Interested in what Patriots coach Bill Belichick has to say about the Jets in advance of this week's rematch? Of course you are.
Here's the transcript of today's presser with the New England media. We've just included his comments as they relate to Sunday's game. No back-page quotes, but I'm sure you'll find his comments interesting nonetheless. At least he doesn't say, "We're moving on," which was his operative phrase after the NFL came down with sanctions over Belichick's illegal taping of the Jets' defensive signals during their Week 1 game at Giants Stadium. 
(UPDATE: There is a question in here about Belichick's reaction to a banner. A plane was flying around Gillette Stadium yesterday with a banner attached to it that read: "Bonds -- 756* Belichick -- 3 Super Bowl wins*)
Q: What is your impression of the Jets? Last year they were a playoff team, this year -
BB: My impression of them was in the Pittsburgh game they played very well. And they beat
Pittsburgh. I haven’t seen yesterday’s game, but we watched the Pittsburgh game pretty carefully because we were watching Pittsburgh. We’ll get rolling on the Jets this afternoon and into the week..
Q: What will be your approach this week and will there be any extra motivation for your team?
BB: We’re going to approach it like every other game.
Q: Which is?
BB: Just the way we’ve done all of them - Come in, look at the film, get together a game plan, try to figure out the best way to attack and defend them. Try to win.
Q: And extra motivation?
BB: We’re going to do the same thing - We try to win every week, believe it or not. It may not look like it at times, but we do. We try to play our best game out there every week and we try to win every week, so we’re going to try to win this week.
Q: Is there a point where you weigh the bigger picture against individual games?
BB: Well, right now that doesn’t really come into play so I’m not going to worry about it and we’re not going to talk about it. We’re going to try to win the next game.
Q: It appears from the outside the approach has always been to play each game independently.
BB: Absolutely. And that’s exactly right. That’s what it is. I mean, people try to make more out of it than that, but that’s all it is. Just try to play this game for what it is.
Q: Is there a benefit to that approach, even when there isn’t anything tangible at stake?
BB: I don’t know how to approach the game any other way. We’re playing a team this week, so what should we do, talk about some other game? What’s the point in that? Talk about something that happened a month ago or last week or that might happen sometime in the future, which is so unpredictable - it’s hard enough to predict what’s going to happen a couple of days from now. To think about, well, this is something that might happen a month from now…So, we don’t spend a lot of time on that. In fact, I would say zero.
Q: You don’t feel that the fallout from that Jets game has an impact at all on the rest of your season?
BB: I’m telling you that we’re going to approach this game like we approached the last one and the one before that. That’s all I can tell you.
Q: You talked about the Jets over the Steelers and how impressive it was. Given the nature of that win, are you surprised they haven’t had more performances like that?
BB: I think I have a lot of respect for the Jets [and the] Jets players. They have some outstanding players and they played very well against Pittsburgh. I can’t tell you what happened in all of the other games. The only games I really am familiar with are our first game with them and then this Pittsburgh game because of the amount of time that we spent watching Pittsburgh last week. The rest of it, we’ll catch up on the next couple of days and try to be ready to go when the team comes in on Wednesday.
Q: You’re facing a pretty stiff penalty. Are there any lingering feelings you harbor towards the NFL or --
BB: I’m trying to get ready for this game against the Jets. That’s what I’m trying to do.
Q: Before the game yesterday there was a banner play that offended a lot of Patriots fans. Does it upset you or frustrate you that there’s a perception outside of New England that your wins or tainted or the season is tainted by Week 1?
BB: I try to control the things that I can control, and that’s what I’m going to do - Coach the team, get them ready to play, get them ready to go. That’s what we have control over. [We] can’t control what else is out there.
Comments (25)
Why the indirect questions? Why no straight forward mention of Spygate? Or about his current relationship with his former protégé.
Lance:
Can't tell you. The New York media gets a crack at him Wednesday.
It's probably good for the Jets that this week's focus from the NY media will be on Belichick and not the horrible coaching and organizational job done by Mangini and Tannenbaum this year.
I am a JET fan and have always been a JET fan. That being said, all I know is that any other JET fan would have no problem with this Patriot team if the were wearing our jerseys instead the one they are wearing.!!! It's the truth and we all know it. Remember how thrilled we were to get Coach B at first. Lets be real! We all would have loved to have gotten him as a coach and let him build the team he did for NE for us!!!
nothing on what Barnes said yesterday in the Post?
Bob What is the banner play he is talking about?
Bob, ask him if he prefers Sony or Canon... :-)
Man, he is one boring interview! I think there should be a contest between him and Eli Manning to see which can put a roomful of reporters to sleep the fastest.
No questions about the Jets cameraman getting kicked off the field by Patriots security last year??? DAMN. I guess it will just have to be another boring Patriot rout of the Jets. Yawn.
So... What he appears to be saying is that they're going to prepare for this just like any other game. Did I read that right?
Also, I found myself wondering if BB designed their gameplan against the Steelers specifically to humiliate Anthony Smith...
(Or maybe Mr. Smith managed that all by himself...)
Thanks,it's hard to get news down here.
Belichecks interviews are as interesting as watching water boil
To be fair, Bonds was a hall of famer before he started taking performance enhancers.
I think Bellichick is a brilliant interview subject. He's unflappable, in total control of the situation, a master of rhetoric, and smarter than everybody else in the room. And he lets you know it too. He knows the drill, has come up with a way to say nothing, keep his focus etc.
It's pretty comical really, very entertaining.
He obviously thinks of the media as a bunch of yapping dogs who are looking for any opening to try and make something they can yap about, and he gives you nothing, just goes into the zone, puts the mask on and punches the clock, does his ten minutes or whatever, and then on to the next thing. I think it's awesome, and oh yeah, by the way, he can put a pretty good football team together.
I'll bet he's a funny guy when he gets away from the ink-stained wretches. And I think some politicians could study his tapes and learn a few things about how to handle the press.
richie g:
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's Samari ...
You are a charter member of this blog, dude. Never to be forgotten. Look forward to more songs down the road. Maybe a little something in advance of Jets-Pats?
BILL BELICHEATER
FIRE MANIDIOT, FIRE TANNEBUM, SELL THE TEAM.....
This team has done NOTHING for thirty years except rip their fans hearts out and put together horrible teams.
We are HORRIBLE in absolutely every area except Special Teams.....
DISGUSTING !!!
p.s This new QB is aboslutely a joke....For those that say give him time.....Brady won his first game against the colts....Romo won his first ....shall I go on ?????????
ANOTHER 5 YEARS OF PUTRID FOOTBALL!
If you really want to listen to insightful interview by Belichick, then go to weei.com where he does a local interview once a week. He is much more open in those interviews
Quick story: the last time I drove through Mass I stopped to get some gas. So after gassing up I went into the store to grab some water and pay up. What I observed inside that gas station store haunts me dreams to this day. There was a group oddly shaped grey colored people with sunken eyes and brownish red facial hair (even the women) rabidly sucking from dunkin donuts cups. It was clear that I was about to be ambushed by a gang of mentally/physically challenged Massholes. I quickly ran outside and found the nearest African American (i knew they would be a friend as they were also in enemy territory) and frantically told him of the situation inside the store. Much to my surprise the man calmly assured that these were just typically ugly as sin Massholes and that as an educated man, they were just as scared of me as I was of them.
hope some ny writer will ask BB if he thinks mangini is a rat.
I AM A LIFE LONG JET FAN. YES WE HAVE ARE UPS AN DOWNS BUT WE ALL SAY IT NEXT YEAR. GIVE STEWART A CHANGE
About Mangini??? Not only is he a RAT, but would sell his Mother just to get a head... The Jets would be miles a head by Firing his ass. The Jet Fans deserve better....
Bob,
Ask Bill if he plans on not activating the Patriot punter for the game. Also, if he will got for two after every touchdown.
c229t