Patriots coach Bill Belichick addressed the media Thursday morning at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Here are a few quick thoughts on the much-anticipated press conference:

• It’s refreshing yet a bit awkward to see Belichick actually address an issue head-on. Refreshing, because it deviates from his typical media gatherings in which he uses plenty of words to say nothing. Awkward, because, well, it deviates from his typical media gatherings.

“We’re on to (insert next opponent here).”

“It is what it is.”

“I think we’ll do what we feel is best for the football team.”

Yawn, yawn and yawn some more.

But Thursday morning, we were treated to Entertaining Bill, or, perhaps more accurately, Defiant Bill. Both make for much better soundbites.

Belichick stepped in front a large media contingent Thursday morning and addressed — kind of — the “DeflateGate” controversy.

As anticipated, the coach denied any involvement in the matter, saying, “I had no knowledge of the various steps involved in the game balls and the process that went through, that happened between when they were prepared and went to the officials and went to the game, so I’ve learned a lot about that. I obviously understand that each team has the opportunity to prepare the balls the way they want to give to the officials, and the game officials either approve or disapprove the balls. That really was the end of it for me. I learned a little bit more about this the last couple days.

Oh, I bet he did.

The Hoody continued …

“I’m trying to coach the team. That’s what I want to do. I think we all know that quarterbacks, kickers, specialists have certain preferences on footballs. They know a lot more about it than I do. They’re a lot more sensitive to it than I am. I hear them comment on it from time to time, so I can tell you and they will tell you that there is never any sympathy from me on that subject. Zero. Tom’s personal preferences on his footballs are something that he can talk about in much better detail and information that I can possibly provide.”

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is scheduled to address the media Thursday afternoon.

This should be good. Real good.

I wonder how Brady feels about Belichick’s carefully chosen words?

His coach, after all, singled him out — something he isn’t really known to do. The feeling here is that Brady, Belichick and maybe even owner Robert Kraft knew exactly what would be said/shared today at Gillette Stadium. There is no way Belichick blindsided Brady with his comments, right?

Right?

• Here’s what we know: It’s been widely reported that 11 of the 12 footballs the Patriots were required to bring to the AFC championship game Sunday were under-inflated. NFL rules require footballs to be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch. The ones the Patriots provided fell short of the mark.

What we don’t know is the how or why — two key questions whose answers are needed before the National Football League can lower its boomstick.

If you were looking for answers as to why so many footballs weren’t properly inflated for the game against the Colts, you weren’t getting any from Bill on Thursday morning.

Belichick repeatedly claimed, “I don’t have an explanation for what happened.”

Of course not.

I’ll be surprised if Brady does, either.

Did the Patriots tamper with the footballs? Did the weather play a role? How, exactly, did so many footballs fail to meet air pressure requirements?

We don’t know, and there’s a good chance we won’t until well after the Patriots and Seahawks play for the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 1.

• If you listened to Belichick’s press conference closely, it’s easy to pick out the not-so subtle jabs he took at the Colts and Ravens, the two teams the Patriots knocked off in the AFC playoffs en route to the Super Bowl.

According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, the Ravens tipped off the Colts about the Patriots possibly altering air pressure in some of the footballs.

“We never use the condition of the footballs as an excuse. We play with whatever or kick with whatever we have to use. That’s the way it is.”

Hmmm …

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