FOXBORO — You could call Nate Ebner's second quarter drop-kick in the Patriots' 35-28 loss to the Eagles a number of things.
Unorthodox, innovative, strange, maverick, or even ill-advised.
But don't call it an onside kick, according to Bill Belichick.
"I think the concept of that play is a lot different than the true onside kick where you kick the ball 10 yards," Belichick said. "I mean, to me it's a totally different play."
Ebner, a former standout rugby player, pooched a kick over the Eagles' front line of six return men, but the ball didn't bounce much when it landed in open space, and Philadelphia recovered it harmlessly at their 41-yard line.