Bill Belichick A Man Of Few Words At NFL Coaches Breakfast, But Gets Testy When Asked About His Future
BOSTON (CBS) -- It looked like Bill Belichick was enjoying himself at the NFL's league meetings in Arizona on Monday, cracking a smile during the annual head coaches photo. But he was back to his usual self on Tuesday.
Chatting with reporters on Tuesday morning, Belichick didn't have much to say. About anything, really.
The offseason, so far, has been "good." But also "busy." There you go. That's the offseason in a nutshell according to Bill.
He did, however, confirm that it was March.
"It's March," Belichick said.
That is true, at least for the next five days.
And as for Rob Gronkowski's retirement, Belichick has already made his comments about the tight end, and said he didn't have anything to add. He also didn't seem too surprised by Sunday's news.
"The offseason is the offseason," as Belichick relayed to reporters.
Belichick was also asked about potential rule changes (he has no proposals on the table this year), Brian Flores taking over the Miami Dolphins, and Trey Flowers signing with the Detroit Lions. He offered little-to-nothing about each, though he did have a quick explanation for why Flowers is in Motown and not Foxboro.
"He has a great opportunity in Detroit. That's free agency," said Belichick.
He was not to enthused to be asked about his future, and how long he plans on coaching.
"I'm just trying to do a good job here," he said. "Just trying to take things day-to-day, year-to-year."
When a follow-up about his longevity in the league was asked, Belichick tried to change the subject as quick as possible.
"I'm going to skip all the questions about me and my future and anything else. If you want to talk about the football team, great," he barked. "I don't think we need to talk about me. We've covered that."
Here are some other topics that Belichick tried to ignore on Tuesday:
Stephen Gostkowski still a free agent: "He's not under contract right now."
The rareness of Rob Gronkowski: "My comments on Rob speak for themselves. He's pretty special in every category."
Have you spoken with Kliff Kingsbury since he became a head coach: "Yes"
Has Michael Bennett played in techniques he may see in New England? "There are some differences, and some similarities. We'll see what happens when we get on the field and start practicing.
"Look, Mike is a good football player. I think he has a good understanding of football. So, I think he'll help us."
Patriots not playing in NFL's Thursday opener: "We'll try to be ready to go when the games are scheduled. ... There are some advantages playing on Thursday and there are some advantage playing on Sundays. In the end, we'll all play the same number of games over the same time frame."
Andy Reid's Hawaiian shirt in coaches photo: "He's always got one."
Belichick's 43 minutes with reporters was a whole lotta nothing, which really isn't anything new from the Patriots head coach. Unfortunately this time around, he wasn't enjoying a glass of O.J. as he casually shot down questions in mid-season form.