As Matt Cassel wrote in a recent column for NBC Sports Boston, Bill Belichick "doesn't forget anything" -- especially plays that hurt his team.
Case in point: The Patriots head coach joined Scott Zolak for a film breakdown of New England's 17-10 win over the Eagles, and one of the plays they discussed was Philadelphia's Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the game.
And what was the first thing Belichick brought up while dissecting that play? The "Miami Miracle," of course.
"We had the play last year against Miami where they caught it and pitched it and all that," Belichick told Zolak in the video below. "So, that's a possibility here. Another possibility is they try to throw the ball 60 yards down to the end zone. So, we've really got to be ready to defend both plays."
(Skip to the 6:55 mark of the video for this segment.)
On that heart-breaking final play against the Dolphins, the Patriots allowed Miami to complete an easy short pass and lateral its way down the field for a stunning game-winning touchdown.
But Belichick learned his lesson from that game.
With the ball on Philly's 42-yard line, the Patriots had safety Terrence Brooks step up and defend against that short pass while the rest of the secondary dropped back in prevent defense.
New England Patriots
The Eagles sent all of their pass-catchers toward the end zone for a more traditional Hail Mary, but Belichick had both of his bases covered, with help from Brooks.
As Wentz stepped up in the pocket, Brooks applied pressure on the Eagles QB, preventing him from getting maximum power on his throw.
"He ends up throwing and falling backward," Belichick said of Wentz. "He just can't get the ball to the end zone. That's a big key for us here. Brooks did a great job on this of staying in front of Wentz, not letting him step up in the pocket, no roughing the passer, and the ball only travels to the 5-yard line."
The result was an incomplete pass that sealed Belichick's 394th win as an NFL head coach. You don't have that much success without paying attention to every detail -- and remembering what caused every loss.
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO TOM E. CURRAN'S PATRIOTS TALK PODCAST:
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.