Among the many talents possessed by Bill Belichick is the ability to produce some hilarious quotes in response to questions posed by the media.
The New England Patriots have already clinched the AFC East and a first-round bye. With that in mind, Belichick was asked Monday if he has considered resting his starters in Week 17. In typical Belichick fashion, he offered nothing that could possibly help Miami Dolphins prepare for their matchup next Sunday.
He did, however, give us something to laugh about.
"I don't understand that question. I don't know how many starters we have." — Bill Belichick on idea of "resting starters" in finale.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 26, 2016
This isn’t the first time this year that Belichick has played dumb, and it won’t be the last. Of course he knows how many starters he has, and of course he understood the question. But the man has never been interested in answering questions that could potentially give his opponent any insight into his thinking before a game. Period.
There is a good chance Belichick will actually play most of his starters most of the game on Sunday against Miami. After all, the No. 1 seed is still up for grabs, as the Oakland Raiders are a game behind with one left to play.
Owning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is a huge goal, and there is also an argument to be made for keeping a good thing going. With a bye already in the works, the Pats are going to be fighting against a bit of rust to begin with when they compete in the second round of playoff games.