FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A few leftovers from Bill Belichick's news conference, hitting the key points:

1. What does mandatory minicamp entail? Belichick noted how the team's mandatory minicamp is a continuation of the three-week organized team activity program. Belichick feels as if the team is making progress this spring. "Players are working hard, I think we're heading in the right direction," he said, adding that the main difference is that OTAs are voluntary and minicamp is required, while the schedule of the day is slightly different as well (players stay at the facility a little longer in minicamp).

2. Ochocinco follow-up. Asked the main reason why things didn't work out with veteran receiver Chad Ochocinco, Belichick replied: "I don't know. Bottom line is, that's in the past. Right now we're focused on today and trying to go out there and improve when we step out on the field. I haven't really thought about that too much."

3. Gronkowski's contract extension. Belichick said "of course" when asked if he was glad to have tight end Rob Gronkowski signed to a contract extension through 2019. No need for much elaboration there. "It goes without saying," Belichick said.

4. Coaching staff changes. Belichick touched briefly on some of the changes to the coaching staff -- Matt Patricia to defensive coordinator, Pepper Johnson to linebackers coach, Patrick Graham to defensive line -- saying that the composition of the staff is what he feels is the best fit for the club. He added that it was nice to have his son, Steve, on the staff as a coaching assistant. As for what role Chris Simms will have with the team between the scouting and coaching departments, Belichick said, "He's learning in a variety of areas. Like most of the young guys we bring in here, they work in different areas in the organization, and he would definitely fit into that category."

5. Approach with rookies. Belichick said the goal of the coaching staff with rookies is to get them up to speed in the team's system so they are in the best position to compete for jobs in training camp. "They've been on the field here for 10 days, not including the rookie minicamp, and been in numerous meetings and so forth. I hope they're closing the gap in terms of learning the playbook and understanding the overall system, learning the NFL rules; they're different from the college game. Hopefully we're closing the gap. We try to get them ready for training camp so they can go out there and compete for a job in training camp; if we can given them that opportunity, then their talent and their competitiveness will be stacked up against the guys they're playing against and we'll see how it all turns out. ... Just try to bring them as close as we can to our veteran group from a competitive standpoint so they at least have a chance out there."