Patriots HC Bill Belichick

PRESS CONFERENCE

January 7, 2024

BB: All right. You know, disappointing finish there today. I have a lot of respect for the way the players competed. Have all year. You know, I thought that was indicative of the competitiveness. You know, at the end, Hunter’s [Mike Gesicki]’s strip after the interception and the recovery by [Vederian] Lowe, really gave himself up on it and just played hard. But you know, we just couldn’t make enough plays to win. So it’s a disappointing year for all of us, players, coaches, staff. Entire organization. Not anything that any of us are in any way content with but it is what it is. So I’ll address some questions on the game. As far as the future goes, I’ll sit down with Robert [Kraft] as I do every year at some point at the end of the season and we’ll talk about things as we always do. I’m sure that will happen. But that’s really about all I have to say about that right now because there isn’t anything else to talk about. So any questions on the Jets game, happy to take a few of those.

Q: Did Nathan Rourke outperform Mac Jones in practice that led to him being the no. 2 quarterback for the game today?

BB: Nathan had a good week of practice. You know, we activated him for the second spot.

Q: Coming off the field today, did you have any different feelings about the end of today coming off that field?

BB: Disappointed about the way the game turned out, sure. Yeah, let’s leave it at that.

Q: Do you expect to be coaching the team here next year?

BB: It’s disappointing the way the game finished, yeah.

Q: This was potentially Matthew Slater’s final game. One of the handful of players you’ve coached who are arguably the best in their position in the history of the NFL. What do the players like Matthew and those players meant to you in your career?

BB: Yeah, I mean, I’ve spoken about Matthew at length. Just would be reiterating the same positive comments about his greatness on the field, off the field, as a teammate, his work ethic, his training, his unselfishness. On a daily basis, he’s just exemplary. And to watch his growth from, you know, when he was a rookie coming out of UCLA and trying to find a little bit of position on offense and defense and ultimately becoming as good a special teams player that has ever played this game. Certainly he has everything to back that up based on his long, sustained success and being the targeted guy every week. Then his leadership and presence for the team, not just the players, for the organization, the staff. I mean, he’s an inspiration to all of us.

Q: From Bailey Zappe’s play as the starting quarterback over the last few games, what have you seen from him in terms of his ability to lead the team and where do you see him standing in terms of his competition for the starting quarterback position moving forward?

BB: Yeah, moving forward, that’s a whole another conversation about everything. So I think he’s progressed weekly in his preparation. He’s certainly learned from the experiences that he’s had. He’s a young player that has a long way to go and has a long future in front of him. So we’ll see.

Q: Is it your preference to come back next season and coach the team?

BB: Yeah, so I just finished the game here with the Jets. Put everything I had into it. Disappointed in the results.

Q: It’s our understanding that you’re under contract for next year. Is it your hope to come back?

BB: I just finished the game with the Jets, Phil. It was a very – I put everything I had into it this week and tried to prepare our team the best I could to play in it.

Q: The loss to the Jets did drop to you 4-13. Would you characterize this as one of the most difficult seasons you’ve ever coached and has it taken any of the wind out of your sails as far as the effort it takes to coach?

BB: No, I mean, I enjoy coaching. Like I said, it’s a disappointing season. I covered that in the opening statement. I don’t have anything to add. That’s how I feel. But no, I still – I like coaching the team. I like preparing the team, game planning, coaching on Sundays. But the results weren’t good and none of us are happy with those.

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