FOXBORO — The Tennessee Titans were flagged for a whopping 10 penalties in their 35-14 loss to the Patriots on Saturday night in an AFC divisional round playoff game at Gillette Stadium.
One in particular had football followers shaking their heads, the direction depending on their allegiance.
The Patriots lined up to punt on fourth and 5 from their own 14-yard line with 7:17 left in the first half when Geneo Grissom was flagged for a false start. But after meeting, the officials changed the call to a neutral zone infraction on Brynden Trawick, which gave the Patriots a first down.
Nationally, the reversal was seen as the Patriots receiving another bail-out call (think Steelers and not completing the catch). Locally, coach Bill Belichick thought differently.
Belichick not only said he wasn’t surprised by the call, but that — and this shouldn’t come as a shock — the always-prepared Patriots practice that play every week.
“If it’s that kind of situation — fourth and less than 5 — and the player enters the neutral zone then we want to react to it and force the penalty and not allow them to get back and reset and not have the opportunity for it,” Belichick said Sunday in a conference call. “I thought it was a heads-up play by Geneo to react to that. That’s what he’s supposed to do and that’s what he did.”
For those who thought a defender always has the opportunity to pull out the neutral zone if no contact is made, well, think again as the league amended its ruling on that.
“Nope,” Belichick said. “Well, he can pull back out, but if the offense reacts to the defensive player in the neutral zone then the penalty is on the defense. Otherwise, you’re going to have the whole defense flinching and the whole thing we went through a decade ago with everybody on the defensive side of the ball flinching with the silent count, crowd noise on the road and all that.”
Not to be overlooked is the Patriots were still deep in their own end after the call. But they fully capitalized on their second chance, Chris Hogan catching a 4-yard touchdown pass to cap a 16-play, 91-yard drive that pushed their lead to 21-7 with 1:52 left.
“Well, that’s what football is,” Belichick said. “Football’s about taking advantage. It’s about making plays and taking advantage of opportunities that are there. Yeah, offensively, as you said, it wasn’t one play. We had whatever it was (81 yards) to go, a long way to go. So there were a lot of plays that had to follow that, but it gave us an opportunity to possess the ball.”
White makes impact
James White doesn’t like it when he misses any action, whether it’s preseason or come playoff time. Neither do his teammates.
The Patriots were thrilled to get White back on the field Saturday night after he missed the final two regular-season games with an ankle injury. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels instantly wrote White back into the game plan and the veteran running back delivered, just like he always seems to do under the NFL’s brightest lights.
White took a flip from Tom Brady and ran five yards for the Patriots’ first touchdown and then scooted around left end for six yards and another score to jump-start New England to a resounding 35-14 win over the Titans.
“I was just excited to be back out there and blessed to have the opportunity again,” White said after the win. “I don’t like letting those opportunities pass me by. I just want to do my job to the best of my ability and try to help my team win.”
While White didn’t play in the season’s final two games, he really hadn’t enjoyed much of an impact on the offense in nearly a month. That changed when the season’s biggest games arrived. He said he was happy to take advantage of the extra rehab time around the bye week and get his ankle as close to 100 percent as possible.
“It’s a one-game season so it’s win or go home,” White said, “so I just try to make the most of the opportunity and don’t take it for granted. A lot of people wish they could be in that position.”
Brady said the addition of White and receiver Chris Hogan only added to the talented assortment of weapons at his disposal. “I think when you have some of your best players on the field all the time it’s a great benefit to us, like it would be for any team,” he said.
Next Sunday's AFC title game against Jacksonville will be the fourth of White's career. He's happy he won't have to miss the latest chance to return to yet another Super Bowl.
"All the hard work we put in is for these moments,” White said. “You just have to make the most of those opportunities. Every game is going to be tough. You have to practice hard and prepare hard.”
Harrison not fazed
James Harrison said he wouldn't be looking for revenge, had the Steelers advanced to the AFC Championship Game. In fact, he said he wasn't planning to even watch his former teammates play during Sunday’s matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“No more, no less than I would to play anybody else,” Harrison said after the Patriots victory on Saturday night. Harrison was reminded that his former teammates spoke disparagingly about him on his way out of Pittsburgh. “They can say what they want to. That’s their thing, you know?”
Asked when he’ll learn who the Patriots' next opponent will be, he responded, "Coming to work on Monday.”
"I don't pay attention to sports. I'm not a sports person,” Harrison added. “If my kid's not playing, I won't watch it. If it's not film study, I don't watch it. I'm not really into it.”