Bill Belichick Post Game Press Conference Transcript - Patriots at Chiefs
OPENING STATEMENT:
"All right, well, obviously we just didn't have a very good night tonight. It was disappointing. Chiefs played well, we just didn't really play well enough at all. We gave up some third down conversions in the first half, long drive, field goal at the end of the half, couldn't really move the ball consistently on offense and then turned it over in the second half and gave up another long drive. We just didn't play very well, Kansas City played well, so that's a bad combination for us. We all have to do a better job."
On whether or not inserting Jimmy Garoppolo was performance related of Tom Brady or skill related:
"We played everybody tonight."
On the mixing and matching of personnel on the offensive line:
"Trying to do what we think's best."
On if he can pinpoint what problems there are out there in terms of what they're not doing:
"Well, we need to do everything better offensively. We had like five first downs in the first half or something like that. We did a lot of things wrong and we turned the ball over in the second half. So pretty much, we need to do everything better."
On whether or not he takes much stock in the fact Garoppolo was able to score a touchdown when he came in:
"I think our team competed. I mean, I thought we competed there at the end and that's what they should do."
On whether or not he believes the quarterback position should be evaluated:
No answer given - laughter from other media members
On how they recover coming off of a game like this:
"Well, we've got to have mental toughness. We're going to have to have a good week in the short amount of time and Cincinnati had a week off so I'm sure they'll be ready to go and we're going to have to really work hard and try to make up for that ground. There's nothing we can do about this game, we've just got to move ahead."
On the thinking of using the rookies on the offensive line:
"Trying to win."
Continues asking a similar question...
"Trying to win."
On the fact they've had a lot of different starters over the first four weeks:
"You asked the question, I answered it."
On whether or not the problem starts with the quarterback or elsewhere:
"When you get beat like we did, it's the whole team. We've got to all do a better job. We've got to coach better, we've got to play better, everything's got to be better."
On if he overestimated how well some of these younger players could play:
"I don't know. I've said many times, every year we've got to go out and prove ourselves every year, all of us. So we all have to do that."
On if he thinks he would have been doing this much shuffling up front had they kept Logan Mankins:
"I mean, we can sit here and have a lot of hypothetical questions. We are where we are and we're going to do better."
On how disconcerting the performance of the defense:
"We need to perform better. It wasn't good enough."
On the fact they didn't run the ball very much in the first half and whether or not they had to get away from the original game plan because they got down early, or if that was the game plan, to spread them out, etc.:
"It was a combination of both. We didn't really have a lot of success doing anything. So I think if we had gained more with the running game we probably would have run it more. I don't know."
On the fact that he probably never would have guessed they would be struggling this much and why he thinks they're struggling now:
"I never make predictions going into the season. Never have, never will."
On the fact it's very unusual for them to be struggling this much and why he feels that is:
"Because we need to do better. We need to perform better."
On the fact that's fairly obvious:
"We're going to work at it."
On the fact both Dobson and Thompkins were out and what went into the decision, obviously knowing he does what's best for the team...
"Exactly."
On why that was in the best interest of the team:
"It's because we had other players that we thought would contribute, and they did. Can't have everybody."
On whether or not he'll review Danny Amendola's position because they don't appear to be getting much from him:
"I think we'll try to do the best that we can every week with our entire team. I don't think it's any different than it's ever been."
On if this offensive line is fixable, or if he feels they'll have to go outside and bring somebody else in:
"I mean, I think our team's going to play better than we played tonight. So we've got to go to work and we've got to do that."
On the fact that they have a short week against a good team and the challenge that presents:
"Every week's a challenge in the NFL."
On if he thinks it's a quick fix:
"I think we'll work as hard as we can to be ready like we do every week. I don't think it's any different than any other week."
On if after a game like this with a short week if they just throw it out and move on, or if they spend more time going over everything:
"I think we'll take the time that we have and try to use it in the most productive fashion that we can. I'm sure it will be some combination of both of those, how the percentages fall and all...I don't know. We'll take a look at the film and decide what we feel like's best."
On if the interceptions in the second half were just Brady cutting it loose because they were down by so much:
"I don't know. I mean...a couple good plays there. We've got to do a better job."
On if when they're struggling offensively if they need to make things simpler:
"I think you've got to do what you think is best."
On what he thinks that is:
"I think when we take a look at Cincinnati and go through the game plan on that then we'll make those decisions."
On what he said to the team in the locker room right after the game:
"I think any conversations I have with the team are between me and the team, or me and an individual player."
On what they did in the run game that made them so difficult to defend:
"It was a combination of things. I don't think was any one thing or any one play, it was a number of things. In the end we've just got to coach better, we've got to play better, we've got to tackle better."
On if they showed any wrinkles in the running game that they weren't expecting:
"They do a good job of mixing it up. Andy [Reid] always uses different personnel groups. They have a good complimentary group of schemes, so they did a good job, obviously. Give them credit."
On where some of the problems were, if it was a sub defense, etc.:
"A couple of problems we had were weak-side runs. I wouldn't say it was all...I mean I don't think all the problems were in any one defense, put it that way."
On coming off of a loss like this:
"They all count the same in the standings. No way you feel good after a game like that, whenever it is."
On if he's worried about Tom Brady's performance after four games:
"I think we all need to perform better as a team."
