Coach helps send Jets to cold offseason
Bill Belichick, an apparent expert at all things air pressure, tried to gain an advantage when the weather turned frigid Sunday in Foxborough, Mass., for the Patriots-Jets game.
New England’s head coach ordered thermometers placed inside the Jets tunnel before the game, according to an ESPN report.
The bit of psychological warfare was in play because the game-time temperature was forecast as 15 degrees, with a minus-4 wind chill. That’s bone-chilling weather for a Jets team that was playing out the string, and Belichick, trying to wrap up home-field advantage in the AFC, might have been trying to get the Jets to look ahead to the offseason.
The tactic might have had a bearing on New England’s 26-6 victory.
The Patriots are now 43-10 in the last 24 years when the kickoff temperature is 34 degrees or colder, and it’s becoming more clear just how out of the box Belichick will think if it means a possible Patriots edge.
How did Belichick himself handle the cold? He came onto the field for pregame warmups in shorts and a T-shirt before changing for warmer clothes during the game.
Not-perfect season
The Cleveland Browns lost 2824 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh to become the second team in NFL history to finish a season 0-16.
Cleveland joined a dubious club that was previously occupied only by the 2008 Detroit Lions.
The Browns fell to the rival Steelers despite Pittsburgh opting to sit quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and running back Le’Veon Bell in addition to injured wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Cleveland was victimized by rookie wide receiver JuJu SmithSchuster, who finished with nine receptions for 143 yards and one score, as well as a kick return touchdown.
Making the Browns’ winless year arguably even worse than Detroit’s in 2008 is the fact that Cleveland finished last season 1-15 following a 3-13 campaign in 2015.
In two seasons under Coach Hue Jackson, the Browns are just 1-31. Cleveland hasn’t made the playoffs since 2002, and it can be argued that it hasn’t had a franchise quarterback since reentering the NFL in 1999.
Not out of the Woods
Tiger Woods said that he was “very encouraged” by his performance earlier this month at the Hero World Challenge but still does not know what his 2018 schedule will entail.
In a 1,731-word post on his website, Woods recapped his week in the Bahamas and looked ahead to 2018, saying that he is “continuing to progress and trying to get strong enough to where I can handle a workload again.”
Making his first start since fusion surgery in the spring, Woods impressed observers with his power and speed during the Hero, where he tied for ninth after taking the lead through 27 holes. He said he took a week off after the event to “build up my body” but was surprised by his explosiveness off the tee, and that he’s now about a full club longer than when he last played in February.
“I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect being away from competitive golf for 10 months,” he wrote, “and came away excited about my health and my game.”
Woods gave no indication when he’d announce his upcoming schedule. He said that he’ll appear at the Genesis Open in February – an event that benefits his foundation – “one way or another.”