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Bill Belichick Press Conf. Transcript - 10/13
13 Oct 03 / by New England Patriots
http://flash.patriots.com/news/FullArticle.sps?id=25775&type=general
Q: When you go down to Miami, why does the game seem to go in the same pattern?
BB: Yeah, we haven't played well down there really since I've been here. We've played them much better up here. If we don't play better, I'm sure the results will be the same. So we've got to find a way to play better.
Q: Is there any reason for that?
BB: I think it comes down to in a lot of cases fundamental execution. It will be true this week too. If we don't do that then we'll have problems. If we turn the ball over, if we have mental errors and miss coverage assignments or miss run-force assignments, I'm sure they will gain plenty of yards and they'll gain plenty of yards and they'll be spiking the ball in the endzone. I think if we don't do those things, then…I'm not saying we are going to shut them out…but I think they'll have more trouble doing that. You fumble a snap from center and Jason Taylor walks back in the endzone and scoops it up and lays the ball over the crossbar, it's bad football. Fumble the punts down there, blow a coverage and let a slot receiver run 50 yards downfield for a touchdown, or give up a touchdown pass with 7 seconds to go in the half because you are not playing the technique properly on the receiver. If you do those things then they score points and you get beat.
Q: Have you gotten into your Miami preparations already?
BB: Not so much that. It's Monday. It's Miami. We certainly started the process on Miami. We've got a long way to go, but it's under way and we've worked on them.
Q: This is what I would think is the most important game of the first half of your season…
BB: Well, yeah now that six have been played. After you play six, the most important game is the seventh. After you've played seven, the most important game is the eighth. If you've played one, the most important game is the second one. There is no doubt that Miami is a big division rival of ours. It's on the road. It's against a team that has a good home record and a good football team, which is usually why you have a good home record. It's going to be a big challenge for us going down there. We've definitely started prepping on them, not at the expense of the Giants, but just our normal preparation work for the team ahead of the one that we are playing.
Q: Given the likelihood that it will be hot and humid, what about the difficulty with your limited depth in the type of climate?
BB: It could be more of an issue. We have played six regular season games to this point and I think a lot of, not all, but a lot of game conditioning is built up in game conditioning. You can run around the track, you can do sit ups, you can go out there and practice, but you build up your game conditioning in games. The fact that we've played six, doesn't mean that we are fully ready for everything, but I think we are a lot more ready for it than if we played two. Let's put it that way. I think we are going to have to rely on that, but certainly we are going to have to keep a lot of people involved in the game and we are going to have to be able to utilize all the resources that we have down there, depth, it's always a problem. And it will be a problem in Miami. Being able to keep people as fresh as possible and keep people executing as efficiently as possible.
Q: Do you think you will have most of your injured players back by the bye week?
BB: I don't know. Right now the bye week…you might as well be talking about Christmas. I don't know. Right now, it's Miami and what I'm concerned about is who will be ready to play this week.
Q: Can you talk about [Tyrone] Poole and how he has fit in?
BB: I think Tyrone has gotten off to a real good start this year. He's made a lot of big plays for us, and he has been probably as consistent as anybody that we have had on defense. Maybe as consistent as anybody as we've had on the team for that matter. His coverage is good. His run-force has been good. He's been in a lot of man-to-man situations. He has played the zones well too. Made a couple nice plays yesterday in the run force. Made a nice play in man to man coverage down their on the goal line on the fade pattern. He's showing up around the ball and usually for the good. He hasn't given up a lot of completions. He has tackled pretty well. Been involved in some blitzes. He has done a good, solid job for us.
Q: Is he playing basically the way you saw him play in past years?
BB: I think our system is a little bit different than the Denver and the Carolina and the Indianapolis system and the other teams he has been with, but that being said, they all play man-to-man coverage, they play two-deep coverage, and they play three-deep coverage. So we've seen him do that, but the thing he did yesterday that he hasn't really done a lot of this year, during the regular season, is to play inside in the slot. He did quite a bit of that yesterday where as in previous games he has been playing more on the perimeter. Now he did a lot of that through his career. Did it obviously in Denver, played the inside spot. Indianapolis. So he's had a lot of background in that and he's done some of that for us as well. Yesterday was the first regular season game where he did it as much as he did. So I think his overall performance, his flexibility, his versatility has been a big plus for us.
Q: Were you at all worried about him back in camp or did you figure it was something he would go through?
BB: Tough question. Anytime players go through those kinds of situations, you always hope that it will resolve itself. I would say usually it does, but not always. I think that in his situation the coaching staff, his position coaches, the players, the team, I think everything was handled very professionally and that is what really is important from a football standpoint. Everybody's got a job to do, and everybody wants to do well. Nobody wants to go out there and not be successful, players, coaches, whether a guy is starting or a backup. Everybody wants to do well. Eventually you have to try to get everybody pointed in that direction, and if there are any other side issues you try to work through those at whatever pace you can but try to keep first things first and that's the football performance that we are all here for. And I think that everybody did that and I think that's probably the key to having everything turn around.
Q: The Patriots have never won in Miami in September and October in franchise history. In your career have you ever been a part of a team that has had a domination like that, whether you have been on the positive end or the negative end of that? Do you recall anything like that?
BB: Maybe not quite that dramatic. But I've been here three years and a lot of our players, some of them haven't even been here that long. So I really don't think it is that important to our players. Who won when New England played in Miami in 1972? What difference does it make? What is important to us is the games that we have played there in recent years, specifically last year, and how we need to play this year. What happened ten years ago, some of these guys were in junior high school, they don't care what happened ten years ago. I'm not minimizing the effect of the franchise's competiveness and the rivalry and all that, but I don't think those games…
Q: But it could be part of a challenge to the team. You could be the first team. That seems like it would be for another reason a big, big win for you in Miami.
BB: I think the biggest reason for us to play well this year is for what this team can accomplish and for what these guys can accomplish themselves. What happened twenty years ago….We all accept what happened and I'm not trying to change it. They won them and they are entitled to those w's, but I don't know how much any of those game will really factor at all into what is going to happen Sunday, either way.
13 Oct 03 / by New England Patriots
http://flash.patriots.com/news/FullArticle.sps?id=25775&type=general
Q: When you go down to Miami, why does the game seem to go in the same pattern?
BB: Yeah, we haven't played well down there really since I've been here. We've played them much better up here. If we don't play better, I'm sure the results will be the same. So we've got to find a way to play better.
Q: Is there any reason for that?
BB: I think it comes down to in a lot of cases fundamental execution. It will be true this week too. If we don't do that then we'll have problems. If we turn the ball over, if we have mental errors and miss coverage assignments or miss run-force assignments, I'm sure they will gain plenty of yards and they'll gain plenty of yards and they'll be spiking the ball in the endzone. I think if we don't do those things, then…I'm not saying we are going to shut them out…but I think they'll have more trouble doing that. You fumble a snap from center and Jason Taylor walks back in the endzone and scoops it up and lays the ball over the crossbar, it's bad football. Fumble the punts down there, blow a coverage and let a slot receiver run 50 yards downfield for a touchdown, or give up a touchdown pass with 7 seconds to go in the half because you are not playing the technique properly on the receiver. If you do those things then they score points and you get beat.
Q: Have you gotten into your Miami preparations already?
BB: Not so much that. It's Monday. It's Miami. We certainly started the process on Miami. We've got a long way to go, but it's under way and we've worked on them.
Q: This is what I would think is the most important game of the first half of your season…
BB: Well, yeah now that six have been played. After you play six, the most important game is the seventh. After you've played seven, the most important game is the eighth. If you've played one, the most important game is the second one. There is no doubt that Miami is a big division rival of ours. It's on the road. It's against a team that has a good home record and a good football team, which is usually why you have a good home record. It's going to be a big challenge for us going down there. We've definitely started prepping on them, not at the expense of the Giants, but just our normal preparation work for the team ahead of the one that we are playing.
Q: Given the likelihood that it will be hot and humid, what about the difficulty with your limited depth in the type of climate?
BB: It could be more of an issue. We have played six regular season games to this point and I think a lot of, not all, but a lot of game conditioning is built up in game conditioning. You can run around the track, you can do sit ups, you can go out there and practice, but you build up your game conditioning in games. The fact that we've played six, doesn't mean that we are fully ready for everything, but I think we are a lot more ready for it than if we played two. Let's put it that way. I think we are going to have to rely on that, but certainly we are going to have to keep a lot of people involved in the game and we are going to have to be able to utilize all the resources that we have down there, depth, it's always a problem. And it will be a problem in Miami. Being able to keep people as fresh as possible and keep people executing as efficiently as possible.
Q: Do you think you will have most of your injured players back by the bye week?
BB: I don't know. Right now the bye week…you might as well be talking about Christmas. I don't know. Right now, it's Miami and what I'm concerned about is who will be ready to play this week.
Q: Can you talk about [Tyrone] Poole and how he has fit in?
BB: I think Tyrone has gotten off to a real good start this year. He's made a lot of big plays for us, and he has been probably as consistent as anybody that we have had on defense. Maybe as consistent as anybody as we've had on the team for that matter. His coverage is good. His run-force has been good. He's been in a lot of man-to-man situations. He has played the zones well too. Made a couple nice plays yesterday in the run force. Made a nice play in man to man coverage down their on the goal line on the fade pattern. He's showing up around the ball and usually for the good. He hasn't given up a lot of completions. He has tackled pretty well. Been involved in some blitzes. He has done a good, solid job for us.
Q: Is he playing basically the way you saw him play in past years?
BB: I think our system is a little bit different than the Denver and the Carolina and the Indianapolis system and the other teams he has been with, but that being said, they all play man-to-man coverage, they play two-deep coverage, and they play three-deep coverage. So we've seen him do that, but the thing he did yesterday that he hasn't really done a lot of this year, during the regular season, is to play inside in the slot. He did quite a bit of that yesterday where as in previous games he has been playing more on the perimeter. Now he did a lot of that through his career. Did it obviously in Denver, played the inside spot. Indianapolis. So he's had a lot of background in that and he's done some of that for us as well. Yesterday was the first regular season game where he did it as much as he did. So I think his overall performance, his flexibility, his versatility has been a big plus for us.
Q: Were you at all worried about him back in camp or did you figure it was something he would go through?
BB: Tough question. Anytime players go through those kinds of situations, you always hope that it will resolve itself. I would say usually it does, but not always. I think that in his situation the coaching staff, his position coaches, the players, the team, I think everything was handled very professionally and that is what really is important from a football standpoint. Everybody's got a job to do, and everybody wants to do well. Nobody wants to go out there and not be successful, players, coaches, whether a guy is starting or a backup. Everybody wants to do well. Eventually you have to try to get everybody pointed in that direction, and if there are any other side issues you try to work through those at whatever pace you can but try to keep first things first and that's the football performance that we are all here for. And I think that everybody did that and I think that's probably the key to having everything turn around.
Q: The Patriots have never won in Miami in September and October in franchise history. In your career have you ever been a part of a team that has had a domination like that, whether you have been on the positive end or the negative end of that? Do you recall anything like that?
BB: Maybe not quite that dramatic. But I've been here three years and a lot of our players, some of them haven't even been here that long. So I really don't think it is that important to our players. Who won when New England played in Miami in 1972? What difference does it make? What is important to us is the games that we have played there in recent years, specifically last year, and how we need to play this year. What happened ten years ago, some of these guys were in junior high school, they don't care what happened ten years ago. I'm not minimizing the effect of the franchise's competiveness and the rivalry and all that, but I don't think those games…
Q: But it could be part of a challenge to the team. You could be the first team. That seems like it would be for another reason a big, big win for you in Miami.
BB: I think the biggest reason for us to play well this year is for what this team can accomplish and for what these guys can accomplish themselves. What happened twenty years ago….We all accept what happened and I'm not trying to change it. They won them and they are entitled to those w's, but I don't know how much any of those game will really factor at all into what is going to happen Sunday, either way.
