A week after the Patriots were intimidated by the Jaguars, New England stormed into Buffalo’s next stadium and handed the Bills their first loss there.
Appearing on NBC Sports Boston on Tuesday, Patriots safety Kevin Byard explained coach Mike Vrabel’s strategy to give the team a spark.
“He showed a video of the famous Allen Iverson, NBA Finals, making the three-point shot, stepping over Tyronn Lue“, Byard said. “So at first you don’t really know where he’s going with this. . . . I think the overall message was, “It’s time to start stepping over people.” ” You know what I mean? It’s time to get back to where we’re stepping over people and making sure we’re not about to be the team that’s going to let people bully them. . . .
“So yeah, I think that was kind of the main message, hey, we’re physical. We’re a tough team. Let’s start stepping over people, kind of like the AI did in that video.”
It worked. The Pats were much more physical than they had been in Jacksonville and, as a result, much more efficient. The Patriots avoided a 1-3 start and a three-game gap in the AFC East. Instead, they’re just one game behind Buffalo — and they’ll have the chance to complete the sweep when the two teams meet again in Week 13.
Gn sports
