The New England Patriots are masters of situational football.
They prepare for every little detail that could impact the outcome of an NFL game, and it’s one of the many reasons why they’ve won 10 or more games in 15 straight seasons.
One area the Patriots often excel in is special teams, and former New England tight end Martellus Bennett told a great story Friday on FOX Sports 1 show “First Things First,”explaining how the Pats practiced scooping a fumble on a punt because the forecast called for rain and the Buffalo Bills punter had bad hands.
“We’re getting ready to play against the Buffalo Bills. The scouting report on the Buffalo Bills punter is he doesn’t have the best hands, and it’s going to be raining,” Bennett said. “So at practice we practice the punter dropping the ball, scooping and scoring because Bill’s like ‘it’s going to happen in the game.’ And I’m like ‘yeah, well, it might happen.’ You know how coaches say something, everyone’s doing it right? Well, sure enough on Sunday, it’s drizzling and he drops the ball.”
So, did the Patriots score after preparing for this exact situation in practice?
“No, we didn’t do what (Belichick) said. But on the sideline I looked at him like, ‘who is this guy?’ All the little things like that he prepares us. I don’t think there’s another team better at situational football.”
It’s clear that Belichick’s meticulous attention to detail impressed Bennett.
This story is further proof of how important coaching is to winning and losing in the NFL. You need to be lucky and you need to be talented. But being well-prepared often is the best way to succeed, and there’s no question the Patriots prepare better than any of their opponents.
