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Super Bowl Capsules: Belichick strives for consistent approach
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Season opener or Super Bowl, every game is a big game to Bill Belichick. His consistent approach to preparation for the next opponent, whether a powerhouse or a pushover, is the cornerstone of the coaching that has brought the New England Patriots to their fifth Super Bowl in 11 years.
The more intense the practices, the more prepared his players are for the game.
"You know what to expect week-in and week-out with him," wide receiver Matthew Slater said. "The attention to detail is always there. It doesn't matter if it's a bye week or if it's a divisional playoff round. He's committed to winning and that commitment never falters, no matter what the circumstance, no matter how much success we've had or how many games we may have lost in a row.
"That commitment to winning is always there."
During practices, Belichick strolls the field, sometimes twirling his whistle on a lanyard, other times stopping to talk with players. His daily message is simple — get the fundamentals right and just do your own job while preparing for the uniqueness of the next opponent.
That's resulted in 10 straight victories, eight in the regular season and two in the playoffs. Another win on Feb. 5 against the New York Giants would give the Patriots their fourth Super Bowl championship.
"I think every game is a big game," Belichick said Tuesday. "Every time we get an opportunity to compete then we try to take advantage of the time leading up to that opportunity — the practice week, the preparation, the film study, understanding our game plan and our adjustments, all of those kinds of things.
"What else is there to work on but the game, the next one on your schedule, the one that you're playing? You try to cover all your bases for that game, you play it, and then you start the process all over again with the next one."
Right guard Brian Waters played his first 11 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. But when he signed with the Patriots on Sept. 4, eight days before the season opener, he quickly sensed the difference in Belichick's style.
"I wasn't here in training camp but, from day one, I can tell that he's all about the details," Waters said. "He's all about everybody doing their own job and staying in their lane. Everybody has their own responsibilities. That's something that you learn early on and that's something that he still makes sure that we understand today."
Another part of the Belichick playbook: Don't focus on the past or far into the future, just on the next practice and the next game.
That's a big enough workload, considering how hard he pushes his players.
James Ihedigbo didn't start a game the past three seasons with the New York Jets, but did go to AFC championship games the past two seasons. The Jets lost both. This season he started 12 of 16 games at safety for the Patriots and reached the Super Bowl.
The Patriots are special, he said, "because we prepare. We prepare harder than any other place that I've played and it definitely gets you focused in on your opponent and knowing them and understanding their strengths and how they want to attack you.
"So that's what we're keyed in on this week."
And this season's playoff wins over Denver, 45-10, and Baltimore, 23-20, are fading rapidly from players' minds.
"It has been going on all year and you just have to put everything in the past," tight end Rob Gronkowski said. "If you have a good game, that is all over with and you just have to keep moving on forward to the future and make sure you have a good practice week."
Running back Stevan Ridley, drafted in the third round last April, was the team's second-leading rusher during the regular season. When the playoffs began, he didn't notice much difference in Belichick's intensity.
"You know coach Bill, man, every game is serious," Ridley said, "playoffs, regular season, preseason."
One of the Patriots' most veteran players, left tackle Matt Light, also has played for just one head coach. Drafted in 2001, only Tom Brady and Kevin Faulk have been with the team longer.
What stands out most about Belichick is his "consistency, just his ability to stay focused to the nth degree and do that repetitively, week-in and week-out," Light said. "It's not an easy thing, obviously, running a team and putting up with a lot of guys like myself and the rest of the knuckleheads in that locker room.
"But you know what? I think that coming in and setting that example with our entire coaching staff and how he approaches everything, it makes it easy for all of us to fall in line."
Mannin tells team to get rid of pregame issues early
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — When Eli Manning talks, the New York Giants listen.
Making a rare mid-week address, the Super Bowl MVP told his teammates Tuesday to take care of personal business early so they can focus on preparing to play the New England Patriots in the super sequel in Indianapolis on Feb. 5.
In other words, use the next 48 hours to buy tickets for family and friends, book air fares and hotel rooms and show up on Thursday ready to start practicing for the title game.
Manning seemingly was ready to go on Tuesday. He had little to say about the 20 or so times the 49ers hit him or knocked him down during the 20-17 overtime win in the NFC title game in San Francisco on Sunday.
The 30-year-old said he had a workout and was fine when asked about his health. He was more concerned about the Giants being ready for the rematch with Tom Brady and company.
"I just told them a little bit how to prepare for this," said Manning, one of 15 Giants who played in Super Bowl XLII win over New England. "Just handle your business with tickets and get that stuff done, and just a few things on the mindset of this week. We have to have great preparation. Prepare this week like you are playing the game this week."
Manning said the week leading up to the Super Bowl tends to throw teams off because they have to take bus rides to practice and their routine is thrown off. He believes the Giants will have 95 percent of their game plan practiced by Saturday, and they will be reviewing things in their week in Indianapolis.
"Once we get out there, everyone will feel good about what we are doing, and now it will continue as dress rehearsal," Manning said.
Punter Steve Weatherford, who is finally going to the Super Bowl after losing in the AFC title game the past two seasons with the Jets, appreciated Manning's message.
"''Anytime he opens his mouth, it has some substance to it," Weatherford said. "He is not a guy who is going to bark a lot. He rarely talks actually. He is a very quiet leader. It was jovial in that team meeting but as soon as Eli got up to talk everyone shut up because they knew it was something important. He is a veteran. He has been there before and he knows what it takes to win, and he is a Super Bowl MVP and people respect him."
Safety Antrel Rolle, who went to the Super Bowl with Arizona and lost in 2009, said Manning's message was excellent.
"He doesn't say much and when he says something, he means it," Rolle said. "It's about business and that's basically what the message was about. We've got to go out there and take care of business. Everything else is for the spectators. Everything else is for your family and for your friends. We're going out there to take care of business."
Players can purchase up to 15 tickets apiece for the game and kicker Lawrence Tynes said that can cause problems, especially deciding which members and friends gets the tickets.
"I let my wife be the bad cop," said Tynes, who once again kicked a game-winning field goal in overtime to get New York to the Super Bowl. He also did it against the Packers in January 2008.
Protecting Manning will be a big factor against the Patriots. The Niners sacked him six times and had at least that many hard hits on him.
Guard Kevin Boothe said the line could have played better, but he added that San Francisco is an outstanding defense. He added Manning never went into the huddle and told the line they had to protect better.
"He's a tough guy," Boothe said. "Nobody has ever questioned his toughness. He hung in there and made the plays when we needed them."
Giants defensive end Justin Tuck was impressed
"He doesn't get rattled," Tuck said. "He took a few good hits. He took a lot of hits, some that were like you look and go: "Nahhhhh" I was hoping I could get one on Alex (Smith) like that. But it just showed his toughness. I know I said Eli looked like the kind of guy who rarely sees the weight room but he's a tough guy and to get up and continue to fire the football and lead our football team the way he did with number of hits he took in that game, it's makes it easy to rally behind him."
It also makes it easier to listen to him.
NOTES: Manning had no regrets about his comment earlier this season that he felt he was in the same class with Brady. He admitted he can't always control how the answer is played by the media. He said his only concern now is getting ready to play the game. "My job is to play the game," he said. "It's your job to talk and make up stories." ...Tynes grew up in the Florida panhandle. He calls it the "Redneck Riviera."
-- Tom Canavan
Good week for Maras: Super Bowl, Oscar nomination
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — First the Super Bowl, now an Oscar nomination. It's been quite a week for Chris Mara, the son of the late owner of the New York Giants, Wellington Mara.
On Sunday, the Giants beat the 49ers in the NFC championship game to earn a berth in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots on Feb. 5. On Tuesday, his daughter, Rooney Mara, was among the nominees for best actress for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."
Mara, the Giants vice president of player personnel, said the past three days have been surreal.
"Being able to share the victory in San Francisco with all my kids was very special," he said in an email to The Associated Press. "I'm just glad the 49er faithful did not recognize my 2 daughters Kate and Rooney sitting amongst them because they are a pretty rough crowd on the visitors.
He called the Oscar nomination "very special.
"I was sitting home by myself watching the broadcast and I gave a pretty big yell after I heard her name. Then I cried a little and went to church and lit a few candles on the way to work and called her. Needless to say it's been an exciting few days."
Also nominated for best actress are Michelle Williams for "My Week with Marilyn," Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady," Glenn Close for "Albert Nobbs" and Viola Davis for "The Help."
The Oscar winners will be announced Feb. 26.
-- Tom Canavan
Overall News
Four-minute offense pretty important, too
There are two words that frustrate football fans most: prevent defense. Almost as tough to swallow: prevent offense.
Admittedly, seeing your team lay back in the final minutes of a game attempting, seemingly just hoping, to protect a lead is as maddening as it gets. That old cliche about a prevent defense preventing only one thing — winning — remains as true as it is tired.
Thankfully, neither team in the Super Bowl adheres to that approach. They don't allow the mindset that seems to creep into the headsets of coaches and offensive coordinators when they have a small lead in the final five minutes and need to pick up a few first downs to salt away victory. Don't do anything foolish. Don't gamble. Stay conservative. Hogwash.
"You have to be aggressive at those times," Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride says of the four-minute offense. "You need to attack, not step back.
"If you have been running the ball well, that's an advantage because you want to use up clock. But you play to your strengths."
And the strengths of the Giants and Patriots include their attacking mindsets on offense.
"We always put ourselves in good positions and stay in rhythm," Patriots tackle Matt Light said. "Just staying on track. Not trying to reinvent the wheel, not trying to do anything more than we had to. I think we just go out there and play with confidence and do the things that we do."
No matter what point of the game it happens to be.
Too often, offenses turn downright meek while trying to stay in front late in a close game. Keep the clock moving becomes the mantra when keeping the chains moving needs to be the approach.
In their wild-card matchup with Pittsburgh, the Broncos held a 14-point lead in the second half and were up by 10 early in the fourth quarter. They subsequently got downright timid with the ball, the Steelers rallied to tie it, and nearly got in position for a win at the end of regulation.
The game got to overtime, which lasted one play: an 80-yard passing play from Tim Tebow to Demaryius Thomas that was anything but conservative.
"I'd love to have a crystal ball and know what the defense is going to do every snap, but that's the game," Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said. "With our style of offense that we're running right now, we have to make a lot of adjustments, like the touchdown pass to Demaryius. We drew that up at halftime. It was one of those deals where we were waiting for the right opportunity to call it."
What about avoiding getting into that situation by staying in front of the opponent?
"We're doing whatever we think gives our team the best opportunity to win," he said. "We're going to put a game plan in each week, and my job is to call the plays that I think, or as a staff that we think is the best thing for our football team to win. We might have called a little more aggressively ... as we thought the way the game was going. That's going to change from week to week.
"How are you running the football? What is the defense doing against you? Are they trying to take certain things away?"
Some teams, particularly those with great quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Eli Manning, stick with what they do best, even in the four-minute offense. And that's throwing the ball.
Few coaches are as aggressive in such situations as New England's Bill Belichick, Green Bay's Mike McCarthy, New Orleans' Sean Payton and New York's Tom Coughlin. Their strategy — put the ball in the hands of your best player — usually works.
With the Giants and Patriots, it sometimes is a necessity because they don't run the ball particularly well; New England ranked 20th in rushing, far better than the Giants, who were 32nd. As in dead last.
So protecting a late lead with the run becomes problematic.
But the Saints ranked sixth on the ground, making them even more unpredictable — and dangerous — in the four-minute offense.
"I think the running game just helps you offensively when you want to have that element that can control a game, that can control that time of possession, and that can control the clock," Payton said.
Yet he will never hesitate to have Brees put it up to put a clamp on a win. There's the rub, though. Too many teams and too many coaches play not to lose. And lose.
"That's not a mentality you can have, especially at the end (of a game)," Gilbride says. "You have players who you have confidence in and who got you into the lead. To not use them, not use your strengths, is foolish."
Still, teams get foolish every week.
San Francisco went 13-3 during the regular season, including a spiffy 6-2 on the road, because of its ability to come from behind. In several games, especially at Philadelphia and Detroit. Just as key was protecting slim margins, such as in victories against Cincinnati, Washington, the Giants and Seattle.
In their only home loss, in Week 2 against Dallas, the Niners butchered a late lead. They seemed to learn from that debacle.
"It's just a tribute to our players and their character and their preparation, being on details during the week so that when you're in those clutch situations, you're able to execute," 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "Really, it's guys doing their job under pressure. That's a reflection of being able to focus, knowing what you're doing, and having the confidence that you're going to get it done and the guy next to you is going to get it done. That's something that just grows and grows."
In the AFC championship game, leading by 23-20 in the late going, what did the Patriots do when they got the ball? They had Brady throw. It didn't work — they failed to pick up the first down — but it was the correct tactic.
"You just go out there and try to play your game and try to move the ball and try to score," said Wes Welker, the Patriots's leading receiver. "You don't back off."
-- Barry Wilner
NFL still finalizing Super Bowl seating capacity
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NFL is trying to avoid another super snafu.
One year after hundreds of ticketed fans were left without seats at Cowboys Stadium, organizers have added only 254 temporary seats to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the Feb. 5 game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.
League spokesman Brian McCarthy said officials decided in March the capacity for a stadium that normally seats about 63,000 for football games would be expanded to roughly 68,000 for the Super Bowl -- with most of the additional capacity coming from standing-room only tickets.
The league still could add some padded seats to camera platforms, standing-room only availability to stadium suites and perhaps additional seats near the auxiliary media area, but no more tickets are going on sale.
"What we do is take a hard look every year," McCarthy said Tuesday. "As we get closer to the game, our event planners will sit in each of the sections and fill in other areas that would not be used for a regular-season game. In general, we are taking a very fan-first approach, which is to deliver to our fans the best from the NFL."
That certainly wasn't the experience some fans got in Arlington, Texas.
Just hours before kickoff of last year's Green Bay-Pittsburgh game, league officials announced that about 1,250 temporary seats were deemed unsafe. The league scrambled to find new seats for about 850 people, forcing the rest to watch from standing-room only locations around the stadium.
Two days after the game, the displaced fans filed a federal lawsuit alleging breach of contract, fraud and deceptive sales practices.
League officials later agreed to give the affected fans several options. The approximately 2,800 people who were delayed in reaching their seats or relocated once they got inside Cowboys Stadium could receive a refund for the face value of last year's tickets or receive a game-day ticket to a future Super Bowl.
Roughly 475 other fans who were left without seats for the game won by Green Bay had four options: Receiving a refund of three times the face value of the ticket ($2,400) and a ticket to Indy's first Super Bowl; a game ticket to any future Super Bowl with airfare and four nights in a hotel room covered by the league; a check for $5,000; or a check for more money if they could document expenses topping $5,000.
McCarthy said fans had until Monday, after the two league championship games were completed, to decide. He did not yet have a number of how many fans asked for tickets to the Giants-Patriots game.
When the Indianapolis host committee sold NFL owners on the game, they estimated the stadium could be expanded to a capacity of 70,000. After last year, the league took a more cautious approach and in March settled on the rough number of 68,000.
"It played a role," McCarthy said.
Still to be decided is the actual capacity. That won't be announced until late next week, which McCarthy said is customary.
The 254 seats were already in place Monday night when CBS filmed its annual show "The Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials," hosted by Boomer Esiason and Jillian Michaels at Lucas Oil. The show will air Feb. 1 at 8 p.m.
Last year, the seats were being installed right up until the last moment, with carpenters hammering away as fans arrived for the big game.
But McCarthy said the league has taken every measure possible to guard against another problem.
"Our fans expect a world-class experience from the NFL and we look to deliver that," McCarthy said. "And there are things we have done to improve."
One key change this year will be the addition of a new mobile phone application to receive real-time information on everything from weather to the waiting times at stadium gates. The application includes a map of Lucas Oil Stadium and downtown Indy as well as a full event schedule on game day and the week leading up to the game as well information on restaurants and nightlife.
-- Michael Marot
