Patriots coach Bill Belichick appreciates good special teams, and he thinks he’s going to face one of the best on Sunday against the Lions.
Belichick singled out Lions punter Jack Fox, calling him the best in the NFL and even calling him a threat to pass on a fake punt, as he did last week to pick up a first down against the Seahawks.
“Fox is the best punter in the league. He’s outstanding,” Belichick said. “Fox is a weapon. Kickoff, punt, punt for accuracy, punt for distance. Threw it like a quarterback back there — that was a long throw, 15 yards deep, good coverage, he put it right in there.”
Belichick also singled out Lions linebacker Chris Board for his special teams play.
“Board, that’s the best special teams player we’ll play against all year. He’s a great, great player,” Belichick said. “They have good speed, good size in the kicking game, good specialists. They’re working through the kicking situation, but they’ve got some really outstanding players in those units. . . . It’s going to be a big challenge for us in the kicking game.”