The above picture of Brandon McManus’s missed field goal is (possibly) another image for the “Belichick’s a genius” collection. And look, it’s easy to simply praise a coach who wins a lot, but the photo, taken from Sunday’s win over the Broncos, was some serious chess strategy at work. The Patriots coach was thinking many moves in advance. But how is that photo illustrative of anything, you ask? Simple: It was the net result of a very specific, if seemingly minor rule change that Belichick championed in the offseason.
One of the few rule changes to be adopted by the NFL owners was a Belichick-led proposal: To extend the field goal uprights by an additional five feet, making them that much taller. The Patriots coach wanted the uprights a little taller after he had seen enough close calls, including a notable Sunday Night Football loss to the Ravens back in 2012, when Justin Tucker’s game-winning kick looked to have gone right over where the upright was:
Belichick was eventually fined for grabbing a ref after the game, trying to ask him a question. Following that debacle, he helped initiate the rule change.
Which brings us to Sunday’s game against the Broncos. Denver kicker Brandon McManus was trying to pull the Broncos back into contention with a silver-lining field goal after Peyton Manning’s drive stalled in New England territory in the second quarter. McManus’s field goal was well driven, but tailed to the right. And though it’s debatable if the five extra feet actually made the difference here, they nonetheless left no doubt about the verdict on whether the kick was good or no good.
The loud banging noise was an audible announcement of McManus’s failure:
Belichick proved once again that he’s thinking many moves in advance, and in this case the so-called “Belichick rule” had the desired effect. The next time Denver faced a 4th down in Patriots territory revealed the missed field goal’s ultimate determination. Broncos coach John Fox elected to go for it, having lost a measure of confidence in his kicker. The play failed, and helped contribute to the eventual difference as the Patriots walloped their AFC rivals.
Featured image via Keith Allison, Creative Commons
