Belichick not impressed by blowout win over Texans
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. (AP)
To
hear Bill Belichick glumly address reporters on Monday, you'd think the
Houston Texans blew New England out in the regular season - and not the
other way around.
''There were several things in that game that
went our way, but I don't think that's really that significant at this
point,'' the Patriots coach said in a conference call. ''I don't think
you can overanalyze that game.''
The Patriots beat the Texans
42-14 on Dec. 10, when Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes. The
Patriots led 28-0 midway through the second quarter and held Arian Foster to 46 yards on 15 carries.
Still, Belichick did his best
to dismiss any comparison between that game and the second-round
playoff game on Sunday that will determine a berth in the AFC
championship game.
''I don't think anybody cares right now
whether he gained 145 yards or 45 yards,'' Belichick said of Foster.
''It's more about what we have to do as a defense to handle the plays
that they run. ... The stats and the score and all that, I don't think
anybody really cares about that.''
Houston lost three of its
last four regular-season games to cede the No. 2 seed and the playoff
bye to the Patriots. But the Texans beat the Cincinnati Bengals 19-13
in the opening round of the playoffs to earn a rematch in New England.
Offensive lineman Logan Mankins said keeping the team from getting
overconfident is one of Belichick's strengths.
''He's
great at serving up humble pie,'' Mankins said on WEEI. ''I don't think
Bill's overlooked any team ever. You know he's going to have us working
hard this week and trying to get ready.''
Quarterback Tom Brady
said in his weekly radio appearance on Monday that the Dec. 10 game
won't have any bearing on what happens Sunday.
''It was a big
win for our season; it was a big win at that time,'' he said during his
weekly radio appearance on WEEI. ''But this game is going to be
entirely different, and I think we've got to be able to put just as
much preparation into the game as we did before.''
Brady said
Belichick is sure to bring up the 2010 season, when the Patriots beat
the Jets 45-3 in December in Foxborough but - despite having the NFL's
best record - lost to them in the playoffs. The Patriots weren't
overconfident; they just played badly, Brady said.
''I'm sure
Coach will talk about that this week,'' he said. ''I think that's a
great example. The reason we lost that game wasn't because we beat
them, whatever, four weeks before. It was because we (stunk) in the
game.''
Mankins said the loss to the Jets was a learning
experience that should eliminate any danger of the Patriots becoming
overconfident.
''We're definitely not taking this team lightly,'' he said. ''We know
they're very good.
''If
you've been around long enough and played enough teams multiple times
in a season, you know the second time is always tough. They know you
and you know them. They're going to know you're tendencies, you know
theirs. The second time around is usually a dogfight. It's always a lot
closer than the first game.''
The Patriots missed tight end Rob Gronkowski for the December game. But the Texans were also depleted by
injuries: starting tackle Derek Newton, tight end Garrett Graham and
linebacker Brooks Reed all sat out. But they played in the postseason
win against the Bengals, and should be ready for this weekend.
|