It Is What It Is
NEED TO KNOW
Follow WEEI.com football writer Christopher Price at twitter.com/cpriceNFL. In addition, get the latest WEEI.com updates at twitter.com/WEEI.
A WEEI.com Patriots Blog
WEEI.com Blog Network
RSS
Pats, Belichick prepare for ‘uncertainty’ 09.06.10 at 1:37 pm ET
By

FOXBORO — On the surface, it would seem mildly alarming that Bill Belichick admitted Monday that he has a lot of unanswered questions about his 2010 Patriots heading into Sunday’s opener with the Cincinnati Bengals.

That is before he followed up with the disclaimer that EVERY team in the NFL has questions heading into a season.

He was asked about a few of them on Monday as well as some questions following a weekend of roster-molding moves that saw linebacker Shawn Crable return to the Patriots on the practice squad while waving bye-bye to veteran linebacker Derrick Burgess.

“It’s a busy time,” Belichick said of preparing for Week 1. “There’s a lot of answered questions. There’s a lot of guesswork. You prepare, do the best you can and then you have to be ready to adjust on Sunday. I’m sure there’ll be some things we haven’t seen or players line up in spots that we haven’t seen them in before.

“It’s no different for us or anyone else. It’s more uncertainty than after that first regular season game when you can see how the cards are being played.”

The cards the Patriots will be playing at linebacker consist of Tully Banta-Cain, Jermaine Cunningham, Marques Murrell, Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes. Burgess, looking for his second year with the Patriots, was a roster casualty after missing the first week of training camp with a personal issue.

“We had to reduce our roster and we kept the players that we felt were the best players for our team going forward,” Belichick said. “That’s pretty much what it comes down to. Derrick came in and he worked hard. He got off to a late start this year, but he came in and really worked hard. We just went with different players.

Belichick made it clear that as far as Murrell and Cunningham are concerned, their versatility on special teams helped them secure a spot.

“We’ll just see how it goes for that whole group – Jerod, Marques, Jermaine, Tully. I think those players all do some of the same things. They also do some different things. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration there: all three downs on defense, which can have some variety to them, and the kicking game. When you look at all four downs and the players that play at those positions, they contribute in different ways. That’s kind of the whole decision at that position: how to keep the right players, the best players, the best fit players that can help the team the most.

“Again, I think those players have different skills but they also have to do some of the same things, so it’s a combination of that kind of conversation or decision on the roster, and then also as it relates to their ability to play on special teams and contribute on special teams.

And another linebacker returned after clearing waivers over the weekend when Crable was added to the Patriots practice squad.

“We put him out there,” Belichick said. “He had to pass a physical and just normal procedures, so we’ll practice him. He really didn’t get a chance to do much here in training camp, but hopefully he’ll have an opportunity to do that on the practice squad.”

Read More: Derrick Burgess, New England Patriots, nfl, Patriots Print  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • http://www.sigmakom.com/ Carolynn Kirkendall

    I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.

  • http://www.allegropl.net/ allegro walentynki

    I have been checking out some of your articles and i can claim nice stuff. I will make sure to bookmark your website.

  • http://alegroalegro.pl/alegro betoniarki allegro

    Simply want to say your article is as astonishing. The clarity in your post is simply nice and i could assume you are an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the gratifying work.

  • http://pomyslnaprezent.org JoellaBoben

    Hello.This post was extremely motivating, particularly because I was investigating for thoughts on this topic last Friday.

  • http://suwon.gsis.sc.kr/groups/gsis21cohort/weblog/f6298/geschenk.html Ryann Tagaban

    Good day! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading your articles. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same subjects? Thanks a lot!

  • http://pacquiaoversusmarquez3live.blogspot.com pacquiao vs marquez

    very good submit, i certainly love this web site, keep on it

  • http://www.bagoesteak.com Teak Manufacturer

    It Is What It Is » Pats, Belichick prepare for ‘uncertainty’ An attention-grabbing discussion is worth comment. I think that it’s best to write extra on this matter, it might not be a taboo subject but typically people are not sufficient to talk on such topics. To the next. Cheers, Teak Manufacturer

  • http://www.designfloat.com/Tutorials/Bad-credit-catalogues-for-poor-credi Bok Stgermain

    Beyonce is almost certainly set to get to number one when it comes to this weekend’s album charts, taking Lady Gaga out of the top position. The American artist, who just headlined at Glastonbury, is promoting her album, 4, three times as rapidly as chart challengers as documented in (blank) the Official Chart Update.

  • http://www.officialcoloncleanse.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=951 dual action colon cleanse ingredients

    I do know this isn’t precisely on topic, however i’ve a web page using the same program as properly and i get troubles with my feedback displaying. is there a setting i’m missing? it’s possible chances are you’ll help me out? thanx.

  • http://community.atom.com/Post/Winter-marriage-ceremony-gown-set-off-the-historic-fashion-pattern/03EFBFFFF024CC2150008016BC40B Brent Kratowicz

    Very good day! I could have sworn I?¯ve been to this website before but just after browsing by means of a lot of the post I realized it?¯s new to me. Anyways, I?¯m absolutely glad I discovered it and I?¯ll be book-marking and checking back often!

  • http://dqbnzy.com/how-to-get-your-ex-back-various-secrets-on-how-to-get-your-ex-back/ how to get him back forever

    Was looking for assistance. Will put it to function. Ben

  • http://sketchcast.com/channel/freddiefcalho Kenyatta Sanchec

    Lady Gaga chatted in front of many thousands of people at EuroPride this year, in favor of regarding gay rights and additionally equality.

  • http://blackhatrealm.com blackhat seo forum

    Spot on with this write-up, I truly suppose this website needs far more consideration. I’ll most likely be again to learn way more, thanks for that info.

  • http://iflry.org/members/traceynewton511.aspx types of plastic surgery

    Thanks for your publish. My spouse and i have generally seen that almost all people are wanting to lose weight when they wish to appear slim as well as attractive. On the other hand, they do not often realize that there are many benefits so that you can losing weight additionally. Doctors state that overweight people are afflicted by a variety of disorders that can be instantly attributed to their own excess weight. The great thing is that people who’re overweight plus suffering from numerous diseases can help to eliminate the severity of their own illnesses through losing weight. You possibly can see a slow but identifiable improvement in health when even a negligible amount of weight-loss is achieved.

Latest on Twitter

2013 PATRIOTS DRAFT PICKS

2013 NFL DRAFT

Patriots Headlines
NFL Headlines
Tips & Feedback

Verify