GREAT Belichick interview

[juxtapoz15]

This made the BB folder, it is getting quite thick..

I love these comments:

Cole: Jimmy Johnson once said, if you don’t take too many risks, you can win nine or 10 games a year.


Belichick: Jimmy probably said the same thing to you that he once said to me: “You’re really only competing with about 10 teams a year. If you just say out of the way, the other 20 teams will screw it up themselves. Whether it’s ownership or personnel or coaching or some combination of factors.” Ego, internal struggle, something will happen to two-thirds of the teams, that was Jimmy’s theory. That leaves you with about 10 teams that you’re going to have to really battle with. Those teams have it together. They’re going to make good decisions and if you play bad football, they’re going to take advantage of it. They’re going to find some undrafted guy or some middle-round pick or some veteran free agent who is going to spark their team. Pittsburgh is always going to be there. Indianapolis is always going to be there. They may not win it, but they’ll be there. You’re going to have to beat them. Philadelphia is going to be there. Yeah, [quarterback Donovan] McNabb might get hurt one year and they might go 7-9, but they’re going to be there. You’re still battling them on every front

Excellent read, the one thing that really jumped out to me was that BB never had injuries as an excuse for a team playing bad. I really think that depth of quality players that can step in is what seperates good teams from bad on today's NFL.

 

[Deus Irae]

Does this article lead anybody else to believe that Bb must think Montana is the gold standard of QB?

Or just a really accurate passer that made excellent decisions.

I think BB has made it pretty clear that he thinks Brady is the best in the current game and Montana is the best of the 'former' QBs. I'd love to hear him break down the two of them in a comparison format.

 

[SVN]

Does this article lead anybody else to believe that Bb must think Montana is the gold standard of QB?

Or just a really accurate passer that made excellent decisions.

i remember a few yrs ago during one of the press conf in the week he took the media to the film roomand showed montana on film andsaid something to the effect of that they were thrilled when steve young wasin the game

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Note BB's constant praise of the Steeler and Colts organizations. Well earned. Each has a variation on the exact formula for success. I think he's a bit envious of their abilities to find continuing supplies of good new players through the draft. The Steelers throughout this decade kept losing stars to FA, yet they've remained strongly competitive. And the Colts have managed to surround their franchise player with a continuing supply of WRs to best utilize their super weapon. Well managed teams.

Worthy competitors...unlike Tannenbaum and the rotten to the core NY Jets.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Some interesting perspective on Cassel in that. A common theme here was that we fans just don't get to see what really matters, and that Cassel was doing things behind the scenes that gave the Pats lots of confidence in him even though we, in our ignorance, thought he looked bad in preseason. But BB makes it sound like they really didn't have secret knowledge we didn't -- that Cassel simply improved dramatically, game by game, once he was able to take the reigns of the offense and start reshaping it to his strengths.

IOW, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

They obviously saw something that led them to keep him on the roster as the #2 when so many here saw...nothing. I doubt Bill or anyone could have predicted he'd be wearing a franchise tag or signed to a multi year franchise QB deal, but then I doubt they knew that about Tommy either back in 2000-2001. Just saw enough and knew enough not to read too much into preseason snaps (kinda like the combine and college play) because of how we use that information here. Which is where so many fans fall off the cliff...

The inverse was true with Gutierrez and KOC, while Hoyer shows something that hints at potential beyond snaps in garbage time...

 

[ctpatsfan77]

They obviously saw something that led them to keep him on the roster as the #2 when so many here saw...nothing. I doubt Bill or anyone could have predicted he'd be wearing a franchise tag or signed to a multi year franchise QB deal, but then I doubt they knew that about Tommy either back in 2000-2001. Just saw enough and knew enough not to read too much into preseason snaps (kinda like the combine and college play) because of how we use that information here. Which is where so many fans fall off the cliff...

The inverse was true with Gutierrez and KOC, while Hoyer shows something that hints at potential beyond snaps in garbage time...

So what is this mystical "it" that Hoyer and Cassel possessed, but O'Connell and Gutierrez lacked?

 

[Deus Irae]

So what is this mystical "it" that Hoyer and Cassel possessed, but O'Connell and Gutierrez lacked?

Ask all the Sanchez sycophants who were sure he had 'it' during the first couple of weeks of the season. Now that he's lost 'it', maybe it will be easier for them to explain to the rest of us.

 

[Kontradiction]

I think BB has made it pretty clear that he thinks Brady is the best in the current game and Montana is the best of the 'former' QBs. I'd love to hear him break down the two of them in a comparison format.

The thickness of that write-up would be comparable to the Communist Manifesto.

What a great, great interview. I've never seen BB let his guard down like that for an interviewer. This one is definitely getting saved.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

So what is this mystical "it" that Hoyer and Cassel possessed, but O'Connell and Gutierrez lacked?

I think it's just as much what Gutz and O'C didn't show. Neither one showed that they could run the offense as the play was designed. I think Cassel got props for runing the play as called in pre-season rather than improvising. Despite sometimes horrific results, Cassel kept an even keel and did not appear to be runing around with his head cut off. Pre-season, the Pats deliberately put players in direct one on ones to test their limits and mettle. Takes a cool QB to stay calm when one or more of his experimental OL is geting his ass handed to him with disasterous results to the QB. BB is not looking for perfection in the young QBs, just an indication that they have the mental capability to run the offense as designed and sufficient accuracy to complete the pass when the play works. As BB said, the specific abilities and weaknesses don't manifest untill the GOOD young QBs start taking all the practise snaps while the weaknesses of the young washouts manifest themselves early on.

 

[PatriotsDaily.com]

PD - Buffet Table, Jason Cole's Sitdown with Belichick

Patriots Buffet Table – Dolphins at Patriots

Jason Cole Scores Sitdown With Belichick

 

[MetalBleachers]

What frustrates me is when interviewers with access to the HC piss away good opportunities to ask BB interesting football detail related questions. He usually responds well to such inqueries and us fans hunger for those responses. They KNOW he's not going to give any info on player injuries or diss a guy for a bad performance so why go there? Instead, wrap your game decision question in a wider range situational philosophy question and BB will often go off on a roll with chapter and verse like he did on why there are no more coffin corner punts.

Thank you. The info is there, it's obvious he can answer questions in depth if they avoid pointing out a particular team or player (note how he discusses poor teams in the NFL but never mentions one). I suppose it's easier to insist on knowing who's on the injury report and getting a short sound byte than actually thinking of a sharp, engaging question. Too bad.

 

[eagle eye]

Excellent read, one thing that bothered me though was that question regarding if everybody is available for trade. He skips away from answering if Brady is available but makes it perfectly clear that Jerod Mayo is not.

 

[#12G.O.A.T]

Excellent read, one thing that bothered me though was that question regarding if everybody is available for trade. He skips away from answering if Brady is available but makes it perfectly clear that Jerod Mayo is not.

I don't think there's any reason to be worried, BB has repeatedly stated that there is no QB he'd rather have than TB, i remember an interview i think it was before the game that shall not be mentioned where he stated that the most talented player he had ever coached was lawrence taylor but the best football player he had ever coached was tom brady, so that's saying something about how much BB values TB.

 

[patfanken]

Was it just me or, am I missing something from this great article......MORE. He said he had an hour with him. Did that article reflect a hours worth of conversation to you.....NO! Where's the rest, Jason. I want MORE insights. Just when the conversation is going good it STOPS with that great Jimmy Johnson reference. Where is the rest?????

 

[patchick]

Excellent read, one thing that bothered me though was that question regarding if everybody is available for trade. He skips away from answering if Brady is available but makes it perfectly clear that Jerod Mayo is not.

It seemed pretty clear that he wasn't choosing an individual so much as a representation of the various qualities that would take a player off the table for trade talks: a critical impact player, still young, and in the early years of a long-term contract.

 

[italian pat patriot]

it was a great read, thks

 

[livinginthe past]

Sorry, it was on TV postgame a couple weeks ago.

Ahhh okay.

Its something i've wondered about for quite awhile.

What was the gist of his reply?

 

[Pats171]

thanks for posting, great how BB shares so much of his knowledge - builds appreciation for the game you don't get with typical sports cliches and spin

his comments about organizations are very interesting in light of the dysfunction I see here in DC

 

[Synovia]

What a great, great interview. I've never seen BB let his guard down like that for an interviewer. This one is definitely getting saved.

Then you haven't seen BB talk that much. If you ask him FOOTBALL questions like the interviewer did, hes a great interviewer.


If you ask him questions about players' health, people's personal lives, or try to lead him into badmouthing someone, he shuts down immediately.


The guy will talk football to pretty much anyone who will listen, but the media doesn't want to talk football. They want to talk TMZ.

 

[Synovia]

The coach needs to be there to figure out that the QBs preferences are manageable and within the scheme.

The patriots changed the scheme for Cassel.