New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick addresses the media during his press conference at Gillette Stadium on Monday, September 21, 2009.
BB: Well, I don't think a lot of things have changed since we talked yesterday afternoon. Just overall we need to do a lot of things better than we did yesterday down in Giants Stadium: coaching, playing, offense, defense, special teams, big guys, skilled guys, you name it. [There are] too many little things that need to be better. [We are] just not doing things as well as we need to do them; in a close division game like that, that ends up being the difference. They did them better than we did and I think the results speak for themselves.
Q: What did you see from Joey Galloway?
BB: I think overall in the passing game we've got to do a better job of throwing the ball, getting open, catching it, protecting and all the things that are involved in the passing game that includes everybody. We made some plays, but we didn't make enough of them. I'd say the same thing about Joey and all the rest of the receivers and everybody involved. Really, you can say the same thing about everybody on that team. Some things were good. Some things could have been better. Overall, we need to get better. There's no other way to put it.
Q: Is it normal to expect some of that adjustment when you add two new guys to the team like Julian Edelman and Joey Galloway?
BB: Sure. There are always things to work on, but we need to do them better. There're no excuses. We just need to do a better job. We've got to coach better. We've got to play better. We've got to be able to perform better in games like that. We're going to go back to work and that's what we're going to do.
Q: What went into the decision of playing five defensive backs?
BB: We thought that was the best way to match up against them. We used a combination of different defensive personnel groups over the course of the game, so some of that changed by situation and personnel groups they had on the field and things like that.
Q: Is it nice to have a player like Shawn Springs who can play defensive back and safety?
BB: Yeah, we have a number of versatile players on defense that can do different things. We'll try to utilize them in the overall scheme and certainly Shawn is a smart guy. He can do a lot of different things; he has a good skill set.
Q: Did you like what he did at safety?
BB: Again, it's the same thing for every guy you want to ask about, some good things. We gave up 16 points - that wasn't the worst defensive effort we've ever had around here, but it wasn't good enough, and it needs to be better, and that goes for everybody who played and coached in the game. Some things were OK. Some things were good. Some things weren't good [and] need to be better. Was it terrible? No. Was it good enough? No. So that's where it is.
Q: In general, are you happy with the tactic of using the grease board, having the plays on the arm? Was it just a lack of execution yesterday?
BB: Yeah. I don't think that was a problem. No, I don't think that was a problem.
Q: How important is it after a loss to not get too low on the guys?
BB: Whenever you win, there're things that aren't good. Whenever you lose, there are things that are good. Sometimes it's within a play. You could have a bad play and there could still be good things within that play. We try to break that down and point those things out, whatever they are - good or bad. [We] make our corrections, win or lose, good play or bad play, and try to keep working with the idea of getting, back and improving things that we didn't do right and reinforcing the things that we did do. That's a part of it every week. It shouldn't change whether we win, or lose, or have a good play, or have a bad play. We try to do the same thing. Everything's important.
Q: What about inside the red area yesterday? Was there one thing you can say went wrong?
BB: No. I don't think it was one thing. I think it was a combination of things.
Q: What it related to being that down and distance?
BB: No. I think that transcended the whole game. There were things during the game; sometimes it was good, sometimes it was OK, sometimes it wasn't very good. That happened on all downs. That happened on all field position. It happened in all three phases of the game. It just wasn't consistent enough. Overall, it just wasn't good enough.
Q: Are you concerned with the fact that Tom Brady has thrown the ball over 100 times in two games?
BB: Well, I think the most important thing is that we function efficiently, move the ball, get in the end zone and keep them out. That's what we're going to try to do. Whatever that entails, we'll do.
Q: Were you OK with the running/pass splits or would you like to see it more balanced?
BB: I'd like to score more points. That's what the offense is out there for - to score points. If that's throwing the ball seven or eight times a game, if we score a lot of points, that's good. If it's running the ball 70 times a game and we score a lot of points, that'd be fine with me, too. If it's some combination in the middle and we score a lot of points, that'd be good. But don't turn the ball over. However we can put points up on the board when the offensive unit's on the field, that's what our goal is, whether those are runs, or pass or whatever they are. If points are scored, then we're doing our job. If they're not, then that's not what good offense is.
Q: What did you see missing in the red zone offense?
BB: We just didn't do a good enough job: coaching, playing, running, passing, protecting, everything. It just wasn't good enough.
Q: What was your assessment of Darrelle Revis?
BB: He's a good player.
Q: With all the new faces on defense and now with Jerod Mayo out for a little bit, has communication been a problem?
BB: I would say it's probably better than it was last year, that wouldn't take much. Is it as good as it needs to be? No. There's always room for improvement. But I would say it's definitely improved over last year, not that that was a real high bar.
