Bill Belichick Gives Actually Interesting Answer To ‘Softball’ Question

FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick’s latest postgame news conference featured quite the roller-coaster of emotional swings.

After the Patriots got a last-minute Mike Gesicki touchdown to upset the Buffalo Bills 29-25, Belichick was asked about a pregame report that he signed a new contract extension before the season. The head coach predictably spit on that question, tersely saying he never talks about his contract.

Then, Belichick, who was in a jolly mood when he arrived at the podium, called for some more lighthearted fare. He called toward the back of the room for Patriots radio analyst Scott Zolak to give him a “softball.”

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Zolak didn’t exactly oblige, asking Belichick about the timeout he needed to take after rookie offensive lineman Sidy Sow was late getting onto the field for a third-quarter field-goal try. The coach shared an actually insightful response, however, sprinkling in a joke about his golf game.

“Yeah, that could have been costly,” Belichick said. “Obviously, we — that was a mistake, you know, on our part. And I’d say normally, probably just think about taking the delay penalty and kick it. But the way the wind was today, those kicks were hard. I know it’s from the 15-yard line, but you back it up, it’s a lot tougher kick. We blew a timeout on that.

“But thank you for reminding me that. I appreciate that. You know, bad coaching, bad management. But, yeah, normally that wouldn’t be a timeout thing. But based on the way it was today, that was a good kick. Chad (Ryland) made a 49-yarder.”

Belichick’s memory of the moment was a bit foggy. The Patriots actually were on the Bills’ 31-yard line on the play in question, not the 15. So, a delay of game penalty would have made it a 54-yard field goal for Ryland, who was a perfect 3-for-3 on Sunday but has been inconsistent from long range during his rookie season.

The swirling winds also made for less-than-ideal kicking conditions, as seen on the 42-yard try by Buffalo’s Tyler Bass that sailed way, way right at the other end of the stadium.

“You saw what happened on Bass’ field goal,” Belichick said. “It looked like one of my five irons, straight to the right. It was a tough wind out there today. But, yeah, that was the — we decided not to take the delay and try to make it a little bit shorter kick.”

The field goal gave the Patriots a 16-10 lead, which Kendrick Bourne stretched to 22-10 with a 4-yard touchdown catch midway through the fourth quarter. The Bills rallied to score two touchdowns in the final six minutes to pull ahead, but an eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in Gesicki’s score won the game for New England.