ATLANTA -- The New England Patriots are no strangers to trick plays in the Super Bowl.
It was just a year ago that the Philadelphia Eagles scored a touchdown on a play called the "Philly Special," when quarterback Nick Foles caught a touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton in the Eagles' 41-33 win over the Eagles. The play energized the Eagles heading to halftime and took plenty of guts from the Eagles' coaching staff to call it.
Given what is at stake in the Super Bowl, it wouldn't surprise if other head coaches elected to play it safe over calling a trick play, such as Eagles head coach Doug Pederson.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, however, won't be among the coaches to prefer a conservative route.
"I think you -- in this game and it's just like any other game -- you try to do whatever you can do to win," Belichick said Thursday. "Whatever play you think, or plays, or a strategy, or whatever it is. I mean, it's a one-game season; there's nothing else to save it for. So, whatever it is you think can make a difference, whatever you think is the right play or the right call and maybe it's in the right situation, it would have to be the right time to do it, absolutely."
The Patriots aren't shy from digging into the bag of tricks, of course, so Belichick's response doesn't come as a surprise.
In the same Super Bowl matchup last year, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady went out on a route and was wide open. The pass from wide receiver Danny Amendola, though, sailed over Brady's outstretched hands in what would have been a big completion for a first down along the right sideline had the two connected.
The trickery from Belichick also reared its head in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX, as linebacker Mike Vrabel caught touchdown passes from Brady in each one.
Sunday's opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, is no stranger to trick plays of their own, evidenced by a fake punt converted for a first down in the NFC Championship Game against the New Orleans Saints.
And there is a level of appreciation for pulling out the stops when a Super Bowl title is on the line.
"I think there is no other reason to play this game other than to go all-in to win it," Belichick said. "We always do that in every game, we treat every game that way. But certainly this game, there's only 150, 160 plays left in our season, so we need for all those plays to be our best plays and that's what we're going to try to do."
