Patriots coach Bill Belichick said last week that he thought coaches should be able to challenge any call during games and it didn’t take him long to get more fuel for that fire on Sunday.
On a second down play on the first Browns possession of the game, wide receiver Greg Little caught a Jason Campbell pass and was hit by Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower. The ball came loose and the Patriots recovered, but the referees ruled that his progress was stopped before the ball came loose.
It was a dubious call and Belichick reached into his sock to toss the red challenge flag, but the officials told him that he wasn’t permitted to challenge that ruling. Cameras caught Belichick responding to that information by saying a word that sounds like a duck as he put the flag away.
The Browns went on to kick a field goal and lead 3-0 with a little more than five minutes to play in the first quarter.