Patriots: Bill Belichick needs to get revenge on Brian Flores in Week 15
By Adam Weinrib
Is Brian Flores prepared for what Bill Belichick and the Patriots plan to hit him with in Week 15?
The seeds of discord had already been sown, but nothing has been the same for the Patriots since Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Flores drove the ball down their throats in Week 17 of last season.
Now, Bill Belichick has the perfect opportunity to return the holiday gift nobody wanted.
Last year, Miami’s valiant last-minute win in Foxborough that no one saw coming from a team that had recently been Tanking for Tua (surprise, surprise, they got him anyway) torpedoed the Patriots’ playoff path, dooming them to Wild Card Weekend and a home loss to the Titans.
Give the Dolphins the assist on the Patriots 2019 demise. Beat them at home in Week 17 to force them into the Wild Card round, and the quarterback Miami quit on, Ryan Tannehill, took them down as a member of the Titans.
— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) January 5, 2020
Well, what have we here in Week 15? The Patriots, entering at 6-7 and traveling on the road to face a Miami team that enters Sunday at 8-4 with playoff aspirations. A wily veteran QB whose mobility is his best attribute facing off with a “strong defense/questionable offense” fringe AFC contender? Stephon Gilmore looking for another chance at vengeance after he got knocked off his block by DeVante Parker last year?
Gee, it sure would be a shame for Belichick to knock his old disciple’s postseason journey completely off course with an upset victory in a supposed “lost” season, wouldn’t it?
Especially after Andy Reid went ahead and made last year’s rivalry battle into such a big “thing” once the big, bad Patriots went down for the count.
Andy Reid sent Brian Flores barbeque after Miami's win over Patriots last season https://t.co/V2mPaHOwNO
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 12, 2020
If Reid’s willing to give away barbecue to someone else, you know it’s serious.
The Patriots dynasty may never be quite the same, and the braintrust is well aware they’re going to have to reckon with the program Flores has built for the next decade.
However, what a welcome it would be to this “next level” of contention for Belichick to pull out every trick play in his book to plant disaster in the mind of his old assistant? Last year’s December loss included a touchdown pass to a linebacker, after all.
Dial that up, double it.
