Belichick Talks Jets, Praises Wilson as ‘Explosive Player’ in 9/15 Media Meet
With the image of the New England Patriots’ season-opening 17-6 loss to the Miami Dolphins continuing to shrink in the team’s rearview mirror, it is time for the Pats to turn their attention to the (0-1) New York Jets. The two AFC East divisional rivals will meet on Sunday, September 19 at MetLIfe Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Prior to he and his team taking the practice fields on Wednesday, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick addressed the media. Belichick praised the Jets as a very good, young team with “explosive players in all three phases.” New England’s man-in-charge also complemented the abilities of Jets’ head coach Robert Saleh, saying that he has brought an exciting, new approach to New York’s playing style.
Here are some additional highlights from Belichick’s Wednesday morning meet with the media:
On Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson:
“He’s an explosive player…got a great arm…a live arm. Can make all the throws. Every time he goes out there and plays well, and has the opportunity to get better.
On Wilson’s versatility in and out of the pocket:
“It’s impressive. Whether it’s out of the pocket, in the pocket, it's the unpredictability that comes with players like that. We have to be ready to defend it"
On his message to the team on rebounding form Sunday’s loss:
“I’m not going to go through all the things I say to the team. We obviously have to do better.”
On the similarities of the Jets’ schemes to that of the San Francisco 49ers [Saleh was the Niners’ defensive coordinator]:
“Schematically, it’s similar to what we saw from San Francisco last year. Different players but similar schemes. They tend to run a “Seattle Three” defense. But, they run the same schemes on both sides of the ball.”
NOTE: The ‘Seattle Three” defense has a four man defensive line, but incorporates defensive principles more commonly seen in three man lines.
On Mac Jones ability to put the needs of the team first:
“That’s what players do…we all need to put the team first. Mac has done a great job of it…as have all of our players. But that’s what we need to do.”
On the Jets’ receivers and their ability to make plays:
“[Corey] Davis is an explosive player…[Jamison] Crowder has the ability to do different things. [Keelan] Cole can play inside and outside. They have players on the practice squad that can help as well. Just adds to their abilities. They have a lot of players that do things very well.”
On the Jets’ depth at offensive tackle minus Mekhi Becton:
“Even without him, the Jets have pretty good depth at that position (offensive tackle). That is one of the deeper areas on the team. [Morgan] Moses is as good as anyone at the position too. They have strength there.”
On the Jets’ rushing schemes, and tendencies to utilize zone blocking:
“There is not a team in the league that doesn’t run zone blocking. That’s not all they do. They do a good job of changing it up…they run a lot of zone, but it’s not all zone. They ran some RPO [last week]…they have a diversified attack.”
