The New England Patriots lost on a heartbreaking play on Sunday when the Miami Dolphin found a way to score a 69-yard touchdown after tight end Rob Gronkowski couldn't make a last-ditch tackle.
There were a lot of questions about why Bill Belichick decided to send out Gronk on the field to try and stop the play and after the game, he tried to explain his team's reasoning via ESPN.
“They could throw it deep or they could have run the Desperado-type play, which is kind of an in-between 20-yard pass and then it turned into Desperado [with multiple laterals].”
Although the Dolphins could have decided to throw a hail mary chances were low that is what they would decide to do. Ryan Tannehill is only a few weeks removed from a shoulder injury, and it's unclear if he can even throw a pass that deep.
The Patriots probably should have been expecting a hook and ladder and it would have made more sense to keep just a defensive guy back. Former Patriots Hall of Famer tweeted after the game that it looked like Belichick actually outsmarted himself on the play.
Gronk was in because that is a "last play" defense. The last play can be a hail mary pass. In a situation where chances of a hail mary are low, the "jumper" (Gronk) should be substituted for another safety/DB. For tackling purposes. That was not done.
— Tedy Bruschi (@TedyBruschi) December 9, 2018
If it would have been a Hail Mary Gronkowski's height would have been good to bat the ball down but Gronk has never been known as a speed guy. If a safety would have been in on the play he would have been able to make the corner and prevent the touchdown, something that Gronk tried to do, but fell down before completing.
Follow Us
Subscribe