Morning sports update: Robert Kraft’s locker room speech congratulating Bill Belichick included a Jets joke
Kraft congratulated Belichick on his 300th win as a head coach.
The Patriots defeated the Browns 27-13 to move to 8-0 on the season. Bill Belichick won his 300th game as an NFL head coach.
The Bruins overwhelmed the Rangers for a 7-4 win on Sunday. Boston overcame an early deficit by scoring four second-period goals.
In the World Series, the Astros won Game 5 over the Nationals 7-1 to take a 3-2 lead heading back to Houston for Game 6 on Tuesday night at 8:07 p.m.
Liverpool staged a comeback to defeat Tottenham in a high level Premier League matchup, 2-1. Liverpool stayed six points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table.
And the North Carolina Courage won the National Women’s Soccer League championship with a 4-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars. Massachusetts native Samantha Mewis was one of the goal-scorers as North Carolina defended its 2018 title.
If you like seeing soccer on Boston.com, help us do more by taking this quick survey of local fans.
Robert Kraft’s postgame speech: After the Patriots’ win, Robert Kraft came down to the locker room for a rare speech. Kraft presented Bill Belichick with the game ball, marking his 300th win as an NFL head coach.
And Kraft made sure to work in a few Belichick-related historical jokes:
I don’t take this privilege too often, and we don’t give game balls out without it being a special milestone. I want you to know, Sept. 8, 1991, the man on my left came to Foxborough to coach the Cleveland Browns against the New England Patriots, and won his first game as a head coach. Twenty eight years later, he [came] back to this same location and winning his 300th game, only the third man the history of the 100 years of the NFL to do that. And I’m happy as we all are that 263 of those 300 has been as coach of the New England Patriots, and I’m especially happy that 299 was against the New York Jets and 300 against the Cleveland Browns. Congratulations.
Robert Kraft presents Bill Belichick with the game ball after his 300th win. pic.twitter.com/Wy3h9geOGo
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 28, 2019
Kraft’s Jets reference has meaning beyond the AFC East divisional rivalry.
The Patriots acquired Belichick as the team’s head coach in 2000 after a protracted “border war” with the Jets. Belichick was briefly named head coach of the New York AFC East team following the resignation of Bill Parcells, but he famously resigned as “HC of the NYJ” after a day.
DN Archives: “As of today, I’m resigning from the New York Jets,” Bill Belichick, 47, told reporters #OTD in 2000 https://t.co/1N2sGPSGnD pic.twitter.com/0bDLxiuW8H
— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) January 4, 2017
Eventually, Kraft brokered a deal with Parcells (still the Jets’ general manager) to get Belichick up to New England. Two decades (and six Super Bowl wins) later, the trade is still paying dividends for the Patriots’ owner.
Trivia: Bill Belichick’s first win as an NFL head coach came against the Patriots with the Browns in 1991. Who was Cleveland’s quarterback in that game?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: In 1984, he lost to Boston College on Doug Flutie’s famous “Hail Flutie” touchdown pass with no time remaining.
More from Boston.com:
- Chad Finn: 27 thoughts on the Patriots’ win over the Browns
- 5 takeaways from the Patriots’ 27-13 win over the Browns
- 3 takeaways from the Bruins’ 7-4 win over the Rangers
- What Bill Belichick had to say about his 300th career win as an NFL head coach
- What Baker Mayfield had to say after losing to the Patriots
- ‘He’s the best coach of all-time’: Tom Brady discussed Bill Belichick’s 300th win
- Kevin Youkilis marked the anniversary of an unforgettable Red Sox moment
- Adam Vinatieri’s final kick gives Colts 15-13 win over Broncos
- 5 things to know about new Red Sox chief of baseball operations Chaim Bloom
- Youth football coach arrested after fight at game
The case for robot umpires
: After Nationals batter was called out on a controversial strike three to end the seventh inning, a new clamor has begun for robot umpires.
“The dawn of the robot umpire is near, and it is time,” wrote ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “Game 5 of the World Series exemplified this.”
Julian Edelman marked Bill Belichick’s 300th win in his own way:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4I__BLAt5v/
Fortunately for batters, Gerrit Cole can’t throw all three at the same time:
Gerrit Cole, 100mph Fastball, 91mph Slider and 85mph Knuckle Curve, Overay (synced at release) pic.twitter.com/o4udTrwZkz
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 28, 2019
On this day: In 2007, the Red Sox completed a sweep of the Colorado Rockies to win the World Series. It was Boston’s second Major League Baseball championship of the new century, after waiting 86 in between titles prior to 2004.
Daily highlight: Amid a myriad of Sunday highlights, let’s give Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett the stage. The former Patriot led his team to a comeback win (culminating with another former Patriot, Adam Vinatieri, drilling a game-winning 51-yard field goal).
Backed up in his own end zone, trailing by a point, Brissett scrambled to his right and fired a perfect pass to a toe-tapping T.Y Hilton on the sideline for a 35-yard gain. The play jump-started the Colts’ comeback, and kept Indianapolis in first place of the AFC South.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4I2uZZAEYk/
Trivia answer: Bernie Kosar
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