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Host: The best coach that there is in the business right now, and that is the
head coach of the World Champion New England Patriots, Bill Belichick.
Coach, how you doing? Happy New Year.
Belichick: Thank
you Joe, Sid. How are you doing?
Host: Good. Nice to talk to you, Coach. And congratulations again. Let's start
right here. Everyone's talking, obviously, about the Steelers' 14-game win
streak, and Peyton Manning's record-breaking season. But somehow or another,
through it all, your New England Patriots went 14-2, and looks like you're
well on your way to another championship—at the very least at least vying
for one. So congratulations on a great regular season.
Belichick: I
think it's a real accomplishment for our team. They've gone
through a lot of adversity and met a lot of challenges along the way. But
right now we're just where a lot of other teams are right now, we're 0-0.
The team that wins will be the team that plays the best from here on out. So
everybody that's in, is in. Nothing really matters except how we can each do
going forward. That's where our focus is, to try to get our game to its
highest level.
Host: Coach, I know you don't like to lose, and I know you haven't done much of
that lately—what is it, 29 out of the last 31? But I thought one of the
best things that happened to this team was going down to Miami and losing
that game to the Dolphins. Because it seemed like you came right back and
smacked my team next week, of course. And then you win the final game of the
season to go 14-2. But it seems like maybe that kind of refocused your team
again, Coach. Do you agree with that or not?
Belichick:
Losing down there was tough. You got an 11-point lead with four minutes to
go in the game, and end up losing to Miami. That was pretty disappointing.
Host: I guess his answer's no. [Laughter]
Belichick: Yeah,
I don't think there were a lot of positives on that one.
Host: How
about the Steeler game? Let's talk about them for a little bit. Because the
chances are, at least if you're asking me, I think the AFC title game is
going to be you guys and the Steelers in a couple weeks in Pittsburgh. What
happened in that game? Was it just a case that maybe you'd won 21 in a row,
and you were due to lose, and you kind of ran into a bus? I mean, what
happened that day in Pittsburgh, Coach?
Belichick: They played a lot better than we did. We didn't play very well
defensively. We turned the ball over on offense, they
ran one back for a touchdown and recovered another two fumbles inside our
30. We just didn't play well. We got outcoached, outplayed, and they
deserved to win. They were the better team. There was no question about
it that day. That's why they're the #1 seed. They're 15-1. You've got to
give them all the credit in the world. They've had a tremendous regular
season.
Host: They did, they won 14 straight games. And everybody's talking about that
matchup, Coach, with you and Pittsburgh. But...
Belichick: I
wouldn't worry too much about that one right now.
Host: Right, that's what I'm saying. There's a good chance you're going to see
Peyton Manning along the way, again, and you guys have been very successful
here against Peyton Manning. [Both hosts talking at once] He's watching film
on Manning right now. I know he won't admit it. Probably so. He's got the
projector on as we speak watching Manning, figuring how we're going to beat
him again. Now you guys have been very successful against him, Coach.
Including back to Week 1 in this regular season, you won that game as well.
But you went on to the record-breaking season. I mean, do you think that at
this point that you can be successful against Peyton doing the same things
you've done in the past, or has his game really gotten to the point now
where you're going to have to make some changes?
Belichick: Oh, I
think there will have to be some adjustments made. I'm sure they will make
some, and I'm sure we will make some. We didn't exactly—I mean, that game came down to a field goal on the last play of the game,
and that was the difference. So that could have easily gone either way. I
think that at this point we're prepared to play all three teams—the Jets, San Diego, and Indianapolis—depending on how things turn out this weekend. And we have a lot of respect
for all three of them. We know that no matter who we play at this time of
the season, they're all good. And I think if you look at—you know I'm not a big stat guy, but when you look at the league stats after
16 regular season games, and you see all those teams bunched up there in
terms of turnovers, and rushing defense, and red area production, and all
those kind of things, they're all right up there at the top. It doesn't
really matter who you play at this time of year—everybody's good. It's just a question of which team goes out and plays
well. And can you get your best performance on the field at this point in
time. And that's really what it comes down to. There's plenty of talent on
every team, and I'm sure we'll have some very competitive games as we go
through the playoffs. But it'll just come down to the team that can execute
the best at critical points in the game.
Host: Coach, you know Andy Reid, Philadelphia, had everything wrapped up a couple
weeks ago. Andy Reid had his team basically mail it in that game against the
Rams and certainly last week against Cincinnati they got killed 38-10. You
know, no Westbrook, no McNabb. And even though you really had nothing to
play for—you were locked in last week against the 49ers—you still played Brady three quarters in that game, Coach. I mean, how about
that? What's your feeling on, you know, do you feel maybe if you don't play
your best players in these kind of games that maybe you lose momentum going
in to the playoffs?
Belichick: Well
I think, Joe, that every coach does what he thinks is best for his football
team. And whatever any other coach did, I respect that 100% because I know
that that coach is doing what he thinks is best for the team. And where one
team is, and where another team is, can often be two different things. In
our case, our players are used to being in a routine, they're used to
getting ready to play, and playing. They want to play. I don't think that
they would have really accepted any other approach. To them it's football
season. It's a game, and they want to play in it. And they want to be
prepared when they walk out on the field to play in it. That's the
way we approached it. But we just do what we thought was right for us. I'm
not saying that another team should have done it differently, or could have
done it differently. We just try to make the decisions in the best interest
of our organization. I don't want to tell anybody else how to do their job.
Host: We
are talking to the coach of the defending World Champion New England
Patriots, Bill Belichick. Coach, lots of adjustments you had to make this
year, especially on the defensive side of the football with the injuries, Ty
Law going down in that Steeler game. And a guy like Troy Brown is out there
picking off passes at the cornerback position. And a couple youngsters had
to step in for you this year—the kid Wilfork from Miami, and Randall Gay as well. Last couple of years in
New England, was this the toughest job you've had to do to kind of patchwork
this defense together to get you through the second half of the season?
Belichick: We've
had to make some adjustments in the secondary, but on our defensive front
we've actually been pretty consistent there with our defensive line and
linebackers. We've had a lot of the same guys pretty much every week. So it
seems like every year you've always got something, or one position, and
sometimes a little more than that. But every team goes through that, and we
just have to work our way through it. But Troy's done a nice job for us. And
Randall Gay is an undrafted rookie, so he stepped in and probably given more
than anybody would have expected from. Although once he started playing,
he's played at a good, competitive level. Asante Samuel was our nickleback
last year, and has got a lot more opportunity this year, and he's been able
to take advantage of that playing time. So that's what a lot of just
competitive sports is, are guys preparing and then getting an opportunity.
Then a lot of times when they get that opportunity they're able to raise
their play to a high competitive level. And that's been the case with some
of the players for us in the secondary this year.
Host: Coach, how tough has it been with the situation with Charlie Weis? You
know, he accepts the Notre Dame job a couple weeks ago, but he's still your
offensive coordinator. I guess he's kind of been shuffling back and forth
between Foxborough and South Bend. How difficult has that been for you, and
more specifically, for Charlie?
Belichick: I
think it's been probably more challenging for Charlie. My job hasn't changed
a lot, and neither have the players' or any of their coaches. But Charlie's
had to manage another situation. But I think all in all that it's gone
fairly smoothly. We all know what it is, and there's no question that he's
added some responsibilities. But he hasn't really been shuffling back and
forth. He's basically been here, and he's done all the things that he would
normally do. And he's done a good job. So I think that we can certainly work
within the situation that we have to deal with. And I think we can handle
that.
Host: Talking about Charlie Weis and the offense here, Coach, let's stick with
the quarterback position. You know obviously this year Ben Roethlisberger is
getting an incredible amount of play. In fact, they started the NFL
Offensive Rookie of the Year award back in 1957, and this year Ben
Roethlisberger was the first quarterback ever to win that award. So he has
the big year, everybody's talking about him. Peyton Manning breaks the
record, everybody's talking about him. And there's the guy that plays for
you that's won two Super Bowl MVPs in the last three years, who at least, in
my opinion, never seems to get that respect. Tom Brady's name is never
mentioned at the top of the list. Now with his accomplishments the last
couple of years, do you think it starts to bother Tom at some point, or is
he just so business-like it doesn't really matter?
Belichick: Well
I think Tom's focused on winning. And I think his record there speaks for
itself. Tom's a winner. He prepares hard, he's a great leader, he's good
with his teammates, and is a well respected team captain and teammate, really,
from all quarters—offensively, defensively, guys on special teams. He's a player that I think
everybody's glad is on this team, and has contributed a lot to our
victories. I think that he understands that, and in the end that's the way
he wants to be measured. And I think he's done a pretty good job of it.
Host: You know, Coach, one thing that I'm sure bothers you—I know it's all
about winning championships, obviously, for you—but I take a look at the
Pro Bowl voting every year, and I think the only guy on the defense that
makes it to the Pro Bowl is Richard Seymour. And I look at guys like
McGinest, I look at guys like Tedy Bruschi, and I don't know if there's a
better linebacker in the NFL right now than Tedy Bruschi. Does that kind of
motivate these guys even more? I mean, you've got so many top-flight players
on that defense, yet Baltimore's got like five guys going, and they're not
even sniffing the playoffs. And you got one guy from the defense. How about
that?
Belichick: Well
Joe, the Pro Bowl voting and all comes from a number of different
areas—the fans, the coaches, the players—that's the way it's set up. It's really hard, I know just from my
standpoint, I don't get to see every single player in the AFC play. I see
the ones that we play. So it's a hard thing to get totally accurate
because I don't think everybody gets a good full view of the league. And then you start going on stats and reputation and so forth. So I'm
sure that every team in the league has a couple of players that they feel like
should have gotten more recognition than they did. But, you know,
unfortunately that's the way it goes.
Host: But I would think, Coach, that that's the way you like it—again,
talking to Bill Belichick from the New England Patriots—because going back
to when you won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, and you were kind of
introduced as a team, and not the individuals. And you guys, in the last
couple of years, have kind of epitomized what the team is all about in an
era where it seems like it's all about the selfish individual. That's not
your football team. So is it fair to say that maybe at the end of the day
you're kind of happy? You know you guys are all-pro players, but you're
still a team, and not a bunch of individual superstars?
Belichick: I
think that our players take a lot of pride in the success of the team. And I
think it's important to them to support their teammates, and do their job,
and not let their teammates down. So when we all walk out at the end of the
day, I think number one you want to feel good about yourself and what you've
accomplished. And you know you can't always react to externally what the
judgments are—good or bad. I think our players are pretty mature about that. They have a
good perspective on it. As long as they feel like they're doing all they
can, then that's what counts the most for them.
Host: Coach, Nick Saban, who was a protégé of yours—you had him in Cleveland
as your defensive coordinator—had a tremendous success obviously at LSU,
and now he's going to be in the division at Miami. How about that? What kind
of a head coach do you think Nick's going to be in the NFL?
Belichick: I
think Nick's an outstanding coach, I don't think there's any question about
that. I think he's one of the very best I've ever had the opportunity to
work with. Nick is strong in every area of the game—personnel, strategy, motivation. He has a lot of experience, and he's very
good at, as I say, at everything he does, He can truly get all the bases
covered. I think it just makes this division, which is already very tough,
even that much tougher. You know, two Croatians in the division, Joe, that's
not something you see everyday. [Laughter]
Host: That's got to be a first, right Coach?
Belichick:
Probably is.
Host: Alright Coach, let you go here. But as you're about to embark here on the
playoffs—you're not doing a road game at the very least to get to the
Super Bowl, but I think your team is certainly capable of doing that. And
you've got all these great players, and Corey Dillon is here this year. You
know the one thing that I guess we have to talk about is—no disrespect to
Mike Vanderjagt in Indianapolis, or Jeff Reed in Pittsburgh—but the one
guy we've got to talk about this time of year, maybe the most clutch kicker
in the history of the game, and that's Adam Vinatieri. This is a guy that's
made more big kicks for you than anybody can ever remember.
Belichick: Well,
you get in a very competitive situation like the playoffs where a lot of
times teams are so close, and it comes down to a play or a kick, there's
nobody we'd rather have than Adam. He's been familiar with kicking in the
weather that we have in the northeast at this time of year—you never know what you're going to get. So, you know, he's a football
player. He's not really a kicker, he's a football player. He has a lot of
poise, has good talent, and has obviously come through for us in a lot of
big situations. But again, his work ethic and his demeanor and what he puts
into the game is really just as impressive as his performance. We'll
need everything we've got at this time of year. As I've said, every team we
play we know is good. We'll need every ounce and every resource that we
have available.
Host: Coach, before I let you go, I've got to ask you about the quarterback of
my Jets, Mr. Pennington. Who every time you play him now recently finds the
open Tedy Bruschi on a regular basis. What's your feel on him right now,
where he is? Give me a little feel on what you think about Pennington right
now.
Belichick: I
think that offensively the Jets are a good football team. They have a lot of
weapons. It starts with Curtis, naturally. I think it always has. And then
everything works off of that—the play action game, the vertical routes to McCareins and Moss, the
utilization of the tight ends, Becht and Baker, especially on those bootlegs
and things like that. And they have a good offensive line. So the
complementary plays and the complementary part of the offense flows very
well together most of the time. Now sometimes when one aspect of it isn't
really being productive, then that can effect another aspect. But I think
overall the Jets are a good offensive football team. I think they have a lot
of balance—one of the better balanced teams in the league—going even to their second tight ends, and their fullbacks like Sowell, two
good running backs. And a good set of receivers, Wayne as a third receiver,
and even the whole receiving crew, Carter, I mean the whole works. So I
think they're a good, balanced offensive football team, and I have a lot of
respect for them. I have a lot of respect for what they do. And I think
Chad's very accurate, and as long as, like any team, as long as you can keep
those passing situations to manageable yardage—I mean, there's not any quarterback that's really very good on 3rd-and-15. But when it's 3rd-and-four, five, six, and you have a couple different guys that
you can throw to, and you got the threat of the running game and all that,
then those situations are advantageous for any quarterback in any offense.
Host: Coach, you know you chopped him up pretty good two weeks ago. I mean he's
got problems with the shoulder. Do you think he's playing hurt right now, in
your mind, Pennington?
Belichick: You know, it's hard to say, Joe. I don't know. I think
that at this point in the season, every player who's playing a lot is less
than 100%. I mean, 16
regular season games against this competition—everybody's got bumps and
bruises, everybody's sore, everybody would love to feel a lot fresher than
they feel right now. But you know what, it's football time of year. It's
crunch time, it's playoff time, so everybody just puts that behind them,
they reach down, they suck it up. You're going to see the
teams that play their best football now are teams that are going to be
mentally tough, they're going to be physically tough, and they're going to
be resilient. I wouldn't worry too much about what happened last week or
what happened two weeks ago. It's about right now what every team
can muster up and generate going forward. And they're all good, so whichever
one of these 12 teams comes out on top, that team will deserve it because
they will have mustered up the most energy and the best performance in the
coming weeks. And that's what championship football is all about.
Host: Coach, you breaking out a new sweatshirt for the playoffs?
Belichick: No,
probably not.
Host: Did you get rid of that red one that you had on down in Miami when you
lost? Did you burn that one? You must have.
Belichick: Yeah,
we'll move on from that one.
Host: Will there be a 60 Minutes II with Lesley Stahl if you win the Super Bowl
again this year? That was fascinating, that piece. I love that piece you did
last year.
Belichick: No,
that's not my call. You know, that's not really my thing, Sid.
Host: I know, but you were great. I've got to tell you, Coach, I thought that
was fascinating how you go about your work everyday. Even watching Tedy
Bruschi a couple of weeks ago during the Monday night game—before the
game, Coach, against the Dolphins—how he breaks down video every week. I
mean, I don't think the average fan really realizes, Coach, how many hours
you put in every single day. How many hours your players put in every day.
We all know about practice, but I don't think the average person realizes,
Coach, you know, 16, 17, 18-hour days that you guys put in. Do you ever
sleep, Coach?
Belichick: It's
a very competitive league, and you're going up against the best every week.
And every other team that you play, their coaching staff, their players,
they're working just as hard as you are. You just can't leave a stone
unturned. You want to make sure that you've got your execution up to its
highest level because that's where it needs to be. It's such a competitive
league, especially now. We go to this time of year where one play can mean
everything. It determines the whole course of your season. So it's
important, and you just want to put everything you have into it and get it
right.
Host: Coach, a great job as always. Appreciate you coming on. Thank you very
much, Coach. Good luck in the playoffs.
Belichick: It's
a pleasure. And Joe, it's great to talk to you when the sun's up. I don't
think we've ever done this before.
Host: How about that? Well, you know, this is actually like late in the day for
you. Do you ever sleep, Coach? I mean you never do, right?
Belichick: Oh,
yeah. Yeah.
Host: What, an hour a day? An hour a week? What?
Belichick: Oh,
no. When I run low at the end of the day, that's it for me. I just—sometimes
I get an early start. Not as early as you start it though. Great to catch up
with you, too.
Host: You too, Coach. Good luck. We'll talk to you down the road, alright?
Belichick: OK.
Thank you.
Host: Alright, there he is, Coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots.
And he gave us quite a bit of time there, Joe. He did. Big fan of Joe
Benigno, Bill Belichick. I tell you what, there's no question about it—THE best in the
business right now. Yeah, it's not close. I think Parcells really took a
beating with Dallas this year. Shanahan—Denver's falling off. Andy
Reid—no, he's never even won a Super Bowl. Only guys who have won Super Bowls.
You're right, you can't get that level till you win a Super Bowl. Mike Holmgren—you know, forget about it. This guy [Belichick] is the best right now. He's
the best without a doubt. You and I've been saying this for a couple of
weeks now, don't be surprised—three times in four years.
Absolutely. We'll see, Belichick.
Transcribed by the webmaster. |
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