Bill Belichick Mic'd Up For Patriots' Win Over Dolphins Is Just Outstanding

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Bill Belichick is in his 18th season coaching the New England Patriots, his 23rd NFL season as a head coach, and his 33rd year as either a head coach, assistant head coach, or defensive coordinator.

At this point in time, we've pretty much seen and heard everything the man has to say and how he says it.

Still, somehow, NFL Films was able to put together a captivating three-minute video of Belichick wearing a microphone during this past Sunday's Patriots victory over the Miami Dolphins.

You can watch the video on Twitter, or at NFL.com. And again, though we've seen roughly 11 million mic'd up videos over the years, this one manages to stand out for several reasons.

Among the highlights:

--Belichick having absolutely no reaction to any of the Patriots' five touchdowns. As the crowd roars and the sideline around him erupts, Belichick looks like he's sitting on his couch during a commercial break for "Wheel Of Fortune."

--Belichick coaching players on the sideline. This part was maybe the best. Belichick lumbers over to rookie defensive lineman Adam Butler, interrupts the D-line coach, and calmly tells Butler: "Look, eye control here now. Just, eyes, don't chase it. Get your eyes on the quarterback and then hit." It's a case of Belichick making one simple instruction to a young player that can make all the difference on a particular play.

--Belichick storing a Sharpie in his sock, right next to his red challenge flag. Who knew that his right sock was essentially his desk drawer? Makes sense, when you think about the sideline being his place of work. Slightly disconcerting that he immediately threw that marker in his mouth to rip the cap off, though. Germs, bill.

--Belichick showing how much of plays he can see in real time. Belichick's talking on the headset at one point and says, "They missed Elandon up the middle on that last one, right? The tackle took Reilly, he peeled, Elandon's free up the middle, yeah." It's why when Belichick says postgame that "he'll have to look at the film," he's not being entirely honest. He sees quite a bit.

--Belichick influencing the offensive play-calling. Yes, the offense belongs to Josh McDaniels and Tom Brady. But when Bill Belichick says, "Stick a run in here, just run it," then you can bet the Patriots will be running it.

--Belichick vehemently disagreeing with a call on the field. The play involved Trey Flowers stripping the ball from Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake in one fluid motion. But the call on the field was that Drake's forward progress had been stopped prior to losing the football (though the whistle had not blown). "CAN I CHALLENGE THAT?!" an angry Belichick shouted at an official. When told he couldn't, Belichick just made a sour face and went on with his life.

--Belichick showing quick hands to catch a football flying his way. It looked like the ball hit the turf and bounced right at him before he made the snag. He then dismissively flung the football with a backhanded toss toward the Patriots bench, showing that football once and for all who is boss.

--Belichick lobbying for a measurement. After down judge Sarah Thomas informed Belichick that the ball had already been set, Belichick nearly lost his mind, screaming, "Just go out and measure it! I want to see if it's two inches or a foot or what it is!"

--Belichick praising the blocking of Dwayne Allen. Yes, the veteran tight end hasn't caught many passes this year, but Belichick lauded Allen's blocking to tight ends coach Nick Caley after a 22-yard run by Rex Burkhead. "That's a great job by Dwayne," Belichick said. "That's a great job, passing up the end and getting the corner. That was a great job."

--Belichick predicting a sack by Jonathan Jones. The coach nonchalantly muttered to nobody in particular, "He might have a shot. Go. Yup. There it is." After the sack, Johnson Bademosi celebrated raucously next to the coach before realizing he had violated Belichick's halo. Bademosi promptly apologized, but considering the Patriots led by 18 points, Belichick decided it was an OK time to crack a smile.

As far as mic'd up footage from an otherwise forgettable Week 12 game against the Dolphins goes, the video was about as good as possible.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.