Bill Belichick Doesn't Care About Outside Noise About Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- There's been a whole lot of talk about how little fun it is to be a Patriot from a lot of non-Patriots this offseason.
But Bill Belichick doesn't care what people on the outside think of his organization.
The Patriots head coach talked with the media ahead of the team's OTA session at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, and was asked about comments made by Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson. Despite beating the Patriots in Super Bowl LII, Johnson has been more interested in bashing the Patriots organization over the last four months.
We're sure Belichick has heard what Johnson thinks about his methods of running a football team, but he wasn't about to give Johnson the time of day on Thursday.
"Yeah, we're focused on what we're doing, trying to get better and taking each day we can to try to improve our football team. Not really focused on what everybody else is doing," said Belichick.
Johnson isn't the only Eagle bashing the Patriots, either. His fellow offensive lineman, Brandon Brooks, took aim at the Patriots because he doesn't think it would be much fun to play in New England. It's similar to what former Patriot Cassius Marsh had to say about his brief stint with the Patriots last season.
Patriots safety and team captain Devin McCourty usually has a smile on his face, and smiles usually mean someone is having fun. While he understands the experience in New England is different for everyone, he said he's had plenty of fun while in a Patriots uniform.
"I have fun. You guys see me, I'm always having fun. But I get it; Cassius had a frustrating time here. I didn't think he would get released and say New England was the time of his life," McCourty told reporters on Thursday. "Every experience for everyone, no matter what, is different. You guys come here, you're all doing the same job but your experience with everyone is different."
"It's definitely harder than most places, but I mean, that's part of it," said linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who is entering his seventh season with the Patriots. "A lot of guys know that when they come here. But, I mean, in the locker room, it's not Bill's job to make this fun and this atmosphere fun; it's the guys around it. Every guy in that locker room, I love like a brother. We have fun, whether it's out here struggling together – blood, sweat and tears – or we're back in the locker room or we're hanging out outside of football. So, there's a time and place for everything, but we know whenever we walk through the building, it's time to work."
Rookie running back Sony Michel, who has only been in New England for a couple of weeks, had enjoyed his time with the team so far.
"Oh yeah, definitely fun," he said Thursday.
Having fun doesn't matter to Belichick. To him, winning is fun.
"We feel what's important to us is to win. So that's really what we're trying to do," he said.
Players that don't like their Patriot experience are the ones that can't take tough coaching, get eaten up by the pressure, blame others for failures and expect things are supposed to be given to them.
— Tedy Bruschi (@TedyBruschi) May 31, 2018
Belichick wasn't a curmudgeon for the entirety of Thursday's media availability. He did crack a smile when a reporter asked about Wesleyan lacrosse's National Championship win (he responded with "Cardinal pride"), and had an even bigger smirk when asked about Bon Jovi's enshrinement in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
"Yeah, it was about time," he said with that painful looking smile.