Bill Belichick is asked to respond to how Rex Ryan has a different way of dealing with the media and firing up his team.
I just try to coach my team. I'm not really worried about how everybody else coaches theirs. Everybody's got their own style and a lot of coaches do a great job. Rex does a great job with his team. I'm just trying to coach mine. I'm not really worried about what anybody else is doing. Is that the answer you're looking for?
Q: No, I'm looking for something a little more exclamatory, but we can wait and probably do that on Wednesday.
BB: [Laughs.]
Tom Brady responds to a question about Rex Ryan saying Brady gets a lot of help from Belichick while Peyton Manning tries to do it himself.
I get a ton of help from our coach. Of course we do. I think we have the best coach in the history of football. I think we’ve got a great offensive staff, a great defensive staff, ones that get all the players prepared. Coach talks about being a smart, tough, physical football team that plays well under pressure. Part of us being smart and prepared and ready to play is our coaches doing their homework.
We use whatever we can to get ready to play, and the guys that are on this team certainly buy into what our coaches teach us. Coach comes in every Wednesday morning — it will be Tuesday morning this week — and says, "These are the things we need to do to win," and he’s right damn near 100 percent of the time. If we can go out there and play that way this Sunday, then I think we’re all pretty confident that we’re going to play a great game. And if we play a great game, we’re going to be tough to beat.
Nick Caserio is asked to assess the Patriots defensive line as a whole where it stands now.
We made the move the other day with Mike Wright, but there are a number of guys who have played a lot of football for us this year. Vince [Wilfork] has been out there. Gerard [Warren] has been out there. Myron [Pryor] has come back. It was good to have him for the last game and he had a chance to practice last week. Landon [Cohen]'s come in and made a contribution since he's been here.
We just work with the players that we have and just try to figure out the best way to utilize them on a week-to-week basis. The defensive staff does a great job with that and that'll be the case this week. So, it's been a combination of a number of different guys, some guys that don't have as much experience in our system relative to some other guys that do. And those guys, whatever they've been asked to do this season, they've stepped in. In whatever role they've been asked to play, they try to do that to the best of their ability, whoever they are. So, we'll continue with that approach here moving forward.
TEAM TALK
- Erik Scalavino reports on Brandon Spikes and Brandon Deaderick both coming off suspensions.
- AFC Divisional Playoff Game Preview: New England Patriots vs. New York Jets.
- Monday Conference Calls: Bill Belichick (6.40 min.), Nick Caserio (7.30 min.) and Matt Patricia (6.53 min.)
- The NFL announced the five finalists for the 2010 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year award. Devin McCourty is included.
- Patriots Today - Kicking off Pats-Jets week. (3.33 min. video)
- Patriots Today - Patriots-Jets III looms this Sunday. (4.19 min. video)
- Patriots Today - Wilfork, Meriweather on WEEI. (4.05 min. video)
- WEEI Patriots Monday: Tom Brady (27.02 min.), Brandon Meriweather (10.25 min.), Vince Wilfork (18.50 min.) and Bill Belichick (38.23 min.)
LOCAL LINKS
- Ian Rapoport reports that for Rex Ryan, it's all about him vs. Belichick.
- Mark Farinella notes Bill Belichick won't allow himself to be drawn into a war of words with Rex Ryan.
- Bob Ryan says Bill's not listening to an overly puffed-up Rex Ryan.
- Mike Reiss reports Tom Brady responded to Rex Ryan's shot at him last week by saying, 'of course I get help from Belichick.'
- Tom E. Curran notes Tom Brady's explanation as to why he watched the play "Lombardi" rather than the Jets-Colts Wild Card game.
- Mike Reiss takes a look at five of the more significant changes for the Patriots since beating the Jets on Dec. 6th.
- Chris Gasper spotlights the unsung heroes in this Patriots season, the assistant coaches who helped shape the team.
- Kirk Minihane thanks God for Rex Ryan, saying this week would be a tough sell without him.
- Christopher Price tells us the five most important things we need to know about the Patriots and Jets Monday.
- Chris Gasper says that the Jets and Rex Ryan have earned their position and are not frauds.
- WEEI Patriots Monday Highlights: Tom Brady - Brandon Meriweather - Vince Wilfork.
- WEEI highlights Boomer Esiason's appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show Monday. Boomer sees "a pride factor at play."
- Christopher Price highlights Rex Ryan's Q & A session with the media Monday morning.
- Mike Reiss notes Tom Brady sees similarities between Belichick and Lombardi.
- Mike Reiss looks at the Patriots integrating Brandon Spikes back into the mix following his four-game suspension.
- Gerry Callahan sees Mark Sanchez as a good guy, but he's no Tom Brady.
- Chris Gasper discusses the three days in April that changed the Patriots season.
- Tedy Bruschi shares his feeling that being the defending champ can be a burden.
- Mike Reiss notes this will be the eighth Pats game for the CBS broadcasting team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms.
- Ian Rapoport Patriots Notebook: Belichick says Brandon Spikes has a way to go before he's game ready; Joe Flacco had his eyes opened when the Pats bludgeoned the Jets on MNF, and credits the protection up front; Nick Caserio talks up Kyle Love who may be playing alongside Vince Wilfork and Gerard Warren; Injury update.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Michael David Smith (Wall Street Journal) Blowouts usually repeat themselves.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) History says Jets can't close gap on Patriots.
- Chase Stuart (NY Times) How Belichick wins with spare parts.
- R.J. White (NFL Fanhouse) Jets vs. Patriots: Familiar foes fight for trip to AFC Championship.
- Sean Leahy (USA Today) Playoff questions: Can Jets overcome memory of Patriots' rout?
- Chris Chase (Yahoo! Sports) Rex Ryan: Playoff game is 'personal' between he and Belichick.
- Dennis Dillon (Sporting News) Rex says Jets-Pats is about Belichick vs. Ryan.
- Rich Cimini (ESPNNY) Rex Ryan challenges Bill Belichick.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Ryan challenges Belichick, Brady's 'antics'.
- Dan Wetzel (Yahoo! Sports) Despite all of Ryan's bluster, it's about QBs.
- John Clayton (ESPN) AFC playoff Q&A: Nothing rivals this.
- John Czarnecki (Fox Sports) Wild-card winners can keep going.
- Will Brinson (CBS Sports) Jets-Pats III promises to build on great playoffs.
- AP (Fox Sports) Rex ready to battle Belichick on Sunday.
- Pat Imig (Cold Hard Football Facts) Pigskin detention: Fox, Pereira flagged for roughing the viewer.
VIEW FROM NEW YORK
- Mike Vaccaro (NY Post) What if Belichick had stayed as 'HC of the NYJ'?
- Kevin Armstrong (NY Daily News) Eric Mangini moves from sidelines to ESPN to talk Jets, Patriots on 'NFL Live' and 'SportsCenter'.
- Justin Terranova (NY Post) Jets must play like underdog Packers to beat Patriots.
- Bart Hubbuch (NY Post) Belichick won't promise rookie LB will get job back.
- Gary Myers (NY Daily News) Rex Ryan jabs at Patriots' Tom Brady for attending Broadway show 'Lombardi' while Jets played Colts.
- Kevin Armstrong (NY Daily News) Patriots QB Tom Brady refuses to engage in back-and-forth with Jets coach Rex Ryan.
- Manish Mehta (NY Daily News) First Peyton Manning, now Bill Belichick: Rex Ryan calls round three with Patriots coach 'personal'.
- Mark Cannizzaro (NY Post) Ryan: It's up to me to beat Belichick.
- Steve Serby (NY Post) Rex vs. Bill is undercard to Rex vs. Tom.
- Manish Mehta (NY Daily News) Rex Ryan on Bill Belichick: 'If he slips at all, we're going to beat him.'
- Kevin Armstrong (NY Daily News) Patriots coach Bill Belichick sticks to dull script, offers nothing but praise for Rex Ryan and Jets.
- Mike Vaccaro (NY Post) Truth be told, Jets coach is loud & cocky ... but he ain't dull!
- Mark Hale (NY Post) Tomlinson itchin' for rematch.
- Mark Cannizzaro (NY Post) Rex: Nobody beats Revis.