Bill Belichick Post Game Press Conference Transcript
Here's the complete transcript during the Q & A with Belichick and the media following Sunday's 27-17 win over Miami:
OPENING STATEMENT:
"Really proud of the guys today. Thought our team did a good job. We dug a big hole for ourselves there at halftime and really haven't played good in the third quarter all year, but we did today and we got it from all three phases of the game. We got contributions from everybody in the second half. I thought the team showed a lot of character, showed a lot of mental toughness. We just hung in there and played 30 good minutes of football, unlike the first half where we just didn't do too much of anything right. So great job by the players, we got good leadership from our captains, got good leadership from a lot of guys out there today that have been stepping up and they stepped up big time today and we had some young guys make some plays. A good solid team effort. Now it's on to Pittsburgh."
On if the defense showed him something with they assumed after being down and coming back and pitching a second half shutout:
"Yeah, they sure did. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know, look, things weren't going well in the first half, I mean, that's obvious. Getting booed at halftime and all that, I mean, we could see the way it was going. So they came back out there, we made a couple stops, missed the field goal, that helped us, then we get the strip sack which gave our offense great field position, they took advantage of it and we were able to get right back in the game. So we made the plays we needed to make and just trying to take it one play at a time and they did a good job of that so I'm proud of what they did. But it was a good team effort. I mean we got plays from the secondary, from the linebackers, from the front, from veterans, from rookies, from guys that have been here for a long time and from guys who haven't been here very long. This was a good team effort."
On the play of his offensive line and losing a veteran like Sebastian Vollmer:
"Yeah, that's a tough loss. To see Sebastian get carted off like that, he's been such a great player for us and such a great teammate. I thought Marcus [Cannon] went in there and did a good job and the line, that's a good front. We ran the ball competitively, we were able to give Tom [Brady] some time to deliver the ball there in the second half, he made some good throws, made some good catches, got some good plays from our offense. Finished the drives, got the ball in the end zone, so there were a lot of positives there. I thought Stephen [Gostkowski]'s kick at the end of the third quarter was a big one for us at that point because then we also got the kickoff, which he touched back and it gave us field position defensively as well as the score there at the end, so that was helpful."
On if there were any adjustments made given their history in the third quarter coming into this game:
"Well, I mean we played all different teams so... But I just think our overall execution was a lot better this time. I think that's the key. We made plays in all three phases and we didn't do some of the things we've done in the past like get penalties and turn the ball over, and give up big plays on defense and things like that. [We] eliminated some of those things and we had some success."
On the fact that neither Logan Ryan nor Stevan Ridley saw action in the first quarter and if it was disciplinary, or what the reason behind that was:
"We do what we think is best to win."
On if their second half performance came from better execution, halftime adjustments, or a combination of both:
"I think we played a little bit better. I mean, we still had some problems out there. We played better, we probably pressured a little bit more in the second half. We got a couple plays, obviously, on that, the strip sack. We hit the quarterback a couple times, put a little more pressure on him than we did in the first half, I think that probably helped us. But yeah, it was just overall better. Better coverage, better pass rush, better tackling, better situational football."
Considering you guys were losing at halftime, you mentioned Ryan and Ridley, you want to win, considering you were losing, did that play into your factor to play those guys?
"No, no."
On if Steve Gregory was wearing the communication device today:
"He was."
On if there was a reason they changed from Dont'a Hightower to Gregory:
"We thought it would be, just based on how we thought this game was going to go, we thought that would be the best way to communicate our signals."
On how he would evaluate Tom Brady's play and if he was concerned the hand injury would affect him:
"I thought he made some really great throws today. And he ran well too. Showed some open field running [smiles]. I think Tom had a good week of practice and made some key plays for us today like always does."
On if he was surprised when he saw Brady run, and the fact it's always one of those things everyone always gets anxious about:
"No kidding, yeah. Well, one thing about Tom, he's a smart player, he knows when to run. The only time he runs is when there's a whole lot of space. But he made a great decision there, the Dolphins were in man coverage, they were all locked up and he saw some space. That was a huge first down for us. As usual, a great decision by Tom. But yeah, we know he's not in there to run the ball but sometimes it opens up like that and you can take advantage of it, and he did."
On the Devin McCourty tip to Marquice Cole and how crucial it was in locking up the game for them:
"Well, it was a big play. I mean, there was still a lot of football left at that point. But it was a huge play. Devin went up and played the ball, and Cole showed great presence on the sideline to get his feet in bounds, catch the ball, and then fall out after the catch. So it was tremendous awareness on his part. You don't really coach that, you don't drill it, it's just an instinctive and alert play by Cole that was as good an instinctive play as I think we've had around here in a long time. It was just a heads up play."
On the play of Rob Ninkovich:
"Rob's been solid for us all year. He does a good job in the running game, does a good job in the pass rush. We involved him in some coverage situations and he works hard there. He's just a good all around football player for us. He does a lot of things well. I don't think there's any real big weakness to his game. He just does a lot of things well for us and he has good versatility and that's really valuable for your defense.
On if he's concerned Brady's hand is affecting his throwing:
"No, I thought he had plenty of good throws today."
On if that was something that bothered him during practice this week:
"No, not really."
On if this game is a good example of how their core of running backs can be inserted here and there:
"Yeah, absolutely. I mean it's been that way really since [Shane] Vereen got hurt in the Buffalo game and we never really had Leon Washington this year, so those three guys have just shared the load, and sometimes it's been a little more one guy than the other, or it's kind of moved around. But they've all contributed, they've all played well, and we've needed all of them. It's a good group. They work well together, they do a good job, and like I said, we've needed them all the way through and we'll continue to need them."
On the fact they've released Marquice Cole and brought him back multiple times, if plays like that are the reason they keep him around:
"Well, he's been a very versatile player for us. He's done a good job for us in the kicking game, obviously, but he's also played corner, he's played the nickel spot inside, and he's also played safety for us. He's a smart guy that's an instinctive player. He doesn't need a ton of reps out there. He can kind of know what to do in multiple positions as a backup kind of getting those kind of reps. He's experienced, and he's just a heady football player. But he's got good versatility. He can run, he can cover and he can play safety in the deep part of the field. So he's been very valuable for us in the last couple of years as well as, obviously, in the kicking game."
On Chandler Jones' blocked field goal:
"Yeah, you know, Chandler's worked so hard on blocking those kicks. We work on it every single week in practice and there's plenty of times where he's been really close and he's gotten a few in practice. But every week that's one of the areas that he works hard on and it's really great to see him make that play in that situation because he's worked so hard on it, worked on it in practice. He's gotten a lot better at it than he was last year. That was a huge play for us in the game. That's just been a lot of hard work, it really has, and I'm happy for him to get the good results because he's put in the time and the effort for it."
On Andre Carter getting a lot of reps and how he feels that worked out, not only with Carter but with moving Jones around in conjunction:
"Well, Chandler's played inside before. He kind of got probably some of the reps that [Michael] Buchanon would have gotten in some previous games. So it's just kind of the way it worked out today. It's good to have Andre on the team, he gives us good toughness, good leadership, a lot of experience, obviously. So it's good to have him. I thought that whole group competed hard."
