Pats coach reveals Belichick’s rare reaction to Jamie Collins pick originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
You’ve probably seen those supercuts of Bill Belichick’s “celebrations” after New England touchdowns. He’s not exactly the most demonstrative guy on the sideline.
But one play in Sunday’s 24-6 win over the Carolina Panthers apparently got a rise out of the Patriots head coach.
We’re talking about Jamie Collins’ incredible leaping interception of Sam Darnold at the line of scrimmage in the third quarter.
The Patriots linebacker snagged the ball just 0.17 seconds after it left Darnold’s hand to record the “fastest” interception in at least five NFL seasons. According to Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, Collins’ pick drew some rare praise from Belichick in real time.
“I just remember hearing Coach (Belichick) on the headset like, ‘That’s unbelievable.’ And he’s been coaching a lot longer than I have,” Mayo told reporters Tuesday in his virtual press conference, as seen in the video above.
Belichick was just as effusive when asked about the play Monday.
“That play Jamie made, I don’t know how many players in the league can make that play. Not very many. It was a tremendous play,” Belichick said. “He was like five yards away from the quarterback throwing as hard as he could. That’s a pretty tough catch.”
Watch Belichick give out game balls to Collins, Jackson after Panthers win
Collins is in his third stint with the Patriots, re-signing with the team on Oct. 6 and making his (third) New England debut in Week 5. While he has yet to take more than 27% of defensive snaps in any of his five games with the Patriots, the team clearly values his athleticism, which helped him make one of the plays of the season Sunday.
“He’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever been around,” Mayo added. “Talking about a guy who’s 255, 260 pounds who can jump 40 inches and has great ball skills. This guy is just an unbelievable athlete, unbelievable football player.
“When I saw that play happen, it was just like, ‘Wow’ in real time.”