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Belichick, Bruschi & the Bills

Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked several questions about Tedy Bruschi at his Wednesday press conference [10:45 a.m. EDT], but opened by speaking on the team’s opponent this Sunday –- the Buffalo Bills.

“We’re into Buffalo, full speed ahead here. As we know, they are a very fast-starting team, they have the biggest point differential in the league in the first quarter [40 points scored, 7 allowed]. They’ve been able to get on top. I think in a lot of ways, this team is starting to be reminiscent of Pittsburgh, the way [head coach] Mike [Mularkey] has built it. Defensively, they are a pressure-oriented team. Offensively, they do a lot of the same things Pittsburgh does in terms of running the ball, establishing a power running game. A four- or five-wide receiver type passing game. There are a lot of similarities to what you see with the Steelers. Outstanding on special teams. They led the league on special teams last year and they’re right there again. The can kick it, cover it and return it. So they’re pretty strong in all phases of the game. With [quarterback Kelly] Holcomb in there, he’s given them a very high completion percentage. They’ve been able to move the ball –- they lead the league in drives over 10 plays. They’ve been able to take the ball and move it the length of the field. They’re consistent, convert third downs, run the ball, keep it away from the other team. I think they’ve played well in recent weeks. It’s a division game, so it’s a big week for us to have our best week of preparation and be ready to go against a good, physical football team that’s playing well in all three areas of the game right now.”

On Tedy Bruschi, here is some of the Q&A from the press conference:

Assess Tedy Bruschi to this point…
“No setbacks. Moving along.”

How game ready do you think he is?
“I don’t know.”

Was Monday a full contact practice?
“It was.”

That was his first contact …
“Overall, from a team standpoint, we got some things done in the running game and first and second down type of things. I thought we made a little bit of progress in terms of preparation for Buffalo –- and got some of the things that we wanted to get ready for this weekend.”

Will Tedy have a normal load if he plays?
“I don’t know. We’ll take it day-to-day and see where it goes. I don’t know.”

Can you tell in a practice setting if Tedy has any rust on him?
“I think practice preparation is always an indicator of game performance, not necessarily 100 percent, but somewhat of an indicator. I think any player that hasn’t played football for a while, and then comes back and tries to catch up to a lot of guys who have been playing on a regular basis, they’re behind. They have to be. If they weren’t, you should just cancel all the practices and show up for the game. But he’s an experienced player, so it’s not like we’re starting from scratch. He has a pretty good background and is a good fundamental player, so he has a lot of things he can fall back on to build off.”

What are the indicators on Tedy telling you now?
“Day-to-day. Go out there today and hopefully today is better than Monday. And hopefully tomorrow is better than today. And hopefully Friday is better than Thursday. Just take it day-to-day.”

How did he spend the bye?
“He did everything the team did. I don’t know what he did on his own, you’d have to ask him that –- if he went to the movies. I don’t know. He did what the team did.”

He didn’t have to be held back at all?
“He did what everybody else did.”

Did he do anything extra –- coming in to the stadium for extra off-field work?
“Sure, he probably did. We don’t have one of those bracelets on him that tracks him through the building. I don’t know.”

QUICK HITS: Belichick noted how Buffalo carries seven receivers, which is rare in the league. … Belichick, a longtime Giants assistant, reflected fondly on Giants co-owner Wellington Mara, who died on Tuesday. … Quarterback Tom Brady is scheduled to hold a press conference at 11:45 a.m. EDT today … Conference calls with Bills defensive back Troy Vincent [noon] and coach Mike Mularkey [12:15 p.m. EDT] are also scheduled. ... The injury report is due out at 4 p.m. EDT.

Looking ahead, we’ll plan on posting another update later in the day.

--Mike