Head Coach Bill Belichick 12/8: "It was a good team performance"

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Wanted to just get your thoughts on why we saw such, you know, an increase in offensive production last night. What do you think led into that, and what were the reasons for it?

Bill Belichick (0:14)

It's a good execution.

SPEAKER_1 (0:19)

Anything, you know, beyond that, what you've done on Bailey's performance, and also what he gave you?

Bill Belichick (0:26)

Yeah, well, again, offenses, you know, team performance, I mean, you got to block Watt, you got to block Hayward, you got to block, you know, it was Highsmith or Herbig, and Atlanta Roberts, and all those guys. Fitzpatrick, I mean, so, you know, the skilled guys had obviously the production, but the, you know, the other guys, you know, had to block it open, catch the ball, throw the ball, so forth. So it was a good team performance.

We, you know, tried to keep Watt number one at Bay. That was a priority in the game. He, at least he didn't ruin the game.

And again, obviously, the other guys that I mentioned, those assignments varied on who had them, but ultimately somebody had to do it. I bet they made some good throws. You know, we scored in the red area, which was huge, you know, those were seven point plays instead of field goals.

And, you know, for the most part, our ball security offensively was good. We had a tip pass that made a good play on intercepted and obviously the block punt. But offensively, ball security was good. Ball wasn't on the ground a lot. The ball was in our hands safely. And, you know, those are all fundamental things that need to be good for for you to be successful.

SPEAKER_3 (1:58)

I get.

SPEAKER_4 (1:59)

Sure, Chris. Ask just to a reminder to turn your camera on before asking a question.

SPEAKER_5 (2:06)

We're going to go to Matt with Twitter, followed by Tyler Baronski.

SPEAKER_3 (2:10)

Hey Bill, has it been kind of special that you were able to have a Thursday game this week to get, allow you to have a full kind of Army Navy experience with that game in your backyard? What's that mean to you to be able to kind of enjoy the whole thing without a game on Sunday?

Bill Belichick (2:27)

Well, it's nice. I won't lie. It's nice. It's nice that the schedule fell the way it did.

I would say most years it doesn't fall that way. But the fact that it did and coincided with the game being in Foxborough is nice. I haven't been able to attend an Army Navy game like this since I was in college. Even the ones that I've seen, we had a game the next day or in Giants Stadium or the Washington game. Back in, I think it was 9 So there have been a handful of games that I've seen, but always with having to go to a meeting or something like that. So this is really a nice luxury for me. And it's been a long time since I've had an opportunity to do this. I'm very much looking forward to it, and I think it will be a great classic event for this region.

It's really nothing like Army-Navy. I've been in a lot of big games, and I've seen a lot of big games, both collegiately and professionally.

That Army-Navy is special.

SPEAKER_3 (3:50)

Bill, there will be people who are seeing this game live for the first time, maybe the only time in their lives. What would you tell them to make sure they look for, make sure they notice, make sure to get that experience, whether it's some of the stuff before time or afterward, what is not to be missed?

Bill Belichick (4:10)

Well, not to get overly dramatic, but look, when you go to one of the military academies, you voluntarily agree and sign up to defend our country at all costs, including your life. And that's a voluntary decision, a very important one. And so ultimately, these are the men and women that are going to lead our country in the coming years and decades. So the march on for the Corps of Cadets and the midshipmen is a pretty impressive thing. You look down and you see 4,000 men and women who are training to be our country's leaders and our country's defenders in the future. And it's a pretty impressive moment to recognize all those kids as they're going through the process and who they're going to be and what's going to come out of there and the training that they're going through. It makes you very proud to see that. But March On starts about 3 hours before the game, so I would recommend that for sure. And again, when you voluntarily take the oath to go to the Naval Academy or to go to West Point, you're not thinking about your future as an NFL player or whatever. You're thinking about your career as a military officer and fighting and defending our country. And football is part of it, but there's a bigger part of it for them. And football is a game, but they'll lay it all on the line, as they should and as they will, and as they will in future years of combat and engagement. So I think that's what you're seeing. And the intensity of the game and how much it means to both academies, it's a lot. It's a game that will be followed around the world.