Patriots coach Bill Belichick had last spoken to reporters about seven hours before news came last Thursday that the team had acquired cornerback Aqib Talib from Tampa Bay at the NFL trading deadline.

There was no official announcement from the team, no quote from Belichick on what the former first-round pick might add to an oft-maligned secondary. And at noon Monday, when he led off the weekly conference call with himself, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Belichick still wasn’t saying much about Talib.