FOXBORO, Mass. — Like the rest of New England, Bill Belichick can’t wait for Sunday night.
That’s when Belichick’s Patriots officially will begin their Super Bowl title defense against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a season-opening primetime matchup at Gillette Stadium.
Asked Wednesday if he’s excited for the regular season to begin, Belichick simply replied: “I like football. I like football season and all the things that go with it.”
Same, Bill.
The Patriots are 11-4 overall and 5-1 at home against the Steelers during Belichick’s tenure as head coach, but Pittsburgh took the most recent meeting, winning 17-10 at Heinz Field last December. Since then, the Steelers’ offense has undergone few significant changes, with top receiver Antonio Brown and star running back Le’Veon Bell both landing elsewhere this past offseason.
“Obviously, all of our attention and focus is on Pittsburgh,” Belichick said. “(They’re) a good football team. I’ve got a lot of respect for the organization, Coach (Mike) Tomlin, the coaching staff, the players, team. They compete hard. They’re tough. They’re strong in all three phases of the game. They challenge you very much on every play, so we know we’ll have to be ready to go, 60 minutes, go all the way, go toe to toe with them.
“It’ll be good to get started, but these guys do a good job. They’re a tough team to prepare for and a tough team to play against. But it’s the National Football League. I think everybody falls into that category.”
Now in their 13th season under Tomlin, the Steelers are looking to rebound after missing the playoffs last year for the first time since 2013.
