FOXBORO -- There was no dour eulogy on the 2012 season from Bill Belichick Monday morning.
The Patriots coach did stand up to debrief reporters some 12 hours after from New England's AFC Championship loss to Baltimore.
He was steady and, for the most part, patient.
"I thought there were a lot of positives from this football team," he said. "It's a team I enjoyed coaching. The players worked hard behind the scenes -- everybody doesn't see that -- on a day-to-day basis. They worked hard, they competed well, they didn't make excuses, they got better over the course of the season, both individually and collectively. And we wouldn't have gotten to where we were without a lot of good, consistent performances from a lot of people in a number of games, and countless practices and meetings, and all the things that lead up to that.
"Certainly the outcome yesterday is not where we wanted to end up, but I have to give these guys a lot of credit for what they did do, the number of times they did it in tough situations. Hopefully we continue to build on that. I don't think anything from this year means too much for next year. Each year is a new year; we start all over again, just like everybody else does."
Belichick's even keel was briefly upset when he was asked what the year's positives are. He spat back New England's 13 regular season wins.
"We played in an AFC Championship game," he said. "There arent a whole lot of teams that are saying that."
Falling just short of the title game is blatantly devastating. Worse, the feeling is compounded by last season's Super Bowl loss and the desire for redemption. But Belichick's was the picture of composure Monday -- a man hardened by almost four decades in the league.
It's not that he finds losing easier to accept. Quite the contrary -- there is no bracing yourself.
"You play a game at this time of year and it's either euphoria or it's a crash landing. So for us, it's a crash landing," Belichick said. "A year ago at this time it was the other feeling. But it's one or the other; there's no between. And there's certainly no soft landing. A season thats very much alive and with great hopes and expectations and energy suddenly crashes and its over. Thats the way it is. Its going to be for every team but one this year."
Maybe it's just easier to see what's on the other side.
"You stop; it's over," Belichick said. "We're on to next year."