Bill Belichick Today

Posted by Morry Levine Yesterday at 2:21 pm

Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick met the media today for the final time before Friday night’s pre-season game against the Eagles.

Here’s the transcript:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
2008 Press Conference
August 20, 2008

BB: This week is flying by pretty quickly, it is kind of like a Friday for us. It seems like we just played, well I guess we did. So we are chugging along here. Again, watching Philadelphia as usual and they look pretty good. They are solid in all three phases of the game. They have some real good skill players, good offensive line, always good on defense, strong in the kicking game, and some explosive players so this should be a good test for us. Just trying to get our preparations done as much and as thoroughly as we can here in such a short time to give the players a chance to go out and compete. We are fighting a clock a little bit but that is okay. It puts some urgency in our preparation. I don’t think that is ever a bad thing. So that is our deal today.

Q: How much stalk do you put into the third preseason game?

BB: We try to emphasize every opportunity we get to prepare for our regular season opener. So that is all of training camp practices and all four preseason games. I think they are all important and we try to maximize all of them. Each game gives the players the opportunity to fine-tune their skills, techniques, reactions and all that in preparation for the regular season. This [game vs. Philadelphia] is a good one. It is a good opportunity against a good football team. The guys that get the chance to participate in the game, I’m sure they will be able to utilize that to help them prepare for the season. Not everybody will, but the guys that do, that will be good for them. The guys that don’t, hopefully they will get it some other time or they have already gotten it.

Q: Where is the gray area from now until the end of training camp or preseason that says to you, I now have to start getting the guys that are going to play the reps that they need?

BB: I think that process has already started. I think it has been going on for awhile. You never really finalize it. It is still a work in progress but I think that has already started. Some guys get more reps than others. Some guys are ahead of other guys and those guys get more reps. Guys that are behind other guys, they get fewer reps or maybe they get more reps in other phases of the game depending on where their role happens to be at this current time, but we all know that can change in a hurry. We try to keep everybody ready in all phases but somebody has to get more reps than somebody else, it certainly isn’t balanced at this point and it hasn’t been in a little while.

Q: In your mind, could you make your final roster reductions today if you had to?

BB: Well sure. If today was the day we had to make our final roster reductions than we would make them but it isn’t. I don’t think that is a great exercise of my time as opposed to getting the team ready to be a better football team, which encompasses a lot of things. I am not saying we don’t have an eye on our roster, we do - but as far as making final decisions and going through the final analysis that you would do. When that time comes, which is pretty lengthy and pretty thorough, I don’t know that right now is the best time to do it. If we had to do it, we would do it. It wasn’t that long ago when this was about the time when we had to cut to 60. That would be a pretty big cut.

Q: When you look at Rodney Harrison and John Lynch as players, what similarities do you see and what differences do you see in two guys that have played combined more than 30 years in the league?

BB: Well, similarities I think are both guys have been very productive. They are hard-hitting impact players. Both of their presences are definitely felt on the field. They played in different systems, so that is different but I think they are both good tacklers. They are very instinctive and efficient players. They get to the ball. They are around the ball and make a lot of big plays. Over the course of their careers, there are a lot of those for both of them.

Q: Could you envision a scenario where Rodney Harrison and John Lynch would be side by side on the field together?

BB: I guess it is possible. I don’t know, we will have to see how it goes. This is only John’s [Lynch] second practice so we will se how it goes. We are getting him ready for some different situations. Rodney [Harrison] has been involved in some different personnel packages, roles and so forth. How that will all work out, we will just have to wait and see.

Q: Do you have an update on Tom [Brady]?

BB: He is day to day.

Q: How do you feel about Ellis Hobbs in a dual role as cornerback and kickoff returner?

BB:  We have a lot of players doing a lot of different things. Again, how will those roles work out down the road, we will just have to wait and see. Players that have done different things, whatever they happen to be, different roles on offense and defense, multiple positions and different roles in the kicking game and how that fits together -right now we do it so we have depth in all of those spots. What we feel is best for our team in any given game and to start the season - that all remains to be seen. I wouldn’t want to not prepare those players for those situations and then something come up down the road and tell the player we want you to do this and the player really hasn’t done it this year and hasn’t done it in a competitive situation. So we are just trying to get everyone ready and prepared on a broad base and then we will be more specific as the regular season becomes closer and we get more refined in those roles based on who the players on our roster are and whose going to the game.

Q: There has been a lot of talk around the league among the owners of increasing the regular season to 17 games. There would also be some reduction in preseason. When you do that how do you get back up quarterbacks?

BB: Good question. I don’t know. I think that is the issue. The fewer preseason games you have, the fewer opportunities you have for the younger players. It doesn’t matter what position they play. Then we had the Europe League or World League and that was supposedly to develop young players and now that is not in place anymore. If you have young players on your roster and you don’t have preseason games, then I don’t know where you get them experience. I think it makes it a lot harder for them to make the team. If you want to develop young players you have to have some type of opportunity and time to develop them. If you are not going to play preseason games and shorten the preseason, I don’t know how you develop younger players. When do you do it? You have 14 OTA [off season training activity] days. You are not going to develop them then. I mean you might get them started. I think that is the problem. The shorter you make it, the harder you are going to make it on younger players and development of younger players. The longer you make it, it might be more than some veterans need and there are some other issues with that. It is a give and take. It is a balance. I think you can argue it both ways.

Q: Would you be in favor of partnering with a minor league team?

BB: Right now, I am just really trying to coach one football team. I would like to see us perform a little better than we have. I think I really have a full time job. As far as trying to conquer the world and save the sport, I will leave that to someone else.

Q: Are either Matt Light or Stephen Neal any closer to getting on the field?

BB: I would say they are closer. They are getting better everyday.

Q: When you cut guys, do you talk to each guy individually?

BB: I would say 95 percent of the time.

Q: How hard is that for you? Do you explain the reason why they are being let go?

BB: We explain the situation to them. I mean there are a lot of different scenarios. Each case is a little bit different. You know all the different scenarios but whatever they are we sit with them. Scott [Pioli] and I sit with them, talk to them and tell them what the situation is. It could be a lot of different things. We have released a lot of different players that have ended up coming back here. Sometimes it is not as final as it is in other situations. Then we notify their representative and tell them the same thing or have a conversation with them so that the player and his representative are all informed of the decision and everything that goes along with the decision, which could be not too much to quite a bit.

Q: As being head coach and having the last say - have you ever second-guessed yourself when cutting a player?

BB: Well, some cuts are harder than others and whatever the final decision is a lot of times it could come down to going either way but it’s got to go one way or another. You have to make a decision and you have to go with it. I have been in those situations before. Even though you are releasing the guy, you know it is close. He probably knows it’s close but you have to make a decision. Once you make the decision you have to go with it. There really isn’t much else you can do. It’s tough. It is a hard part of the business. We go to camp with 80 players and we have to go to 53 so 27 players have to get released. That is just the facts. Every team is in the same situation. It is the hard part of the job but it is one we all know from the beginning what it is going to be. Twenty-seven guys are not going to make the 53-man roster. Unfortunately, that is part of this game and is the competitive aspect of it. Maybe not all of us by most all of us have been on the other side of that somewhere along the line, whether it is a player, a coach - we have all been on that side of it sooner or later.

Q: When you bring in a veteran guy like John Lynch who has a lot of experience in the league, how tough is the process of bringing him up to speed?

BB: Well, he has a lot of experience. I don’t think we are doing too many things that he hasn’t done before. Most of them he has done, it is just the question of new terminology or applying a particular technique to a certain call or a certain formation. It is just getting things categorized properly so that when A happens we do this, when B happens we do that, and when C happens we do something else and here is how we do it. There is definitely an adjustment period and there is a period of time that it takes to see those things, get comfortable with them and get comfortable with your teammates around you. It is not one guy making that adjustment; it is multiple people that have to be coordinated. It takes some time, it takes some communication but John [Lynch] works hard at it and understands conceptually what we are doing. I am sure he will make the adjustment a lot quicker than players with less experience and less “instinctiveness” than what he has for the position. He still has to do it. That is what we are in the process of. I can’t give you a time frame of when we will be at a certain point. It is a little bit of a dynamic between what we are seeing. Another words, we are seeing Philadelphia’s offense this week but if we are playing a different team some other situations might come up different than this one. If we were playing another team we might not see some situations that might come up in the Philadelphia game. Just because the regular season starts doesn’t mean that everything has been covered and has been done as thoroughly as you would like it to be done. That is the point where you are and you just go from there. Then it becomes a building process throughout the course of the year. We will try to get as much of that covered as we can - with the team and with each of the individual players, even the new guys. Some of the new guys we have on the offensive line or John [Lynch] in the secondary, LaMont [Jordan] or whoever else it might be we will try to catch them up the best we can so they are ready to start the season but there will still be more work to be done after that.

Brady at Practice

Posted by Morry Levine Yesterday at 1:44 pm

Tom Brady did return to practice today at Gillette Stadium.  Brady, who is nursing an injured right foot was present for the media portion of the practice which is just stretching.

Better You…

Posted by Mike Giardi August 18, 2008 (3 days ago) at 11:39 am

People I would not want to be today:

1) Matt Cassel - Those films aren’t going to be fun.

2) Josh Beckett - So much for his consistent return to 2007 form. How many aces this year have lasted just 2.1 IP?

3) Any member of the Sox bullpen not named Masterson or Papelbon. After several weeks of making Theo Epstein look like he did the right thing by not adding any arms to the pen, they have reverted to acid-inducing form.

4) The Pats defensive front 7. Hey fellas, I realize Tampa went to the playoffs last year, but there isn’t one Snickers is that backfield batch. Its just a bunch of already-been chewed pieces that a) never had it, b) already lost it or c) are softer than a candy bar that’s been left in my car when it’s 98 degrees and humid outside (yes, I’m looking at you Michael Bennett).

5) Sammy Morris. The backfield savior in September of a season ago hasn’t looked sharp yet, be it in practice or during his first preseason game.

Randy Moss Talks

Posted by Morry Levine August 15, 2008 (6 days ago) at 3:56 pm

Randy Moss has broken his silence this training camp and spoke to the media today.  Here’s what he had to say:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVER RANDY MOSS
2008 Training Camp
August 15, 2008

Q: What made you decide to re-sign with the New England Patriots?

RM: First and foremost, we have some unfinished business. I like the camaraderie around here, especially in the locker room and on the field. They have a great group of guys in the locker room. I think that is all you can ask for. Coach [Bill] Belichick understands football and understands his players. He puts us together as one and we come together as a team. That is something you can respect playing in this profession and in this league.

Q: As much success as the offense had last year, how excited are you to get back on the field?

RM: Well, I am actually kind of nervous. The reason why is because of what we did last year as a whole unit. We are going to try and come out and put points on the board. That is what we are coached and asked to do. The expectations and bar are set so high here. Not by you all [media] or the fans but just by the coaches and the team. We have high expectations for this offense and this team as a unit. With what we did last year, I don’t think we can live and dwell off that because that was last year. Like I said before there is a little bit of nervousness because of how high the bar is set here.

Q: Tom Brady said earlier this week that he felt you guys were way ahead of where you all were at last year at this point. What do you think about that?

RM: The good thing that I can say about our offense, and I am speaking for myself, is that you have guys who came in a little late last year with [Jabar] Gaffney, myself, Chad Jackson was hurt last year and [Wes] Welker came in last year. For us to have a whole off-season and training camp under our belts to really understand the offense is scary. That is why I say I am nervous because there is really no telling what we are going to do. The bar is set high and we will see what happens.

Lynch Deal Official

Posted by Morry Levine August 15, 2008 (6 days ago) at 11:40 am

The New England Patriots today signed veteran safety John Lynch.  Lynch has played 15 NFL seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1993-2003) and the Denver Broncos (2004-07). He’s a nine-time pro bowler.

His career totals include 1,277 tackles (789 solo), 13 sacks, 26 interceptions, 100 passes defensed, 16 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries and 24 special teams tackles. He has also started 12 career playoff games and was a member of Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl XXXVII title.

Reports: Lynch Signs with Pats

Posted by Morry Levine August 14, 2008 (1 weeks ago) at 6:09 pm

 

No Lynch Yet

Posted by Morry Levine August 14, 2008 (1 weeks ago) at 1:08 pm

Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick met the media this morning and while he did confirm a visit from free agent safety John Lynch yesterday, he did not confirm that he’s now under contract with the team.  Lynch did have a physical and Belichick said when there’s something to tell us - he’ll tell us. 

Belichick Transcript

Posted by Morry Levine August 13, 2008 (2 weeks ago) at 2:12 pm

The Patriots continuing training camp today with an afternoon session, but Head Coach Bill Belichick has already met with the media.

Here’s what he had to say today:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
2008 Training Camp
August 13, 2008

BB: Good morning. This is kind of our day to transition into a little bit of a regular season schedule. It is similar to a normal Wednesday for us with the game on Sunday. It is still training camp, I don’t need to say that but the rest of the week will be kind of a normal Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We travel on Saturday and play on Sunday. This is a good chance for us to transition into our regular season routine from an organization and preparation standpoint. It will be similar to the routine we would have getting ready for a game. Our next two games are back to back, so we really don’t have an opportunity to do that then. That is part of what we are doing here today. It will be a little bit of a normal Wednesday practice for us.

We are excited about playing Tampa Bay [Buccaneers]. I think it is a great opportunity for us for a lot of reasons. Like I mentioned yesterday, with the quality of their team, our good preseason game with them last year, the scheme they use and going down to play in warm weather will give our conditioning levels a little bit of a challenge. They are a good football team that does a lot of things well. They are well coached and have a lot of good players that know what they are doing. I think our team will get a lot out of this week from a preparation standpoint by playing against the [Buccaneers]. We are looking forward to it and we will try to get off to a good start today and be ready to go Sunday night.   

Q: Is there any particular area on offense that you are trying to improve?

BB: Everything, we are working on everything. We are working on everything on special teams and everything on offense and defense.

Q: Are you encouraged with what you have seen in practice so far?

BB: On Monday and Tuesday we worked on a lot of things that were meant for total preparation for the season and some things that have come up that we need to do a better job of. There are some other things that haven’t come up that we need to be sure that we are prepared for - coverages, blitzes and things like that. We are working on timing of plays that we are running, a lot of which we didn’t run against Baltimore [Ravens]. All those things were kind of on the ‘hip parade’ and we will continue to work on those things about 20 percent of the time and the other 80 percent will be geared towards things that Tamp Bay does. What they do is a lot different form than what we do so there are things we haven’t seen from our defense in training camp. There is not just one thing; there are a lot of things. The ‘hip parade’ is long. There are a lot of things on it.

Q: You had the defense run a lap yesterday in practice. What was that about?

BB: It was for a mistake they made. It was a team mistake so everybody [ran]. Everybody thought about it while they ran around the field.

Q: Where did the use of a penalty lap come from? Is that something you had seen earlier in your career?

BB: I started doing it with the [New York] Giants. Then when I became a head coach, I made it more of a team thing. I would do it for one guy if it was his mistake. Sometimes we did it with the whole defensive unit. It just gives everybody a chance to think about what happened while they are running around the field. Maybe the guys who made the mistake get some advice from guys who are running that don’t feel like running.

Q: Do you think the penalty lap could be counterproductive when the crowd cheers for the players when they run by? Could it be promoting the players to make more mistakes?

BB: I think the guys that are running don’t care about the crowd cheering. I think they are thinking about what just happened, why they are running and maybe trying not to run again. I think that cheering goes over their heads - I hope it does anyway. 

Q: You were there at the finish line of the lap. What were the words you had for them?

BB: I definitely said something to them. It is not what we are looking for and the more of those things happen then the laps will keep accumulating. Could be one today, two tomorrow and four the next day. Eventually, we will get the message across.

Q: Did you ever run the penalty lap when you were with the [New York] Giants?

BB: It depended on what it was. If it was a coaching mistake then yeah. If it was something that was covered that the team should have known what to do, then no. That is their responsibility.

Q: Last year at this time one of the big topics was how Adalius Thomas would adjust to this defense…

BB: And Randy Moss wasn’t practicing - right? Those were the two things…

Q: Yes, one of the things. How has Adalius [Thomas] grown and how has he fit himself into this defense?

BB: Good, Adalius [Thomas] is a smart guy who works hard. He has played in multiple positions in our defense. Last year at this time he was playing inside, getting some reps outside, involved in different things in the sub defense, playing off and on the line, playing in coverage and playing as part of the pass rush. He has a lot of experience from doing different things. He has played 16 regular season games and three postseason games plus the preseason last year. He has a lot of game situations under his belt. I think he has really become one of the leaders on defense, not that he wasn’t last year but more so going into his second year. Going into his second year he knows more of what he is doing as opposed to feeling like ‘I have to learn this and learn that.’ I am not saying he doesn’t have anything to learn; we all have more to learn. He is a lot further ahead then he was last year. He has been very positive in his work ethic and with helping some of the younger linebackers like Shawn [Crable], Vince [Redd], Pierre [Woods] and those guys. It has been good, especially with Mike [Vrabel] being out there for a couple of weeks. He really stepped up and gave a lot of leadership and good work ethic to the entire unit. He has done well and we are glad to have him.

Q: Was it nice to have one of your former quarterbacks Jeff Hostetler watching his nephew [tight end Jonathan Stupar] out there and did he give any advice to the team?

BB: Yeah, Jeff [Hostetler] had a little bit of an unusual career and a very good one at that. He had to persevere and go through a lot. He waited six and a half years before he got to play quarterback. He was playing wide receiver, played on special teams and did a lot of scout team work before he got a chance to play quarterback. It is a good lesson for all of us, players and coaches, that you don’t know when those opportunities are going to come and you need to be ready to take advantage of them when they arrive. That is all you can do - prepare for them. Eventually know that you will have a chance. When Jeff came in the ’90 season, Phil [Simms] got hurt and we got off to such a great start. Pretty much all the experts wrote us off thinking without [Phil] Simms we wouldn’t be able to win. We ended up losing three of our last six games after starting out 10-0 to end up 13-3. So the season was ‘falling apart and crumbling’ and all the things we have heard before but Jeff was part of the team and part of the reason we had so much success in the playoffs by beating Chicago, San Francisco and then Buffalo in Tampa. It was a great success story for him. He went on to have a great career with the [New York] Giants and then the [Oakland] Raiders. I think he has a good perspective on it.

Q: There have been a number of tipped passes at the line of scrimmage so far in training camp. Is that something you can teach on defense?

BB: Yeah, I think when you are in the throwing lane and the quarterback is trying to throw, that is when you want to get your hands up so you have that awareness of not just rushing the passer but also trying to see where the quarterback is looking. If he is looking to the other side then there is not much point in getting in the throwing lane because it is not where you are. It is an awareness and timing thing that we try to make them aware of. The most important thing is to rush the passer, not to stand there and play volleyball at the net. Nether the less, when the quarterback is throwing the ball, you want to try and be in the passing lane and hit the ball or just as importantly try to make him pull the ball down and make him reload. That will give the coverage that extra split second to anticipate the throw, jump the receiver, jump in the throwing lane and sometimes make a play on the ball in the back end. It is not as realistic in camp as it is in the game because you will have the linemen cutting on offense, so we probably get a few more tipped balls in practice than we do in the game. We got a couple of big tips in the last game. Vince [Redd] got one on fourth down. Pierre [Woods] had one. Some of that ball awareness and timing from practice showed up in the last game against the [Baltimore] Ravens.

Q: Is there a player that comes to mind in your coaching career that was very good at that? Either tipping the pass or just being disruptive and making the quarterback reload. 

BB: I think Richard [Seymour] has gotten as much as anybody gets. Year in and year out, he has tipped more balls than anybody around here and more than anyone I have coached. He is tall and has long arms. He is athletic, can jump and has a good sense of timing of when to try and get in the throwing lane, when to keep rushing the quarterback and attack the blocker. He is probably as good as you are going to get at that.

Q: Quarterback Matt Gutierrez has not practiced the last couple of days. Do you expect him to be back today?

BB: Maybe, he is day to day. He is getting better. I am sure he will be back out there soon. He is a tough kid and is working very hard to try and be ready to go. I don’t think it will be too long but I don’t know if it will be today or not.

Q: Was he hurt against the [Baltimore] Ravens?

BB: He got a little bruise.

Belichick Transcript

Posted by Morry Levine August 12, 2008 (2 weeks ago) at 3:34 pm

The Patriots are going through a workout this afternoon at Gillette Stadium.  Earlier today, Bill Belichick met the media and the following is his transcript:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
2008 Training Camp
August 12, 2008

BB: We had practice in the stadium last night and we got some work in the rain, which is good. We kept working on some situations. As I said earlier, these first couple of days of this week will be good training camp days for us to get some things done that we need to get done. Starting Wednesday we will start working on Tampa Bay [Buccaneers], which will be good because a lot of things they do have application to other teams we will see during the course of the year in all three phases of the game. The Tampa Bay game will be a really good opportunity for our football team. Going down there to play in warm weather and face a football team that has a lot of tough schemes to deal with will make for a good week for us. Hopefully, we are off to a good start and we are going to try and string a few good practices together.

Q: How do you handle the practice repetitions of special teams guys like long snapper Lonie Paxton, kicker Stephen Gostkowski and punter Chris Hanson?

BB: We monitor it on a daily basis. They don’t kick everyday. We can space out the field goals, kickoffs and punts so not everything is on every day. They are both in good condition. They haven’t had any problems kicking on a regular basis without injuries or soreness. They both had good off-seasons and they are both in good shape. I don’t think there have been any issues but if there were we would kind of monitor those and make sure we didn’t overdue it.

Q: Do you find that those guys still have a competitive edge despite the fact that there is no one in camp competing for their job?

BB: I think they all know, just like how Chris [Hanson] came in at the end of last year, that there is always competition out there. We try to keep an eye on that but I think all of those guys are experienced enough to know that there are always people out there and there is always competition with other teams in this league because players can move teams. I am not saying that as a threatening thing. I am just saying that is the way it is. Certainly, Chris knows that.

Q: Do you have a general sense of how training camp is going?

BB: We are just trying to get better everyday. There are things we work on that need work and we correct them. We try to improve on them the next day and then add things. If we have them in, then good and we move on to something else. If we need more time on them, then we try to tune those up before we move on to something else. That is the way it always is; just a normal camp.

Q: Has anybody caught your eye in positive or negative way so far in training camp?

BB: I think all the players are working hard. We are improving and we still have a ways to go. We are just taking it day to day. Everybody has good and bad plays. Consistency is the name of the game. That is what training camp is for - to grind through and develop that kind of consistency with good fundamental habits and good techniques. That is what happens when you practice everyday in training camp. That is what you try and build and I think we are getting there but we still have a long way to go.

Q: How is the competition with the running backs going, particularly with LaMont Jordan?

BB: LaMont [Jordan] has done well. We have good competition there with players that have different skills and different styles of play. They have all been effective for us in the past, or given the opportunity LaMont has had in his time here he has shown to be effective. Heath [Evans], Laurence [Maroney], Sammy [Morris], Kevin [Faulk] and LaMont have all been productive with the ball in their hands. Either running it or catching it and in some cases returning it.

Q: Could you envision keeping all five running backs?

BB: We will keep the best football players; the ones that help our football team the most. Whoever they are. If we would keep four quarterbacks, I would think we could keep five running backs.

BB: Has linebacker Jerod Mayo seemed to pick things up quickly?
 
BB: Yeah, Jerod [Mayo] is a smart kid and has worked hard. From day one when we drafted him to rookie minicamp and spring camp he has done a good job. He is a very mature kid and a hard worker. Football is important to him and he spends a lot of time on it. He makes a lot of rookie mistakes but he learns from them and doesn’t repeat many of them.

Q: How unique is running back LaMont Jordan? He is built like a fire hydrant but he still returns kicks.

BB: Every player has there own set of skills. I think LaMont has a good set. He is a powerful guy, has some quickness and catches the ball wall. He has good speed, he is not a track guy, but he has competitive speed, good quickness and can get through the hole. He breaks tackles. He has some things going for him.

Q: LaMont mentioned the possibility of lining up at wide receiver. Is that something you have worked on with him?

BB: We ask our players to do a lot of different things. We put them in different spots and we run plenty of empty backfield sets. I am sure he will line up there at times and already has. They all will.  

 
Q: Have you seen enough from running back Sammy Morris to think that he has recovered from his chest injury?

BB: The doctors think so. He has done everything we have asked him to do in camp.

Q: There has been some concern with the 80-man roster limit for training camp that teams would have to hold back and try to keep guys fresher. You guys have been in pads for the majority of training camp. Is that an issue you aren’t concerned with?

BB: We just do what we feel is best for the football team. That is the way we set up our practices. We try to get the most out of them. Whatever we have to work with then that is what we work with. There is nothing to really do about that right now. Right now the main focus we have is to try and improve our football team on a daily basis. We are getting ready for opening day against Kansas City [Chiefs] and for the 16-game regular season schedule. 

 
 Q: Have you eliminated the use of shells from practice?

BB: No, we just haven’t used them this year. They are still in the equipment room. We still have them there.

Q: How would you characterize offensive tackle Wesley Britt’s development and what did you see from him as a starter last Thursday night?

BB: Wes [Britt] came to us a couple of years ago and we put him on the practice squad. He has developed a lot and is one of the hardest working guys on the team. He has a big frame, like you would like a tackle to have. He played left tackle in college. He has played both left and right tackle for us. He has swing ability. He works hard and is a tough kid. He has improved a lot since he has been here, like a lot of our young offensive linemen do. He is one of many who has been on the practice squad and eventually worked his way on to the roster and then worked his way into the lineup for some playing time. He has done nothing but improve since he has been here. His hard work, determination and ability to take coaching have enabled him to do that. When he has had an opportunity to play, I would say he has played very competitively including last Thursday night.

Q: Are you satisfied with the way the secondary is with the number of changes that have happened?

BB: As I say about every position, there are always things we can work on and do better. That is what we are trying to do. We are trying to get everything to the highest level of efficiency and execution that we can. We know that our competition is out there and they are doing the same thing. There are a lot of things to work on and we will see a lot of things through the course of the year that we have to handle. Whether it is different adjustments, different types of receivers or different schemes on offense. Our secondary is challenged by that as every secondary in the league is. That is what we are working on but we have a long way to go. We have made a lot of progress. We won’t really know where we are until we start playing regular season games. That is no secret.

Q: When teams that you face like the [New York] Jets make big changes. How does that change the way you prepare for them during preseason?

BB: We are preparing for our 16-game regular season schedule. They are a part of it but so are a lot of other teams. We are going to prepare our team to try and handle the things that we will face during the course of the regular season and what we think we have to get ready for with Kansas City [Chiefs] in the opener. It is the same thing we always do. Right now, our focus isn’t so much on what everybody else is doing. We are focused on what we are doing. We are going to have to be good enough in a lot of different areas to meet the challenges that the other teams in the league will bring us. Both personnel wise and scheme wise. That is what training camp is for - to get ready for all those things.

Wow

Posted by Mike Giardi August 12, 2008 (2 weeks ago) at 2:51 pm

During his first of weekly appearances on WEEI, Pats Head Coach Bill Belichick said that first-round pick Jerod Mayo has “picked up the system faster than any rookie linebacker he’s ever had.” That includes a couple of guys you may have heard of: Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks.

 

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