Bill Belichick
About the team's chemistry: "I think that there's great camaraderie on our team. I think our team has good respect for each other, as individuals and as teammates, and they get along well. There are not many issues on our team. They work hard, they try to support each other, and they try to do their job so that their teammates can do theirs. I'd say that's kind of the way it's been all year. And that's the way it's really been for quite awhile. Our team has a good appreciation and respect for each other, and I think that's healthy."
–Super Bowl XLII Media Day, January 29
Bill Belichick
If he has disdain for the process of having to meet with the media every day: "Not at all. I think that you all have a job to do, and you're our connection between our football team, our fans, and the people who have an interest in the game. So I respect the job that you do and I hope you respect the job that I have to do. I understand that sometimes I can't give you everything you're looking for, but I do know that this is the conduit of information from the team to the fans, and the fans are what drive the game. So I'm all for it. Nobody's more in favor of this game than I am."
–Press conference upon arriving in Arizona, January 27
Bill Belichick
On the closeness of this team: "I think this team works very well together. I think they have a great respect for each other and there's a definite camaraderie and trust that whatever unit's out there, there's a trust that they're going to get the job done, and a confidence in it, and everybody can kind of just concentrate on their job and let whoever's doing another assignment, let them go do that and have confidence that they'll do it. And I do think that the players kind of play for each other. Sometimes you get on a team and you feel like a player's playing for himself, but in this case, with our team, I feel like the players have a good sense of, and a good attitude about, really wanting to play well to not let the other guy down, not let their teammate down or to not put them in the hole, but to try to do their job because they know that they're being counted on, and not because they're looking for a lot of glory in their own performance, they want to do it to support their teammates. And that's a great attitude."
–WEEI, January 21
Bill Belichick
If an opposing player had a reputation for being emotional or volatile, would he ever coach his players to try to take advantage of that: "To me, I think that's distracting. It's distracting for me to do that, so I think it would be distracting for somebody else to do it. Instead of focusing on what your job is, you're focusing on something else. One of the guys that I talked to a long time {ago} about that, and I have tremendous respect for, was Jim Brown. People think he's one of the best players, or the best player, to ever play our game, and I would certainly agree with that from everything that I saw. We all know Jim's attitude: he would run the ball, he would get up slow, he'd walk back to the huddle, he'd come out and he was a tough guy to handle on the next play. I know his attitude on that was, When the play's over, I started thinking about the next play – I started thinking about the situation, I started thinking about what I need to do, what's happening here, listening to the play being called, come up and get ready to run it. He just felt like I never really had any time to be thinking about a lot of other stuff. That was my priority, is to go from one play to the next and do the best I could on it. And I think it's a great attitude; I think it's part of what made him as great a football player as he was. And whether it's me as a coach, or any player, I think that's a pretty good model to follow. When he scored, he put the ball down. He was happy to score, but he was working so hard to get it into the end zone he wasn't really thinking about what to do next. I feel that way anyway, but I think when Jim articulates it, and when he articulated it to me, it really makes a lot of sense and I think it's the right way to go. So no, I'm not really on that program."
–Press conference, January 17
Junior Seau
"This is the best thing about Bill. He doesn't even show us everything. We'll come into a meeting and he'll throw the whole game plan away and we'll start over. He doesn't show us his hand. He doesn't say, 'This is what we might do. We might save this for such and such.' He doesn't do that. He keeps it in his own locker under wraps and then throws it at us. I mean, if you guys in the media are surprised, imagine us."
–Boston Herald, January 12
Tedy Bruschi
"We're still playing hard in the third quarter no matter what the score might be, still playing hard. We're not going to hold back. Even in terms of defensive calls, if we had them, why wouldn't we use them? We're still trying to get the ball and put it in the end zone."
–Boston Herald, January 12
Rodney Harrison
If he thinks Coach Belichick has a special connection with the linebackers or any particular group: "I think he has a special connection with every player that he's brought in here. I don't think it's one special group. He brought in his defense and he's the mastermind behind it and those are his guys. But I feel like he has a relationship with the defensive backs as well as his defensive line – the first-round draft choices as well. It's not like he favors one group of guys more so than others, it's just that the strength of out defense is the front seven and that's where games are won and lost – in the trenches."
–Press Conference, January 9
Boomer Esiason
"I think 16-0 stands for itself. Regardless of what anyone says about Spy-gate, it had no influence whatsoever on the season. In my estimation, he is not only the best coach this year, he's been the best coach the last five years … I would be surprised if he didn't win [the AP's NFL Coach of the Year]. It would show to me people don't like him. What he accomplished this year is the single greatest regular season in NFL history."
–Boston Herald, January 3
Rick Gosselin
"If the Spy-gate thing had come down in the 15th week, and there was some doubt he had been doing it all season, it might put some shadow over the accomplishment, but it was the first half of the first game. Spy-gate had nothing to do with what went on during the course of the 2007 season."
–Boston Herald, January 3
Dan Pompei
"I voted for Belichick [for AP's NFL Coach of the Year]. I don't think you can vote for any other coach with a clear conscience. He did everything right. The Patriots are not the most talented team in the NFL, but they are the best team. That is a reflection of composition and coaching. Spygate influenced neither the season nor my vote."
–Boston Herald, January 3
John Czarnecki
"I was impressed with three coaching efforts this season. Mike McCarthy in Green Bay, Dick Jauron in Buffalo … but Belichick did what I thought was impossible, given the grind of the NFL. His team won 16 consecutive games and against a much tougher schedule than what Miami faced in 1972."
–Boston Herald, January 3
Steve Mariucci
"I've known Bill for a long time but never coached with him or anything like that so never really had any extended conversations. I just congratulated him on the success so far, and you know the first thing he said to me? 'We've got good players, Steve.' That was the first thing he said, 'We've got good players.' And it wasn't like, 'Thanks, yeah…' It was, 'We've got good players.' He knows that, and they respond to him. But he understands that this talented football team is a team that needs to stay fresh and healthy and let the players do what they do, right? And he's done a great job keeping this team focused. And it's not so much what has happened before, or the playoffs, it's the challenge at hand. It's the next meeting or the next practice or the next game. That's all he thinks about."
–NFL Network, Total Access on Location, December 29
Don Shula
"I think he should be given credit for what the Patriots have done. I think that Bill is a great coach. The 'Spy-Gate' thing was unfortunate, but that's over and done with. That was after the first ball game of the season and since then, they've been playing by the same rules that everybody else has been playing with and they should be given credit for that. I've known Bill for a long time. I knew his dad at the Naval Academy. I knew Bill when he was an intern with the Colts when Ted Marchibroda was the head coach. He's paid his dues; he's come up with hard way. He had a tough experience in Cleveland, he rebounded from that, and now he's at the top of the coaching profession. He deserves all the recognition he's getting."
–NFL Network, Total Access on Location, December 29
Bill Belichick
On who the leaders are in the locker room: "Every player that owns a jersey. I think each player is a shareholder on our team. Each player that comes to work with a good attitude, that works hard, that puts the team first and that pays attention to the details, provides leadership in their own way. It doesn't have to be a team speech, they don't have to be a captain, but if they bring that kind of attitude and work ethic to the team, then that's positive leadership. And each one of us has a little slice of that pie and has a little role in it."
–NFL Total Access, December 29
Ellis Hobbs
"That's why he's our leader. That's why he's our coach, because he shows us this is how you win. This is how you go into the next game. The whole just kind of distasteful looks he gives is just a sense of being focused, and that he's staying focused on the task at hand."
–Boston Globe, December 28
Junior Seau
"There is an accountability for every player to do what they need to do to help this team win. It's as simple as that. It overrides anything else. What you have is you have to be accountable to this culture and the culture is what it is, and that's team first."
–Boston Globe, December 28
Bill Belichick
About being on the cover of Sports Illustrated: "Being associated with Santa Claus is… there's a lot worse associations to have, so I'll take it. You know, when you're a kid, sometimes you dream about being on the cover of Sports Illustrated. That's not actually the one I pictured, but it's pretty funny. Whatever sells." What was the picture he imagined? "It wasn't that one. [Laughter] But like I said, I'll take it."
How much he's enjoyed winning this season: "I think you always feel better when your record is better than when it isn't. But still, the most important thing is to, after the game, turn the page. You certainly enjoy them for the 24 or whatever, 18 or 24 hours after the game. You feel good about a week's worth of work and practice and preparation and film study and playing and coaching and all of the things you do. You feel good about it for a while after you win. It's hard to win in this league and it's a good feeling when you come out on top. But once that brief period after the game is over, you turn the page and you move on to the next challenge. There's always one out there for us, both individually and collectively. That's kind of how it works. I think you definitely… If you win on the road, the plane ride home is a lot better ride than when you don't. The same thing at home. But once you get past all of that, the dust settles [and] it's time to get back to work, time to move on to the next opponent. Then you're into preparation and meeting the next challenge."
–Press conference, December 27
Bill Belichick
On what it's like to coach this team: "I think we all look at things kind of in a similar way – what's important, how do we win? It's not about personal stats and that kind of thing. Nobody even talks about that. They just talk about 'What can I do to help the team win?' And it's great to be a part of that type of a group. It's a privilege for me to do it."
–NFL Today on CBS, December 23
Randy Moss
"[H]ats off to Coach Belichick. Because you have a lot of different guys, a lot of different personalities, and with the success that we're having, to be honest with you, it really is kind of hard. And I'm not really talking about this team, I'm just saying when you have things going good like that, it's hard to keep everybody on the same page. It's hard to keep everybody focused. That's a credit to Coach Belichick and what he's done from the start of this thing to the end of it. So he has a tone or a beat that we're beating to, trying to stay in rhythm. That's what we're beating to now: his beat."
–Post-Game Press Conference, December 23
Bill Belichick
If he would consider resting their starters: "I think that's a conversation that you can have and the fans can have. It's not really part of our approach to the game. And I don't think it's a good one to have. I don't really understand it, either. You're going to pick out one guy that's important and then say somebody else isn't? I don't really think that's a good way to manage your football team."
On the team's Pro Bowl selections: "I congratulated all of the players for their selection and that's great, and I'm happy they've been selected. I think that it's also and more so probably a commentary on the overall team's success, so I think that all of us can take pride and be proud of the guys that were selected, and they all deserve it. I think that there are other players who are important parts of the team as well that easily could have gone, but most importantly I think when you have a successful team, then that's usually where those selections come from. I think that our record and overall team success has a lot to do with the players that are selected. I think that's a reflection of the team and I'm glad those individuals received their recognition, because they all deserve it."
What he wants for Christmas this year: "What do I want for Christmas? Just to enjoy it [and] spend time with my kids and family. Have a good day with them. That would be great."
–Press Conference, December 19
Bill Belichick
"You're only as good as your last handshake."
–WEEI, December 17
Phil Simms
"Everybody tries to steal signals. The Patriots, I believe their version. This is just me. They thought they were not breaking a rule. Otherwise, why would they stand there and do it out in the open? But, people always ask me and I've been fairly consistent about this. I don't think you get a competitive advantage even if you know signals. Most of the time you are always changing them. And until somebody can really tell me, I just go, 'Well, I played 15 years. I never knew it to be a factor. I can't imagine it is now.'"
–The NFL on CBS
Kevin Spencer
"It's like when I hear people slam Bill. That (ticks) me off. Because they don't know him … People are just jealous of success. They don't understand people sometimes, so it's easier to make fun of them or ridicule them. I have a problem with that stuff. People take shots at [him] and they don't know who the hell [he is]."
–Patriot Ledger, December 15
Tom Curran
"There's no shortage of opinions when it comes to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Many are poorly informed."
–NBCSports.com, December 14
Tom Brady
"We've lost quite a few guys over the years. The thing about football is that guys come and go and coaches have come and left. I think that the foundation of the team and what Coach Belichick stresses has remained the same."
–Press Conference, December 12
Rodney Harrison
"You guys will never get the real Belichick. … He's a cool guy. I have no problem with him. He's always treated me fairly and was always respectful to me. I have a great deal of respect for him. But it's not for you all to like him or for him to like you, because it's all about the guys in this locker room, with all due respect. It's about the coaches and the players in this locker room putting something together and not worrying about what the outside people think."
–Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 9
Bill Belichick
"I think everybody could work on everything. I think that every player could work on every phase of his game. If Tiger Woods could go out and practice 14 hours on the driving range, I think there are things that we could do – all of us could do – to be better."
–Press Conference, December 7
Tom Brady
"I have never, ever felt he has taken plays off. Are you kidding me? There is nothing there about Randy [Moss]'s game that I'm not 100 percent positive on. Randy is an extremely mentally tough person and people have criticized him since the day he got here. People have prejudged him and stereotyped him. He's been nothing but a positive influence on this team, on this locker room, and his performance speaks for itself. He's probably the most-feared offensive player in the game, so what somebody says outside of this locker room means nothing. … It bothers me that people take unnecessary shots at him. I don't know what he's done in the past, but he's been great to be around and I think people just like taking shots, unfortunately. If you truly appreciated what he does in his game, then [you wouldn't take shots]. I think he's a shy person by nature, so people take advantage of that. That's unfortunate, because around us he's a great teammate and everything we're looking for. … We had 54 pass attempts in the game, and you go out and tell a world-class sprinter to run 50 50-yard dashes, the idea is, 'You better have it when you need it.' And Randy is a smart player and he knows when he needs it. I have so much trust in him."
–Boston Globe, December 1
Bill Belichick
"Randy [Moss] has done a good job for us. He's been a good leader; he's been a good player. He's been very productive. And I'd say the same thing about Randy I'd say about myself and every other player: it's not perfect. There are things he could do better. I make plenty of mistakes, so does everybody else. So, is every play perfect, for any of us? No. There's room for improvement by all of us. I'd put everybody into that category. … I think there are plays in every game that any player could improve on. There are plays that could be better coached or better called or better officiated or better anything. It's a competitive game. There's always room for improvement for everybody. And that includes every player and every coach on our team."
–Press Conference, November 30
Adalius Thomas
"[Coach Belichick is] definitely the leader of the team, so he really sets the tone of what it's going to be or how it's going to be. He does a great job of doing that. … I don't know how to describe him, but the way that you guys describe it on TV, after you get to know him, he's nothing like that."
–Conference call with Baltimore, November 28
Rodney Harrison
"He's the Coach of the Year to us. To me, he's the best coach I've ever played for. He's the best coach that ever coached the game, but that's to me. Whether he gets the award or not, who cares? He doesn't care. It's all about winning games. You can get Coach of the Year, but if you lose in the first round of the playoffs, what difference does it make? We don't care about that. Individual awards are what they are – individual. We love team awards."
–Boston Globe, November 16
Ernie Accorsi
"People who say Belichick doesn't have [humility] don't know him."
–Plain Dealer, November 4
Carl Banks
"I've been around some coaches who are so arrogant it's, 'Just run my defense and shut up.' Some guys are so interested in being a genius, they spend all their time trying to put a square inside of a circle. That's the thing about Bill. He forms a partnership with his players. He listens."
–Los Angeles Times, November 1
Tom Brady
"He's a great leader and he's a great coach to play for. We all believe in him and we trust him. He always says that he makes decisions based on the best interest of the team. He truly means that."
–Press Conference, October 31
Tedy Bruschi
"Bill is our coach. We stand behind him, and we want him to know that. We consider ourselves to be a family. And when you single out somebody in our family and criticize him, we rally around him. We say, 'Come here, you're one of us.'"
–Sports Illustrated, October 16
Randy Moss
"I enjoy it. I come to work everyday, I love seeing the guys, I love the camaraderie in the locker room and going out there and practicing every day. We have fun, but at the same time you've all have heard about that humble pie. Coach Belichick has a tight grasp on us. He doesn't let us get too ahead of ourselves. But at the same time, he lets us enjoy what we're doing. … Coach Belichick is a hell of a coach, if not the greatest ever. And I really mean that. He doesn't let us get too ahead of ourselves. That's one thing that I really love and I like about Coach because we can come out here and, like today, we put 48 points up but he's still going to lay a couple of lashings on us when we get in as a team."
–Post-Game Press Conference, October 14
Romeo Crennel
"Bill and I are good friends. We worked together for a long time and I still consider him a friend. I think he considers me a friend. We don't talk every day. Occasionally we might call and say hi, see how you're doing and give each other encouragement, but we have a good relationship."
–Conference call with New England media, October 3
Bill Belichick
"I'm glad they've had the opportunity to go on to other opportunities and gain more responsibilities at higher levels in this league, whether it be in personnel like Scott (Pioli) and [Sr. VP/GM] Phil Savage, or whether it's in the coaching ranks collegiately or professional like [Iowa head coach] Kirk [Ferentz] or Romeo [Crennel]. I'm happy for them but I appreciate more than anything that the reason that they had that opportunity was because we were able to do well as a team. They were big contributors to that. I think it works both ways. They got the opportunity because they helped us win. I'm happy that we've won and therefore, I'm happy that they're getting a better opportunity that I can't provide for them. There are only two coordinators on your staff and there is only one head coach. When you're full at your positions at those spots, the only opportunity for those people is to go somewhere else. As much as you hate to lose them, you want to see them have that bigger challenge if that's what they want."
–Conference call with Cleveland media, October 3
Willie Anderson
About the Patriots: "They're grown men who take football seriously."
–Washington Post, October 2
Chad Johnson
"That video tape thing…It doesn't matter. OK, you know the signals. You still have to go out there and execute [against] the defense. Forget that. Take the cameras away, you're talking about a great football team that has great coaches. That camera bullshit went out the window. They'd be 3-0 right now regardless of that damn camera."
–Conference call with New England media, September 27
Lenny Clarke
"The thing with Bill, I just love Bill Belichick. He's one of my dear friends. It was just sick the way everyone was piling on that guy, the winningest coach in the history of the world. I just love the guy. … Bill and I have fun with each other, because football's a subject we never really talk about. It was a mission of love. I love that guy."
–Boston Herald, September 23
Jimmy Johnson
"[W]hat irritates me is hearing some reactions from players and coaches. These players don't know what their coaches are doing. And some of the coaches have selective amnesia because I know for a fact there were various teams doing this. That's why the memo was sent to everybody."
–Boston Globe, September 17
Laurence Maroney
"He's always had our backs, now we have his. He's like our brother. He's family. We look after family around here."
–Boston Globe, September 17
Tom Brady
"We're all lucky to play for him. He's the best coach probably in the history of the NFL. And that says a lot, but it's fun for us to come in and sit on that side, looking up at him and knowing what he's all about. He doesn't sit here and give away a lot of information and talk about injuries and everything that everyone probably wants to know, but that's for us. That's for the players, and he protects us because he wants us to have the best advantage every single week that we take the field. And if you want the information, you figure it out. But he's not going to offer it up, because we scour what they're saying and what they're talking about and all of the press clips. He reads those to us. We understand the psyche of the opponent. … He says, 'This is what we have to do to win.' We respect that. It's not rah-rah and show movies and stuff like that. He comes in and says, 'This is what we need to do to win, and if you do it, we're going to win and if you don't we're going to lose.' He just gets straight to the point. You don't waste our time and we don't waste his. There's not enough time in the day to waste, especially when you're trying to play in this league, which is so competitive…"
–New England Patriots, September 16
James Sanders
"The fans out here love Bill Belichick. We knew they were looking forward to this game. They showed up tonight. … This is our guy. We're going to fight for him and we're going to go out there and play for him. We appreciate what he has done for us."
–New England Patriots, September 16
Robert Kraft
"I believe that Coach Belichick always tries to do what is best for the team and he is always accountable for his decisions. He has been a very important part of what our organization has accomplished over the last seven years. In this case, one of his decisions has resulted in a severe penalty for our franchise. He has paid a heavy price and so has our organization. He has apologized for his actions. I accept his apology and look forward to working with him as we move forward."
–New England Patriots, September 14
Statement From Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick
"I accept full responsibility for the actions that led to tonight's ruling. Once again, I apologize to the Kraft family and every person directly or indirectly associated with the New England Patriots for the embarrassment, distraction and penalty my mistake caused. I also apologize to Patriots fans and would like to thank them for their support during the past few days and throughout my career. As the Commissioner acknowledged, our use of sideline video had no impact on the outcome of last week's game. We have never used sideline video to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress. Part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules and all accepted interpretations of them. My interpretation of a rule in the Constitution and Bylaws was incorrect. With tonight's resolution, I will not be offering any further comments on this matter. We are moving on with our preparations for Sunday's game."
–New England Patriots, September 13
Statement From Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick
"Earlier this week, I spoke with Commissioner Goodell about a videotaping procedure during last Sunday's game and my interpretation of the rules. At this point, we have not been notified of the league's ruling. Although it remains a league matter, I want to apologize to everyone who has been affected, most of all ownership, staff and players. Following the league's decision, I will have further comment."
–New England Patriots, September 12
Kirk Ferentz
"I don't know that he ever acts differently in general about anything. I could tell from being his assistant that he always appreciated and respected what we did. But you could never tell the weather outside based on his actions. We went through some interesting times in Cleveland, and you'd never know it from being around Bill. It never affected his coaching, outlook or approach. I have great respect for what he does and admiration for how he does it."
–Boston Herald, September 6
Chad Brown
"When I came here, I was curious. How do they do it? Now I have a much better understanding. It's Scott Pioli bringing in guys who love and respect the game. There's a certain guy they're looking for. It's Bill Belichick and the attention to detail and how he sees the game. It's great players, as well. They've got a great thing going here. It's great to be a part of it."
–MetroWest Daily News, August 31
Albert Breer
"With all sincerity I believe Bill Belichick is a big part of this for me. For me, one of the keys was listening in the press conferences. I look at him as being the Albert Einstein of football and I feel fortunate that I was there to ask questions and learn the game of football from him. I really do love football and I'm a football guy and so I'm forever indebted to Bill Belichick. I feel so luck to have covered him."
–Scott's Shots , August 29
Jim Schwartz
"It had nothing to do with us. Gosh, you could name 100 other guys: (Fresno State coach) Pat Hill, (Iowa coach Kirk) Ferentz, (Alabama coach Nick) Saban … We were like practice-squad players. We owe some of our development to hard work, but we owe a huge chunk to Coach Belichick."
–MetroWest Daily News, August 17
Bob Glauber
"[W]hen the Giants were winning Super Bowls with Parcells, a bunch of us got to know Belichick and realized that this guy was a true genius, long before he started winning Super Bowls with the Patriots. He has taught me more about x's and o's than anyone in the sport, and I have become a better football journalist for it. My notebooks were filled with plays he'd scribble down while explaining his strategy. To this day, I know Belichick better than any other coach in the league."
–Newsday.com, August 15
Rodney Harrison
"[Bill Belichick] is the best coach in the National Football League and he's the best coach that I've ever had. He's a Hall of Fame coach. One thing he knows is football. He knows about football players and I have a lot of respect for him."
–Standard-Times, August 13
Tom Curran
"Bill Belichick, who'll go down as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history said that his biggest regret in his first job with the Browns was failing to delegate more. In New England, Belichick has been a master delegator. And he spends more time during practices walking along the outskirts of drills, spinning his whistle around one finger than he does micromanaging."
–NBCSports.com, August 11
Randy Moss
"I just want to go out here and contribute to my team. Whatever it may be. I don't really want to sit here and tell you that I'm going to do this or I'm going to put up these numbers or I should be seeing this many balls or score this many touchdowns. That's not my mindset. My mindset is to do whatever I can to help this team win some games – and that's basically knowing your role. My role is to catch balls, get open, score touchdowns."
–NFL Total Access, August 11
Jeff Davidson
"In those five years [as an assistant coach for Bill Belichick] I learned the majority of what I know about football. You pick up a little from a lot of different coaches, but Bill was the smartest guy I've worked with. If I ever had a question about tight-end routes or coverages, I always knew where to go to first because he always had all the answers. That's just the way he is. The perception is that Bill is a defensive coordinator, but he could literally coach any position. I was always amazed about how football savvy he was about any position, and any form of offense, just everything to do with the game. He basically taught every assistant how to be a good coach."
–FOXSports.com, August 6
Michael Irvin
"We had the best, and I'm telling you the very best, and I'm willing to take an argument with anybody on this, strength and conditioning coach in the world. His name is Mike [Woicik]. He has six Super Bowl rings. Six, people. Twice he has won three Super Bowls in four years, once with us and now with the New England Patriots. So if anybody wants to take an argument, I am a debater. I am here and ready. Mike, you are, man, the very best."
–Hall of Fame induction speech, August 4
Mike Freeman
"Belichick has mastered playing under a salary cap, won championships despite the ravages of free agency, and got the me-athlete to listen. Also, no coach with the exception of [Paul] Brown, [Bill] Walsh and maybe one other coach in history has been more innovative than Belichick. Some of his defensive schemes in Super Bowls both as a head coach and defensive coordinator are legendary."
–CBS SportsLine.com, August 1
Mike Freeman
"Belichick's intoxicating coaching blazon pulls you in like a magnetic force-field as much as his absolutist, anti-media and curmudgeonly nature pushes you away. He remains perhaps the most unique coaching figure in all of sports with the personality of a recently Maced grizzly bear and a coaching IQ better than Vince Lombardi's or Paul Brown's."
–CBS SportsLine.com, July 30
Bill Belichick
"I don't talk about contracts, but I would say I like working here, I like the organization – ownership, coaches, scouts, players, and the guys I work with. I appreciate the opportunity to work here and it's a good situation. I don't see that changing any time soon."
–Boston Globe, July 29
John Czarnecki
"Whether or not this is Belichick's final contractual season with the Patriots, why would he want to leave the Patriots? Belichick loves Cape Cod and the New England countryside and the Patriots are coming off one of their best off-seasons. Tom Brady turns 30 next month and his stable of receivers includes Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donté Stallworth. The defense now has a super playmaker in ex-Baltimore linebacker Adalius Thomas to go with old reliable Richard Seymour. The lone hiccup for Belichick is Asante Samuel's contract. OK, if Belichick was a free agent he would command a large salary. But does he really want to work for Dan Snyder? Bob Kraft is a great owner and he'll pay Belichick whatever he wants, I'm sure. The other rumored destination for Belichick is the New York Giants. Yes, solid ownership there, but he would be swapping Brady for Eli Manning or a quarterback to be named later. That doesn't sound like any bargain."
–FOXSports.com, July 27
Pat Kirwan
"Bill Belichick is an NFL historian in many ways. He's not afraid to tear a page out of a book his Dad found in a used book store for a dollar, and he remembers how the great coaches of the past built championship teams. The late great George Allen would be proud of the personnel work Bill did this spring. The Patriots are a unique team when you study them closely."
–NFL.com, July 20
Cris Carter
"I still don't believe – and I tell Randy [Moss] this – I still don't believe that he has reached his potential. He's gone through a four-year period between Minnesota and Oakland where he really didn't improve upon the things we had worked on. I think the people he had around him had allowed him to slack. … Randy loves structure. The better the structure and the heavier the hammer, the easier it is for him. Randy knows within a team what he has to do to win. He's not the only guy on the field."
–Sporting News, July 19
Adalius Thomas
"Given what [Bill Belichick] has accomplished on defense, and what he's done with his linebackers, man, I'm not going to question anything. … When he points, I go, that's it. No questions asked. None at all."
–ESPN.com, June 12
Peter King
"The dumbest thing you could write about New England right now is that owner Bob Kraft, coach Bill Belichick and personnel veep Scott Pioli are loading up for one last Super Bowl run. I don't know how long Belichick is going to coach, but it's not like he signed a bunch of Roger Clemenses. [Randy] Moss is 30 and may be past the midpoint of his career, but other additions like [Donté] Stallworth, [Wes] Welker and Adalius Thomas are basically at their prime."
–SI.com, June 11
Jim Miller
"Any team I've been on that's made it to the playoffs or has had a successful season, it's all about the locker room – how guys approach each other, treat each other with respect, how guys police themselves and the camaraderie that develops. … To me, for Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli to take a chance on Randy Moss, it's not a big deal. They know the guys they have in that locker room – from Tedy Bruschi to part-time guys like Russ Hochstein and Larry Izzo – there's a ton of them that want to right the ship and have too much pride. You can't let one person alter the ship, and that's why I think a team like Green Bay, even with Brett Favre at quarterback, probably made the right decision. I don't think they're a mature enough team right now to handle Randy Moss."
–Boston Globe, June 10
Junior Seau
"Seau and the Patriots remained in contact and he signed another one-year contract on May 21 – taking a shot at an 18th NFL season at age 38. A conversation with coach Bill Belichick, he joked, convinced him the team wanted him back. 'Belichick called up and said he loved me,' Seau said."
–USA Today, June 7
Lawyer Milloy
"Milloy had just finished a traditional postgame embrace with Tom Brady and was headed to the locker room when Belichick blocked his path. 'I kind of froze up and didn't know what to say,' Milloy recalled. 'He started talking and just told me he was sorry how it had to unfold in New England, and that he thought the world of me and just wanted to appreciate what I did to help win that Super Bowl [in 2001]. I sat there with my mouth open.'"
–Boston Globe, June 3
Bill Belichick
"We have suffered a stunning and tragic loss today. Marquise [Hill] will be remembered as a thoughtful and caring young man who established himself as one of the year-round daily fixtures of our team. I send my deepest condolences to the Hill family."
–New England Patriots, May 28
Bill Belichick
"It was a privilege and honor to watch David [Halberstam] practice his craft and an even greater one to call him a friend. David was as warm, considerate, intelligent, interesting and accomplished a person as I have ever met and his loss is heartbreaking."
–New England Patriots, April 24 |
