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FOXBORO - Monday was the day for logistics, for planning and for getting all the pieces in place to move the operation 2,694 miles to the west.

It wasn't the time for Bill Belichick or any member of the New England Patriots to rest upon their laurels.

"I'm proud to be a New England Patriot," Belichick said Monday evening at Gillette Stadium. "I'm proud to work for Robert Kraft and I'm proud to wear our insignia. Absolutely but that being said, I don't think now's the time to sit and reflect and go back over what has or hasn't happened in the past.

"Right now, we've got a huge challenge ahead of us, and that starts with the whole preparation for the event - the travel, the logistics, the scheduling and so forth," he said. "And we have a huge challenge in terms of facing the New York Giants. That's really where I'm focused, and where our team needs to be focused right now. There will be a time and a place to (reflect) at some point, but it's not right now. Not for me, anyway."

One day after dismissing the San Diego Chargers, 21-12, to win the AFC championship and earn the right to face the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, the focus of the Patriots' organization was getting everything ready to be transferred to the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz., their base of operations beginning Sunday. For a team that's been to three Super Bowls since the 2001 season, it's less daunting a task than it might have been before - and that includes adjusting to the myriad of distractions that naturally accompany the most scrutinized week of preparation for a sporting event in the world. "We've done it before," Belichick said. "It's pretty well organized, there's a lot going on, but that's the way it is every year. We've been fortunate to have been through it in the past there are certain obligations, but there's plenty of time to do what we need to do, to meet and to practice.

"Everything's done as well as it can be done," he said. "It's a week that everybody wants to be a part of, it's what you work all year for, to play in this game, so we're all happy to be playing in it. At the same time, this isn't the end. There's still more to climb on this mountain."

Belichick expressed for the first time what is likely to be a recurring theme in the two weeks to come, his respect for the New York Giants for having played three tough road games in the playoffs to reach the Super Bowl.

"It's awesome," he said. "You have to give them all the credit in the world. It's like Pittsburgh two years ago Pittsburgh did the same thing, went on the road and won as a wild-card team, and as we always say, now's the time when you want to be playing your best football, in January, and the Giants have certainly done that.

"They're the best team, and we will have to play our best game against them," he said. "They're the best team we've faced all year. They're on a hot streak right now, they're playing great in all three phases of the game, and they're well-coached. I think Tom (Coughlin) has done a terrific job."

The Giants have won 10 straight road games, a fact not lost upon Belichick as he revealed that the NFC team is the "road" team this year at University of Phoenix Stadium.

One of the benefits of having to face the Giants, however, is the recent history. The Patriots defeated the Giants 38-35 at the Meadowlands on Dec. 29, so preparation and game-planning will be a shorter and more productive process than if the Green Bay Packers had prevailed in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

"If it had been Green Bay, we would have spent a lot of time just getting the material ready to analyze," Belichick said. "Since it's the Giants, we did a lot of work on them and we'll certainly look very closely at the last four games, our game and break that down, and the playoff games at Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay.

"At least we have a good recollection of them," he said. "Most of the matchups we'll have this week occurred in our game in December. That's good, we'll have something to work on but it's not that much of an advantage because both teams are working with the same information."

The Patriots have until Thursday off, will practice in Foxboro on Thursday and Friday and will leave Sunday morning for Arizona, and while it will be a nice change of pace to spend practice days at Sun Devil Stadium with temperatures in the high 60s next week, you won't see the Patriots taking off to sight-see at the Grand Canyon. "We're not going down there to have fun," he said. "It's a business trip, we're going down there to win and we're going to prepare to win."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com