Boomer Esiason: End Of Pats-Giants A 'Mental Clinic' By Bill Belichick
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots came back and escaped with a win Sunday against the New York Giants, with Bill Belichick working the clock to near perfection late in the fourth quarter.
The Giants took over trailing 24-23 with 6:01 left on the clock in the game's final frame. Eli Manning was able to march the New York offense down the field, where they settled for a go-ahead field goal with 1:47 left after Belichick was able to force their hand and play the clock to New England's favor. The Giants had the ball at the New England 5-yard line with just 2:06 to go, but by sending their goal line defense on the field Belichick caused Manning to throw the ball -- twice -- rather than run out more of the clock, and gave the Patriots' an additional stoppage of the clock with the two-minute warning.
The Patriots offense used that remaining time to put together their own drive, setting up Stephen Gostkowski's game-winning, 54-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 27-26 victory.
Belichick used his three timeouts during the Giants' possession and was able to utilize the two-minute to the Patriots' advantage, a stretch that Boomer Esiason called a "mental clinic" Monday morning when he joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich.
"That whole sequence, from when Eli took the ball with six minutes to when Gostkowski hit the kick, was an absolute mental clinic by Bill Belichick on the sidelines," said Boomer. "The one thing he couldn't predict was Eli checking out of a run play on first down and throwing a pass to Odell Beckham Jr., that was incomplete because of Malcolm Butler. The Giants played right into it, and the Belichickians walk off the field winners again. I've seen him do it so many times.
"He pushes every right button when the game is on the line. It's amazing," said Boomer, calling Belichick "a mad scientist" on the sideline.
Up next for the 9-0 Patriots is a Monday night showdown with the Buffalo Bills, who are flying high after a 22-17 win over the New York Jets last Thursday night. Rex Ryan was pretty fired up about that win, and we knew even before he took the field against his former team that he was already thinking ahead to the Patriots.
"Can you think of a better week to deal with Rex Ryan now? He's going to be talking about how he circled this game and isn't kissing anyone's rings," Boomer said of the upcoming Pats-Bills matchup. "His team is a hell of a lot healthier than the Patriots are right now. Hopefully the Patriots will get some guys back and put up a hell of a fight, and go to the lengths of embarrassing the Rex Ryan on national television."
Boomer also discusses what he would consider a catch in the NFL:
