Bill Belichick’s bubble trouble
Today’s amusing exchange from New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick’s press conference:
Q: For guys who are maybe on the bubble, is each day more valuable?
BB: That’s probably fair. I’m sure there are a lot of players in there that are feeling the pressure, that are feeling the urgency of the final roster cuts and how the team is going to be made up and all that. [rest of answer snipped]
Q: Where does Monty Beisel fit in with what you just described?
BB: Monty missed some time this week but he’s been out there this week and that’s been to his benefit. That’s always going to help him. He’s starting to do things better after missing a couple of days. He’s starting to come back and do things better. [snip]
Q: Is he on the bubble?
BB: What bubble? I don’t know what a bubble is.
Q: It’s when a spot on the roster is not guaranteed.
BB: I don’t know who that is. We’re going to make the decisions that we think are best for the football team. That includes everybody. I don’t know about any bubble.
And that’s how the press conference ended. I’m guessing the beat reporters felt pretty good about themselves, and I they probably should.
Belichick also described the challenges that an offensive tackle faces when he switches from one left to right or vice versa (”Mentally, it’s hearing the plays and kind of flipping them and physically it’s changing your footwork and your technique.”). He also held forth on how the old 5-2 front became the 4-3 front and how Kansas City Chiefs developed a hybrid alignment while Dallas Cowboys created the 4-3 flex, an alteration of which was used by the Detroit Lions when Belichick was an assistant there.
