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September 22, 2006

Friday morning

Hey all --

Coach Belichick just wrapped up his morning chat with the media. When he came into the room, he asked those of us assembled if we were ready for Denver, the question came back, Are you? He smiled and said, "I hope so."

Not only does Belichick admire Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, but he also has a lot of respect for wideout Rod Smith, and intimated today that he's the best undrafted player in the NFL.

"Every superlative you want to write down about Rod Smith, put it down," Belichick said. "He does it all. And he's killed us."

In six games (one postseason) against the Belichick-led Patriots, Smith has averaged 108 receiving yards per game, with three total touchdowns.

Though he talks a lot about the now, Belichick said that when he's preparing to play a team like Denver, where there is so much history and continuity on the coaching staff, you go back "as far as you think is relevant" in terms of studying game tapes. A lot of that work, he said, is done in the offseason, especially with this game with the Broncos coming so early in the year.

During the offseason, when it became clear that former Green Bay receiver Javon Walker was on the trading block, the Patriots showed a lot of interest in acquiring the one-time Pro Bowler.

How close was he to coming here?

"There were four plane reservations, put it that way," Belichick said. "But there was a lot more to it than that because he wasn't a free agent. He was almost on the plane though."

Denver acquired Walker with a 2006 second-round draft pick; Belichick intimated that was a higher price than the Pats could or would pay.

Belichick also touched on the improvements made by offensive lineman Wesley Britt, who went from the practice squad last year to the active roster this year.

"He's improved tremendously; he needed to get better technique and with his physical body strength," Belichick said.

We're off to practice...

shalise

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 11:10 AM | Permalink