More on Belichick's press conference today. . . this one about jobs.
The coach was unusually candid in response to a question about whether he has his mind made up on his 53-man roster for this season. On the last day of training camp, he said he is not nearly ready to make final decisions yet.
``I think we've probably got 40 guys we're pretty sure of, not only who they are but what their roles will be,'' he said. ``Then, after that, you've got a lot of options.''
One of the big questions, one coaches on every team have to grapple with, is whether to keep an older player who is better able to help right now, or go with a younger player who shows potential, but still has a lot to learn.
``He has a chance to move ahead of the other guy,'' Belichick noted as he spoke of young players, ``but then he might not get there.'' For now, everyone with the team has a shot, according to the coach.
``If there was a player who was in over his head, at this point we wouldn't keep those guys,'' he said.
The bottom line often is not how good a player is, but what position he plays.
``You have to determine what roles you need,'' the coach said. ``You can't fill them all. You can't have depth everywhere. You only can keep 53 players.''

_Paul Kenyon