Behind Enemy Lines: What Scares Patriots Coach Bill Belichick?
Bill Belichick is not easily frightened. The New England Patriots coach has been figuring things out quicker than all of his peers around the NFL for the better part of two decades.
This has been the case even without some of the extra advantages his team has enjoyed from time to time.
But nothing, not even endless videotape from opponents' practices or an unlimited amount of slightly deflated footballs, can help the Patriots when it comes to preparing for the improvisational abilities of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
"This guy, he's a problem," Belichick concluded at the end of a brief video analysis he did on the team's YouTube channel.
Allen's Bills host the Patriots in a first-round playoff game Saturday night.
Belichick was particularly impressed with the touchdown pass Allen tossed to Stefon Diggs against the New York Jets last Sunday.
Allen eluded the rush, broke a tackle while scrambling to his right and was able to get the pass off as he was being tackled at the sideline.
On the other end, Diggs made a similarly remarkable play to catch the ball and get both feet down.
Despite having everything covered perfectly, the Jets could not prevent the score there, and Belichick knows that when plays like that unfold, nobody else can either.
"First of all, for Allen even to get it off here as he's being tackled and knocked out of bounds is one thing," Belichick said, "and then it looks like it’s almost impossible for Diggs to catch this ball in bounds, but he does.
"That's the level of execution Buffalo works with. Great quarterback, great receiver."
On a later play, Allen scrambled for a first down, then flipped the ball to tight end Dawson Knox — another impromptu development — for a few extra yards at the end.
"A lot of magic here with Allen," Belichick said. "You've got to be ready for everything."
What the Patriots can do is work to keep Allen from escaping to the right, where he does most of his damage. But even that is no guarantee. It's simply playing the percentages against a quarterback who sometimes can hurt opponents more on broken plays than ones in which the script is followed.
Which presents a quandary for Belichick and the defensive staff.
Do the Patriots limit their pass rush or try to get him down and risk him going off script?
We'll find out Saturday night.
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
