Bill Belichick critical of Patriots’ first preseason game
The New England Patriots kicked off their 2014 NFL season last night against the Washington Redskins in week 1 of the preseason. Not that the final score matters whatsoever, but the Patriots did falter by losing to the Redskins 23-6.
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Now before Patriots fans begin to worry about their prospects for the upcoming regular season, remember that Pro Bowl franchise quarterback Tom Brady sat out last night’s game for precautionary reasons.
Regardless, head coach Bill Belichick was critical of his team’s performance last night, essentially stating that everything could have been better (courtesy of the Providence Journal):
"I don’t think our protection was good enough. I don’t think our passing game was good enough. I don’t think our running game was good enough. Our run defense, our pass defense, pass rush, kicking game. They all need to be improved."
So was Belichick happy with the punting and return game of the Patriots?
Although the team has a lot of work to do, there is still plenty of time before they open up the regular season in Miami against the division rival Dolphins on September 7th. Considering Brady has not played with the team on the field yet, there is absolutely nothing to worry about just yet.
No one should expect Belichick to be singing praise of his team after they lose a game 23-6 no matter the circumstances. In that essence, he is right in the sentiment that everything must be improved before week 1. Considering that he is among the greatest coaches of all time and employs one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, that should not be an unmanageable task.