The Los Angeles Rams may have been fortunate to advance to the Super Bowl thanks to an egregious missed pass interference call late in regulation in their win over the Saints in NFC Championship Game, but Bill Belichick wasn't any less complimentary of his upcoming opponent than normal.
"Watching the Rams, this is a really good football team," he began Thursday's press conference. "I'm just impressed with so many things they do. It's easy to see why they're here. They're very well-coached."
Belichick went on to discuss the Rams strengths on offense and defense, and interestingly he praised their young coach, Sean McVay, for his attention to detail.
"Offensively, they're creative but they're very fundamentally sound and they execute extremely well; the least penalties in the league offensively," Belichick said. "They don't make many mistakes. They really do a great job of attacking defenses."
Belichick also had a lot of nice things to say about longtime defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who has had success in the past against Tom Brady and the Patriots from his days in Denver.
"Defensively, a lot of outstanding players and they've got some good players at every level of the defense," Belichick added. "Wade does a tremendous job with his scheme and the experience that he has. They turn the ball over very well with their fumbles and interceptions. They're very in-tune to getting the ball off of the offense in a number of different ways.
"Really, just across the board, a healthy team, a team that's been – especially offensively – they've started the same line all year, same thing as last year. They have a lot of continuity in what they do and with the guys that are doing it. A very consistent team that kind of, I think everybody looked at them in the beginning of the year and weren't surprised that they're where they are nor should they be. They do a really good job."
