Belichick Gives Lengthy, Detailed Responses To Trade Questions
BOSTON (CBS) -- You never know when Bill Belichick is going to suddenly open up and give a reporter a long, detailed, thoughtful response to a question. He usually does it when you ask him a straight football question or something about the history of the game, but not every time.
On Friday, Belichick felt like talking. He fielded two questions about his philosophy regarding player acquisitions, and he delivered a total of 1,012 words in his responses. First he was asked whether he would be more lenient with players he acquired just before or during the season as opposed to the offseason. He very easily could have brushed the question aside with "We'll do what's best for the football team", but instead he gave this.
"Well, I'd say, look, each situation is different. There's no book on this. I think the acquisitions that you make at the beginning of the season, in the spring or in the offseason, you're looking at roster building. You're looking at players that you feel like would be competitive in a certain position or in a certain role or in a combination of roles that would be competitive for your team. That role might be starter, it might be as a rotational player, but whatever that [is], you're looking for a guy that's going to be competitive in those roles. When you acquire a guy at the beginning of the season or in the season, like [Kyle] Van Noy or [Cassius] Marsh or [Johnson] Bademosi or Akeem Ayers or [Jonathan] Casillas or [Aqib] Talib or guys that we've done that with, you're usually acquiring that player to fill a specific role at that time. He's not like in competition with eight other guys for something. I mean, the reason you've acquired him is because A, he's available and it's worked out and all that, but B, you see a role for that player that you can use."
He continued, on the ins and outs of supplementing his roster in the middle of the season:
"Eric Rowe, whoever it happens to be – whether it's the first week, the third week, the eighth week, whenever it is – that's different than you have injured players, you lack depth at a certain position and you sign somebody who's say out of football to come in and give you depth at that position. I mean, that's usually a little bit of a different – not saying you couldn't sign a guy for a role, but I'm saying if you trade for a guy, you're definitely giving up something to get somebody to put into a certain position or role, whatever that happens to be. So, I'd say that's a little bit of a different – it's different than when you get a guy in March. Now, certainly in March or April, you have a lot more time with that player, but your team's not really established at that point, either. You're still trying to see how it's all going to play out. Well, in September or October, you have a lot better idea how it's playing out and if you acquire a player, generally it's to put that player into a role that you feel is necessary and that he can do. Now, sometimes it's more than that, sometimes it's less than that – I'm not saying it's perfect – and sometimes it takes time for that. It's like Kyle Van Noy's role this year is a lot different than what it was last year, and it changed over the course of the year."
And concluded with thoughts on the way a team's needs can change over the course of the season:
"And, other things happen, too. What you do at the end of September for one reason, well by the middle of November, those reasons may not be valid anymore. You might be in a whole different ball game that you have to – and then maybe that player fits into that new situation or maybe he doesn't. Maybe somebody else fits into it. I mean, I don't know. So, you can't oversimplify it because each case is different, but that's the best I can do to explain it."
Belichick was asked again about player acquisitions after that treatise, this time about whether he feels he can take more risks with offseason additions as opposed to a mid-season acquisition that needs to fit into a specific position. He started by explaining how a new player's role could change in surprising ways before the season even gets going:
"Well, again, I wouldn't use the terms that you use. So, I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't really look at it that way. Again, when you acquire a player, it doesn't mean that you don't think the player has value. I mean, I think Brandin Cooks has a lot of value, but what exactly it is, how it's all going to turn out with him back in April, I don't know. You know, we haven't even run a play yet, so that's what the spring and that's what training camp is for. Maybe it's kind of, 'Well, this is what I envision it being,' but it turns out to be something different, like Randy Moss. You know, we got Randy Moss. We kind of, I would say, thought it was going to be one thing. Well, it was a lot more than that. Wes Welker, same thing. We kind of thought it would be one thing – playing slot, return punts. Well, it turned out to be a lot more than that. Sometimes it turns out to be a little bit less, but you know you're going to go through that process with a player."
He continued with more thoughts on how different the situation can be for mid-season acquisitions:
"When you get a guy the first of October, there's no process. You've got a game that week. I mean, you've got to get the guy ready to play a role – Akiem Hicks – and then a month later or two months later his role might be different, you know, and there's possible growth there. Again, I wouldn't say it's more or less. It's a different timing. You're in a different state. Your team's in a different state, and the player has a different opportunity. A player [that] comes in in April has as much of an opportunity to compete for a role on the team as the guy who's been here for five years. I mean, they're going to get the same reps in practice, they're going to be in the same meetings, they're going to go out there and compete on the field. We'll see how it turns out. I don't know. A guy that comes in here after missing all spring, all training camp and a few weeks of regular season game plans and adjustments and everything, I mean, there's no way he can compete with players who have been through all that."
And he finished with a thought on balancing between depth and more urgent needs:
"But, usually you bring a guy in if you have a role for him. I mean, otherwise, why would you bring a guy in if you already have two guys that can do this job? You don't really need a third guy to come in and do that. Look, depth is always good to have, but you know what I mean. Realistically, how many guys do you need in a certain role? There's probably going to be other things on your team that you need more."
The 2017 NFL trade deadline passes at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Based on the Patriots' recent history, the likelihood is that Belichick will make some kind of move to supplement an area of need for the Patriots. That's when you'll see his detailed philosophy at work.
