FOXBORO, Mass. — The next time the New England Patriots admit to taking an opposing team lightly will be the first.
The Patriots already are talking up the Dallas Cowboys like it’s the mid-90s, despite injuries that will keep Tony Romo and Dez Bryant from playing in the Week 5 matchup.
Belichick called the Cowboys “an explosive football team” and seemingly complimented every player or unit on the roster.
“They’re a good football team — best offensive line in the league, they have a really good defensive front, a lot of good skill players,” Belichick said. “Witten is as good as they come, (Joseph) Randle has done a great job for them, (Darren) McFadden, he’s an outstanding player, (Gavin) Escobar, (Terrance) Williams, (Cole) Beasley, they’ve got a great kicker and a good punter, the defensive front is a problem, the linebackers are good, plus now they have McClain in that group. (Morris) Claiborne was the fifth pick in the draft or whatever he was. The corners are good. The safeties are good. They play all those guys. Put (Byron) Jones in there safety, corner, nickel. So, there are a lot of good football players on that team. (Danny) McCray leads that special teams unit, (Jeff) Heath, the linebackers run well, and they’re fast and active in the kicking game.”
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady reiterated Belichick’s sentiments Wednesday during his weekly news conference, insisting the team won’t become complacent despite an easy schedule.
“There’s no letdown for us,” Brady said. “We’re trying to establish a certain level of play, and we got off to a decent start this year. So we’ve got to keep it going.
“You know, we’ve got to sustain good practices, good games, good weeks, and see if we can just keep building. This team (the Cowboys) could easily be 4-0. They’re playing at home. They’ve got a lot of good players, very talented team. Last year, they were one of the best teams in football. They could’ve beaten the Saints easily last week in overtime, so they’re a very good football team. I know it’s going to be a big test for our team.”
Brady cut his news conference short at under five minutes, ending with: “I’ve got work to do. Thanks, guys.”
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
