Belichick: ‘Still A Lot of Decisions to Make’ and More After Patriots Win Preseason Game Three

After partaking in two days of joint practices with the New York Giants, the New England Patriots closed out a perfect 2021 preseason with a 22-20 victory over the Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NewJersey. With the roster cutdown deadline fast approaching, there is much work to be done in Foxboro before the team begins preparations for the season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, September 12.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick met with the media, both postgame on Sunday, and again on Monday morning. Here are some of the highlights from Belichick’s meets with the media:

Postgame, Sunday, August 29

On whether the team has made a decision on who will start at quarterback in the regular season opener:

“No, we still have a lot of decisions to make.”

On what the team is hoping to see in the next couple of weeks of practice before the season opener from the quarterback position [to help him decide on a starter]:

“We'll be focused on preparing for Miami, so that's what we'll do.”

On the importance of winning in the preseason:

“It's important to win in the regular season.”

On determining the amount of playing time in the final preseason game:

“Again, we look at it as a composite. So not just this game by itself, but we have the practices that went with it and so forth. In the end, we tried to do what we felt was best for the team, best for each individual player. Sometimes, those weren't the same, sometimes they were. Then ultimately, we had to make our choices about playing time, both in practice and in games, to try to let the guys do things they needed to do, but also be able to evaluate things, as well. It’s always a balance on that.”

On the difficult decision to cut players:

“Sure. I mean, there are always conversations about the roster. Having been a position coach and a coordinator at other points in my career, I recognize and understand those points of view and I want them to give their opinions and so forth. But as Coach (Bill) Parcells taught me, ultimately that's my decision and I do it with the help of our coaching staff, our personnel department, the people involved there. There are also some other things that are part of the decision-making process, the salary cap, things like that, that there's some relevance – I’m not saying that's the decision, but they're relevant. Then, you deal with injuries that, again, as a position coach or a coordinator you might not be fully aware of, particularly if it's a position outside of what you're coaching and how that could affect the team and so forth. There are always hard decisions and it's always tough no matter who the players are, that each of the teams has to release – we're at 80, (then) 53…(it’s) 27 players for every team or put them on some kind of list or whatever. But, every team is going to have to release players and that's always hard when players have come in and have done the best they can and given you everything they have. There are some players that you're going to have to say we don't have a spot for it, but I think we all knew that when we signed up for it. I've been on waivers a few times myself, so I'm familiar with that process. That's part of the competitive nature of pro sports.”

(*August 29 quotations transcribed by Patriots Media Relations)

From Monday, August 30

On newly-acquired cornerback Shaun Wade:

“It was our chance to get him some playing time here. He had played in the preseason with Baltimore. We did rush him in a bit, but it was good to get him some in-game action. It gives him the chance to hear the calls and get some game experience. But he’s a smart kid, and he should be able to pick this up. It may take him a bit of time but he seems to be able to pick things up quickly.”

On spending the time between now and the season-opener on September 12:

“There is still a lot to work on, but the players have worked hard. We had four good joint practices with the Eagles and Giants. We worked hard during camp. This is a good week for the players to take care of some of the bumps and bruises…rest, recover and start to prepare. We have a lot of roster decisions to make, so the heavy prep for the season will start next week. There are still a lot of things that are unsettled on our team and on every team in the league. We will take care of those and go from there.”

On what surprised him about camp and/or preseason:

“Each training camp is unique and every team is unique. Getting the chance to see new players on the team. Seeing them work with the veterans we have had here. That has been a great experience. Last year was quite different. But, this year has been a [bit of of a blend] between 2019 and 2020. For the most part, things have gone smoothly.”

On trades/transactions at the roster adjustment deadline:

“The trading process in the NFL is different. Each situation is different and we have to consider the whole spectrum. Trades can happen in a short amount of time, without much prior talk. Sometimes it takes months…I can recall the shortest one coming together in 15 minutes…and there are all kinds in between. Anything can happen to make it come together or fall apart. It may happen slowly, or quickly. It’s a hard thing to predict, so I don't try to do it.”

On Nick Folk:

“Nick kicked for a week in the spring during minicamp…missed a bit of time during training camp. He came back and kicked last week and last night…He has a pretty good level of consistency.. Since we’ve had him, he’s been reliable. We wanted to give some extra looks to Quinn, as well. It will be a tough choice, but we will have to make it. It’s good to have that kind of a choice at a key position.”

On the roster decisions surrounding Stephon Gilmore:

“We have a lot of roster decisions to make. Some of the rules have changed, and some things are now intertwined. Things that we may have done in the past, may not be relevant now. We will evaluate our options, as he will, and we will make the best decision we can make for our football team”

On his timetable for roster cuts:

We just got back from New York a few hours ago. We are re-grouping. There is a lot of information to process. We will watch the game and make evaluations…look at the overall health of our team; not only with the players that played, but also those that stayed behind to heal. As of 4pm tomorrow, we will be compliant with league regulations. How it goes between now and then is still being determined. But we will put the work in.”

On making a decision regarding who will be the starting quarterback:

“Whatever we do with it the next few days, as we do everyday, will be the decisions that are best for our football team. Players that have more experience [Cam Newton] got less reps than rookies [Mac Jones] or players that needed the experience. That’s not always a sign of things to come, it is just the way it is. We have been happy with the progress we have seen and that will factor into our decision.”

On dragging out the quarterback decision as to keep Miami guessing:

“Again, we always do what’s best for our football team. And that’s what we will do. That is the bottom line”

On making roster decisions based on predictions regarding health:

“We always try to get the projections we can, but it’s hard to determine when someone is going to feel better. It’s unrealistic to predict. Sometimes things take a while to heal, sometimes it happens a bit quicker. We have to make a decision at that moment, as best we can. To decide how a player will recover is really just an estimate. To know exactly at a future point in time? …it will be difficult to pinpoint that.”

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