The media was able to get Bill Belichick virtually — the coach probably wonders why he didn't think of this years ago — today for the first time since the draft. Nothing Earth-shattering, as you would expect, but he did address Covid-19, the lack of preseason games, the QB competition, Cam Newton and ... his love of sandwiches.
Top takeaways:
- On players opting out of this season: "I respect all of them and I respect all the players on our team and they all have to make decisions. I talked to those guys and they explained their situations and they had to make the decisions that were best for them. I totally respect and support 100 percent."
- On if more could opt out: "I think everybody has to make their own individual decisions on that ... we all have different lives, situations and families. Everybody will have to make their own decision. My crystal ball is kind of cloudy so I have no idea what might happen."
- Belichick isn't bothered by the new schedule or the lack of preseason games: The coach said they've basically combined the offseason camps with training camp and is confident his players "will be ready to go when it's time" to start the season.
- Belichick says college teams go through this all the time: "We’ll just have to take advantage of our practice opportunities and create as much combination of competition to evaluate the players and also situations to get our players ready to play in regular-season games, and combine those things as we go forward. ... So it’ll be a little bit different setup, but that’s what college teams do every year. I think ever since the beginning of college football back in — well, I don’t know about all the way back when Rutgers started in the 1870s — but that’s the way it’s been. You go to camp for three weeks, and then you start the season. There are no preseason games. You evaluate your team, and you get ready to play. That’s what all college football teams do. So I don’t think it’s anything that’s revolutionary here. ... We haven’t done it that way in the National Football League for a while, and I certainly haven’t done it that way — I haven’t coached in college. But as a college player and growing up around college programs, I can remember those periods of time leading up to the start of the season. Teams had their scrimmages or whatever you want to call them and ways to prepare their team and at the same time evaluate the players. It’s a process that certainly goes into the early part of the season. This is just football, that’s all. I don’t really see it any differently.”
- On the QB position and the competition: "That spot is like any other on the team. We have a long way to go and we'll see how things turn out. I can't control how players perform, that's up to them, we'll give everyone an opportunity and see what happens.
- The Patriots had been in contact with Newton: "Things worked out (with Cam). We spent quite a bit of time with Cam, and he spent quite a bit of time with us, I think there was some mutual interest. We spent quite a number of different people and conversations and you're just trying to see how the fit would be. It was positive from our end and I'm glad it worked out."
- Belichick did the Subway commercial to benefit his foundation: "I had never done anything like that ... we mentioned on the BBF website, it's a difficult environment to raise money for charity and foundations, opportunity to spend a day to fund the initiatives in the foundation for student-athletes and other sports programs. ... Appreciate the opportunity Subway gave me. It was a fun commercial to do. Everybody loves sandwiches. I know I'll get killed in the rookie shows."