–Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on when he knew Mike Vrabel would be a good head coach: “Yeah, Mike’s got a lot of great qualities – great player, tough mentally and physically, smart, had a real passion for the game, was in great condition, could go all day, loved to play, loved to practice, great leadership. So, I think all those things transferred when he went to coach at Ohio State and then down to Houston and now Nashville. So, I have a ton of respect for Mike and I think he’s been a great coach. I think he’ll be a great head coach.”
–Belichick on the struggles of cornerback Malcolm Butler: “I mean, look, they lead the league in defense, OK? So, that’s our challenge as an offense is we’re playing 11 guys, we’re playing their coaching staff and the schemes they put up against us. And, right now, they’re playing better defense than anybody in the league. So, we’ll see how we do. I don’t know. It will be tough, I know that.”
–Belichick on the play of Trey Flowers: “He’s got good length. He’s quick, he’s very instinctive. Trey has a really good feel for leverage and the weight distribution of the players. So, if the guy’s light, he can push him back. If a guy’s kind of leaning on him, he can get around him with his quickness. He uses his hands well, he plays on his feet, he has good balance and he runs well. You know, he can run out and track guys down, make plays from the backside. He’s just got a good feel for the game.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 22 – Number of catches by Josh Gordon this season. The Patriots were lucky Gordon was available after he wore out his welcome in Cleveland. Mike Vrabel said Wednesday that Gordon has a big catch radius, which makes him difficult to defend because even if he is covered he can still make a play.
