Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Randy Moss Prepares for the Jets

Courtesy of the New England Patriots

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVER RANDY MOSS
CONFERENCE CALL
September 10, 2008

Q: What are your thoughts on losing quarterback Tom Brady for the season?

RM: Well, it is going to hurt. The ‘said and done’ term is to just go forward. That is hard for us to really say and hard for us to really do when you are talking about a player and team leader such as Tom [Brady]. With all that said, we know the show must go on. We know with him being gone that a lot of players are going to have to step it up a notch. They have to go an extra notch or go the extra level knowing that we had a guy like Tom and we are going to miss him. That means everybody else is going to have their work cut out for them and is going to have to give a little bit more.

Q: What did head coach Bill Belichick say when he talked about quarterback Tom Brady’s injury to the team?

RM: I think it is more about us coming together, knowing the type of player Tom [Brady] is. In a certain sense, we really don’t have that much margin for error now. That means each week, week in and week out, that we are focused and making sure that we are on top of our game, players and coaches included. He [Bill Belichick] is not really shying away from the fact that Tom is hurt. He is making it known that he is hurt and we are going to move forward and put 11 [players] out there on the field. Hopefully, with the way we practice each week we still have a good chance to win. We are going to miss Tom for this season but at the same time there are still guys collecting a check that are a part of this team. We are going to put guys out on the field to go out there and make it happen.

Q: Can you talk about your comfort and confidence level with quarterback Matt Cassel?

RM: Well, there really isn’t a comfort level yet because I haven’t really had a chance to work with [Matt] Cassel or him getting a chance to work with the first team. I think it is more of him working with the first team. I don’t think he has experienced much at that. I think he experienced some of it in the preseason. As far as the regular season with the bullets alive and where everything counts, I don’t think he has really experienced that. We have had a little time to work on our timing and get our timing down just for the fact that Tom didn’t play in the preseason. We have our work cut out for us and we know that. That is what back-ups, second and third string guys are for - just incase the first [string] goes down then you have to have confidence in your second and third string. Regardless of what you see and hear, coach [Bill] Belichick, our organization and our team are behind Matt Cassel. He is our quarterback now and we are going to go out there to try and make things happen. That is best thing we can do.

Q: Were you impressed with how quarterback Matt Cassel handled himself last week against Kansas City?

RM: I was happy with the way our team responded. Not just [Matt] Cassel, just with the magnitude of it [losing Tom Brady], it was like the helium was let out of the balloon. When Tom went down everything got quiet. Guys were looking at each other with the ‘deer in the headlights’ eyes. You can see everybody was stuck in the moment like ‘Is this really happening?’ From a team standpoint and coaching standpoint we pulled together knowing that Tom did get hurt and limped off the field. We didn’t know his status. Not just being impressed with Cassel’s performance but I was impressed by the whole team’s performance. We were able to overcome our leader being down, our leader getting hurt and still being able to come up with a victory.
Q: You were in similar situation with the Minnesota Vikings when quarterback Daunte Culpepper was a young quarterback. What are some things you can do to help a young guy like quarterback Matt Cassel?

RM: I am always open to anything. Time and time again the quarterback really makes all the calls and makes the decision of where he distributes the ball. The biggest way I can help is go out there and do my job. Doing my job may consist of doing things a little bit harder, quicker and faster. I am not going to let something like this [Tom Brady’s injury] get me down. Knowing that we still have a lot, a lot of football to be played. I am not going step up as far as going in there and trying to tell him how to do things knowing Tom is gone. The best thing I can do is do my job, get open, catch the ball and score touchdowns. That’s what I’m going to continue to do. I’m not going to let anything slow me down.”

Q: Will you guys try to change or simplify the offense now that Matt Cassel is the starting quarterback?

RM: I don’t really know if this offense can be conservative. We can score in many ways. If it’s the run, play-action, drop back, whatever it may be. I don’t really know what our goal is. All I know is we’re going to go out and try to win games. If that consists of changing the way we call plays, or not changing, that’s what it’s going to be. For right now, we have a game plan. We’re not slowing down. We are going to practice today and have a full day’s work. Some people may not want to adjust to what happened but Tom is not coming back this year. Matt Cassel is our quarterback. O’Connell’s his backup and [Matt] Gutierrez is the third quarterback. That’s who we’re going to war with. We have guys on this team who need to step up. That’s just where we are. I don’t think we need to change our offense by any means. Guys just need to step up and go out there and play ball.

Q: Have you worked enough with quarterback Matt Cassel to talk about his game? What do you think his strengths are?

RM: I don’t really know. I don’t really want to get into that because I am use to working with Tom [Brady]. He [Matt Cassel] has a great upside. I can’t really answer your question to pinpoint and be exact. Really, the only performance I have seen has been in preseason. Each week in preseason we would come back and look at the things that we did right and the things we did wrong. We still have a lot of offense out there on the field. Matt Cassel has a great upside. It is up to us, teammates and coaches, to keep him upbeat and to keep everything positive because there are times during the season and during the games when there are negative plays and teams do step up and make that run. I think just by him being young, the biggest thing we can do is keep him upbeat, keep his spirits high and go out there and make things happen. I don’t think that Cassel needs to do anything or we need to do anything. I think everybody just needs to do their job and my job is to score touchdowns and catch balls. His job is to distribute that ball and make good decisions with it. It is not just on myself or Cassel, it’s on coach [Bill] Belichick and his coaching staff and all the guys dressed in uniform. Like I said at the beginning, we have our work cut out for us for but I think we are up for the challenge. It is early in the season to start all this speculating. We are just going to go out each week, put 11 [players] on the field and see if we can win the game.

Q: Do you like the fact that a lot of people doubt the Patriots’ potential now that quarterback Tom Brady is out?

RM: I think that is a good way to motivate. Guys get motivated differently. When you put it on the team as a whole and say we as a unit aren’t going to do anything, that is something that can motivate us. When you start talking about individual play that is hard but when you say ‘The New England Patriots team is not going to be what they were suppose to be or what they thought they would be’ then I think that is something that is going to motivate us to step up and try to make it happen.
Q: Have you been able to talk to quarterback Tom Brady much since he was injured? How has he been?

RM: He [Tom Brady] is still upbeat. You expect a guy to really be down on himself. I think he was more down last Sunday. Just from a few conversations and text messages, he is still positive. That is what you can hope for in a guy like Tom. Unfortunately, he is gone for the season with a knee injury. I don’t know what happened to his knee but I know it is a knee injury. He is still the same old Tom Brady. I think that is what a lot people don’t really understand. A lot of times when guys get hurt, you might not see him around the locker room for months at a time. We saw Tom today, I am not sure how much longer we are going to see him, but he is here today and has been uplifting and keeping a positive attitude. I think that goes a long way with not only him but the team as well.

Q: What was your initial reaction when you heard the New York Jets traded for quarterback Brett Farve?

RM: I think my initial reaction was that we are back to playing against each other in the same division. I think that was the biggest thing. I don’t know too much about the [New York] Jets organization. I know a little bit about their players just by being here last year. I don’t really know too much about the Jets organization and their philosophy. Just by him [Brett Farve] being there I know that uplifted the city and put a smile on the organization’s face. Unfortunately, I am a good friend of Chad Pennington and the way it happened for him was bad. I felt for him and his family. Being able to have Farve back in the league and playing together twice during the year - I always loved that back in the NFC North with the Vikings and the Packers. Now it’s the Jets and Patriots. I am still going to love seeing him out there throwing the ball. I don’t think I am the only one that is happy that he came him back. It is a football thing. You don’t want to see a person leave the game knowing they have a lot of football to be played. I am actually happy that he came back. 

Q: What did you make of the fact that when quarterback Brett Farve was with the Green Bay Packers that he was trying to get them to trade for you?

RM: I think Brett [Farve] has been in the game long enough and been in that organization long enough that he knew what they were missing. Just with how things happened last year, I think they were probably missing one big-play wide receiver. They made it to the NFC Championship without that. I think Brett had more of a feel of what the organization needed to be able to make that Super Bowl run. Luckily that didn’t happen. I think that is where a little bit of frustration might have set in last season. I was happy to be able to sign with the New England Patriots last season and then sign a new three-year deal with them. I don’t think Green Bay was really what I was looking for. In all honesty, I think they were just entertaining that to keep Farve happy. I think once everything happened and I signed with the Patriots, I think Farve was probably wondering what happened with the Randy Moss deal. Things happen and this is a business. I think a lot of people have to look at it as a business and not just about playing football. I think when people look at it as a business they look past all the nonsense and get down to the real business side of professional football.

Q: With quarterback Brett Farve with the New York Jets and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady out for the season, do you think the Jets are the team to beat in the AFC East or close to the Patriots level?
RM: I don’t really know. I think the New England Patriots have won this division over the last couple of years. So I think the New England Patriots are still the team to beat. We did have a big loss in Tom Brady, but we still have 10 guys out there on that field to go out there and make it happen. Tom was a big component to making our offense move and execute but now with him gone we have to find other ways to make the offense move. We are still the team to beat in this division and we will see what happens.

Q: How big of a reason was quarterback Tom Brady for you signing with the New England Patriots?

RM: It was a big factor but it wasn’t the main factor. With me being here and being able to get with a team that is about ‘team’ and really expresses ‘team’. That is really all I have been about is being a team player and having team success. I think that is what played a key factor in me coming back here was the overall team concept in the locker room and even in practice. It wasn’t just about going 18-1 and having that Super Bowl appearance. With everything that we accomplished last year, we had a lot of fun behind close doors whether it was in the locker room or over at a guy’s house watching film. They understand how to be a team and what winning is about around here. I can definitely appreciate that.

Bill Belichick preps for jets

Courtesy of the New England Patriots

0.NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
Press Conference
September 10, 2008

BB: It is challenging and exciting to get back into the division this week. The Jets started out with a big win on the road in Miami. This is our first division game so we’re excited about the challenge to go down to New York. It’s going to be a tough game. It certainly was up here the last time we played them. We have a lot of respect for the Jets. They’ve certainly made a lot of changes in their team from last year. There’s a lot of new faces [and] there’s plenty of familiar, old ones. It is two teams that know each other pretty well and have played in a lot of tough, competitive games over the last few years and that’s what we’re expecting this weekend. [We’ve] got a lot of work to do and a lot to prepare for. We will just take it day by day here. The Jets have made quite a few changes in the off-season and it looks like a lot of the things they’re trying to do, they accomplished in their first game. It’s going to be tough for us to make sure we try to meet all of those challenges on Sunday.

Q: When you get a talented player on your team, do you have to gear your philosophy toward his talents, does he have to gear his talents towards your philosophy or is it a little of both?

BB: I think each case is different. I don’t know that there is any set formula for that. I think you just have to, in the end, do what’s best for your football team. Whether that is [to] go more towards one direction, them come more in your direction, or meet somewhere in the middle. I don’t think there is a right, wrong, or specific answer to that. I think it depends on a lot of things and in the end you have to factor it all together. [You have to] decide as a coach how much you can change so that it doesn’t affect your team that you already have in place and how much you need to change in order to work towards the talents of another player. I think in our case, ultimately, what we try to do is have a system that is flexible enough so we can take into account his talents and try to utilize them in the best way possible. Generally speaking, [we try to] have enough flexibility in our system [to] accommodate that.

Q: Along that line, have you seen a change in the Jets system, a change in Brett Farve or has there not been enough time to evaluate that?

BB: No. I think from what we’ve seen, offensively, in some respects the Jets are doing a little bit less than what they did last year. In some respects they’re doing a little bit more and in some respects, I think, they are doing some of the same things. They are just doing [them] a little bit differently. I think part of that might have been an actual transition from one year to the next anyway, that is hard to tell. But, that is probably the same thing you could say about most teams. So I’d say, a little bit of everything.

Q: What is your thought process with this catastrophic injury? How do you process this and move forward?

BB: It is pretty much the same thing every week. You look at what you have available on your team [and] what your situation is. You look at who your opponent is - what they are doing and what you think you need to do to stop and attack them. Then, you go from there. That is really what every team deals with every week. Sometimes, it is in one area or another area, or it might be greater or smaller. But, in the end, that is what it comes down to.

Q: How much did bringing Matt Gutierrez back have to do with his familiarity of the offense?

BB: Well, Matt is on the practice squad so that changes the options right there. We felt like that was the best thing we could do in terms of adding a third quarterback on our roster right now.

Q: Do you feel as challenged as you ever have as a coach given the circumstances?

BB: Well, every week in this league is a big challenge. It is a challenge going up against the Jets, their team and their organization. We’ve played a lot of tough games against them. I know it will be a challenge this week.

Q: How will Kevin O’Connell’s play change this week?

BB: He will take, as the second quarterback, a few more reps than he did last week.

Q: Other than that?

BB: I think everyone has to be ready. Every player is expected to be ready to play in the game. Whether you have one guy ahead of you or two guys ahead of you, it is still a player’s job to be ready to play in those situations. That won’t change. It will just be a question of how many practice opportunities you can give the quarterback. It’s hard to give three quarterbacks reps. It’s hard to give two [quarterbacks] reps. But, you have to give two quarterbacks some reps and the third doesn’t get too many. As the second [quarterback] he will probably get a few more than he did last week.

Q: What’s the most impressive part of what Kevin O’Connell has done so far?

BB: Move the team. Score points.

Q: Going back to Matt Gutierrez - he did a lot of work last year for the show team. Will he be doing that again this year?

BB: That’s apart of his job. A more important part of a player’s job is playing for us. But, that is not an opportunity for everybody all the time. So, when they can’t do that, then we want them to do the best they can to prepare the other side of the ball for what they see and Gutierrez has done a great job of that. I don’t mean to minimize that, he has done a great job of it but the real and most important thing is for him to get back, play his position and give us depth there.

Q: How much different is it for Matt Cassel, this week, that he knows he will be starting on Sunday?

BB: I think every player has to be ready to play. What a professional player does is he comes in and gets the information given to him. Then, he goes, studies it and personalizes it to his specific role on the team. Then, when it comes time on Sunday, he is ready to go in and perform whatever role, whatever job the coaches put them in there to do. Players don’t control playing time. Those are coaching decisions, coaching substitutions. So whether a player goes in for one or two plays, which as we all know depending on the play could be just as important or sometimes more important than maybe the other 58 plays that occurred in that phase of the game. That play could end up being the most important play of the game. So, it is every player’s responsibility to be ready to play for 60 minutes in situations he is accountable for. When he is put into that situation, we expect him to go in there and do his job. That’s how he should approach it. Every single player, it doesn’t make any difference who they are, what position they play, how many years they’ve been in the league, what school they are from or what number they wear. It doesn’t make any difference. That’s a player’s job. The coach’s job is to try to try to put the players in a position where they can be successful, control substitutions and make some decisions as it relates to game situations.

Q: Do you need to look for any signs among players, for example, them saying, ‘let’s go here, we have a job to do’?

BB: We all have a job to do. We are all going to try to do it.

Q: Can you talk about the continued development of Ellis Hobbs?

BB: Ellis [was] a little bit behind this year in training camp. He missed a little bit of time at the beginning when he was on PUP [physically unable to perform]. But, Ellis is a well-conditioned athlete and when he started practicing, he was able to pick up a pretty heavy work-load right off the bat. He has continued to do that both on defense and in the kicking game. He’s a versatile player that has a variety of skills. He’s a tough kid. He’s physical. He tackle’s well. He’s fast. He has good hands and he has some return skills. He’s developing as a player, like all young players are in the passing game. The coverage’s that we use, the routes and the passing game that we see in this league is a lot different than what those guys in the secondary saw in college. So, it is continuing development of covering receivers, playing against different quarterbacks, playing against different pass offenses and also working together with the people on our side of the ball, in terms of the coordination of the overall pass defense and the individual techniques. Sometimes, it is one on one out there and it’s corner against the receiver. But, there’re plenty of times that it’s not. When it is some type of coordinated defense - combination mans, zones, or pressures. Most of the time it is team defense and [you have to] understand where your help is and how to use it. That’s a process that takes quite awhile for any defensive back or any offensive skill player to really get down. There is a lot to it.

Q: What does your decision in not bringing in a veteran quarterback say about your confidence in Matt Cassel?

BB: I don’t know what else it could say. That’s it. He’s our quarterback.

Q: You started Lewis Sanders opposite Ellis Hobbs last week.  Going forward - Is that position going to be a matter of match-ups or are you hoping someone can win that spot?

BB: We will do the same thing we do every week and try to play the players, schemes and the situation we feel is best for that particular game. It might change from week to week and it might not. I think Lewis did a good job. He certainly had some experience over Deltha [O’Neil] coming in last week. Deltha, this week will be able to catch up a little bit in that area. Where that goes exactly, I am not sure. I just hope all the players will be ready to play at the positions they are responsible for. However we decide to do it and whatever we feel is best, that they will go in there and do a good job. Both of them played last week at that spot. Deltha played some over at the right corner for us [last week]. That might happen again, that might not.

Q: What kind of challenge does Brett Farve present?

BB: I think in the secondary, particularly, you can never relax. You never want to relax anywhere but Brett is the type of player that can take the ball from one side of the field and in a split second, turn around, whip it somewhere else and put it right on the money - just like he did against the Giants when he hit [Jerricho] Cotchery down the sideline for a 50 yard touchdown, where he looked off the safeties. You don’t really want to guess with Brett. You’ve got to react to him. When he starts to do something, if you think, ‘this is what he’s going to do’ [and] then he switches it - you are out of position and you’re really in trouble. He does a good job of reading what the defense is seeing and reacting away from it. If you over react to him, it’s almost the worst thing you can do because it encourages him to go back somewhere else and that’s where you just left. He’s very good at that. He’s made a lot of plays through the course of his career. He’s athletic. He can stay on his feet and buy extra time in the passing game and that puts most stress on your coverage at all levels - both at the intermediate level and the deeper level. He can scramble and run if he needs to. At times, he can be a sixth receiver and pick up first downs in those kinds of situations.

Q: I know it’s only one week but how much did Kris Jenkins change the look of the front seven?

BB: Well, it’s not one week. [He goes] back all the way to the Cleveland game. I think, as you watch teams play against the Jets they’re consistently trying to put two guys [on him]. Two guys can’t stay on Jenkins but two guys can start on him, work to somebody else and try to neutralize him. A lot of times, two guys isn’t enough. They just can’t handle him. So, I think we’ve seen Jenkins in all five of their games. Well, four. Not so much the last [preseason] game against the Eagles. But, in the other games we have seen Jenkins play, literally, a big role in there on the nose [tackle] and that puts a lot of pressure on the inside part of the running game. It pushes it outside to the ends, the outside linebackers, and the safeties that are coming down. He’s been a force in there and he’s been a factor in their run defense. Miami had 50 yards last week and he’s a big reason, not just the plays he makes but the plays that get eliminated [inside], get pushed out to somebody else.

Q: Does it look similar to 2003 with Ted Washington’s play?

BB: There are some similarities but he’s not as big as Ted Washington. He plays a little different style then Ted did. But, they are big, physical nose tackles - I agree with that. But, beyond that I think their playing styles are a little bit different.

Q: Is their impact similar?

BB: I think Kris [Jenkins] is a big, powerful guy in there. He’s a hard guy [to play against]. You can’t move him. You just have to try to place him somewhere, where he can’t affect the play. But, he’s also a guy that they stunt some, penetrate with and when he gets moving in one direction, he is a hard guy to stop. He has some plays in the backfield, some negative plays where [he] penetrates and cuts off half the line of scrimmage, whichever way he’s going - he cuts off the other half of it and that can be effective too. 

Q: I noticed on Sunday that Mike Vrabel had the green dot on his helmet. Did you use the defensive headsets?

BB: Yeah. It’s a long conversation that really is not worth getting into. Yea, he had it.

Q: Did you actually use it [defensive headset]?

BB: I am not going to get into it. I don’t know how many plays we had on defense - 65 plays. Which play we did, which play we didn’t, what he heard? I mean really. To some degree it was used but I would say overall, minimal.

Q: Having a significant injury like this one, making adaptations on the field and moving forward. Has this been the hardest one for you yet?

BB: I don’t know. It is hard to rank them. Tom [Brady] is a great player for us - don’t get me wrong. He’s responsible for a lot of the success that we’ve had around here but at the same time, as a coach you take the hand that is dealt to you and you try to play it as best as you can. That’s really what you do on a weekly basis. You don’t sit around and worry about, what could have been or what [if] this or what [if] that. You look at what you have, you look at what they have, which you don’t know as well, but you have to try and figure [it] out, and then you deal with that. That is really what a coach’s job is. That’s the way I look at it.

Q: After building your roster this off-season, you don’t know how it will hold up after injury. What are your thoughts on that?

BB: I feel like when you build your roster, you build it the best that you can, given the circumstances and the restraints that you have on you, which there are always a number of those, and then you go with them. If you need to make changes, then you make the changes that you can make. I think that is the process you always go through. I don’t think any team goes through the season without making some changes. I’m sure we will make some along the way, like we have in the past and I’m sure we will in the future. That is pretty much true of most teams too. That’s part of the adjustment over a 16 game regular season schedule.