passing game to run routes and catch the ball. He is not an up and down guy. He has very few missed assignments. He is on top of his game, and he works hard at it. Those are the things that we saw on the field and heard about and some of the other things people have referred to, I never got that from people who were with him on a day-to-day basis. Those must have come from somewhere else."

(on Charlie Weis as a assistant and future head coach) "First of all, Charlie is a very smart person. He really understands not only what we are doing, but what defenses are doing and how to attack them. He is an outstanding play caller and has a great sense of timing of when to call certain plays. It is one thing to put together a game plan, it is another to call the plays at the right time when they match up the way you want them to match up. It is not an easy thing to do. He is very good at making adjustments within a game when things are going a certain way. He sees when some of the things that we thought were good now don't look that good and we need to shift to something else. He is decisive and smart. He understands and adapts quickly, but he can pull the trigger. He is not afraid to make tough decisions or to make calls in critical situations. He knows what he wants to do and he does it with a lot of confidence and I think that gets conveyed to the people who are executing it."

(on defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel) "I think a lot of those same things can be said. He has been involved with special teams, defensive linemen, linebackers, and as a coordinator. He has worked in a lot of different areas and has worked with a lot of different people. He is smart. He is adaptable. He is a guy that works extremely hard. He is in the office very late and is well prepared. He knows what he wants to do and he comes across with a lot of confidence. When critical decisions need to be made, he makes them quickly and decisively, and again, with a lot of confidence. I think the players and his defensive staff respond to that."

(on what makes Robert Kraft a successful owner) "He has been a friend and somebody who has provided a great opportunity for me, not only for bringing me to New England, but the support he has provided me since I have been there. The facilities have been upgraded tremendously. We've had the ability to spend to the cap and make personnel moves that we felt were the best ones to make and he has been very supportive of them. You can't ask for more than that. And he has been a great friend all the way through it and I think that philosophically we have the same vision in what we are looking for in a team."

(on quarterback Tom Brady against the bilitz) "I think Tom is a good quarterback, period. He has been blitzed, he has been three-man rushed, they've played man and they've played zone. I think he has to be prepared for whatever a defense throws at him and he is. He works hard at it. He understands what we are trying to do and how to handle different situations. He is a quick decision maker and doesn't hold the ball long. He can figure it out, find the guy and try to get it to him. I don't think a quarterback can zero in on one thing. He has got to be able to handle a lot of different looks in this League, especially against a team like Philadelphia."

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content

Advertising

Latest News

Presented by
Advertising

Trending Videos

Advertising

In Case You Missed It

Presented by
Advertising