Howe: Bill Belichick Has Patriots Prepared For Anything
BOSTON (CBS) -- While the Patriots have shifted focus to the New York Jets, we're all still talking about Sunday night's fake punt by the Indianapolis Colts.
The Patriots were prepared to handle something that very few people had ever seen before, a play that could go down as the single worst play ever in NFL history.
The Patriots weren't thrown off by the rather unique formation, but doubters say that not many teams would have been fooled by nine players on one side of the field and two, who happen to be snapping the ball, all alone on the other. But on his weekly call into Toucher & Rich, The Boston Herald's Jeff Howe says the team's collective calmness in such a situation shows how well Bill Belichick has the team prepared for any situation they may encounter.
"The Patriots made it look easy to stop, but the thing is there was there was so much chaos that it says how well coached they are from the top down," said Howe. "As soon as the Colts swung the gate out to the right side and motioned those nine guys to the right, you could see Belichick walk from the 35-yard line to the 38-yard line. He just stood there with his hands on his hips, staring at the play. He was calm and emotionless, just watching. It was almost like, 'I have no idea what they're doing here but our team is prepared to handle a situation like this.'"
On the field, the players were just as calm.
"Matthew Slater, who else, was the guy who started barking orders and lining guys up the way they should. From there it was Brandon Bolden and Nate Ebner who were dictating certain roles and matchups," noted Howe, who also pointed out that even newcomer Jonathan Bostic looked calm and collected on the field.
If all else fails, the Patriots have a number system in place that lets them know who their assignment is, making life easier in such a confusing situation.
"If something crazy happens, even if they've never seen a play like this before, they go down to a numbers system so they know who is supposed to be responsible for who. That's extremely important when you see something you've never seen before; you can compartmentalized, slow the play down, line up and figure out who your responsibility is," said Howe. "As soon as things settled down and everyone was in place, they realize this was a 3-on-1 situation and knew they were ready to handle that. It comes down to good coaching throughout the week. Even though that wasn't a particular play they practiced for, because no one had ever seen it... They were still calm enough to handle it on the fly on the field."
Howe also touched on New England's injury concerns in the secondary and along the offensive line: