Bears head coach Matt Eberflus opted against using his final timeout in a 23-20 loss on Thursday.
The Chicago Bears’ game against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving ended in controversial fashion. With his team trailing 23-20 in the final seconds, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus opted against taking his final timeout to give his team a better chance at tying the game.
Instead, Chicago let 30 seconds tick off the clock following a sack. The game was eventually lost when rookie quarterback Caleb Williams fired an incomplete pass from the Detroit 41-yard line as time expired.
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was among those watching that game unfold on Thursday. And as he mentioned during a press conference on Friday, he and Patriots director of game management Evan Rothstein used the opportunity to try to better their own situational awareness.
“As that game went on, I actually called Evan and we were just talking through that situation,” Mayo said. “It was great — great conversation. Oftentimes, it’s easy to second-guess and look back at those decisions that were made and say, ‘Well, that’s crazy.’ For me, it’s just another opportunity to be a better head football coach.”
Mayo added that he “probably would have handled it a bit differently,” but that it would be “easy for me to say just sitting right here.”
Mayo and Rothstein have worked closely together after the former was promoted from de-facto co-defensive coordinator to head coach in January. Whereas the former is responsible for making the final call, the latter is closely assisting him along the way.
The cooperation seems akin to that of Mayo’s predecessor, Bill Belichick, and long-time Patriots research director Ernie Adams. The current HC would not get into the comparison game on Friday, but he did present Rothstein as a valuable and Adams-like resource for him.
“We spend a lot of time talking about situational football, and things like that,” Mayo said. “As a head coach on the field there’s a lot going on — whether it’s people talking to you, through your headset and all that stuff. I think it’s good that you have a separate channel where it’s just the two of us really discussing how to stay ahead of the game, talking about different situations, and how to approach those.”
The next opportunity to put practice into game day reality will come on Sunday, when the Patriots will play host to the Indianapolis Colts.