Coach Belichick gave his end of the season wrap-up address with the Patriots media today. I am sure Belichick never imagined he would be discussing the loss of the Super Bowl XLII. When you look back at this game, it was very clear that the Giants wanted to win, and the Patriots expected to win. Here is hoping this experience will somehow make them a better team for 2008. Here are a few snippits from the Press Conference call to wrap up the 2007 Patriots season:
Opening Remark:
"As I said after the game, it's a disappointing end to a lot of good things that happened this season. Players did a great job all year long. We played a lot of good football, but we're certainly disappointed about the way it ended. We came so close, but it just didn't work out. It takes a lot to get to this point, but now it's starting over, into the '08 season, it's already time to move on. We're into the offseason and that's just the way it is. We'll start moving ahead toward next year."
Comment on why he did not challenge the fumble recovery:
“The officials ruled that there wasn’t any clear-cut possession and Mike Carey was standing right there in front of it. I can’t imagine that he would have ruled it any differently than the way he did when he’s standing right on top of the play. So I really didn’t give it much thought. I didn’t think about anything more than the next play at that point.”
Comment on what is planned next for the Patriots:
“The first thing is to go back and look at what happened during the season and evaluate our team and our scheme and our players, and then we start moving into the team-building aspect, in free agency, the draft, and personnel decisions, and playbook. All the things like that – things we do to prepare for the offseason program, the spring camps, and ultimately the ’08 season.”
Comment on leaving the field with one second remaining on the clock:
“Basically, on that last play I wasn't really sure of the time. Everybody started on to the field and then I got over there and I wanted to congratulate Tom [Coughlin]. I've been in that situation before after the game. I wanted to get over there and congratulate him and congratulate him on the championship. There really wasn't much left at that point.”
Comments on Rodney Harrison, Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi returning in 2008:“I think that at the end of each season, and I have said this in previous years and I would say it every year, I don’t think the day after the season is a great time to make decisions about anything. I think we all need to give the end of the season a little bit of time, and whatever decisions need to be made, sometimes they are timely decisions and you can’t wait forever on them, but I don’t think the day after the season is a great time to be making a lot of important decisions on anything. So how those players feel now, and how they might feel a week from now, or two weeks from now, or a month from now, could be entirely different. I’ve certainly seen that in my career as a coach and I’ve had feelings after a game, that after a period of time have shifted a bit too for various reasons. I personally wouldn’t put too much into anything that happens soon after the end of any season, good or bad, or immediately after a particular game. A lot of times those are emotional decisions and not really good fundamental ones.”
Final thoughts on the 2007 Season:
“It’s pretty much over. It’s time to move on. I’m not going to sit here and dwell on anything, good or bad, that happened in the past. It’s over. It is what it is. We played our last game of the ’07 season.”
Note: Coach Belichick might want to put the 2007 season behind him, but there are still going to be questions that will need to be addressed again with both Goodell and Specter.
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