Belichick: 'Bittersweet' Season For Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick took the podium for one final time on Monday morning, and though he remains disappointed that New England's 2015 season is over, he's still proud of what his team was able to accomplish.
"I have a lot of respect for the way our team competed. I'm proud of it," he said, echoing his thoughts from Sunday night following a 20-18 defeat by the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. "They battled until the very last play with a chance to tie. I think each of us that competed in the game, players and coaches, all feel the same way. A couple of plays, a couple of calls, we'd like to have a few back in a close game like that.
"Denver is a good football team and we had some opportunities, but in the end we came up a little short. That's a disappointing feeling at this time of the year," he added. "We did a lot of good things, won a lot of games and came up short in the end. It's bittersweet."
Belichick said the fault for Sunday's loss shouldn't fall on any one player.
"I feel like it's my fault, and I'm sure all the players feel like it's their fault," he said. "I wouldn't put it on any one guy, any one position. In the end we came up short.
"It was a very competitive game yesterday and it came down to a couple of plays," said Belichick. "They made one or two more than we did."
Belichick and his staff have already looked over Sunday's loss, and will do much more dissecting on Monday. They'll re-examine everything that happened during their 12-4 campaign in 2015, from training camp to their 2-4 end to the regular season, which is all part of the moving on process. But they're all ready to set their sights on the 2016 season, and the process has already begun for some. It will ramp up even more after players have their exit interviews on Monday.
"We'll do the same thing we do every year; look at everything we did, analyze that, our opportunity going forward and whatever areas those fall in. We'll make the best decision to improve the team," he said. "We'll try to make the best decisions for the team and put us in the best position we can for 2016."