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As we just saw in the Super Bowl in Phoenix two weeks ago, a slick field can change a game on the biggest stage. The Patriots learned that firsthand when they played in that same stadium back in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks.
But Bill Belichick made sure his team had a subtle advantage according to ex-Patriots receiver Danny Amendola: forcing his team to wear studded cleats for the championship game.
“When you play a night game in AZ, for some reason the grass always gets a little dewy at night, and it’s so slick,” Amendola said on former New England teammate Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast on Tuesday. “I’ve worn seven-studs (cleats) on that field numerous times. One Super Bowl we played in, Bill made it a mandatory seven-stud game. We were all bitching and moaning, but we didn’t have too many slips.”
For those unfamiliar, Amendola is talking about cleats with studs that have to be screwed in to the bottom of the shoes and replaced when they become too worn down or caked with mud, as opposed to more standard shoes with the cleats molded into the soles.
The former tend to be bulkier and less simple to maneuver in, but they’re hardier in slippery conditions than the duller molded cleats.
“I feel like you get a lot better traction. You don’t feel like you can play as fast in them, but at the same time, you’re chopping it up, you’re gripping the turf,” Amendola said. “I would have worn seven-studs (in Super Bowl LVII) and I’m curious to know anybody that slipped, look at the cleats they were wearing. They were probably wearing the wrong tires.”
In particular, both teams’ pass rushes seemed stuck in neutral on the slick field, which featured numerous instances of players slipping as they tried to change direction. Haason Reddick even called it “the worst field I ever played on” and struggled with his footing despite changing cleats.
“We watched the film after we played Seattle in that stadium for the Super Bowl, and they had guys on the ground all night,” Amendola said. “And the fact that we (all had seven-stud cleats), I felt better, and I kind of switched my routes up knowing that they were going to slip. I switched my releases up a little bit and have them kind of get on skates a little bit more, and I felt very comfortable that game with seven-studs. And you could look on film, and Seattle Seahawks that night were all over the ground.”
The Seahawks still nearly pulled out the win against the Patriots, but Malcolm Butler’s game-saving interception on the goal line stole the victory from the jaws of defeat and kicked off the franchise’s second dynasty of the last 25 years.
One wonders, though, if Seattle would’ve handled New England more easily if Belichick hadn’t assured them better footing on the slick Arizona field.
Fortunately, he did, and the Patriots were able to conquer the tricky terrain in a way other Super Bowl contestants have not on that same surface.