In a 2019 AFC Wild Card victory over the New England Patriots, then-Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel famously used one of Bill Belichick’s clock loophole tactics against him.
As the NFL rulebook stated at the time, the game clock would continue to run if either team committed a penalty with two-plus minutes remaining in the first half or five-plus minutes remaining in the second half. It was a rule Belichick himself had exploited earlier that season in a Week 7 victory over the New York Jets.
Vrabel, having learned from Belichick and then studying him ahead of that game, recognized his opportunity and took it.
With 6:39 remaining in the game and the Titans facing a fourth-and-5, Vrabel took a delay of game penalty followed by a Wesley Woodyard false start. Both infractions kept the clock running and Belichick fuming, which was only compounded when Patriots cornerback Justin Bethel committed a neutral zone infraction.
When New England finally got the ball back, 4:44 remained on the clock. They went three-and-out and the Titans offense then milked the clock down to just 15 seconds remaining. That’s when legendary quarterback Tom Brady threw his final pass in a Patriots uniform, resulting in a Logan Ryan interception.
During a recent appearance on Pardon My Take, Mike Vrabel discussed those tactics and Belichick’s fury.
Mike Vrabel was doing everything he could not to smirk when he used a clock loophole against the Patriots @PardonMyTake pic.twitter.com/HqRFhpFrHR
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) July 20, 2024
“I did not want to smirk. I didn’t. I swear to God,” Vrabel said. “My guy Stretch up in the box. . . he was in my ear and he could watch on the TV copy and he was like, ‘(Belichick)’ is steaming.’ I’m like, ‘Stop! Stop telling me this’ because I didn’t want to smirk.”
The ensuing offseason, NFL owners voted to close the Belichick clock loophole after Vrabel had successfully used it against the former Patriots head coach. But for that moment, Vrabel was quite proud to have used a trick against his former head coach.
