On whether the 2007 Patriots is the best team since he's been there
"I don't know. I think that's kind of a thing you talk about at the end of the year. Right now, we turned a page – Cincinnati is behind us and we're looking at Cleveland. We certainly have a lot of work to do to get ready for the Browns. It's a short week and they are an explosive team. We haven't played them in a while. They have a lot of new faces since the last time we saw that team. They're playing well, very well. That's where all our focus is going. We'll look at the end of the year at the end of the year."
On the addition of WR Randy Moss
"Randy's done a good job for us. He's come in and worked very hard. It's different than what he played in at Minnesota and Oakland. He's really a smart guy. He understands football concepts and concepts in the pass game very well, probably as good as any player I've coached. He makes great adjustments and understands what you're trying to do on pass patterns and what the defense is trying to do on a coverage standpoint. He's given us some positive plays. There's not much in the passing game that he hasn't seen and he knows how to deal with it. He's got some good concepts and good ideas. He's been a very consistent and dependable player for us."
On the need to 'stock up' on receivers
"We take the same approach every season. We try to do whatever we can to improve our football team. We look at all the options available and the opportunities. If it fits and works, then it ends up happening a lot of the times and sometimes it doesn't. We look at all the players at all of our positions, wherever we think we can help our team and if it works out, then we try to improve our team every year. This year wasn't really any different. I know there's a perception that there was but we didn't approach this year any different than any other year."
On whether QB Tom Brady will continue to complete 80% of his passes throughout the rest of the season
"I don't really worry about 16 games. I just worry about one right now. Cleveland is a team that presents a lot of challenges. In terms of throwing the ball, they play a lot of tight coverage's and they get up and press the receivers a lot. They mix in some two-deep zones, some man (coverage) and a lot of five-man pressure. They don't give you a lot of spaces there. You have to work hard to get open. You need good distribution on your routes and your receiver has to get away and beat man coverage. We won't have all day to hold the ball against the pass rush. Those are the challenges we'll have this week and it will be very competitive to throw the ball against the Browns defense. That's what we're working on right now."
On what it's like going against head coach Romeo Crennel for the first time
"Romeo did a great job for me. I've been with him all the way back to the Giants in 1981. We've coached a lot of games together. He's got a good understanding of all facets of the game. He coached special teams and then the defensive line. Then he coached as the coordinator and was responsible for the entire defense and of course, all the things the offense does to it – the running game, passing game and all the situation plays. He's got a good understanding and background of the game. He gets along with people. He's a great motivator. The players listen to him and he listens to the players. I think there's a good flow of information from the player to coach, within the staff and the defensive assistants. He's very team orientated in his approach to the game and the way his players perform. He's taken a lot of young players on his team and built it into a very strong and competitive team that plays well. They don't make many mistakes. They're executing very well on offense. The offensive line has been very impressive. They can run it and they can throw it. They are strong and physical up front and they can play the passing game. They are very good on special teams. They're a field goal away from being 3-1. I thought they played their best game last week against the Ravens. They get a little better each week. I think that's typical of a team with a lot of young players and a young quarterback that grows together and gains confidence – which I think they have a lot of. That comes from your head coach."
On offensive coordinator/QBs coach Josh McDaniels and what kind of job has he done so far
"I think Josh has done a good job this year and in the past. He's a guy that came to me my first year here. He worked for [Alabama head coach Nick] Saban at Michigan State and that's kind of the connection that got him here. Josh was working on defense and then I moved him over to offense. A few years ago, he worked with the quarterbacks and then as a coordinator. Again, I think he has a good understanding of the aspects of the game. We know he was in a very good program with Nick at Michigan State. He's done a real good job for us. He worked in personnel for a while before we moved him down to coaching. I think he has an understanding of that aspect of the game – evaluating players, breaking them down, their strengths and weaknesses, developing players, all those types of things. As it applies to technique and strategy, I think he's very good at that. He's got a great work ethic. That probably comes from his family background and some of his time with Nick at Michigan State. He's done a great job for us in a lot of different areas and he's very well respected here."
On the personnel recruiting ties from Northeast Ohio
"I have a lot of ties in Northeast Ohio. Don't forget [defensive coordinator] Dean Pees. [Wide receivers coach] Nick [Caserio] came through Josh. They played together at John Carroll (University). When we moved Josh from personnel to coaching, Josh recommended Nick to personnel. There's a little bit of a flow that way from people that we got then recommended other people that knew them in that area, similar to Dean Pees and [coaching assistant] Josh Boyer. Josh worked for Nick at Kent State. [VP-Player Personnel] Scott Pioli has been in that area as well. He had some connections there too because this is personnel related, not just all coaching. There's no doubt about it. I know from being there that it's a great football area. People have a great background to them. It's important to them. It's a big part of their life. They get at it at an early age. It's a big part of their culture and I think that we're starting to see some of that in our program. Some of the connections, I've been very fortunate to have worked with good people and I've got a lot of them on the staff."
On whether his repertoire of grooming young coaches goes back to his beginning in the league
"I think that has something to do with it. A lot of times it's just finding the right mix and the right people for your program. When Dean came in here prior to the 2004 season, as much as he'd like to think so, I would put him in the young coaches category. Dean's a very experienced coach with a great defensive background and has been successful as a coordinator, position coach and head coach. I think it depends on what you feel like your staff and your team needs in the particular point in the hiring process. There's always going to be some turnover in the coaching staff of a young team. You want people, whether they be players or coaches at positions that are young and can potentially replace people that left, some of the outstanding people have gone on to better opportunities than here. That created openings for Josh McDaniels and Nick Caserio and others. They were more than ready to take advantage of those opportunities."
On how long does he want to continue to coach for and what other goals has he set
"I'm really short-termed focused and right now my focus is on Cleveland. I'm not thinking about too much other than trying to figure out how to be competitive against them on Sunday. That's a big challenge. That's where all my attention is right now. I'm not worried about next week or next year. I'm just thinking about Cleveland right now."
On whether it feels good to hear about the comments of him going into the Hall of Fame
"Of course, it's very complimentary. But I don't want to sit and dwell on that. I've had good things said about me and I've had some things that weren't good said about me. I'm just trying to do what's best for this football team. We have a lot of players and coaches that are working hard here, trying to win. I want to do my job and not let them down and let everybody do there job. I think we have a chance to be successful. That's what I'm trying to put into it and I think that's what all of our collective attitude is."
On how they have been able to remain at the top of the of league
"Again, I've been fortunate to have some really good players here and a lot of good coaches. Each year, you try to take your team and make the most of it through whatever opportunities you have, whether it's the draft or free agency, changing your scheme or system, scouting your opponents and trying to figure out your opponents – how you can improve to be a better football team. That's not always the same thing. Sometimes it's changing your course a little bit and sometimes, it's doing what you do but just a little bit better. We just try to do the same thing every year. There's no real magic formula to it. In the end, the players make the plays that win the games. If they make them, we're going to win and if they don't make them, then we're not. I don't think the system should override what the players do on the field because in the end, they are the ones that are responsible for the wins and losses. We've been fortunate we've had a lot of good players here – guys that are not just good football players but they have a good consistent approach to it. They come in here every day. I think that helps our overall consistency."
On whether it's a good feeling to see former coaches move on and become head coaches
"Absolutely. I couldn't be happier for all those people other than the days we have to play them. You hate to go up against them but that's the NFL. Everybody goes through that. Every time we play, there's somebody that we've coached with, or coached for or played for, somehow we know them. I have a great deal of respect and they're a big reason why I've been able to have some of the success that I've had. It's the jobs that they've done. 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. 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."
On whether Tom Brady is a better player this year or whether his number's are reflective of a better supporting cast
"I think Tom is one of those players that works very hard. Anything you tell Tom to work on, he's going to work on. Each year, whatever the emphasis points are that year, he works hard on those to try and get better to improve. He does it on a consistent basis. I think he's the type of player that's going to improve a little bit each day, a little bit each week and a little bit each year because of his work ethic, his experience and his ability to take situations that he's learned from and apply them in the future opportunities and not, at the same time, go backwards. There are always some things he can do better and he works on those. He still works on the things he's always done well to maintain those strong points. I think Tom can still get better and I think he feels that way. He certainly goes about it with that type of work ethic."
On whether the incident at the beginning of the season is a rallying point for his team
"I thought we were going to be able to get through this without bringing up that situation. Right now, the only thing I'm thinking about is Cleveland. That's it. That's where we are at. It's not what happened last week, last month or last year. It's about taking the next few days we have to prepare for the Browns and be ready on Sunday. That's all we are thinking about."
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