Brian Belichick 11/28: "We want to win"

Mike (0:00)

Hey, Brian, how are you?

Brian Belichick (0:01)

Hi, Mike, how are you?

Mike (0:03)

I'm doing all right.

Brian, you guys, this is obviously a place that you guys have never been before. I'm just curious, after all the winning, how you're sort of processing this and dealing with what's obviously been a very frustrating season to this point.

Brian Belichick (0:21)

Yeah, you want to keep your focus, you know.

Week to week, and, you know, depends how you look at it, but there's so much to do to just get ready for the next team. And there's a lot of work to be put in that really doesn't do you any good to dwell on, you know, any whatever negatives or anything that could hold you back from preparing yourself and your players and the defense in our case to be ready to go for the next game. So I think, you know, I think you guys on the team are doing a good job being prepared and ready to go. And, you know, our job is to get them to that point. And so that's our focus.

And that hasn't, you know, wavered the whole year. So we'll continue to try to do the same thing.

Mike (1:29)

How do you guard against guys getting frustrated? Because, you know, I think a couple of guys said after the game, you know, you let up 10 points. Usually you let up 10 points in the game. You've done it two weeks in a row.

You generally win those games in the league. How do you prevent them from getting frustrated and saying like, geez, we're doing our part, but it's still not enough?

Brian Belichick (1:51)

You know, it's not my, to me I'm not going to try to prevent anyone from feeling a certain way. You know, these are grown men who put a lot of work in and are dedicated to what they do.

And if they, you know, are getting frustrated, then they're getting frustrated. It's more of my job to try to harness their focus, harness the, you know, the feelings they have into some, into, you know, the next week, into something positive.

But I don't look at it as trying to, you know, prevent people from feeling a certain way. But it's, you know, this is a highly competitive game, emotional game, and we all want to win. And so losing is tough. And that's, you know, it just speaks to character of guys here that, you know, we're just going to keep staying after it and trying to play good defense on our side in particular, you know, for the whole team, just trying to play good football and win games. And that's what it's about.

Mike (3:08)

That's what we're here for. How's the leg, by the way?

Brian Belichick (3:13)

You know, steadily progressing.

It's good. I've been able to get out to practice more, which has been nice mentally, good mental boost to be out there with the guys and stuff and get some fresh air. And so, yeah, it's more getting to be more functional, closer to, you know, back how it used to be.

Mike (3:34)

You'll be dunking a basketball anytime now?

Brian Belichick (3:37)

No, no, hopefully swinging a golf club at some point in the summer as the golf.

Mike (3:43)

Very good. Thanks, man.

Brian Belichick (3:45)

Thanks, Mike.

Mike (3:47)

Andrew Kelley, go ahead, Andrew. Andrew.

Andrew Kelley (3:51)

Hey, Brian, how's my connection?

Brian Belichick (3:55)

I can hear you.

Andrew Kelley (3:58)

Okay, great.

Mike was asking because he needs someone to dunk a basketball for him. He's never done that in his life, so it's too bad you can't come through for him.

Mike (4:06)

Eight-foot hoax. Eight-foot hoax all day.

Brian Belichick (4:09)

It's not me.

Andrew Kelley (4:16)

Gotcha. Just wanted to ask you about kind of the greatest challenge.

Brian Belichick (4:20)

I think that's done.

Andrew Kelley (4:25)

Just the greatest personal challenge coaching through a season like this. I know no one in the building is experienced 2-in-9 for you.

Not the hardest part, but the most difficult, the most challenging.

Brian Belichick (4:38)

You know, I think, honestly for me personally, I think, you know, every year has its challenges, and it's difficult to prepare every week for NFL offenses and to keep on good defense against, you know, teams every week.

And obviously, having a losing record, you know, makes things, makes the energy around the team a little more frustrating and stuff. But, you know, that's, you know, it's a struggle every year to get, to get the team ready to go every week. And I'm not saying that's anything about, that they're doing. I'm just saying, like, it's hard in the NFL to win and put together a good plan to stop these teams. And so, you know, I think it's, that's always a challenge. This year, I think it's the same challenge that it's been, honestly, personally. Today I think it's been a little more challenging season personally because of what happened to me at the end of the spring and also personally my wife's pregnant. And so, you know, just have some things going on where I'm trying to, you know, make sure I'm focused where I need to be. And, you know, I love what I do.