NFL teams
Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Fog causes whiteout of Patriots game film

NFL, New England Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coaches had an unusual problem when they went to review parts of Sunday night's 23-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on their film with a sideline view: They couldn't see anything because of the fog.

"The fourth quarter is pretty close to a whiteout on the sideline film," coach Bill Belichick said in a conference call Monday. "The sideline cameras are at the top of the stadium. So that's a tough shot.

"The end zone cameras are a little bit lower and they get a little tighter shot, so the picture is a little bit clearer. But on that shot you're not always able to see all the guys on the perimeter. It's an inline shot."

Things gradually worsened.

"The first half, start of the third quarter, it's all right. As you get into the middle of the third quarter and on, for those of us with aging eyes, it's a little strain to see it. Then there's a point where you can't really see it at all, especially from the sideline."

Belichick said that was similar to during the game when he looked at pictures of game action from a high angle. But he also repeated what he said Sunday night: He didn't view the fog as having an effect on the team.

Meanwhile, in his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI's "Kirk and Callahan" program, quarterback Tom Brady said, "It was one of the crazier games I've ever been at; I've never seen the fog like that at Foxborough. We've had some practices like that but never a game. That was pretty cool."

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