FOXBORO -- Patriots coach Bill Belichick opened Friday's press conference with news that former New England coach Chuck Fairbanks will be undergoing surgery today. He extended his well-wishes to Fairbanks and his family.
"On behalf to the team, players, and myself, I want to pass along our best wishes to Chuck Fairbanks. Chuck's heading in to some surgery today, and i just wanted to pass along our best wishes to Chuck and his family.
"Chuck's been a good friend for a long time. And he's meant a lot to this organization. At the time he came here, he did a great job in turning the Patriots around, making them one of the top teams in the AFC. And also, some of the things that he brought to the Patriots and the league in the 70's, were things that stood the test of time and have been a big principle of this league for many, many years . . . such as the 3-4 defense, the way he organized the draft, personnel meetings, things like that."