New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick began his press conference on Monday with an apology to team reporters.
The notoriously stoic coach acknowledged he was being "a little short" following the Patriots' 27-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday (December 18) and realized he was in the wrong after having a day to reflect on his actions.
"I'll just start off here. Look fellas, I apologize if it seemed like I was a little short with you after the game," Belichick said to the media Monday morning via ESPN's Mike Reiss. "Obviously a frustrating game. Down 20-0. Didn't do anything well enough. I mean, there isn't really much to say at that point without watching the film.
"Clearly we had problems in every area, so there's no simple answer. Every play could have been better. Every area of coaching could have been better. Every area of playing could have been better. Any of that would have helped.
"(I'm) not really trying to be short, but honestly there wasn't too much to say. I don't know if there's a whole lot more to say now, but it's not your fault. It was a frustrating game."
The Patriots were held to just 103 yards and a 20-0 halftime deficit before scoring 17 consecutive points in Saturday's game.
The Colts responded with a 67-yard touchdown run by running back Jonathan Taylor to extend and hold their lead in the fourth quarter.
During his postgame press conference, Belichick responded with "we didn't play well" and "we'll look at the film" before one reporter asked about the Patriots' unforced errors, leading to the six-time Super Bowl champion responding with, "I don't know. Maybe you know what went wrong. I don't know. Obviously, we didn't do anything well enough, I don't know how else to say it."
It's hardly odd for Belichick to act this way, rather more so to address it as if it's uncharacteristic of himself.
The legendary coach has a history of keeping his answers brief, especially when attempting to dodge certain questions and, as noted previously, is notoriously stoic.
However, Belichick has shown a much more personable side in recent years, even going as far as to joke occasionally during press conferences, which is a dramatic change given his reputation.
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