FOXBORO, Mass. — Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn’t directly address Brandon Meriweather's helmet-to-helmet hit, but he did speak in generalizations about the topic.
Meriweather was flagged for a personal foul after an ugly hit on tight end Todd Heap during Sunday's 23-20 overtime victory against the Ravens, and Meriweather is certain to face a league fine. Heap laid on the ground for a few minutes after the hit, and he underwent a series of head and neck tests on the bench but eventually returned to the game.
On Monday, Belichick was asked if he tells players to tone it down in such game situations.
"We tell all the players what the proper techniques are, how to play, how to tackle, how to play the ball in the air, and all those things," Belichick said. "We've done that from day one."
Meriweather, who was briefly benched for Sunday's infraction, wouldn’t speak to the media during Monday's locker room session. So, Belichick was asked how he coaches players to handle their aggression when the opportunity comes to make a potentially game-changing hit.
"You try to teach proper techniques in tackling and playing the ball and those kind of things," Belichick said. "I think everybody does that. You try to teach those techniques in training camp and when they come up in game situations. The NFL officials come in [during training camp] and give us the annual rules review about what's permissible, what isn’t permissible in different plays, not just that but all sorts of things. That’s how we do it."
Lastly, Belichick was asked about the talk that the NFL might start levying more suspensions for helmet-to-helmet hits.
"It's not my job to make the rules," Belichick said. "We just coach them."
