The New England Patriots are in for a battle in the AFC East this year, as the division is the strongest in years with the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins returning from playoff appearances. The New York Jets also have Aaron Rodgers too.
Belichick is focused on the Patriots — and the Patriots only. He dismissed the notion of Rodgers in New York and the Patriots having to face him twice a year — for now.
“Well, he is obviously a great player. Right now, we are just focused on our training camp and trying to get our team to do things the best we possibly can,” Belichick said to reporters Tuesday. “We can’t worry too much about the other 31 teams.”
The Patriots have owned the Jets since Belichick took over as the head coach in New England, sporting a 36-10 record against their AFC East rivals. Belichick was head coach of the Jets for a day in 2000 before resigning, only to be traded to the Patriots and become their head coach.
The Patriots have won 14 consecutive games against the Jets, with New York’s last victory coming in 2015. The Jets have not beaten the Patriots in regulation since the 2010 AFC divisional playoffs — the last time the Jets made the postseason.
That dubious streak may end this year, but Belichick isn’t focused on the Jets yet. That won’t come until Week 3, when New England goes to MetLife Stadium (the Patriots host the Jets in Week 18).
“Look, every team has added players, drafted players, added players to their roster,” Belichick said. “There is no roster that is the same as last year. All 32 are different. So, as we get information, we’ll see how things play out.
“We have a couple other teams on our schedule ahead of them that we have to deal with, but when we get to the Jets, we get to the Jets.”
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Author: Jeff Kerr
July 25, 2023 | 2:03 pm