FOXBOROUGH – Patriots coach Bill Belichick held his regular Monday press conference (11:45 a.m.) and he covered a variety of topics from Sunday’s 23-16 win over the Rams. A sampling:
1) Game of swings. “After watching the film, you really kind of get an appreciation for the swings back and forth that took place in that game,” Belichick said, crediting the Rams. “I thought we responded to a number of situations and adversity in the game.” Belichick pointed to an important swing in the second quarter, when the Rams led 10-7 and had the ball on the New England 23. “They ended up getting knocked out of field goal range, then we scored, then we get it back and score right before the half,” he said. “That was a big swing.”
2) More on the onside kick. Asked if the Rams’ successful onside kick in the third quarter was a good teaching moment for his club, Belichick credited kicker Josh Brown for excellent execution. “We definitely could have played it better, but it was a great play by St. Louis,” he said. “Brown hit a perfect kick. It came down right in the dead spot, right over the 10-yard restraining line. We could have reacted to it quicker, but even if we had, I don’t know … it was a very well executed play. As much as I’d like to be upset at how we handled that, sometimes you just have to say ‘they really did a good job on that play.’”
3) Situational football at the end of the game. Belichick was asked how the team handled the game-ending situation, with the Patriots leading 23-16, the clock showing 1:08 remaining, and St. Louis with two timeouts to use. At one point, television cameras focused on an animated Belichick speaking with referee Scott Green. Asked about that exchange, Belichick explained that the Patriots had quarterback Matt Cassel trying to milk a few extra seconds off the clock by not taking an immediate knee, as they projected they’d be punting back to the Rams with about 25 seconds left. Belichick's discussion with Green was centered around his thoughts that the the first kneel-down was whistled dead before Cassel was actually down.
4) Billy Yates/Stephen Neal combination at right guard. For the second straight game, the Patriots rotated Billy Yates and Stephen Neal at right guard. Belichick said the rotation was similar to last week in terms of snaps played, with Yates starting and Neal – the usual starter – rotating in. Asked if the rotation is a result of Neal getting himself into game condition after opening the year on the physically unable to perform list, Belichick said: “I think Steve is getting pretty close now. Billy has done a good job for us in there. Steve is getting back. It’s good to have another player at that position.” Belichick added that he feels the overall depth of the offensive line, and the quality of play, is good.
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