Belichick: 'I’m a Football Coach, I’m Not a Doctor'

FOXBOROUGH, MA — So what did we learn during Bill Belichick's media availability Wednesday morning? He apparently does not perform surgeries and he calls the plays.

The Patriots head coach was tight-lipped on the status of injured quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the backup for assumed started Jacoby Brissett. As he often does, Belichick provided no pre-practice insight on the health of his players.

"Well, we haven’t been able to practice. Today we’ll go out and see how it is today and we’ll file the injury report after practice based on how it goes today," he told reporters.

One reporter dared to ask if any football decisions would be made based on the health of Garoppolo, with Belichick replying "It’ll be dependent on what’s best for the football team. That’s what it’s dependent on."

When pushed for more clarification on the role of health status when making a lineup, Belichick brought up his lack of experience in the medical field.

"I’m a football coach. I’m not a doctor. The medical staff is the medical staff. I coach the team; the medical people handle the injuries. They don’t call plays; I don’t do surgery. We’ve got a great deal there. It works out good," he said.

He was then asked if he waits to be informed of a player's medical situation before deciding on any personnel moves.

"I do what’s best for the football team. Let me put it a different way – I’m the coach; I do what’s best for the football team. I don’t know why we can’t understand that," he said.

As of midday Tuesday, no quarterback signings have been announced by the team. If no one is signed, that leaves Julian Edelman as a possible backup. Edelman, who infamously threw a 51-yard touchdown pass in a 2014 playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, played behind center at Kent State.

An update on whether or not Garoppolo practiced today is expected when the practice report is released.

Image via WHDH/7-News