Transcripts of conference calls by New England's Bill Belichick and Tom Brady with Jets reporters on Wednesday:
PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
On Tim Tebow…
I think he looks like what we saw last year. He runs the ball and he's tough. He can throw the ball, the deep ball. He's a poised guy. He does what he does and he does it hard. He does it pretty well. I'm sure whatever they ask him to do, he'll do his best at it and it'll probably be pretty good.
On Rex Ryan's comments about building the roster around opponents…
I think the Jets are a good defensive football team. They're a good football team in all three areas of the game. They have a lot of good players. They all play well when they get an opportunity to play. They use a lot of different personnel combinations, sometimes six or seven defensive backs, and they put them in different spots, but that varies from game to game. [Eric] Smith was out last week so that probably shuffled things around a little bit. Maybe he'll be back, maybe he won't. They use a lot of different combinations back there so you really have to be alert for all of them. It doesn't look like it's just one thing all the time. They do a lot of different stuff.
On if LaRon Landry and Yeremiah Bell will be a different challenge for his tight ends than last year with Eric Smith and Jim Leonhard…
I don't think Leonhard played in our second game. We played against Bell before. He's a good player. He was a good player at Miami. He's doing a good job for the Jets. Landry is obviously a good player. They've used [Josh] Bush back there and the linebackers, Bart [Scott] and David Harris. They use a lot in there, they use a lot of different guys. I'm not sure exactly what we'll get, but we're preparing for all of it. They've all done a good job.
On what has led his team to use the no-huddle offense…
That's something that we've used before. I think some games we use it more than others, but it just depends on the game and the game plan and how it's going and various other factors. It's always been a part of our offense, or it has been for a long time. It's one of the things we can do and if we think it gives us an advantage then we can do it. If we don't, we won't.
On if the Jets are their biggest rival…
Of course, all the division games are important. But we can only play one game at a time and it's the next game, so it's a big game.
On how much time they spent preparing for the Wildcat…
Whatever a team does, or whatever you think they're going to do, you have to build in time to prepare for. It's something that the Jets have done, they've had different versions of that and many other things offensively, and you have to prepare for them and all their players. They use a lot of guys on offense, a lot of tight ends, including [Jason] Smith as part of the tight end group, so it's really four guys there, all the backs that play, those quarterbacks, they use all their receivers, all the lineman there and guards, [Vladimir] Ducasse and [Matt] Slauson. So there's a lot of players, a lot of plays, a lot of different formation groups. We have to prepare for all those things.
And sure, they all take time, so that's a hard team to get ready for. They do a lot of things on offense, a lot of things on defense, they do a lot of things on the kicking team, and they're a challenge for our week of preparation.
On preparing for Tebow and the possibility of fake punts…
It's something you have to cover.
On if they spend more time preparing for fake punts because of Tebow…
Well, I just think there's probably more options with him there. There's other guys that can run the ball and punters that can throw it, but an offensive player, a good, skilled player like that, it's kind of like when Brad Smith was there, similar situation. You've got a guy that can throw, a guy that handles the ball, or has a lot of experience handling the ball. When that type of player's at that position, it definitely changes the way you approach the formation a little bit, sure.
On working with his son…
It's been good, it's been good. I've enjoyed it. But the bigger picture really is just for all of us as a team to prepare for the Jets. We all have a job to do, all trying to do it better than we've been doing it. It goes for all of us. But I certainly enjoy having him around on a daily basis.
On his matchups against Coach Ryan…
There's really nothing I can add. You know what it is as well as I do, so it doesn't really matter. The only thing that matters is this week's game and that's all we're focused on. We're not really that concerned about what did or didn't happen some other year or some other game. Something that we can learn from them, some experience, maybe, but it's a whole different team, a lot of different players are playing and Jets have a new offensive coordinator from the last time we played them. So, I don't think that really has much bearing on the game.
PATRIOTS QB TOM BRADY
On the Jets-Patriots rivalry…
It's a great rivalry. It's been that way since before I got here. We've had so many meaningful games against the Jets. Playoff games are really important, and division games. I have a lot of respect for the team and their attitude and the way they play. It feels like every game is tight. We're both 3-3 so it's an important game for both of our teams and hopefully we'll be able to go out there and play our best on Sunday.
On if it's easy to tune out outside comments…
I think it's something that we talk about. We talk about focusing on our job. Our job isn't really to listen to our friends, our family members, our parents, or what people may say on television. Really, those end up being distractions. If your mom thinks you played a great game, then great, but the reality is the person who you should really care about thinks how you played is your coach and the players you play with. Those are the guys that you really have to satisfy.
That's done through hard work and preparation and ultimately performance. We're in a performance-based business. If you don't win, then there's going to be someone else out there that's itching to do your job. The best thing for all of us to do is focus on what we need to do better individually so that collectively we can be better as a team. Ultimately, the results take care of themselves.
On if his family and friends are picking on him this week…
That's the problem [laughing]. Sometimes they think you're the best thing in the world. They kind of ride the roller-coaster as well. It's probably harder on them sometimes than it is on the players.
On TE Aaron Hernandez being back…
He played last week. He's always been an important part of our offense. He's played some different roles for us. We'll see what he's able to do this week. It's really just a matter of how well we practice and how comfortable everyone feels with him being out there.
On if he ever gets surprised by something in a game…
I think that definitely happens. Maybe not shocked, it's just more adjusting that you need to do. We played Arizona, for example, in the second week of the year, and up to that point in the season there was one game and they had played all of their preseason games and they blitzed probably half the time. Then we played them and the first half of the game they didn't blitz at all.
At some point you have to make adjustments and say, "OK, we're expecting one thing and we didn't get it. What are we going to do now?" I think I've played enough games to know that teams are going to come up with game-plan types of schemes and so forth that are trying to slow us down. It's really how quickly you can adjust to those things so that you're able to move the ball and score points.
On Stevan Ridley, Danny Woodhead and Brandon Lloyd…
They've all added some different things to our offense. Hopefully we're improving as the season goes along. I think every team searches for what they do best at this point in the year and ultimately you have to get to the things that you're consistently doing well in practice and in the games. Every week that goes by is more important than the previous. You really have to, at some point, go to those players that you depend on and remain consistent and that you need to count on to make those big plays in the game.
On if he's starting to feel older…
Not so much [laughing]. I think it's more of a mentality. I still feel like a young player out there trying to earn my spot.
