Former Patriots players share drastic measures Bill Belichick would take for team’s trips to Miami
The Patriots have notoriously struggled against the Dolphins in Miami over the years, losing their last five games there.
Ex-Patriots players also at a loss for why team has struggled in Miami: When it came to making on-field adjustments, Bill Belichick wasn’t afraid to pull all the stops in finding the right tweak to help the Patriots win a game over his 24 seasons as head coach.
Belichick took a similar approach off the field as well, at least when it came to the Patriots’ travel itinerary when they faced the Dolphins in Miami. In the latest episode of “The Quick Snap Podcast,” former Patriots players Brian Hoyer and David Andrews shared how Belichick constantly changed things up during the team’s annual trip to Miami in hopes of getting a win.
“We would go to a hotel every day,” Hoyer said.
“Bill was like not superstitious, but superstitious,” Andrews said. “I’ve never stayed in so many hotels.
Hoyer and Andrews listed that they had stayed at golf resorts and hotels along the beach to see if the team could find their mojo, but to no avail.
“I’ve seen every hotel in Miami, except for South Beach,” Andrews said.
One of the drastic measures Belichick took ahead of a Patriots game in Miami was when he had the team arrive in the area five days before their season-opening matchup against the Dolphins in 2022. Still, the Patriots lost that game 20-7 after having a few practices in the Miami area that week.
Even during their best seasons in the dynasty, the Patriots always seemingly struggled in Miami. Tom Brady went 8-10 against the Dolphins in Miami in the 18 starts. Andrews, who played for the Patriots from 2015-24, said he was only active for one Patriots win in Miami over his career. Hoyer, who had three different stints with the Patriots spanning eight seasons, also only had one win at Miami during his time with the organization.
Hoyer and Andrews struggled to convey why the Patriots have struggled in Miami.
“If it was always you played them Week 2 in September, you would easily say heat and conditioning,” Andrews said. “But I’ve played them in September and I’ve played them in December [and lost]. It’s hard.
“But that’s part of that environment. They come up and you see them in [Foxborough] in December, or in the playoffs, or at Green Bay and struggle. I don’t know if that’s it. It’s a hard place to play. I don’t know. I wish I had a better answer for fans and everything for why we struggled so bad down there.”
The Patriots seek to end their five-game losing streak to the Dolphins in Miami when they go against them on Sunday.
Trivia: Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns in the Patriots’ last win over the Dolphins in Miami as part of a 43-0 blowout. Which two players did he throw touchdowns to?
(Hint: For one of the players, it was their only game as a member of the Patriots.)
Scores and schedules:
The Red Sox and Yankees begin a pivotal three-game set at 7:10 p.m. on Friday. Boston is a half-game back of New York for the top wild-card spot in the American League entering the series. The Red Sox are also 3.5 games back of the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East.
After losing in Week 1, the Patriots will look to get their first win of the season when they take on the Dolphins on Sunday. Kickoff for that game is set for 1 p.m.
Boston College football is also looking to avenge a loss from last weekend. It takes on Stanford in its ACC opener on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 10:30 p.m.
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Celtics salute Dua Lipa: After the three-time Grammy Award winner performed at TD Garden on Wednesday, Dua Lipa shouted out Boston in a social media post with a picture of her standing in front of the Celtics logo.
The Celtics reciprocated the love on Friday.
On this day: Forty-six years ago on Friday, Carl Yastrzemski became the first player in American League history to record 3,000 career hits and 400 career home runs. The Red Sox icon got his 3,000th hit against the Yankees at Fenway Park on Sept. 12, 1979.
Yastrzemski’s milestone hit came in the eighth inning of what would be a 9-2 win for the Red Sox. He actually had been on the hunt for his historic hit for a couple of games, but had a brief cold stretch at the plate.
“I know one thing,” Yastrzemski told the crowd at Fenway Park after the hit, according to the New York Times. “The last hit was the hardest of all 3,000. It took so long because I really enjoyed all these standing ovations you gave me the last three nights.”
As Yastrzemski became the 15th player in MLB history to record 3,000 career hits that night, he’s also the last player to reach the milestone as a member of the Red Sox.
Daily highlight: Packers wide receiver Malik Heath threw his hat into the ring for early consideration for catch of the year. In the second quarter of the Packers’ 27-18 win over the Commanders on Thursday, Heath made an impressive toe-tapping grab along the sideline for a 37-yard gain. The catch was actually initially ruled incomplete, but the Packers successfully challenged the call.
Trivia answers: Antonio Brown and James White
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