Whenever a pass is intercepted downfield on fourth down, some smart aleck points out that the defensive player who intercepted it should have just knocked it down. That happened with the Patriots on Sunday, but Bill Belichick isn’t second-guessing his player.
The situation was the Chargers going for it on fourth down from the Patriots’ 35-yard line. The pass was thrown about 20 yards downfield, Patriots defensive back J.C. Jackson intercepted it, and he was tackled at the 20-yard line. So the Patriots got the ball back at the 20, when they would have gotten it at the 35 if Jackson had just knocked it down.
Jackson cost his team 15 yards, but when a reporter asked Belichick about that, he said it’s easy to criticize in hindsight.
“Well, I mean, sometimes when you’re going for the ball like that, it’s an instinctive thing,” Belichick said. “I think he had a chance to run with it and he kind of lost his balance there and wasn’t able to stay on his feet. But, sometimes there’s more than just taking the ball right away. But, right, at that spot, if you know that you’re not going to gain any more yardage and that’s what it is, then you might be better off knocking it down.”
Belichick pointed out that an interception can turn into a big play because the offensive players aren’t accustomed to having to make tackles.
“But, when you intercept a pass, it’s not like there’s a lot of great tacklers on the field on the other side of the ball,” Belichick said. “So, if he can get by one or two guys, you might have a chance for a big play. I think the defensive backs and linebackers are always thinking when they get the ball, try to take advantage of those opportunities and turn it into a big play. Players just have to make a quick judgment on that.”
Belichick won’t question that judgment.
Bill Belichick won’t second-guess players who intercept a pass on fourth down originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
