Bill Belichick on Tom Brady

BB's press conference can be played as a Saturday Night Live sketch without changing one word he said

BB's conference call can be played as a Saturday Night Live sketch without changing a word.

Opening day is over 2 weeks away plenty of time to get it healed if anything is wrong. If it was a serious injury he would have been off the field and iced up by halftime. He came back onto the field in pads after halftime so that in itself shows it wasn't that bad. My guess is the plan was to play him into the 3rd quarter so when Brady came out after the half and saw he wasn't going back in he left to get the shoulder iced.

Mike, do you still feel the injury is worse than what the Patriots are leading on?

"That will be the same situation going forward into the Giants game"

Meaning.... Tom is not playing in the last preseason game?

These are the only times when I wished he would just answer the questions!!!!!!!!!! He could end it right now, but he wont.... It does not mean anything... He could be 100% fine...

Translation:
Brady hasn't seen a doctor yet so BB doesn't want to waste everybody's time speculating.

Man why does the media even ask these questions to Belicheck anymore? I'm guessing just to get a laugh because that was pretty funny.

Hi Josh. I'd just start out by saying that I don't know what's wrong with Brady. I thought it was precautionary last night. When I got home today and watched the play over again, it was worse than I expected and part of that is just how big and powerful Haynesworth is and the position of Brady's right arm. I think the Patriots planned to play Brady into the third quarter and deviated from that plan. I also think that if it was purely a football decision to keep Brady out in the second half, then he would have been on the sideline helping his fellow quarterbacks. I am assuming he went for x-rays for a closer look. At this point, it's possible that the Patriots don't even know the extent of it. ... Ryan, I would not expect to see Brady play against the Giants. ... Matt, I think we keep asking because we are trying to serve our readers and Patriots fans. If we didn't, we wouldn't be doing our jobs.
--Mike

thanks for the quick repsonse Mike. I hate to keep bugging you with questions but if Brady is seriously injured do you think we will find out Monday?

Brady's tough and he knows there is no real alternative in terms of a backup - unless he's seriously hurt - I think he will walk up to the huddle and get the snap on Sept 14. There is nothing short of a SB this year for the Pats.

..... Brady wont even be on the sideline next week. BB now has the perfect set-up for week 1 .... and every tv and radio outlet will spend the next two weeks with "will he, or wont he" as their topic....lol

Translation: Telling anyone the status of Brady's shoulder is not a league requirement at this time, and doing so would not be of any benefit to the Patriots on the field. So I'm not going to talk about it.

Personally, I would imagine Brady left the field to put ice on it, and don't think we can draw any conclusions based on whether he plays against the Giants or not, because even at 100%, he might not play in the 4th game.

Thanks for giving it a shot, though, Reiss and Co.!

Great prying questions to coach Belichick! Reporters should be prepared and ask the caoch questions that we ahs to answer. Do a better job and be prepared.

HE IS NOT SERIOUSLY HURT... You do not throw with out pain on your face and you don't wimp your arm around without pain... Calm down... They have over two weeks to the first game and he will start

It's the GB curse and I don't mean Green Bay.

It's the GB curse and I don't mean Green Bay.

Seriously, does this news surprise anybody? Bill Belichick NEVER reveals injury news immediately after a game.

I really don't think it is as bad as what many of you (Mike included) are making it out to be. He was able to do full arm circles while on the bench AND a couple of minutes later he was talking to one of his teammates (Fast Freddie Taylor, I think...) on the bench about game-related communication/planning. Both of those indicate to me that he does not have a separated shoulder and that perhaps he instinctively knew that, while it probably did not feel good at the time, that the injury was not an overly big deal. I think we all knew - just by Brady's own reaction- that when he was decked last year against the Chiefs that it was really, really bad. It did not seem that way this time.

they better get to grind it out football, the three wideouts and deep patterns are going to get him seriously injured once again, not only that whan you do not hook up, those quick three and outs puts an awful lot of pressure on the defense. the last half of last season was good solid football which we completely got away from with that 16-0 season.

Brady is scheduled to do his weekly radio interview on weei Monday. If he does it I would guess it is not to bad. If he does not .....Last year when Brady hurt his knee he did not do the radio interview.

This is the part of BB I dont like. It's not like saying he fine, we don't know yet, or he's out for the year is going lose him a regular season game, instead he plays mind games with patriot fans. It's the preseason, these games mean nothing.. who cares what the giants know or dont know.

It sucks this has to happen. Trent DIlfer gave some decent insight on the types of shoulder injury that could have happened and I hope it is the least serious one. From the video of Brady rotating his arm he didnt seem to be in pain and I hope he just went down for precautionary measures.
Although many people are frustrated for not getting an update but i think part of it might be BB doesnt know and part he doesn't feel like divulging any incomplete info. Brady probably went back in Boston to get more thorough examination and that mightve delayed a bit?

Belichick's press conferences are funny. What he said about that long cooley reception was good too.
does he know he is being funny? he makes journalists with their silly, tabloidy questions look so infantile when he answers with his cool logic

I LOVE BB!!! He protects the best interest of the organization and his players..ALWAYS!!!! Can't wait for the season to start!!!!

i dont know why they bother to ask these questions because he is not going to answer them. They have too ask i know their jobs require it but its a waste of time . BB isnt giving anything up and ill bet toms not playing the giant game

In years past i can remember Tom brady on the "probable to play list" every sunday and it listed his shoulder. This is just the way the Bill Belichick machine works. Very quiet, Very sneaky, and Very good.

I personally thought Bill's first answer was downright hilarious given that Brady was listed as probable with a shoulder injury for three years straight.

If this were a regular season game he would have missed a series....max. He did not appear to be in any obviously visible pain.

My name is Danny but they call me Mister. I don't know if Tom Brady is hurt or not.

What a shock. Even though BB is a great, hall of fame coach, he performs in these press conferences like a horse's ass. There is no great strategic or tactical advantage to be gained by hiding information on Brady's condition, especially during the preseason. Does anyone really think that if BB says "Brady has a shoulder sprain and will be out for 2 weeks" the rest of the NFL is going to start gearing up to face O'Connell or Walter? Or is going to work any harder to go after Brady when he returns? It's absurd. And, of course, lots of great coaches succeed in all sports even though they provide honest information on players' injuries. Yeah, I admire Belichick as a coach on the field, but these press conferences are a complete insult to the fans who follow the team. Maybe someday some media outlet will have the guts to say that they are not attending these phony press events.

Mike, what is your last day with the globe?

I've followed the team for forty years and I'm not insulted in the least by those press conferences. All I need to know I will see on the field on September 14th. I think little girls who hold their breath and stamp their feet if they don't instantly get what they want are the real horse's asses.

Two words: Gisele Bündchen

anannoyedfan: "Maybe someday some media outlet will have the guts to say that they are not attending these phony press events."

Yeah, that would sure show BB... He'd be so upset and shocked that he'd reconsider his entire coaching philosophy.

anannoyedfan: "There is no great strategic or tactical advantage to be gained by hiding information on Brady's condition..."

You say "no great....advantage." How about a minor advantage? In this game of inches, seconds, and wins by a point or two - a game that can turn on a single play, a single missed coverage - wouldn't a "fan" want the coach to take a path that provides even the possibility of a *small* advantage?

And even if that question is a wash, there's certainly no strategic or tactical advantage to be had by *revealing* the information, so why bother?

Scott: "All I need to know I will see on the field on September 14th. "

Exactly. What's your #1 priority as a fan? Good Feelies from the coach Monday through Saturday? Nope. You want to see football well played by well-prepared men ready to go out and perform at their absolute maximum, both individually and as a team. Press conferences provide absolutely no "strategic or tactical advantage" toward that goal.

The team will continue to be haunted by the likes of Vince Wilfork.

one word :hanesworth get over the giselle bundchen curse thing already what is it with you boston fans and curses anyway?.

UCantHandleTheTruth said "wouldn't a "fan" want the coach to take a path that provides even the possibility of a *small* advantage?"

You mean a path like video taping the opposing coaches and teams?

CMWBGCE: "You mean a path like video taping the opposing coaches and teams?"

Yeah, I knew when I wrote it that someone would make that connection, as I know that people will find a way to work that into a discussion of any issue, say an article about the management of the Red Sox, or local politics, or national energy policy... You've got every right to be sad and upset and to never let that go. However, this article isn't about that, and I think what my comment "means" is clear with respect to the original article, and the fairly sensible discussion that has followed, so I'm hoping that nobody's going to engage and help you wrestle the discussion off-topic.

Did you have a comment on my actual points, in the context of this article?

jane x jones, so you're the village idiot, congrats, your family must be so proud!

Why do we have to choose between excellent coaching AND someone who talks to the fans like we have a brain? Somehow, Canton (and the halls of fame for every major sport) are *full* of coaches who understood that standing in front of the press and giving the fans some information doesn't prevent victories. BB is a great coach, but he insults each of us every time he gives a press conference and, in answer to a simple question, responds like Richard Nixon during Watergate.

The only thing BB needs to do is win games. As fans, we have no right to know or understand the inner workings of the Patriots. We can certainly speculate, and try to figure out what's going on, but any thing beyond watching the game is merely privilege and not a right.