Why Chase Winovich Knew ‘Something Special We Coming’ On Fist Patriots Sack

Chase Winovich was brilliant in Miami, and five family members watched his game against the Dolphins. The sixth member was there in spirit.

In a short interview after the game, Winovich said he felt the presence of his late grandmother.

“Before I got my sack, my grandmother, who passed away, she always said she’d come back as a butterfly,” Winovich recalled after New England’s 43-0 shellacking of Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. “And I was tearing up a little bit on the field. It was literally a couple plays before. I saw a butterfly floating around, and I was like, ‘That’s got to mean something.’ And then sure enough, a couple plays later, luckily I came home (for the sack). My teammates had great coverage and set it up for me. I knew something special was coming.”

On this play, the rookie engaged left tackle Jesse Davis and went past Davis to the outside to smash Rosen for an 8-yard loss.

“I’m trying to think of whether I can comment on that or not without giving anything away,” Winovich said. “Honestly, it was just one of those things where I felt it out, felt him go inside, worked the outside move and it worked out.”

Winovich split another sack with linebacker Jamie Collins earlier in the game and helped defensive lineman Adam Butler back one of his two sacks. New England had seven sacks in the magnificent wins and four interceptions.

“It’s just something to build off of,” Winovich said. “I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.”

What keeps him going? It’s the promise from his grandmother.

“Ever since high school, my grandma has been promising me, if I played hard and I didn’t get hurt, she’s been promising me $5 and a chocolate bar, either Hershey’s or Sarris Candies,” the rookie told media members at Nissan Stadium. “So today was just another day where I just went out there and I said, ‘You know what, I’ve got to play hard. I need that $5, and I need the candy.’”

Keep up the good job, Winovich! Let’s go!