Bill Belichick Is On To The Cincinnati Bengals
By Cyrus Geller
Bill Belichick is known for his press conferences, and today he gave another memorable one (or un-memorable, depending how you look at it).
Belichick praised the Bengals for the solid play thus far, but it was this exchange that was probably the most entertaining
"Q: Your team has been successful for so long. How difficult is it to adjust to the adversity of Monday night’s game and get back on track? This team and organization hasn’t had these sort of issues in the past.BB: We’re on to Cincinnati.Q: You mentioned Tom Brady’s age at the draft –BB: We’re on to Cincinnati.Q: Do you think having a 37-year old –BB: We’re on to Cincinnati. It’s nothing about the past, nothing about the future. Right now we’re preparing for Cincinnati.Q: Do you think the talent you have here is good?BB: We’re getting ready for Cincinnati.Q: Do you think you’ve done enough to help Tom Brady?BB: We’re getting ready for Cincinnati. That’s what we’re doing.Q: As you get ready for Cincinnati, does Tom Brady have the talent and protection around him?BB: We’re going to game plan, do the best we can to be ready to go Sunday night – same as we always do. Nothing’s changed.Q: We saw multiple combinations on the offensive line on Monday. Going forward in preparing for Cincinnati and teams you’ll meet after them, how much closer are you to an offensive line that’s going to be comfortable with the positions that they’re in?BB: We’re going to put the best players out there this weekend that we can. We’ll see how that plays out.Q: How important is it to get continuity on the offensive line where everyone is comfortable around who is next to them?BB: It’s always important to have a good understanding of what we’re doing and do it with teammates that we’re comfortable with. I don’t think anybody is against that.Q: Are the problems you’re seeing correctable?BB: We’re going to do the best we can to put together a game plan for Cincinnati and go and execute it well. That’s where we’re at.Q: The things that you’ve seen on tape the first four weeks, do you think that’s correctable with the talent that is here?BB: We’re going to put together the best game plan we can, practice it and go out and execute it against Cincinnati.Q: You went through a nice characterization of Cincinnati’s team and where they stand right now. How do you see your team as you come up against Cincinnati? How would you describe them?BB: You can talk to Coach Lewis about that. Our job is to identify our opponent and prepare both in the classroom and on the practice field and then film study to play. That’s what we’re doing with Cincinnati.Q: Do you think you’re still searching for an identity and looking for answers?BB: I think we’re trying to find a way to beat the Bengals. That’s what we’re trying to do."
Guys, we’re on to Cincinnati.
In all seriousness, Belichick is right. The Patriots played one of the worst games in recent memory on Monday night, but we cannot dwell on that performance. If New England wants to move forward with the season, and make some noise in January, they have to move on.
Belichick has taken a lot of criticism over the last two days, and rightfully so. But he is still one of the best in the history of the NFL in terms of moving on from a loss, and coming back looking like a new team. I am not saying the Patriots are going to show up looking like the ’85 Bears on Sunday night, but based on Belichick’s quotes, I believe they will look much better in Foxboro.