PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
PRESS CONFERENCE
November 16, 2022
BB: Alright, good morning. We're on to the Jets here, Jets week. Always a real competitive situation here. Obviously, a big win for the Jets against Buffalo, the last game we saw. Again, the same things we talked about a couple weeks ago, a really well balanced team. Good in the kicking game, explosive on offense, really good on defense, well coached, good players and they're playing well. So, a big opportunity for us this week. An opportunity to take a look at some things that hopefully we can improve on and be ready to go Sunday. So, that's where we're at.
Q: Just the three games in a twelve-day stretch, can you just talk about the importance of just kind of staying focused on the task at hand and taking care of business I guess a little bit?
BB: Yeah, we're focused on the Jets right now. So, we'll worry about next week next week.
Q: How beneficial was this bye week for your team in terms of healing up and resting for the second half of the season?
BB: It's always good to get a break.
Q: What adjustments have you seen the Jets make since your last game against them?
BB: Well, they played Buffalo, that's the only game we've seen. They did a good job defensively against a very explosive Buffalo offense. They did a good job in the kicking game. Protected the ball. Protected their quarterback.
Q: For them defensively, have they changed much in [Robert] Saleh's time there in terms of what they run? Do they for instance use more sort of two high safety coverages as opposed to sort of that Cover 3 [Pete] Carroll scheme?
BB: Yeah, that's what Saleh did in San Francisco.
Q: He did the Cover 3 stuff right?
BB: Well, I'd say what he did in San Francisco is what he's doing now which is a little different than what Pete [Carroll] does or did.
Q: Ok, alright.
BB: Again, the Jets are the Jets. They have their way of doing things and there's a foundation from another system, or another time, or another team, but you're talking about a couple teams now. San Francisco to Seattle, right now the Jets are the Jets.
Q: Is there anything about their front that allows them to play the style they do on the back end?
BB: Yeah, they've been playing that way for multiple years. So, they have their way of doing things and they've been very successful with it. They've had a lot of good front seven players, defensive lineman especially, they play them. They've got good linebackers and they do a good job at communicating and getting their things right in the secondary. So, a good defense.
Q: How beneficial is the fact that they can maybe rotate through guys on the defensive line? It seems like they use a fair number of bodies up there.
BB: Yeah, they use a lot. They probably use as many as anybody in the league. Getting [Jermaine] Johnson back, and they plugged him in there, so there's another one. A lot of different guys to block. They're fresh and they're rolling through. It's a good group. They're well coached, and they play hard. They're tough.
Q: How beneficial is it to get David [Andrews] back for a match like this when you're dealing with Quinnen Williams and a talented defensive line?
BB: Yeah, it's always good to get players back. Always good to get good players back. So, we never turn that down.
Q: Could having David on the field maybe help somebody like Cole [Strange] who obviously is in his first year? How beneficial might it be that presence alongside him?
BB: Yeah, I mean David does a great job for us. I think James [Ferentz] did a good job when he was in there. I don't think that was an issue.
Q: Did the decision to go no huddle to start the second half a couple weeks ago against them, how did you see them react in the subsequent series, if at all, to adjust to that?
BB: Yeah, again, they have their system of playing and what they do falls generally within that system. So, I don't think you see too many things that you've probably never seen that before. That's not really what they do, but they blend them together and [C.J.] Mosley does a really good job at either putting them in the right thing or adjusting what they're doing to where the stress is being applied by the offense. Handling it there, whether that's with line calls or alignment, whatever it happens to be. So, they have their way of doing things. I don't think it really affects them too much whether we do a no huddle or not. They run the same defenses.
Q: What are some of the added challenges and benefits when you just played a team a couple weeks ago, I mean I know you guys play them every single year twice, but being three weeks ago?
BB: We'll see how it goes. We'll see how things match up this time. It's the same process and preparation. I'm sure they'll have a couple new wrinkles for us, and I'm sure we'll have a couple new wrinkles for them. We'll see how it goes.
Q: This is a big game in terms of like playoff possibilities. I know you guys take things one game at a time, but do you personally take a look at the standings to reiterate?
BB: One game at a time. Just took the words right out of my mouth. One game at a time. Let's worry about the Jets. We'll add them up at the end.
Q: With the way Michael Onwenu has been playing at right guard, is he in a position that this is a position you'd like to see him stick at? I know he has versatility so obviously you can move him up to right tackle but does his performance here say for you like developmentally I'd like him to stay at one position this season?
BB: Yeah, that's what we've tried to do since we drafted him.
Q: Is it an added bonus?
BB: Yeah, we didn't really ever anticipate playing him at tackle and then we got into a bind, we put him out there and he played pretty good. I think he's built to play guard. He's comfortable playing guard. He has a really good skill set in there. That's where we'd like to play him, for sure. But could he do other things for us? He's played on both sides. He could play right tackle; he's definitely done that. So, that adds a lot of versatility and value and depth to our offensive line. That's why we do those things in training camp in case things come up and you need to move guys around, sometimes that's what you need to do. But that was a big benefit for us when we did that back in his rookie year back in '20.
Q: With a guy like Jon Jones, I know you've had him for a while now. How much does that trust factor go into his reliability just seeing him grow as a player, how important is that for him?
BB: Yeah, I think everybody has total trust in Jon with everything. Defensively, pass coverage, run force, communication, special teams, all four units in the kicking game. Well, five really because in the field goal block team, too. So, very much anything you put him out there for, I think everybody's got a ton of confidence in him. Coaches, players, guys that are out there with him and the guys that are watching him. He's a really solid dependable guy.
Q: When they or teams like them kind of do what they do defensively, this is our scheme and we kind of stick to the same menu, does that from what you've studied of them make the way offenses attack them similar understanding the wholes in Cover 3 or 6 or whatever they want to play, are pretty constant in those schemes?
BB: Well, they have enough variety in what they do so that if you do one thing, it looks good against something but then doesn't look so good against something else. So, that's why they compliment that and do what they do. So yeah, if you give them trouble with one thing then they have an answer to that with something that they do regularly, and if you attack that then they can use another part of their defense or adjust the defense, adjust the alignment, the call. Again, Coach Saleh has talked a lot abut the communication. In the secondary you can see that that's evident and they do a good job at identifying where they feel like the stress in the offense is coming and then adjust the positioning of their secondary coverage or players accordingly. It's what any good defense would do. They're well coached against most. Start with Mosley, you know Mosley definitely is as good as anybody we play against as a player, but then he's going to quarterback the defense. He gets things right for them, like 99.9% of the time. So that's what they do, they're good at it.
Q: Do you anticipate getting Ty Montgomery back this season?
BB: We'll take it day-by-day.
Q: Last time you brought up C.J. Mosley was obviously in relation to him getting a head start in a couple plays in the game a few weeks ago like Shaq Leonard. You mentioned complimentary plays offensively, having something to go to if the players start to get ahead. Are you content with the variety in your own offense as far as having answers when things like that happen?
BB: Yeah, definitely. Look, that's always part of the game, so it's never changed. It's been like that since I came into the league a long time ago. That's why defenses scout offenses, offenses scout defenses and scout special teams. It is what it is. So, try to stay balanced or have complimentary things that you do to keep the other side off balance. But at the same time, you want to be able to do things well that you do well.
Q: Coming out of the bye week, is it realistic to make substantial changes to what you guys are doing from a schematic standpoint, or do you have what you have basically going back to the things you've worked on in training camp that you've kind of worked to?
BB: Yeah, I mean there's no laws or regulations. You can do whatever you want to do.
Q: But realistically, is it asking too much?
BB: Depends on what you want to do.
Q: How far?
BB: That would depend on what you'd consider major and what you don't consider major. I don't know. Each team is different, the players are different, the systems are different. What works for one might not work for another and vice versa. It's like anything else, you take the time you have and try to use it as productively as possible. I'm sure that's what you do in your life. That's what we all try to do in our lives. It's what your team tries to do. Take the time, figure it out, see what the problems are, address them. If you've got to make a big change, make a big change. Make a little change then make a little change. Try to figure it out and do the best thing you can for the team. I don't know what else to do. Alright, thank you.
