Bill Belichick explains taking wind in the playoffs
By Mike Dyce
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick made a controversial decision to take the win after the coin toss in overtime. His captains even doubted him and he had to clarify what he wanted them to do.
“To tell you the truth, the whole situation was a little bit confusing because, when I told the captains (to take the wind), there was a little bit of a question of, are you talking about deferring,” Belichick said. “I was like, ‘No, we’re not deferring, we’re taking the wind, period.’ ‘Well, is that if they take the ball?’ ‘No, it’s not if they take the ball.’
“We actually, with the captains, had a little bit of a conversation that they had right what I wanted to do,” Belichick said, “because it was a little bit of an, obviously, unusual type of situation.”
He still defended his decision after winning the game.
“The wind, it was a strong wind,” Belichick said, via ESPN.com. “We just had to keep them out of the end zone, obviously. I just felt like the wind would be an advantage if we could keep them out of the end zone on that first drive. We were able to do that. The wind was significant in the game, it was definitely significant.”
“I felt like there was about a 20-yard difference in field position to just attempt a field goal,” Belichick said Monday, per The Boston Globe.