Doug Pederson put his faith in his players and they returned the favour to make the Philadelphia Eagles coach look like a genius.
The signature moment from the Eagles’ 41-33 triumph over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII was an out-of-the-box trick play that began with the ball taken out of the quarterback’s hands, only for it to end up in them in a surprising twist.
‘Philly Special’ the play was called, and it was dialled up on a critical fourth-and-goal at the end of the first half, resulting in a direct snap to running back Corey Clement, who pitched it to tight end Trey Burton, who tossed it to Nick Foles in the end zone.
WHAT. A. PLAY.@Eagles throw up the trick play to Nick Foles for the touchdown... ON FOURTH DOWN!
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) February 5, 2018
Incredible.#SBLII | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/FYHjhl6knX
It was one of two fourth-down attempts and conversions for the Eagles, who seemingly executed every unconventional move Pederson called for.
“I trust my players, I trust my coaches and I trust my instincts,” Pederson said. “I trust everything I’m doing, and I want to maintain that aggressiveness. In games like this, against a great opponent, you have to make those tough decisions that way and keep yourself aggressive.”
Philadelphia players were emboldened by their coach’s confidence, with Burton saying: “Our coach has got some guts, huh? Got some big ones.”
Brady isn’t going anywhere
This time, Tom Brady wasn’t celebrating as the confetti fell and covered the inside of U.S. Bank Stadium.
“Losing sucks,” Brady said.
The Patriots quarterback tasted Super Bowl defeat for the third time in his career, in spite of throwing for a record 505 yards and three touchdowns. Just a day earlier, he had earned his third MVP award for another magnificent season at the age of 40.
With no decline apparent, Brady stated there’s no reason why he wouldn’t return next season for his 19th year.
“I mean it’s 15 minutes after the game ended, so I’d like to process this a little bit,” Brady said. “I wouldn’t see why I wouldn’t be back.”
What did the Butler do?
Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler inexplicably didn’t see the field for a single defensive snap in a game New England allowed 41 points and 538 yards of offence.
“They gave up on me,” Butler told ESPN. “F***. It is what it is.”
Former Patriots corner Brandon Browner defended Malcolm Butler and blasted Bill Belichick in a series of IG posts tonight. Said Bill "lost the game for us." pic.twitter.com/3GWTZ1UHgc
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) February 5, 2018
Eric Rowe started in place of Butler, who only saw playing time on special teams despite being a regular starter at cornerback this season.
“It was a coach’s decision… I don’t know what it was,” Butler said. “I guess I wasn’t playing good. They didn’t feel comfortable. I could have changed that game, though.”
Bill Belichick claimed after the game the decision was not a disciplinary move, but instead based on the game plan.
