Bill Belichick makes a point to note 14-2 is in the past and the team is starting from scratch.
Well, when we left here last night we were 14-2 and I think this morning, we're 0-0. We don't know who the next game is, but we know that whoever it is will be a team that wins this coming weekend, which means they'll be a very good team to win in that Wild Card round of the playoffs. I think right now, the most important thing for us is trying to improve in our own performance and preparation, doing things that we can do to help ourselves. And then once we find out who we're going to play, then we'll be a little more specific. Right now we have to prepare for three teams and then we'll wait until that gets trimmed down at the end of the weekend. So, that's where we're at for today.
Ricky Williams tells WQAM-560’s Sid Rosenberg the Dolphins were ill-prepared for their game against the Patriots and he's still angry at how the team finished out the season. Losing that way to the Patriots just made it worse.
"Usually after a rough season there’s a sense of relief when it’s over with, but I didn’t feel like that," he said. "It’s the contrast with what they have going on in New England and what we have going on here, and it’s a very stark contrast."
"They had less to play for than we did … and they played harder than any team we played all year, and I just expect that from my team."
Williams gave the example of Rob Ninkovich, whom Sparano and the Dolphins cut in 2008, as a player who thrived in a more positive environment. Ninkovich had three sacks and two interceptions against the Dolphins this year as the Patriots’ starting outside linebacker.
"It’s not based on him necessarily making plays, it’s just based on him buying into a winning tradition,"
TEAM TALK
- Erik Scalavino posts the Patriots Wild Card/Bye Week schedule and some season finale notes.
- Erik Scalavino reports on rookie WR Taylor Price's NFL debut against the Dolphins.
-
Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski was nominated for Pepsi Rookie of the Week. Vote for him here.
- Commissioner Roger Goodell sent this letter to all fans in the NFL database.
- Monday Conference Call: Bill Belichick (8.59 min. audio) plus Transcript.
- WEEI Patriots Monday: Tom Brady (22.55 min.), Brandon Meriweather (7.15 min.), Vince Wilfork (18.20 min.) and Bill Belichick (32.28 min.)
- Patriots Today - Time for Pats to watch and wait. (3.45 min. video)
- Patriots Today - Green-Ellis tops 1,000 yards. (3.24 min. video)
LOCAL LINKS
- Tedy Bruschi offers his observations after the Patriots rout of Miami and thinks Spikes and Woodhead are among the Pats' top concerns during playoff preparations.
- Tom E. Curran shows how the Patriots running attack is a legitimate threat.
- Ian Rapoport details how well the Patriots bench answered the call Sunday.
- Brian MacPherson reports how the Patriots used the Dolphins game as an opportunity to try players out in new roles.
- Brian MacPherson focuses on little-known Eric Moore and Rob Ninkovich who have become key parts of the Patriots defensive plan.
- Mike Reiss lists who's left on the defensive line, the most depleted entering the playoffs.
- Mike Rodak talks about the three free-agent D-Linemen the Patriots had in for tryouts: Le Kevin Smith, Alfonso Boone, Ryan Sims and Atiyyah Ellison.
- Howard Ulman reviews Tom Brady's four interceptions this season.
- Shalise Manza Young reports the Patriots are doing their best to not let up and relax.
- Mike Reiss offers some nuggets from Bill Belichick's Monday presser.
- Gerry Callahan can't see this Patriots team being denied.
- Bob Ryan reports on what a weird, wacky, tumultuous, unpredictable, and perversely entertaining NFL season this was, and how through it all, one team just kept building and improving.
- Tony Massarotti says the AFC is up for grabs as the Patriots' margin for error is relatively small.
-
WEEI Patriots Monday Highlights: Bill Belichick - Vince Wilfork - Brandon Meriweather and Tom Brady.
- Boston Globe: Oustanding performances by the Patriots, in pictures.
- Mike Reiss revisits some of his good and some not so good preseason predictions.
- Mike Reiss looks at the offensive snaps played by Patriots skill-position players throughout the 2010 season while analyzing the results.
- Christopher Price looks back at each player on the roster and breaks down his performance for the year.
- Michael Felger grades the Patriots for their 2010 season Report Card.
- Ian Rapoport Patriots Notebook: Bill Belichick and his staff are going through a modified self-scouting process while waiting to see who their first playoff opponent will be; Brandon Deaderick was suspended by the team for disciplinary reasons; Brandon Spikes has been reinstated; Taylor Price received some inspiration for his NFL debut from Deion Branch who was sitting out to get healthy.
- Shalise Manza Young Patriots Notebook: The Patriots suspended rookie DL Brandon Deaderick yesterday for unknown reasons; The Associated Press won't reveal the NFL MVP Award until hours before the Super Bowl on Feb. 6th; DL Kyle Love enjoyed playing on the kickoff unit Sunday, creating havoc and blowing up blockers; Brian Hoyer received a solid grade from Bill Belichick.
- Ron Borges Week 17 Report Card.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Green-Ellis outruns an entire division.
- Judy Battista (NY Times) Brady's spectacular season.
- Kerry Byrne (Cold Hard Football Facts) Belichick, Patriots join 49ers in elite dynastic company.
- Clark Judge (CBS Sports) Pick against Pats at your own peril.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) A look ahead to 2011 AFC East schedules.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Jets' path to Super Bowl goes through NE.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Super Bowl odds: Patriots huge, Jets teeny.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Jim Kelly puts Tom Brady in his top three.
- George Bretherton (NY Times) Does the Colts' Gary Brackett deserve to be suspended?
- Luis DeLoureiro (Cold Hard Football Facts) Passer rating - unleashed!
- John Clayton (ESPN) AFC playoff Q&A.
- Jason Cole (Yahoo! Sports) Five questions heading into the playoffs: AFC and NFC.
- Jeffri Chadiha (ESPN) Brainstorms and backfires of the 2010 NFL season.
- Don Banks (SI) NFL playoff seeding format under scrutiny again, thanks to Seahawks.
- Jerome Bettis (SI) Revisiting my 2010 NFL predictions.
- Jack McCallum (SI) Presidents should stay out of sports.