HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
PRESS CONFERENCE
June 6, 2023
BB: Alright, we're going to kind of tempo things down a little bit here today. We had a good day yesterday, a big day yesterday. Did some teaching, get some situations handled that we feel like we need to get handled today, and then push it back up on Thursday. Trying to put one foot in front of the other here, move forward every day, and take it one day at a time. Long way to go, but moving forward.
Q: What does it mean when you said you had a big day yesterday?
BB: Just had a big day. Ran a lot of plays. Got a lot done.
Q: My big day is different from your big day, so that's why we ask. Did you get a bunch installed? Did the guys-
BB: We ran a lot of plays.
Q: Bill, what are your thoughts on Jalen Mills' versatility?
BB: Good. Jalen's a smart kid. He's got a lot of playing experience in different spots. He's done a good job for us.
Q: Since you've had him, would you say he's been playing more outside, or have you worked him inside, since you've had him prior to this spring?
BB: Yeah, he's done a lot of different things.
Q: What does he have going for him if he were to play less outside corner and more safety?
BB: We're working a lot of guys in a lot of different positions now, so we'll see how it all plays out. Let them compete, see where the team needs different guys, and see how it goes. We want to give players an opportunity to learn multiple spots. I think that helps them understand the overall system, but also gives them a chance to compete at different spots, so we'll see how it plays out.
Q: Bill, what did you see in Malik Cunningham? You moved him around a little bit in practice last week when we were there. What are your first impressions?
BB: He played quarterback at Louisville, so we're giving him some work at receiver. We'll see how it goes. He's an athletic kid, smart. He's able to learn two spots. We'll see.
Q: Is there an added value with a player like Malik for scout team and things like that if things develop?
BB: Yeah, maybe. I don't know.
Q: What have you learned working with Adrian Klemm now, 23 years after you drafted him? How is he?
BB: Good. Klemm's been great. Works hard, smart guy. He's had different experiences in college, a couple years in Pittsburgh. He's been great to work with.
Q: Bill, what are your impressions of Ty Montgomery and how would you describe what it took for him to get from where he was, injured last year, to this point?
BB: Yeah, I mean, we'll see how it goes with Ty. His availability is probably a big thing for him. Some other guys are probably in that category, too, so we'll just have to see how it plays out. But, he's a skilled player, can do a lot of different things in the kicking game and offensively. We'll give him an opportunity to do those things and see how it goes.
Q: Bill, just to follow up on Adrian. When a coach comes in like that from a different program, does he bring a language or vocabulary with him that players need to pick up on once he's here? Or, does he try to pick up on things that you guys have done in the past? How does that work?
BB: It all depends. Every situation's a little bit different. There's certainly a little bit of both. But, yeah, it just really depends on what it is we're talking about, whether it's a specific play or technique, so it could be a little bit of both.
Q: Have you found that there's much carryover between what Adrian brought with him and some of the stuff you guys already had?
BB: I'm not really too concerned about what he used somewhere else. We just kind of look at what's best for our team. There's some things that he does or has done that make sense for us, and there's things that we do that either he's had to learn or maybe he already knew, I don't know. But, yeah, we'll get him.
Q: A day yesterday where you ran a lot of plays, how do you assess how Bill O'Brien and Mac [Jones] looked communication-wise running the offense?
BB: Yeah, it's just a teaching process for all of us. So, all the players, and again the coaching staff, we've got to get back into coaching and teaching, and so forth. We all have something to work on out there. Players, coaches, all of us.
Q: Bill, what stands out about Ed Lee's skill set, bringing him in yesterday?
BB: Just get a little more depth at the position. We had him here at rookie minicamp, have an opportunity, have a spot for him. So, we'll take a look at him in OTAs here and see how it goes.
Q: What do you lose without Raekwon McMillan, having put him on injured reserve, within the last couple of weeks?
BB: Yeah, Raekwon gave us a lot of versatility. It just was an unfortunate situation, but you know, he's young. I think things went well when he came back from the ACL a year ago, played in every game, except for one. I think he missed with a thumb or something, but, hopefully he'll be back.
Q: I don't think we've asked you about Jim Brown since his passing, so I wanted to ask you about your relationship with him.
BB: I had a great relationship with Jim. Ton of respect for Jim on so many fronts. He was a great friend, mentor, and I was a huge admirer of his. He helped me in a lot of different ways. Thanks.
Q: Christian Gonzalez is a pretty unique athlete. I wondered, now that you've seen him on the field a little bit more, whether you're impressed with the athleticism and whether it surprised you in any way?
BB: Again, a lot of what we are doing is really teaching. So, the evaluations will come in training camp when they are able to go out there and compete against each other. He's a smart kid. He's got good skill, and a pretty good level of experience from what he did in college at Colorado and Oregon. He's learning out there every day like they all are.
Q: Can you gauge how quick a player is or how a player moves during these practices? Obviously, no pads involved, so does it give you any kind of evaluation?
BB: Again, we will evaluate them when we can evaluate them.
Q: Not happy that you've scheduled the big day for yesterday and [the media] comes in today.
BB: After a couple days off, that is usually what we do. We give them the weekends off, and obviously since the weekend is off, they come in Monday.
Q: It seems like a few teams are canceling minicamps. Do you still feel like you guys can get a lot out of those practice sessions, or where is it in the offseason? What value does it provide?
BB: We're going day by day. Take care of today and see how that goes. Deal with the next opportunity when that comes along, potentially on Thursday, and see where we are at. I can't speak to what other teams are or aren't doing. You'd have to talk to them about that. I'm not really sure.
Q: Jack Jones finished off last season with a suspension. What have you seen from him since he's come back this offseason?
BB: He's still working his way back in there. It's good to see him out there. We'll see how that goes.
Q: Are you expecting to have JuJu [Smith-Schuster] at practice today?
BB: Yeah, I think he'll be here.
Q: I know he was out of town yesterday, but what has it been like working with him in the time you've had?
BB: Good. It's been great. He's great to work with. Smart kid, a lot of leadership, a lot of experience. It's been good.
Q: What's your impression so far of Kayshon Boutte, and what it's been like to work with him?
BB: All the rookies, they've all been good. They've got a lot to learn and they're trying. Drinking through a fire hose, but that's what it is for rookies coming into the NFL. They've all put in extra time. They're trying. They're overwhelmed, but they're still afloat, still swimming, treading water. Eventually it will sort itself out. No issues with any of them, really. They're all working hard, but it's a lot.
Q: How do you feel about your depth at the receiver position?
BB: We're teaching the guys that we have out there. Everybody's learning. There's a lot of instruction, a lot of learning, we'll see how it goes.
Q: Can it put stress on that group on a day like yesterday when you run a lot of plays? Do you feel like the numbers are kind of low there?
BB: The guys got a good amount of work yesterday.
Q: When you have the college coaches coming at a time like this, how much do you enjoy that and interact with them? Are they sort of more detached?
BB: Those guys do a great job of accommodating us when we come in there, whether it's our college scouts during the year or the spring when we go in for Pro Days and things like that. We have a good working relationship with the college coaches, schools. It's mutually beneficial, I think.
Q: With the new kickoff rule, do you anticipate spending more time practicing, executing and receiving squib kicks?
BB: We'll see how it goes. Right now we're just putting in our basic stuff in every area. Specific situations and things like that, we will deal with those a little bit later. We're not ready for that right now. We'll see if we can just get in the basics and teach the fundamentals, and then build off of that. But, maybe.
Q: With the new rule on emergency quarterbacks, does that at all change it for you when you are compiling your 53? Does it make having a third quarterback more important?
BB: We'll take a look at it.
Q: There was an announcement or a press release about you all working with Jerod [Mayo] about an extension. What made you all want to put together an effort to keep him around?
BB: I'm not going to get into any contract talks. You can talk to somebody else about that.
Q: How about just generally?
BB: Jerod's great. He's great to work with, adds a lot to our program. Good staff. He's part of it. It certainly helps to have people like Jerod, Troy [Brown] and Adrian, that have played in the system, that have played here, that have playing perspective, as well as an organizational and coaching perspective.
Q: Is he the kind of guy you guys don't want to let go?
BB: No, I love working with Jerod.
Q: Regarding assistant coaches, DeMarcus [Covington] has had a lot of extracurricular work in the offseason with Senior Bowl games, as well as Troy with the Shrine Bowl had the chance to kind of organize and coach the team as a head coach. What have you seen from their development and how those experiences have improved the staff?
BB: DeMarcus has done a great job for us. He has a lot of responsibility with the number of players that he coaches. He's coached multiple positions, linebackers, edge guys, all the defensive linemen, and as you mentioned he's involved in some of the other NFL programs. We all had an opportunity to work in the all-star games this year. He was at the Senior Bowl, we were at the East-West game. He continues to grow and adds a lot of value to our staff and our team, and does a great job for us.
