FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. If the Patriots beat the Jets in Sunday’s regular-season finale to earn a first-round playoff bye, things could happen quickly for defensive playcaller Brian Flores as it relates to interviews for head-coaching vacancies. Bill Belichick making assistant coaches available to reporters this week presented a timely opportunity to go one-on-one with Flores on that topic and more:
Now that you’ve had a full year leading the defense, what stands out to you most about what you’ve learned?
Flores: I’ve learned we have a really great staff, and the importance of each of their roles, and how the things they do are so vital to our success -- guys like [cornerbacks coach] Josh Boyer, [line coach] Brendan Daly, [coaching assistant] DeMarcus Covington, [safeties coach] Steve [Belichick].