When it comes to talking to the press, Patriots coach Bell Belichick doesn’t want clever conversation; he doesn’t want to work that hard.
His flat brevity was on display yet again Thursday, regarding the team’s decision to break from a recent trend to submit proposed rule changes directly to the league.
“We love the rules the way they are,” Belichick told reporters. “Yeah, we don’t want to change them.”
They nevertheless will have to deal with the changes that were made, including the reduction in overtime from 15 minutes to 10 minutes.
“I mean, I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Belichick said. “I mean, it’s shorter, so it is what it is.”
He also called the elimination of the ability to leap over the line during field goals and extra points “another monster,” and he had a simple three-word reaction to the change: “Won’t do it.”
There’s brilliance in that simplicity. The rules change, and the teams adapt. Whatever the rules, winning means using them to a given team’s advantage in the hopes of scoring more points than the opponent on a consistent basis.