It’s notoriously difficult for reporters to get Patriots players to say anything interesting. This does not happen by accident.
Bill Parcells had his 11 commandments for quarterbacks. Bill Belichick has his four rules for dealing with the media, as detailed by Tedy Bruschi on NFL Live via Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com.
1. Speak for yourself
“That’s something Coach Belichick always said -- ‘Don’t worry about anyone else’s situation, on another team or your team, always think about your job, doing your job, and commenting on that,’” Bruschi said.
So don’t give up anything compelling on teammates or opponents. Got it.
2. Never talk about injuries.
“Never let them know if you’re hurt or not hurt.”
The only surprise here is that this isn’t rule No. 1.
3. Pour on the perfume.
“This is compliments. You want to spray that perfume on your opponent on Wednesday all the way through Saturday, and then get the job done on Sunday,” Bruschi relayed.
4. Fall back on cliches.
“When in doubt, use the old safe cliche. You love those -- ‘100 percent’, ‘one day at a time,”’ Bruschi said.
In the future Belichick may consider a fifth rule: Don’t give away all our rules when you join the media.