HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK

Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, October 29, 2023

BILL BELICHICK OPENING STATEMENT: Obviously we had some chances, just couldn't make enough plays today. Miami made some good plays at the right time, and it was kind of the difference in the game. There were a handful of plays that we just have to do a better job on.

Q: Do you anticipate asking about the hit, the non-call and the hit on WR DeVante Parker? What did you see and should there have been a call?

BILL BELICHICK: You should talk to the officials about that.

Q: Do you think you'll ask about it during the week?

BILL BELICHICK: I think you should ask them about it. It doesn't make a difference what I think.

Q: Any update on WR Kendrick Bourne's status?

BILL BELICHICK: No, I mean it happened a few minutes ago.

Q: It feels like a big difference between building on this and three wins as opposed to losing again. Do you feel like it changes your approach moving forward as to what you can still make out of the season?

BILL BELICHICK: We'll worry about next week and get ready for next week.

Q: Bill, you guys were basically outgained 2-to-1. Can you win many games to that with barely 200 yards of offense?

BILL BELICHICK: Well, it's a combination of things. You need to play better offense, better defense.

Q: Any thoughts on the penalty calls today? There was a questionable defensive pass interference on CB J.C. Jackson, they missed an illegal motion. Any thoughts on that?

BILL BELICHICK: Talk to the officials. They're the ones who call them. I'm sure they'll have an explanation for it.

Q: Bill, are there any early indications of any of the injuries that you guys have?

BILL BELICHICK: I'm not going to speculate on that.

Q: With what they can do as an offense, how much more pressure does it put on your defense? Even in the third-and-longs when they pick up a chunk and then create fourth-and-shorts they then convert?

BILL BELICHICK: I don't know, it's the NFL. We have to stop them on third down. If they go for it, we have to stop them on fourth down.

Q: Why didn't WR JuJu Smith-Schuster play until the fourth quarter?

BILL BELICHICK: We've played multiple people. That's – we played multiple people. So which ever guy plays less, you ask why that guy didn't play more. We can't play everybody."

Q: Bill, at the end of the first half, how much consideration did you give to not kneel on the ball there? Was that a hard decision at that time? What went into that decision that made it the best for the team?

BILL BELICHICK: Yeah, I thought that was the best thing for us to do at that point.

Q: Why was that?

BILL BELICHICK: The situation of the game, yeah.

Q: Any initial thoughts on QB Mac Jones' performance today?

BILL BELICHICK: Well, as a team, it just wasn't good enough.

Q: When LB Ja'Whaun Bentley went out, how did you handle the defensive communication?

BILL BELICHICK: There were a couple things involved.

Q: How significant was that?

BILL BELICHICK: Yeah, you hate to lose a good player.

Q: Bill, playing as much dime personnel as you did in the last drive, how much of that was dictated by their success passing and their personnel they had on the field throughout that first series?

BILL BELICHICK: Yeah, it was a combination of things – what they had, who we had available, so forth.

Q: Bill, we will ask the officials on the hit on WR DeVante Parker. The announcers – when you see the replay of that, there's only so much you can do. I get that, but I mean it was pretty blatant. And we'll talk to the officials about it. But what goes through your mind when you look at the replay and you're seeing it up on the replay?

BILL BELICHICK: Yeah, Steve, talk to the officials about it. What do you want me to do?

Q: The announcers think said he just missed the call.

BILL BELICHICK: I don't know.

Q: On their final drive, did you get a good look at DB Myles Bryant's tackle there to see if you though it was worthy of the challenge and maybe he had driven him back beyond the first-down marker?

BILL BELICHICK: Yeah, the look we got on it, it was close. It looked like he got it.

Q: The interception before halftime, what did you see on that play and how crucial was that to take the points off the board? They went down and got a field goal.

BILL BELICHICK: Yeah, it was obviously a big play. It was on the other side of the field, so couldn't really look at it.

Q: Is Mac your quarterback going forward?

BILL BELICHICK: We all need to play better. We all just need to coach and play better.

QUARTERBACK MAC JONES

Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, October 29, 2023

Q: What are your thoughts on what unfolded out there today?

MAC JONES: We just, I mean, offensively didn't have enough production. It's the National Football League against a really good team. They made some plays out there. It's frustrating, but at the end of the day, we had it to a one-score game and couldn't capitalize from the offensive side, either just trying to get the score tied up and just make it a game at the fourth quarter really is what you're trying to do. It's hard.

Q: How much did an impact on CB Jalen Ramsey impact on what you wanted to do offensively?

MAC JONES: Yeah, he looked good. I mean, he fell off on the one play and made a play. That's what he does. He's a good player. Obviously, his first game back and was very productive. You could tell that they called the defense that way.

Q: Why do you think the offense wasn't able to maintain the moment that you guys had last week?

MAC JONES: Like I always talk about, every week is different and game plan changes. Like I said, we just need a little more production from me, from everybody, and that's where it starts. It starts with the quarterback. I can be cleaner on my reads and all that stuff. You've got to be really sharp against a team with a really good offense. I thought the defense fought really hard, and that's a really good football team we played.

Q: You mentioned CB Jalen Ramsey falling off on that play. Did you see him?

MAC JONES: Yeah, I knew the coverage, I knew everything. I just made a bad throw really late. I didn't really drive it. That's what happens on that play, the guy either takes it and it's a touchdown or the guy falls off and nothing happened. But you can't do that as a quarterback, just throw it out of bounds or take the checkdown and move on.

Q: What do you think worked that – in the fourth quarter, you guys seemed to go to hurry up. What do you think worked there?

MAC JONES: Yeah, I think our tempo plays are good and something we can expand on as an offense. But like I said, you don't want to be in that position. It's hard for everybody. Hard for the defense when we go three-and-out and they have to go back out there against a great offense. So want to just have longer drives, have explosive plays and throw the ball downfield and all that stuff. There were opportunities, and we just have to watch the field and see what we can do.

Q: I know this is kind of an open-ended question, so you can take it wherever you want. Where do you guys go from here now that you're 2-6?

MAC JONES: Yeah, it's not the record we want. I'll have to really just review the game film, be where my feet are and see what I can do better as a quarterback. And I know everyone else will do that or try to do that. It's hard, right? You don't want to be here. You don't want to be in this position. But at the end of the day, we're playing football and we got to go out there and figure it out.

Q: A bunch of guys got hurt today, including your go-to guy, WR Kendrick Bourne. Did you talk to him and how do you pick that guy up?

MAC JONES: Yeah, KB (Kendrick Bourne) is a great teammate and a great friend of mine. He does a great job coming to work and staying positive. I have a lot of love for KB, I hope he's OK. I didn't see him in there, but I really do. Off the field, he's one of my best friends, honestly. So I have a lot of respect for him and his family and everybody. So I hope he's OK.

Q: What was the biggest reason for lack of offensive rhythm? You guys had two nice TD drives, obviously the one in the fourth quarter. But you guys had like 78 total yards outside of those two drives. What was the reason for that lack of rhythm?

MAC JONES: I'll just have to look at the tape. Like I said, we played against a good defense, they took some things way. I feel like if I executed a little better, maybe it's a different story. I'll have to watch the tape and look at it, right – that's the only way you can do it. See the defense, see what they did, what did you see at the time and all that stuff.

Q: Mac, on the third down near the red zone, it looked like there was slant to WR DeVante Parker or RB Rhamondre Stevenson. What did you see on that play?

MAC JONES: What play?

Q: I think it was, like, in the red zone. I believe it was after the fumble from QB Tua Tagovailoa early on in the second half.

MAC JONES: Oh, I don't know. I'm not sure what play you're talking about, sorry. I'll have to watch. I know we had it right there and then it was kind of like third-and-long again in the red zone. Don't want to force anything in those situations. Obviously, you want to get points, you want to get touchdowns. I'll have to look at it and see, but at the end of the day, if we don't turn the ball over there and get the three points, we get the three points. It is what it is, but we want to score touchdowns for sure.

Q: With WR DeVante Parker's injury too, just how difficult is it to lose two of your top guys in pretty quick secession?

MAC JONES: Yeah, definitely tough. Had a lot of injuries and all that stuff, but at the end of the day, we got to fight together and figure it out. So get to make sure those guys are OK. I hope they're OK. Like I said, I have a lot of respect for DP (DaVante Parker) and KB (Kendrick Bourne). They're two of my closest friends and I hope they're OK.

Q: Did you have an immediate reaction of how there was no flag on the WR DeVante Parker hit?

MAC JONES: Yeah, I mean, it's football and it's a bang-bang play. But I hate seeing that when you're the quarterback, it's the worst feeling in the world. You can't put someone in that position. I feel like that's a tough bang-bang play.

Q: This Fangio defense, you guys had trouble creating explosive plays, it feels like, in the two matchups. What do they do so well, and what does that defense, do so well in their structure to limit those?

MAC JONES: Yeah, it's one of those things they do well. It's easy to do with a scheme, but then when you got really good players as well, you get both. So they've got both over there. Like I said, it's a good football team with a lot of talent everywhere. Really, veteran guys that play a lot of football, so respect to them. They had our card today.

Q: In your time with Coach Belichick, what do you think you'll expect from him this week in terms of messaging, keeping you guys together, maybe moves he has to make, anything this week with him?

MAC JONES: I'm not really focused on that. I'm just trying to, like I said, watch the tape and see where we have to go. And the direction is always -- it comes from the leaders of the team, and that's very important. I think Coach Belichick is going to do everything he can to keep us motivated. Like I said, we don't want to be in this position, but so what, now what? It's tough.

CENTER DAVID ANDREWS

Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, October 29, 2023

(How do you process what went on out there today?) – "Talk about it. (There were) drives where there weren't negative plays, we were able to stay on track, we had success. The drives where there were negative plays and playing the game from not a series advantage, it's hard. It's hard, and it's hard to overcome. You've got to try to overcome it the best you can, but the drives we had success on, we were able to stay ahead on down and distance, keep the ball moving forward."

(It didn't seem that they blitzed a lot. As you sort of come in here, obviously you haven't watched it over, but what did you see?) – "Yeah, I'll have to watch it and see what happened. They had a good defensive scheme. There's probably some things we've got to clean up, do better, whether it's handling movement, blitz, whatever it may be. It's hard to say if they blitzed or not right now or if it was just line movement, because they move the line without blitzing, so it's hard to really say.

(David, it did get a little chippy there at the end. Do you think you guys were frustrated? There were some clear miscalls and things like that. What do you think that was like at the end?) – "I'm not going to sit here and comment on the officiating. You got however long it was – if it was a 60- minute game, we had 58 minutes to put more points on the board and do better. It is what it is."

(2-6, as a guy who has a finger on the pulse of the locker room, are you concerned about buy-in at this point?) – "I don't think so. I think we fought to the end. We didn't quit. Against an explosive team like this, you let one, two, three, four plays get away from you, that can be big plays very fast. We just have to do a better job of that. Look, it starts with us in the locker room. I think any grown man has to sit there and look at the mirror and say what I can do better. You start pointing fingers, I think that's kind of a coward way to do things. So take a look in the mirror, figure it out and we've got to correct it."

(Without making it about officiating, did you see the hit on WR DeVante Parker? Did you have concern for your teammate? We all saw the hit.) – Yeah, definitely. I don't think you ever want to see someone go down. I'm not sure what they're looking for and certain things. I hope DP (DeVante Parker) is alright. Unfortunately, it's just a sad part of the game, injuries. But DP is a tough great pro, and I really appreciate him."

(Tuesday's trade deadline is coming up, just a few days away. From your time here in New England, it's always been about kind of adding some pieces. How do you approach what's going to be a potentially different trade deadline coming up?) – "I didn't know I was the GM, so I think it's the same for me. Look, that question – you just had (Head Coach) Bill (Belichick), you can ask him all those questions, that ain't for me. I'm a player, my job is to go out there and play football, and that's what I'm going to do every day."

(Were there any adjustments you had to make with all the rotation on the offensive line today?) – "No, I mean, look – it's kind of been what it's been. My job, like I said, is to go out there and play. I try to do that at the best of my ability, represent this team, the community. That's what they pay me to do, and that's what I try to do every day. Thanks guys."

TIGHT END HUNTER HENRY

Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, October 29, 2023

(Another tough loss in your division, who in the locker room – how did things unwind for you in that game?) – "Just tough, man. It's got – all of us, we've been through a lot this year. We felt good about the week, felt we had a good week of preparation. Just weren't able to execute on a lot of things and turned the ball over in the red zone, just be beating ourselves in a lot of ways. I mean, they did a lot of good things too. You got to give them a lot of credit. Yeah, we've just got to regroup and get ready to go again."

(How much at all do you think you and your teammates pay attention to the trade deadline this week given the situation and record that your team is in?) – "No, I'm not paying attention to it."

(You don't?) – "I don't. No."

(How have you been supporting your guy, QB Mac Jones? What do you say to him?) – "Just there for him, man. Pick him up. He's a competitor, dude works his tail off, and he takes everything – we all know we've got to be better, it's not just him. Dude is going to go back to work, and I know that. I've seen that time and time again, and he'll be ready to go again. I know he will next week."

(Were you able to catch up with WR Kendrick Bourne or WR DeVante Parker after the game?) – "No"

(How tough was it to lose those guys?) – "It's always tough to lose two guys that you rely on a lot. So yeah, that was a tough time, but we have a good group in that in that room, too. A lot of guys stepped up."

(Why do you think the offense wasn't able to build on the momentum from last week?) – "We just got behind the sticks early. Turned the ball over, obviously, weren't good on third down. Just situational football wasn't great today. We were able to capitalize on the first turnover, but the second turnover, we really needed to put points on there and just weren't able to execute. They did some good things, too. I mean, you got to give them credit, too. I mean, they got – their D-line is really good up front. They are moving and making a lot of plays in the backfield that we need to be better on."

(In both matchups against the Dolphins, they did a nice job of limiting explosive plays against you guys. What about this scheme makes it so hard to hit those bigger plays?) – "Well I think they tackled pretty good today. I'll give them credit on that, for sure. They were disruptive in the pass game, obviously getting some sacks and disruptive in the run game, moving and tackles for loss and stuff like that. So when you get behind the sticks, it makes things a little more difficult to kind of maybe have the full arsenal of what you want to run. They did a great job of that and got to give them credit."

(What have you learned about Coach Belichick in your time here and what kind of message comes to keep you guys together, focused, whatever as you're moving forward?)– "Well he's been in a lot of games, and he knows what it takes to be successful in this league. So you've got to rely on that, and I'll lean in on that. I try to learn as much as I can every single day from him."

PLAYERS IN THE LOCKER ROOM

DB JABRILL PEPPERS

(I know this is an open ended question, and you can kind of take it and run with it whatever direction you want, but where do you guys go from here?) – "Just got to lock back in, man. Stranger things have happened, so you just got to lock back in so you can go back out there next week and get the results you want."

(How much of the game plan was to be physical with WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle, and do you guys feel like you were able to do that?) – "We always want to be physical week in and week out; just got to do a better job of execution."

(How difficult does it seem with all the injuries? I know it's a part of the game, but you guys have been hit hard this year.) – "Everybody has injuries, man. Next man up. The standard doesn't change. When you're out there, you are required to execute and play up to the standard. Across the league, there's injuries – some worse than others. You can't really live in that world. We got the guys to win; we just got to go out there and execute."

WR JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER

(Can you explain what happened on the last play there?) – "I just saw the defensive player trying to go for the interception and I was just trying to make a play. While he was coming down with the ball, I kind of just hit him in the chest and tried to get the ball out."

(I know you're still working your way back after the concussion, but were you surprised not to play over the first three quarters?) – "It's what the coaches – it's the decision they made with the players, and it is what it is. I've been in situations like this before, so just when the opportunity comes, you make the most of it."

(How are you doing physically?) – "I'm good. I'm good. I was excited just to be on the field, go out there and help this team put points on the board."

(How do you mentally stay engaged when you're not receiving a lot of snaps? The you had to get in there and come through, and obviously you did. How were you able to continue to stay with it?) – "I stayed with it. I know my boys are out there on the field, they're going to make their plays. The guys that they put out there, (the guys) the coaches have lined up, they're going to make their plays. We all can make plays. This is why we're here. It's the National Football League. Like I said, when the opportunity comes you just got to make the best of it."

WR MATTHEW SLATER

(Where do you kind of chart to Head Coach Bill Belichick? What do you think he brings in terms of this being a bit uncharted and what he'll do for your team this week?) – "Coach (Belichick) has seen everything in this league. He's been in almost every situation. He's had the lead in various situations. So I'm sure he'll set the tone for what we need to do moving forward. But ultimately it comes down to us and how we play. Coach (Belichick) can do everything until he's blue in the face. But if we don't go out and execute then it doesn't matter."

(Part of the uncharted waters are Tuesday. Obviously you're not the GM you don't make any of those decisions. But how do you approach it as one of the captains of this team when you get back home tomorrow? ) – "I think you hit it. That's above my paygrade. They don't pay me to do that. They don't pay me to do that, so I just encourage the guys, focus on what we can control, and then whatever happens Tuesday is out of our control."