Bill Belichick Q&A
FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick answered questions from reporters after today's mandatory minicamp session. The following is a transcript, as provided by the Patriots media relations staff:
(Opening statement)
BB: We’ve been at it here for a couple of weeks and we are kind of winding it down. It’s good to be back out, good to have everybody working and good to see the players on the field rather than a bunch of names up there on the depth chart board. See them running, see them doing the plays and start to see things come together a little bit on the football field. [It’s an] exciting time to get started but we still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do, so we will just take it one day at a time. I think we’re making some progress. We just have to stay at it and be ready to make a long haul out of it [and] try to take these opportunities out here, this week, on the field to make sure we are as close to being ready for training camp as we can possibly be and that’s when we will really find out what we have.
Q: How excited are you? The rest of New England is excited to have Tom Brady and Vince Wilfork on that field.
BB: I like all the players. I like to see them all out there. There are some that aren’t. It’s good to see Tom and Vince, Adalius [Thomas] and Laurence [Maroney] and a lot of the players that didn’t get to play all last year, so it’s good to see them all out there.
Q: How does Tom [Brady] look to you?
BB: I think everybody has a long way to go, but we are making progress and will take it one day at a time.
Q: Were you concerned that Vince Wilfork might not show up? He missed all the OTA’s [Organized Team Activites].
BB: Well, the players that were here we were working with. Those were all voluntary sessions and I’m glad everybody’s here today.
Q: [On Joey Galloway]
BB: Right now we are just trying to teach everybody the plays and get them to learn their assignments. As you can see we are rolling a lot of people through in our system out there and how that actually sets up from a game plan standpoint and how different players are utilized in different situations and all that we will get to in due course. Right now we are just trying to let everyone run the plays and get familiar with them and then we will evaluate in training camp who can do what.
Q: Considering his recent comments, how fun is it having Rex Ryan in the division now?
BB: I have a lot of respect for Rex. What he did in Baltimore – the defense his team has played. We’ve always had great battles with the Jets, so I’m sure that will continue. It’s a good rivalry. They beat us up here last year. They kind of got the last punch in on that one, so we will have to…It’s a new year. Right now we are more focused on Buffalo than any other team in the division because we open with them, but we know we are going to have to deal with Miami and the Jets as well and we have a lot of respect for all those teams.
Q: Has there been more talking this year than normal? You look at Rex Ryan and the Miami Dolphins players talking about their routine.
BB: Oh, I don’t know. Right now I’m just trying to coach our team and get our guys ready to have a good week of practice and get them ready for training camp. That’s really what we’re up for is getting our team ready and when it’s time to play we will show up to play.
Q: Does the learning curve this time of year get steeper and steeper?
BB: Well it depends on who you are. Some players have done a lot of the things we are doing out there and some players haven’t. For the guys that have, some of this may be familiar to them or may replicate things they’ve done in other systems or with other teams and for other guys it might be brand new. I think it’s different for each player on a case by case basis.
Q: Is it more likely that a player that will win a spot in mini camp or lose a spot in mini camp?
BB: I don’t think the spots are there to be won in mini camp. Mini camp is a teaching camp and the evaluation will come at training camp.
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That's interesting Mike, but it would be better if you could get the transcripts of every head coach around the league in their opening minicamp press conference and compare them to what BB says so that we can get a better idea of what kind of mind control Belichick and the Patriots are using on the media. And you never answered why we're playing in Indy again this season.
A good illustration of a point you made the other day, Mike. Given an opportunity to rip or even take a veiled shot at another coach, BB opts not to do so. Surprising that Ryan went that route given his football pedigree(or maybe not surprising based on Buddy's history).
for goodness sake, can you stop interviewing BB. His canned answers are leading us nowhere..year after year.. If you stop posting his interview answers until he actually says something, then it saves us the time time in reading garbage.
Nice catch by BB as he started to get off message. "They kind of got the last punch in on that one, so we will have to…It’s a new year. Right now we are more focused on Buffalo..." I guess the Jets rivalry stokes a little fire in him too :)
Here's an idea Ham--don't read any of BB's comments. The rest of us look forward to seeing what Mike has for us on a daily basis. I think we have to be adults and make our own choices about what to view and not...
Mike--Thank You. You do an amazing job.
PLUTO PAUL CREASE, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BRADY GOING ON THE CHAHHHHHHLES RIVAH TO DO SOME PADDLEBOATING WITH HIS "NEW WIFE?" SHOULDN'T HE BE STUDYEING THE FILM ON BUFFELO BILLS? THEY ARE GOING TO BE TOUGH THIS YEAR WITH TO AND DICK JARUON SEEMS LIKE AN INTERSETING GUY BUT I LIKE REX RYAN BECUSEA HE GIVES STR8 TALK TO THE PRESS. BELECHIDK IS COOL BUT HE DOESN'T GIVE ME ANWSWER TO SOME REALLY PRESSING QUESTIONS. WHY DOESN'T HE CHALLENGE REX RYAN TO A SUMO WRESTLING MATCH TO SETTLE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL? MAYBE THEY CAN HAVE IT A PATROSTS PLACE? OLO
HAHAHA. I love Bill. He's so great in those interviews.
Ham, come on. What do you want from him? He did the best with the questions he was asked. "Is it nice having 'so-and-so' out on the field?" What do you expect him to say? No, I hate the guy? 4 of the 7 questions are either "Yes/No" or "A or B" questions. He could have very easily answered each of those with 2 or 3 words and ended it. He elaborated a little.
Q: Does the learning curve this time of year get steeper and steeper?
A: No.
Q: Has there been more talking this year than normal? You look at Rex Ryan and the Miami Dolphins players talking about their routine
A: Yes.
Q: Were you concerned that Vince Wilfork might not show up? He missed all the OTA’s [Organized Team Activites].
A: No
Is that what you want? If you have a problem with it, go get some press credentials and ask some hard-hitting questions. See how far that gets you.
BB is not prone to release info that could prove detrimental to the team winning. I understand, appreciate and respect that.
PATSFAN4NOW, please drown yourself.
I second the comment above...
PATSFAN4NOw, obviously you do not follow the game because if you did you would realize that the schedules/teams are predetermined by a formula that has us playing the AFC South & NFC South. Since the Colts played here 4 years ago when we last played the AFC South, the game is scheduled in INDY. In previous years ,they played Indy because of both finishing in 1st place the previous season.
Since you are a Pats fan4now, please do us all a favor and become a NY Jests fan 4 now.
Folks,
The job of Bill B is to win football games. It is not to help the media in any way. It's pretty simple kids. I don't care what he says to the media nor should you
Hey Ham....Belichick will answer REAL FOOTBALL QUESTIONS. If asked about a specific defense, football strategy etc...Belichick will actually give a detailed answer. But do these bonehead sportswriters ask those kind of questions?? NO!.......you get crap like, "so duh, gee coach what do ya think about what Rex Ryan said?..duh" and "duh coach, can a player win or lose a job in mini-camp?duh"........I'm surprised none of them asked, "Duh coach did you go to Brady's wedding? duh"
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Glad to see the coach is his old self again. But, "we're making progress." lol.
Right on, Butch. You'll get plenty from BB, when asking about X&Os and strategic trends in the game. But, no, too many of us are still stuck in the juvenile "who said what about who" drivel.
I'd ask if he thinks wildcat use will expand this year. Does he think its a 1 - 2 season sensation or will it likely become more established around the league?
Larger picture questions like that would provide clues to the Pats O and D scheme developments for this season. I'm in the minority, but that's what I want to know and why I rely on MikeR's coverage and analysis.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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