FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots scored five touchdowns Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, but you never would have known by watching Bill Belichick’s reactions.
Belichick didn’t offer even a slight smile or subtle fist pump after any of the Patriots’ trips to the end zone, as illustrated in a “SoundFX” segment produced by NFL Films.
On Friday, Belichick was asked about his lack of enthusiasm after Patriots scores. His response, basically, was that he has more important things to worry about in those moments.
“I’m happy when we score,” Belichick deadpanned. “I’m really happy when we score. But there’s a decision to be made on the next play and the next play and the next series, and now the game has changed. Either we narrowed the gap or widened the gap or whatever it is, and so then there’s something that has to be done going forward. That’s really a big part of my job.
“We’ve got a lot of fans that come to the game. They cheer. They do a great job. I feel like a big part of my job is decision-making and planning ahead for the next play, the next series, the next situation. There is, sometimes, a little bit of time between a score and the kickoff when you go out on defense or how you’re going to kick the ball off or so forth. I feel like I need to do a good job of that. I don’t want to let the team down with the responsibilities that I have.”
Fair enough.
It’s not like Belichick never shows emotion on the sideline, either. In that same “SoundFX” feature, he can be seen emphatically praising Dwayne Allen for the tight end’s blocking on a long run by Rex Burkhead.
