Patriots Blog: Belichick Talks Tebow, Injury Updates
FOXBORO (CBS) - New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick spoke today to the Wednesday. Here are some of the highlights from his press conference.
Thoughts on Tebow: Tebow's style of play has some similarities to other quarterbacks the team has faced. At the same time, when asked if it was a challenge to not have a player like him on the roster to help the team prepare, Belichick said, "I don't know if there's another quarterback in the league that has Tim Tebow's skills. There are not a lot of those running around," he said, adding that the Patriots won't be able to simulate Tebow on the scout team.
Read: Brady, Pats Talk Tebow
When a reporter asked Belichick if he was surprised that Tebow has had long stretches of passing excellence despite his unorthodox mechanics, Belichick said he didn't agree with that line of thinking and lauded Tebow's passing skills.
"I think his passing is good. It was good in college; he was a very productive passer in college and he's thrown the ball well in this league," said Belichick. "Throws it good short, throws it intermediate, can throw it deep. He's got some very good throws, as good as anybody that you want to put in there."
The Denver Defense: It seems like every week the Patriots go up against a great pass-rush. This week will be no different. Here is what Bill said of the Denver D:
"They're very good, yeah, very athletic. Their front is athletic. The linebackers are fast. Of course [Elvis] Dumervil and Von Miller give great edge pressure. They're both strong. They're not just speed rushers; they can power those tackles back, come inside. Their linebackers are very athletic and fast. They've got [Wesley] Woodyard and of course [D.J.] Williams and they come and blitz and things like that. They're very fast on defense; they cover a lot of ground in a hurry. You've got to get your space while you can and make plays on them, because those holes don't stay open very long and the pass rushers, they're closing on the quarterback. Their defense is very good."
Don't bring up the altitude: Asked about the altitude in Denver, and if it's a factor, Belichick said the best thing the Patriots can do is play well. Asked a follow-up question on if the altitude gave Denver the strangest home-field advantage the team will face this year, Belichick said, "Both teams will be breathing the same air."
Updates on Spikes and Chung. Asked if there was an update on injured safety Patrick Chung and injured linebacker Brandon Spikes, Belichick said, "Doing better. Yeah, they're doing better."
Read: Brady, Wilfork Limited In Practice
Asked a follow-up question on if he's playing it safe with Chung, Belichick said, "When they're healthy, they're ready to play. If they're not ready to play, then they're not ready to play."
Tune in to the Patriots-Broncos game Sunday on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub at 4:15pm. Pregame coverage begins Sunday morning at 11:30am on WBZ-TV with Patriots Gameday; pregame coverage on the Hub begins at 1pm. After the game, tune in to The Postgame Show on 98.5 and Patriots Fifth Quarter on MyTV38.
