Bill Belichick 8/5 Press Conference Transcript

Q: Is tight end traditionally a difficult position to acclimate yourself to in this offense because of the number of responsibilities?

BB: I think it’s one of the most difficult positions in any offense. Any time you change formations, that player is really at the heart of the changes. You usually, the backs are usually in the backfield, other than some empty plays. The receivers are usually detached, other than some close formation plays. Normally the tight end or tight ends, they’re involved in a lot of the formation variations, which then involve them in a lot of different assignments. Basically they’re involved in the passing game, the running game, pass protection, blitz adjustments, all the multiple tight end personnel groups like goal line and short-yardage and four-minute offense and things like that in addition to their, as bigger players, their roles in the kicking game. It’s really hard to get around, you might be able to get around a part of that, but not too many parts of it. Or else the guy is a receiver or he’s an offensive lineman. That’s really what it comes down to. Sure, that position takes a lot. It takes a lot, there are a lot of assignments, there are a lot of adjustments. They have a lot of different responsibilities.