PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
Q: What kind of work does Antonio Brown have to do to assimilate himself to the program and the offense, and what kind of work does the coaching staff have to do to help him and prepare him?
BB: Well, we'll just take it day-by-day. We haven't practiced yet, so we're going through information with him like we would any new player, like we did with offensive linemen last week and just take it day-by-day and see how it goes. Get out on the practice field and after Wednesday talk about Thursday and just go through the week and see how it goes.
Q: Does it help that you have a player in Josh Gordon who went through a similar routine last year by joining the team in Week 5 and integrating himself fairly quickly?
BB: Again, each situation is different. Each player is different. The game that he's coming in for, obviously, has a different game plan so we'll just have to take it on a case-by-case basis. Every year we've had players come on to the team that weren't with the team at the start of the season in various points in the year in all three phases of the game. It's basically the same process. What the role is and how fast the process goes and all of that just depends on each individual situation so we'll see.
Q: What traits does Antonio Brown have as a player that made you want to work with him?
BB: Well, we think he'll help our team, but until we start working with him – part of that is actually having a hands-on opportunity to work with a player and see exactly how everything fits together and what we can develop. We'll just have to see how that goes.
Q: How much of a link would you draw between this Week 2 game in Miami against a former coach in Matt Patricia and last year's Week 3 game in Detroit against Matt Patricia just in terms of the challenge and dynamic of going against a former coach that knows you well?
BB: Yeah, I don't know. It's two totally different games. Obviously, the players are a lot different which definitely affects any coach. Last year was last year. We're really just focused on this year's game. I'm sure it's an interesting story to look at, but I really don't know.
Q: When going against a coach that has the familiarity with your personnel and system, does it influence you and your staff to perhaps go a bit outside your normal preparation and game plan so that you don't become as predictable or is that overthinking it?
BB: I would put it in that category. We play teams every week that have players and coaches that were here. We have a lot of times players and coaches that were on that team that we're playing, so that's pretty common in the NFL. I think every team goes through that. We'll have them every week. You can write that story certainly in the coming weeks. It's the same every week. I think that's way overrated, yeah.
Q: How has Joe Judge handled coaching the wide receivers in his first year given just the large number of bodies that he's responsible between the active roster and guys that you have on IR?
BB: Yeah, Joe's done an outstanding job. He's a very good coach. He understands the game well, works very hard, very good at fundamentals. Joe picks up things, concepts and coaching points quickly and he and Josh [McDaniels] have worked well together at that position. Troy [Brown]'s been a great addition, too, to help us with the receivers. I think all of those guys have done a good job.
Q: What makes you confident that Antonio Brown won't be as disruptive here as he was in Oakland or Pittsburgh, and what was it difficult for you to reconcile what he was coming off of last week in Oakland with bringing him aboard?
BB: Well, I wasn't in either one of those places so I really can't comment on what did or didn't happen there.
Q: It's pretty well-documented that he was disruptive in both places. What makes you confident that he won't be that way here?
BB: It's the same thing you said about Randy Moss when we brought him in.
Q: Me?
BB: Collectively.
