Another one of Bill Belichick’s tricks is on the verge of being taken away, this time by one of his former assistants. The Miami Dolphins, coached by former Patriots linebackers coach and de-facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores, have proposed a change to the NFL’s rulebook to prevent offenses from wasting the clock late in games to prevent comebacks.
The Dolphins proposal officially asks to “provide the option to the defense for the game clock to start on the referee’s signal if the defense declines an offensive penalty that occurs late in either half.”
The Patriots used this loophole in this year’s Week 7 match-up with the New York Jets. Up 33-0, facing a 4th-and-2 on the Jets’ 33-yard line, the Patriots took a delay of game penalty that was declined by the New York, followed by an intentional false start that was also declined. While, typically, these intentional penalties are used to give more room to the punter, Belichick seemed content with letting the clock run as long as Jets coach Adam Gase would allow it.
Following the game, Belichick was asked whether or not the play was gamesmanship.
“No, it was just the way the rules are set up,” He said. “We were able to run quite a bit of time off the clock without really having to do anything. That’s probably a loophole that will be closed and probably should be closed but right now it’s open.”
Here's a look at the rule change proposals that have been submitted by clubs in advance of the 2020 @NFL season: pic.twitter.com/3eNV1mWr6X
— NFL345 (@NFL345) March 10, 2020
The Titans used the same loophole against New England in the AFC Divisional Round match-up with the Titans. Coach Mike Vrabel, another Belichick disciple, was able to bleed a minute and 49 seconds off the clock before New England took over. Belichick was visibly upset on the sideline during the action.
While the proposal still has to go to a vote, it seems the Patriots’ head coach will lose another one of his competitive advantages. At this point, it feels like more of a game for him to find a new way to push the boundaries and unearth those holes in the rule book. It’s only a matter of time before he discovers the next one that will eventually be shut down.
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