Belichick’s comments
Patriots coach Bill Belichick held a conference call with reporters this afternoon. Here are five points of interest:
1. Lost opportunities lamented: Belichick emphasized that the offense needs to do a better job of converting its opportunities into touchdowns in the red zone. The Patriots settled for field goals on a pair of promising drives in the second quarter and finished 1 for 4 in red zone visits overall. “We need to take better advantage of our scoring [chances],” Belichick said. “Any one of those plays [in the red zone] would have made the difference in the game.” Later in the conference call, Belichick returned to the topic: “It comes down to better execution. It’s harder to throw down there . . . [and] it’s harder to run because there’s less space to defend. We just have to do a better job of getting it in and we have to do a better job of keeping them out. [The Colts converted both of their red zone opportunities into touchdowns].That is execution all the way across the board with whatever plays we are calling — runs, passes, defensively, blitzes, zones, mans. I am confident in Matt throwing the ball, I am confident in us running it, I am confident in us stopping them, but we just have to do a better job of it, that’s all.”
2. Paying the penalty: Belichick was curt in response to a question regarding David Thomas’s crucial unnecessary roughness penalty in the fourth quarter. The tight end was flagged for 15 yards on the Colts 32 with 4:45 remaining and the Patriots trailing, 18-15, taking them out of field goal range. Said the coach: “Well, I could see why they called it, so . . .”
3. Praise for the passer: Belichick had good things to say about the performance and progress of quarterback Matt Cassel, who completed 25 of 34 passes for 204 yards, with no touchdowns and a late desperation interception. “Matt works hard, he is a very attentive, smart kid who has talent. And every opportunity he gets a chance to practice, take reps, and play, I think he improves. He’s worked hard on it and I think that has shown up in his performance on a consistent basis.”
4. Mayo in coverage: When asked if it was by design that rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo (eight tackles, three assists) often found himself defending tight end Dallas Clark, Belichick said it was attributed more to the fast pace and tempo of the Indianapolis offense. “It’s hard to substitute people [against the hurry-up offense] and so whatever groups out there have got to be prepared [to play in any scenario. Clark’s] a very versatile player, so we have to be able to shift out of formations to match up. Guys do a little different things than they’re used to because we don’t have time to substitute. So our linebackers ended up in coverage against tight ends and backs — they kind of force you into that.”
5. Difficult division: The 5-3 Patriots are in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East, along with the New York Jets and this Sunday’s opponent, the Buffalo Bills, while the Dolphins are 4-4. Belichick said he is not surprised that the division is so competitive. “Well, we’ve played two of those teams. We were competitive with the Jets down there [a 19-10 victory Sept. 14], then got,beat up by Miami pretty good [a 38-13 loss Sept. 21]. We’ve kept an eye on Buffalo, seen them to some degree because we’ve had [mutual] opponents, and now is when we start zeroing in on them. All three are good football teams. We certainly knew about the Jets, and Miami is not a surprise. The way that Buffalo has been built, with the job that Dick [Jauron] has done there and getting a lot of young talented players on their team and how explosive they are in the return game, on special teams and offensively with [Lee] Evans, all the receivers and [Marshawn] Lynch. Defensively, [they have] speed and quickness up front with some talented guys in the secondary. It doesn’t surprise me that they have won five games, no”
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