Bill Belichick Defends Conservative Approach Before Halftime In Loss To Dolphins
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
FOXBORO (CBS) -- In the grand scheme of things, it might not have made a difference. Considering how poorly the Patriots were playing across the board and particularly on offense, it's more than likely that it made no difference whatsoever.
Nevertheless, after the Patriots lost 27-24 to a Dolphins team that entered the weekend with a 4-11 record and had absolutely nothing to play for, Bill Belichick's extra-conservative approach to the end of the first half certainly looked like a missed opportunity at scoring points for a Patriots team that desperately needed them.
The situation came with 1:51 left to go in the second quarter. The Patriots, having just scored a game-tying touchdown, were riding some momentum. The New England defense stopped Patrick Laird for no gain on a third-and-10 at the Miami 20-yard line, giving the Patriots an opportunity to call timeout and mount a scoring drive before halftime to take a lead.
Instead, the Patriots were content to let the Dolphins bleed the clock down to 1:05 before punting. When the Patriots took over at their own 25-yard line, they ran an inside handoff to Sony Michel for a loss of two yards.
That was followed by a handoff to James White for a gain of seven.
Instead of even running a play on third-and-5, the Patriots jogged off the field and into the locker room, foregoing the opportunity to score.
The move drew boos from the home fans, many of whom did not expect a tie game at halftime against the lowly Dolphins.
Considering that the Patriots' offense had gained just 164 yards on 26 plays prior to the decision, and considering Tom Brady had thrown a pick-six that allowed Miami to take a 10-0 lead, the decision was not without merit. And the fact that the Patriots came out from halftime and went three-and-out to begin the third quarter speaks to the reality that a lack of aggression late in the second might not have mattered and actually could have been harmful.
Still, after the Patriots lost a game that they had no business losing, Belichick was asked why he was so careful instead of aggressive in that scenario.
"Yeah, we would've done that [called timeout] if we got a first down," Belichick said.
Belichick was later asked for more on his thought process.
"Yeah, if we had gotten a first down, we would've done that [called timeout]," he repeated.
Belichick was then asked why he didn't call a timeout prior to the Dolphins punt with close to two minutes left in the half.
"Yeah, well, we were going to see what kind of field position we got and then [see] if we could advance the ball," Belichick said. "Then we'd take 'em. But I didn't want to give the ball back, with their timeouts, at the end of the half either."
Brady, who was just 5-for-12 for 92 yards and the pick-six to Eric Rowe at halftime, was asked about the approach before halftime.
"Uh, I, you know, I don't ... I'll have to look," Brady initially answered before expanding. "You know, we weren't executing great, so I can understand the decision. But, it was a lot of things today."
Brady's final assessment is the most accurate, as the Patriots failed to drive on six of their 11 drives against a Dolphins defense that allowed more points than any other team in the NFL this season. Brady's interception also gave the Dolphins their first pick-six of the season. Add in that the Patriots' defense had given up 157 yards to the Ryan Fitzpatrick-led Dolphins offense, and it's a fair decision to play it safe instead of risking giving the football back to the Dolphins, who had all three timeouts remaining as well.
So while the decision itself was sound, it mostly speaks volumes about the state of the Patriots, and particularly the offense. In years past -- or even just in weeks past -- the head coach would have trusted Josh McDaniels, Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots offense to aggressively and efficiently march up the field to at least tack on a field goal, setting up a potential double score wrapped around halftime.
This year, though, the Patriots' offense is not quite what it's been. Sunday's stunning loss -- and the second-quarter decision-making by the head coach -- only served as the latest reality check.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.