HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
PRESS CONFERENCE
JUNE 8, 2022
BB: Start off with a big Go Celtics. Big one here tonight so I am sure the fans will be out in full force and see if we can bring this one home.
Not a lot new from yesterday. Just trying to string these days together for us in camp here, individual progress, group progress, and corrections and moving on. So we'll see how things go here today and hopefully have another good day today and stack that one and have another one tomorrow. Not much new from yesterday on this end.
Did you have a little fun playing center in practice?
BB: Yeah, sure.
Back to your Wesleyan days, right?
BB: We didn't have shot gun then. We didn't run the shot gun.
How would you describe Terrance Mitchell's style of play?
BB: Terrance is a smart kid. He's got a lot of experience and works hard and has done a good job trying to fit into things, so we'll see how it goes.
We've seen a few players out here playing different positions. Is that an indication that they are switching positions or is this the time of the year when you can cross train guys?
BB: It's the same thing we've talked about every year for the last 20 some years.
What about Isaiah Wynn and Trent Brown playing in different tackle spots?
BB: It's the same thing we've talked about for the last 20 some years.
Wynn though has primarily been playing at left tackle, what made you want to see him at right tackle?
BB: We build our depth in training camp and in the spring and we will see what we need in the fall. I don't know.
What are some of the differences between playing right tackle versus left tackle?
BB: The footwork is different, same plays.
Do you see different calibers of players on one side versus the other?
BB: It will probably depend on the team. Some teams switch them around and some teams don't. There are some pretty good players in this league at every position.
It was reported that Bill O'Brien and Jedd Fisch spent time here in the spring, were they here in advisory roles?
BB: Both of them were here, they visited. It was great to see them.
How would describe Jack Jones' style of play?
BB: Jack played at USC in kind of a pro system there with Clancy [Pendergast]. He played in a pro system at Arizona State with Herm [Edwards] and Marvin [Lewis]. So, he has had a lot of pro coaching. Again, similar to Terrance, obviously new learning at this system and our adjustments and technique and so forth. We'll see how it goes.
We haven't seen Andrew Stueber and Chasen Hines out there, anything holding them back?
BB: They're not ready to be out there.
For clarification, being in a pro system defensively in college is about speed and the specifics of what it means to be in a pro system in college
BB: No, but I think what you see in the National Football League regardless of what the system is, it's an NFL system and all the things that come with that, preparation, coverages, adjustments depending on what the foundation of it is but there is still a teaching element that's used in the NFL.
What are the most important qualities to look for at the punt return position?
BB: It depends on the person's level of experience. Player's that are experienced you can evaluate them. Players that aren't experienced you look at their development and see how that is tracking. We have quite a few guys back there, they're in different stages of those categories. We will evaluate them on a case-by-case basis. We got a couple punters, so we got a lot of balls there, we're punting them so might as well have some guys catch them.
How much have you seen from Tre Nixon from year one to year two?
BB: All the guys from year one to year two are way ahead of where they were last year on a lot of levels preparation, training, knowledge of our game, knowledge of what's going on across from them. He certainly falls into that category, but I would really put them all there.
With the rain expected today, is this an early evaluation tool in terms of the elements that these guys might play in during the regular season and more ball control out there today?
BB: Whatever we get out there, we get.
Now that you have a few practices out there with Joe [Judge] and Matt [Patricia], how has that group of offensive coaches coming together as a leadership group?
BB: Good, Matt and Joe have a tremendous amount of leadership, as do the other coaches on the offensive side of the ball too, Ross, Troy, Nick, Billy, Denny, they all bring a good level of experience, playing experience, coaching experience, experience in our system. It's a good group.
Yesterday, you mentioned Romeo Crennel's impact and what he meant to so many young coaches and hundreds of players who played for him, I am curious specifically if there is something that stands out, what did he mean, the impact that he had, particularly beyond just defense that he was best known for as a coach, he was on special teams. What kind of impact did he have seeing the game as a whole and perspective on the game itself in general?
BB: I think you would probably have to talk to coaches who coached under him in that capacity. I wouldn't really put myself in that category. We were contemporaries. I was actually in the league a little ahead of him and we worked closely together but as I observed him working with other players and coaches through the years those are my observations, but I wasn't really in that. For me, some of the people I have mentioned that were in a higher position when I came into the league. Again, Romeo and I were more contemporary there and I would say our relationship was working more together like it was with Al [Groh], Dante [Scarnecchia] coaches like that. The people that learned a lot from him, not saying I didn't learn a lot from him, I don't mean it that way, but I am saying the people who worked under him that he trained and the kicking game like Mike Sweatman at the Giants and people like that. I think you would really need to talk to people like that. In terms of working with him, he was fantastic to work with as assistant coach and then when I was the head coach, he was always extremely well prepared, made great in-game adjustments, was an excellent teacher, great communicator, good motivator, an excellent relationship with players and coaches. He was really a tremendous asset to every team I was ever with him on. But from a young coach that was learning under him I was never in that situation.
How much do you enjoy the element of being hands on at practice?
BB: I enjoy coaching. There's a lot of different elements to that, classroom, on the field, film, gameday, whatever it is I enjoy that. I try to contribute and help the team where I can.
Showing the guys that you still got it?
BB: Yeah, I'd like to be matched up against a couple of them.
Anyone in particular?
BB: Yeah, there's a couple.
On Romeo [Crennel], can you explain to us, maybe for the people who don't know, what was the biggest impact he made on this franchise, in your mind?
BB: He was the defensive coordinator for three Super Bowl winning teams. What do you want him to do?
I am talking about anything specifically, like how he related to players …
Well look, that's a big job. In a job like that you make 50 decisions every day that affect the team, probably more than that to tell you the truth. Every day. It's not one game. It's not one play. It's a consistent high-level performance over a sustained period of years, months, years that's what that is. It's pretty impressive.
Has Jakobi Meyers been limited by an injury for part of the spring?
BB: We have various players out there that are in different stages of some physical situation whatever it is. Some of that change's day to day some of that is progressive. Whatever it is it is. We work with the trainers and Johann [Bilsborough] and his staff. Jim Whalen and his staff relative to the availability of those players. That includes probably half the team, I don't know. It's a lot of players. Whatever it is for that player, that's what it is. It changes from day to day and changes depending on what activity we are doing with what level of participation the player has in them. We go through it every day. It is a pretty lengthy list of players we talk about. We want to make sure we are doing the best we can for them and that they can participate in what we feel like they should or can participate in. Things that we want to be a little cautious or conservative on, then we are and maybe they do something else.
[Jakobi Meyers] looks bigger. Are my eyes telling me the truth on that? Is he bigger and was that at the direction of the team?
BB: I'd have to look at the exact measurements. I think anybody that trains hard and trains at the intensity that we do through the length of our offseason programs is going to make some gains. At some point, they are probably going to peak out but he is still a young player, so I think they are marginal. You'd have to ask him that question. I'm not really sure.
