Patriots coach Bill Belichick joined Dale & Holley with Keefe on Monday for his weekly appearance to look ahead to Super Bowl LII. To hear the complete interview, visit the Dale, Holley & Keefe audio on demand page.
This will be Belichick's eighth Super Bowl as coach of the Patriots, so he has a good idea of what to expect. One of the biggest differences from a regular-season game, or even postseason game is the crowd and that makes communication that much more difficult.
"Communication will be key for us," Belichick said. "We have been in a lot of loud stadiums. I am sure this will be loud. We have had loud stadiums before. It was loud in Pittsburgh, it is loud everywhere. I think one thing we are going to have to be ready for this week is the crowd noise on both sides of the ball. My experience in these games is it is just loud, period. It is loud all the time.
"Since there is not a true home team, it is a neutral field, you just have a general high noise level. Usually we prepare for communication issues on one side of the ball or the other. I think in a game like this you have to be ready for both. If it doesn't happen then it doesn't happen, but you don't want to be unprepared for it and then find out that communication is an issue. We will be ready to go on all of those."
Being in so many of these games has helped with all of the planning.
"There are some things you can carry from [past Super Bowls], but it is a learning process," Belichick said. "There are things that we learned from last year and will do a little bit different this year. I think organizationally, handling the logistics of transportation and hotels and so forth. All of the things that go with that. That certainly has become a pretty smooth process. That has been good."
Added Belichick: "There is some carryover, but it is pretty unique. The locations are usually different and the teams are certainly different from any of the other one's that we've had. That in itself is what I would say is the biggest difference — the team that you're playing, how unfamiliar you usually are with those teams. We had a couple of situations going back to other Super Bowls where we had played the team during the regular season, but these last three, not so much."
Following are more highlights from the conversation. For more Patriots news, visit the team page.
On LeGarrette Blount and Chris Long: "They both have solid roles. They rotate their defensive lineman, so Chris is part of that and usually plays on our right. He has had a productive year. LeGarrette has done a good job for them really in all situations, primarily early down and short-yardage. He has given them the plays we know he has -- tough-yardage plays and he is a very athletic player when he gets into place. He's done a good job for them."
On when he heard about Tom Brady's "Tom vs. Time": "I am not sure, I guess whenever it was announced."
On if he had any problems with it: "No, look Tom does a great job with everything he does. I am sure it will be interesting and entertaining."
