New England Patriots rookie Brendan Schooler recovered a muffed punt late in Sunday’s victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Following the key takeaway, the special teamer offered the football to Bill Belichick. The head coach gave Schooler a puzzled look before a staffer quickly intervened to take the ball and get Schooler out of harm’s way from Belichick’s death stare.
The Boston Globe‘s Ben Volin captured the quintessential Belichick moment.
Immediately after the takeaway, rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton scored a 19-yard rushing touchdown. The ensuing extra point gave New England a 31-15 lead with 4:28 remaining, but Belichick still might not have wanted to celebrate prematurely.
Once the clock hit zero on a 38-15 final score, Belichick matched George Halas for second on the all-time leaderboard with 324 wins (postseason included), Perhaps Schooler wanted to give his coach a memento for the milestone.
If Belichick passes Halas next Monday night against the Chicago Bears, anybody should think twice about giving him a game ball before the final whistle.