HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK

PRESS CONFERENCE
August 12, 2019

BB: Alright, well this is another good opportunity for us this week. We've got a couple of days here to work on some things that we need to work on, and then we look forward to the opportunity of going down to Tennessee and working against the Titans. Obviously, a good football team, well coached, have a lot of good players. So, that'll be a great opportunity for us later in the week, but hopefully we can cross some things off and improve in some areas that we just need to focus on for us, and then we'll head down there and practice Wednesday.

Q: Are these preparation days for what you'll be doing in Nashville?

BB: No, I think there's some other things we need to hit before we get into that.

Q: How did you end up making it through Thursday's game from a health standpoint? Specifically, I know Matt LaCosse was hobbled a bit and exited the game?

BB: Yeah, we've got some. We'll have to see where everybody is today here. We didn't do much the last couple of days, so we'll see what they're able to do today and go from there.

Q: What goes into being a good defensive play-caller?

BB: Well, look, everything – whatever phase of the game it is – defensively, it's about team defense. It all centers around that, what the team can do effectively and who we're matched up against and so forth. It's a combination of a lot of things.

Q: Can you share what some of those things are?

BB: It changes week to week. We play a new team every week. We don't always have the same players available every week. We just try to play good team defense.

Q: What have you seen from Jakob Johnson since he came over as a part of the international program?

BB: He's a good kid, works hard, has a great attitude, really wants to try and learn and improve.

Q: Is there a benefit to being able to stash him as an extra guy on the practice squad this year?

BB: Yeah, I don't know. We'll see.

Q: Is workload management something you take into account for running backs during the preseason with the hope of keeping them fresh for the regular season?

BB: We try to balance what's best for each individual player with what's best for the team. That's what we try to do.

Q: How has Jake Bailey progressed this off-season?

BB: Jake's got a lot to learn. He has talent. He has done a number of different things from punting, to holding, to kicking off. Again, there's a lot of situational things that fall within those areas of responsibility. We're working our way through some of those and we'll see how it goes.

Q: What have you seen so far from Hjalte Froholdt?

BB: Same thing. A good kid, works hard, got a long way to go, is improving, makes progress every day. We'll give him another chance this week to go against another good defensive line. Yeah, just keep plugging away here with all of these young guys. They all have a long way to go. I think they're all making progress. We'll see whether they can get better, stay the same, tail off, I don't know.

Q: Jakobi Meyers ran a 4.63 40-yard dash at his pro day. Is that an accurate representation of his speed or is he a guy that gets quicker on the field with short-area quickness and acceleration?

BB: Well, timing straight-line speed and quickness are two different things, so I would never try to classify them as the same. Whatever it is, it is at this point. We've had an off-season of training. Veterans longer than the rookies have, but we've had off-season training. They're playing football now. Whatever it is, it is. I'm not sure how much more we can improve it in the short run. Maybe marginally, but right now it's about being able to play football. That's what we're all trying to do. Whatever it is, it is.

Q: Does he have a good feel for the game from what you've seen?

BB: Yeah, he has some experience playing receiver and playing quarterback and all that. He's got a long way to go in this league. I certainly wouldn't put him into the seasoned veteran category. I mean, there's no rookie that would fall into that category. We'll see. We have a long way to go.

Q: How has Terrence Brooks adapted to your system?

BB: Good, good. Terence is a smart kid, works hard, has a lot of versatility. We've asked him to do a number of different things. He's handled that well. The game experience and the reps that we got against the Lions – both in practice and in the game against Tennessee – those will be valuable in terms of gaining confidence and making communication calls quicker for everybody, but especially for players that are new to the team. But yeah, he's done well.

Q: Is the team making a trade for a tight end from the Falcons this morning?

BB: If we have any personnel announcements, we'll make them when they're completed.

Q: How impressed are you with some of the players who are considered to be on the bubble and can you provide any names as to who some of those players might be?

BB: Yeah, I don't know what the bubble is.

Q: Guys who are fighting for a spot at the end of the roster and on the verge of being cut?

BB: I don't know who that is. We go out there with all of the players, give them an opportunity, evaluate them. Some guys are improving. We'll see where they end up. We'll just take it day by day and try to do the best we can to try and put the most competitive team on the field that we can.

Q: How does the team evaluate the 90-man roster of other teams and try to acquire players from other teams that might fit in here after roster cuts?

BB: That's what our pro personnel department does. That's what they do. It's a full-time job.

Q: Did you get a chance to watch some of the other teams across the league this weekend?

BB: Tennessee, Philly [Philadelphia]. I saw that one.

Q: Did you see any instances of the new pass interference replay system?

BB: No, I haven't really caught up on that. No.

Q: Is there another level of understanding that can be achieved about the running game when you watch the game tape as opposed to just a padded practice?

BB: Yeah, definitely. Tackling and being able to get off blocks and make a tackle; sure. Yeah, you can't evaluate that – I mean, you can see if a player is in position to do it in practice, but it's just not the same as in the game. Yeah, absolutely.

Q: How did you see Ryan Izzo perform in the run-blocking aspect of the game at Detroit?

BB: Yeah, well it's good to have him out on the field on a consistent basis. He's been out there every single day. He's worked hard. He's gotten better. Yeah, again, doesn't have a lot of experience – one preseason game this year. We'll see how it goes. Again, just watch him improve day by day and see where that takes him.