Bill Belichick Couldn't Pull Himself Away From National Championship Game
BOSTON (CBS) -- Bill Belichick is sick of talking about that ESPN story.
But a good football game? Well that can get a few seconds of chatter out of the New England head coach.
On Tuesday, Belichick was in no mood to continue the discussion of last week's article that reported on a rift between himself, quarterback Tom Brady and team owner Robert Kraft. He even went to a reliable old line to let everyone know where his focus truly is this week.
"We're on Tennessee," Belichick told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday.
Leave no doubt that Belichick is locked in to the Titans, New England's opponent in Saturday night's Divisional Round game in Foxboro. He spent a good 20 minutes discussing their well-balanced offense, ability to come back on the road, Dick LeBeau's famous defensive scheme and (of course) Tennessee's vaunted special teams play.
So, yeah, the Patriots head coach is fully engulfed in his preparation for the Titans. That is, minus a few minutes that he took to watch the epic finish of Monday night's National Championship game between Alabama and Georgia. It was after midnight on the east coast when the Crimson Tide came back to take a thrilling 26-23 overtime victory for their fifth National Championship since 2009.
It was well past Belichick's bedtime, but he was willing to sacrifice a few Z's if it meant witnessing an instant classic.
"I didn't want to stay up that late, but I couldn't pull myself away from a good football game," Belichick explained on Tuesday. "Two great teams, a great game. Just tremendous football."
Belichick congratulated Alabama head coach Nick Saban and former long-time Patriots assistant Brian Daboll, now the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide. Belichick did throw out a disclaimer that he didn't watch the entire four-plus hour game, as he was busy game-planning for the Titans.
"Honestly, my time is where it needs to be, which is getting ready for Tennessee," he said. "We know we need to have our best game on Saturday night. That's what we're working for and preparing for."
Tune in to Saturday night's Patriots-Titans AFC Divisional Round game on WBZ-TV -- the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Coverage begins with a special Patriots GameDay at 7pm, and after the game stick with WBZ-TV for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!