Here’s what New England coach Bill Belichick had to say about the Falcons during a conference call with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday:
Q: What do you see when you look at the Falcons’ offense, which has just two new starters?
BELICHICK: "I think they are a very impressive group. They have a lot of talent. They are strong at every position. The offensive line is good. The quarterback is good. The running backs are good. Tight ends, receivers, they have a lot of explosive players and they are very well coached. They do a great job there. They are a big challenge to stop. We are going to have do a lot of things well to be competitive this week."
Q: Defensively, who do (the Falcons) look like now?
A: "It's a very talented group of players. They are explosive and fast on the defensive line. Very athletic at linebacker. They have good corners. Good safeties. Again, they have a good scheme. They are well coached. They pursue the ball well. They tackle well. They are a very fast and aggressive group. I think that Thomas Dimitroff and his staff have done a great job assembling a very talented football team. They are good in the kicking game. They have excellent specialists, returners, kickers and punters. It's a very skilled and talented team all the way around. One that we have a lot of respect for and know what a big challenge that we are going to have this week with this team."
Q: What’s it like seeing Tom Brady doing his thing at 40?
A: "Tom prepares well. He works very hard offensively we have a competitive group. There are a lot of things that we need to work on and do better. But we're trying to address those and trying to be consistent week to week."
Q: How’s your run game?
A: "Well, we'll see. Atlanta has a very athletic group there. Like Poe, Clayborn and Jarrett obviously is very hard to block. Should be a big…none of the holes that are there stay open for very long. They pursue and close it very quickly. We are going to have to do a great job of making our blocks and staying on our blocks and running with the ball to have any success in the running game."
Q: How do you see Rob Gronkowski’s matchup with the Falcons’ defenders?
A: "I think (safety Keanu) Neal and (strongside linebacker DeVondre) Campbell are both very competitive guys on the ….in coverage for the Falcons. They do a great job. Again, nobody has very long to get open against this pass rush that Atlanta has. In the passing game, we're going to have to do a great job of not only protecting but running good technique routes so that we can create some separation for the quarterback to throw the ball because there is just not a lot of time to get open. We'll have to move quickly on that."
Q: How are Shaq Mason (Georgia Tech) and David Andrews (Wesleyan High, Georgia) doing for the Patriots?
A: "They are doing good, real good. Both of those guys work hard and they are tough. They show up everyday and go to work. Good young players that we are very fortunate to have them on our team."
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