Responding to Johnson's request to cover him one-on-one, Belichick said: "Tell him that we'd cover him one-on-one all the time but he pushes off more than any receiver in the league. He must be paying off the officials not to call it, so we're going to have to double-cover him some, not that he can get open. As much as he pushes off, we have to do something to protect ourselves."
Belichick was smiling as he delivered those words, then finished by saying: "He's a great player."
Belichick called Johnson "a good guy" and noted that the two have spent time together.
"He's an entertaining kid," Belichick said. "He has a good sense of humor. It sounds like he was poking fun at us, and that's OK."
Belichick then relayed a story about how he worked Johnson out prior to the 2001 draft on USC's campus, and Johnson proudly drove onto campus with his Oregon State flag on the car.