“I always say I’ll do what I think is best for the team, what gives us the best chance to win. Whatever that is, I would certainly consider that.”
Belichick has been noncommittal about who will fill Tom Brady’s shoes. The three quarterbacks on the roster — Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham, and Brian Hoyer — are splitting practice reps as the Patriots enter the third day of padded practices.
Eventually, Belichick said, the reps will change, but that he wants to see every player get the basics down — at all positions, not just QB — before that happens.
“Yeah, of course at some point, we’ll have to not equalize the reps — I mean, that’s obvious — but we’re not there now,” he said.
The shortened preseason makes the split more difficult, as there’s less time for the team to prepare.
Other notes from Belichick’s media availability
On signing running back Lamar Miller:
Miller, who missed the 2019 season after tearing his ACL in a preseason game, was picked up by the Patriots earlier this month. He adds depth at running back with Sony Michel on the PUP list. But Belichick didn’t reveal much about Miller’s health and rehab from the injury.
“Of course, you know Lamar missed the season last year and is coming off last year’s injury, so we’ll see how that goes,” Belichick said. “But, hopefully he’ll be able to work his way back onto the field, and we’ll see where he’s at. “
On running back Damien Harris:
Harris, who also helps to round out the running back position alongside James White, Rex Burkhead, and J.J. Taylor in addition to Miller, had a quiet rookie season: 4 catches for 12 yards. But Belichick expects more out of the 23-year-old entering year two.
“He’s a smart player and he has a lot of skills that I think we’ll be able to utilize,” he said. “He’s had an opportunity to get quite a few reps here in the work that we’ve done to this point, so I think that’s helped him, but he seems like he’s in good shape and ready to go.”
On kicker Justin Rohrwasser:
For the rookie Rohrwasser, Belichick said, the situation is the same as it would be for any first-year player: “Trying to get them to get down the basic fundamentals of their position, understand the basic things they have to do, and then we’ll take it from there based on how that goes.”
Belichick said the process of snapping, kicking, and holding is one that the team is “working through.”
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