Well, that was quick. After restoring a glimmer of hope among fans, the New England Patriots resumed their descent into despair with a 31-17 road loss to the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday afternoon. Bill Belichick, however, was not focusing solely on the outcome of the game when speaking to WEEI's The Greg Hill Show on Monday morning.
The legendary head coach, much like Pats fans, was not happy with the officiating. He specifically called out the referees for not doing a better job of protecting his running back.
“I like to feel like our players are getting protected like everybody else's,” Belichick said, via ESPN's Mike Reiss. “The tripping on Ezekiel Elliott, that's another dangerous play. Stuff like that, there shouldn't be any place for that in football.” Reiss and NESN's Zack Cox both posted videos that possibly show the incident to which he is referring.
Just starting review, but wondering if this is the play Bill Belichick is referencing on the tripping of Ezekiel Elliott (2Q/14:31). https://t.co/1Vg9j4eTX6 pic.twitter.com/A7Z11mRVOt
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 30, 2023
Asked this morning about yesterday's officiating, Bill Belichick specifically mentioned a trip on Ezekiel Elliott that was not flagged. Called it a "dangerous play."
This must have been what he was talking about: pic.twitter.com/SdmwIQGbYp
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) October 30, 2023
One can understand Belichick's frustration, as a penalty flag is the norm for such a situation. The NFL preaches more about safety than ever before, so fans expect refs to carry out those proclamations on the field. His own quarterback, Mac Jones, has drawn plenty of ire for tripping in the past, and the Super Bowl-winning coach likely demands similar outrage for endangering Elliott.
Officiating is not the reason the Patriots (2-6) lost by two touchdowns, however. Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa carved them up for 324 passing yards and three touchdowns, presenting further evidence that New England is light years away from being a legitimate postseason squad.
With a devastating injury already befalling the Pats, Bill Belichick must do everything in his power to keep the team's available assets on the gridiron. He will be bombarded with criticism for this season's failures, but the future Hall of Famer deserves some credit for fighting for his guys.
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