Super Bowl XXXVI

Q& A with Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis

Feb. 1, 2002

Q: How does the Patriots’ passing game match up with the Rams’ secondary?

A: First of all, they have some good players. Aeneas Williams has been one of the best corners in the league for a long time. People didn’t know about him because he was sitting out in Arizona. He goes way back to when I was with the Giants. He’s been a good corner for a long time. He’s just become high profile lately after he got with a team where people could recognize his play. Between him and (Dexter) McCleon, and (Dre) Bly, they have pretty legitimate corners, but they only play two or three coverages. Lovie (Smith) is not a guy who’s trying to trick you. He’s trying to get his guys lined up and play hard and run to the ball.

Q: What does Aeneas Williams do differently from other cornerbacks?

A: He’s one of the few guys that could play the outside corner position and move into the slot. As everyone knows, our best receiver is Troy Brown and one of our greatest strengths is getting him lined up in the slot and trying to take mismatches of those guys that can’t cover him. Now when you get a guy as good as Aeneas who could play slot coverages as well as he can, it doesn’t force them to have to commit to Troy at all times. Because they figure that Troy is going to win some battles and that Aeneas is going to win some battles. Usually, we think any one-on-one matchup with Troy Brown is an automatic win for Troy Brown.

Q: Talk about head coach Bill Belichick

A: He’s always had a quick wit, a dry sense of humor and sarcasm. All of those years in New Jersey kind of force you to be more of a Northeasterner.

Q: How important was the move to bring in defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel this year?

A: It’s one of those stories that people are not talking about. When we first came here, I ran the offense and he (Belichick) ran the defense, and what he really was not allowed to do was manage the team. When he brought Romeo in this year, and turned over the defense to Romeo and (defensive backs coach) Eric Mangini and the rest of the guys, it allowed him to be a head coach. And I think that’s helped him flourish because his personality has come out as he’s gotten more familiar with both sides of the ball.

Q: How sharp is Bill Belichick’s defensive mind?

A: I just know that I’ve been in the league for 12 years and that I came in as a film breakdown guy underneath Belichick my first year back in 1990. That was a ways back and all I did was break down film for him, and I was like his form of a graduate assistant, like they have in college. I know that things stay true to form and no matter who we are playing, the players seem to know what the other team is doing before they do it. And that’s not by chance — they have a plan, they know what to do. He listens to advice from his assistants. He’ll listen to anyone’s advice if he thinks that it will give him a better chance. But he obviously has a clue. He’s been doing it as long as I’ve known him, and he’s been doing it at the highest level.

Q: Why has WR Troy Brown become a star so late in his career?

A: We first had him as a practice squad player in my first tour of duty over in New England. All practice long he would make catches. He was going up against our first-team defense and no one could cover him. The question is, what took so long? What took so long probably was the coaches not figuring out that he was a good player, then too, and not putting him in there. Back when I was the receivers’ coach and I had him, he was not playing very much. He was doing the same things that he is doing now. He just was not out there getting the reps. I think sometimes, we (coaches) are a little slow on the pickup to figure out when to put these guys in there and put them in position to make those plays. I think that he’s been a good player ever since I’ve known him. I remember watching the highlight tape of him coming out of Marshall. It was one of the most phenomenal highlight tapes that you’ve ever seen anyone play in college. Maybe he’s been this good the whole time and it just took a long time for us to figure it out.

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