Loading ...A Debatable Decision Six-Pack of Thoughts
On Sunday night, Bill Belichick took the biggest of gambles on the national stage and it backfired. He went for it on 4th and 2 from his own 28 with two minutes left and after they didn’t pick up the first down, the Patriots lost. I’ve waited for a situation like this, where I can rip him to shreds for a pompous decision that cost his team a victory.
But I can’t.
And I won’t.
Because I agreed with it.
My co-host, Marc Lecair, loves to say the end result shouldn’t determine whether the proper decision was made. Just because the decision didn’t work doesn’t mean the logic behind it wasn’t sound. And if you really look at it objectively, it was the right call. For all the second-guessers, here are some thoughts and questions of my own.
- If they make it, they win. You play to win, not hope the other team loses. If they get the first down, the Patriots win, end of story. Isn’t that what you want your team to do?
- Tom Brady is his QB. The guy has won three Super Bowl rings and two Super Bowl MVPs. He had already thrown for over 350 yards and three TDs in the contest. Why is it such a risk for him to try and get two more yards?
- Peyton Manning is the Colts’ QB. On two of the previous three drives, Manning marched the Colts 79 yards for TDs. One took 5 plays and 2:04. The other took 6 plays and 1:49. Wasn’t it likely he would’ve driven them for the winning score?
- The Patriots’ offense had moved the ball all night. New England racked up 477 yards in the game. Randy Moss and Wes Welker combined for 18 catches and 273 yards. Wasn’t it reasonable to think they could get two more yards?
- The decision didn’t end the game. The Patriots still had a chance to win after the play. He gave his team two opportunities to pull out the victory, one on offense and one on defense. Isn’t it a good idea to have multiple chances to win?
- THE GAMBLE WORKED AND THE PLAY WAS A 1ST DOWN, BUT THE OFFICIALS AND THE REPLAY SYSTEM STINK! Despite the “bobble”, Kevin Faulk caught the pass and was past the first down marker when he had possession. That the official messed up the call isn’t surprising. The fact the replay system in the NFL is tied to timeouts so the Patriots couldn’t challenge is ridiculous. Don’t we think it’s time to fix the problems with officiating and replay?
-Jake Stevens
THERE IT IS!
Jake, Can’t agree with you. There was no way that Indy wasn’t going to score from inside the 30 with 2 minutes to go. There was no 2 chances to win scenario. So what you have to do is weigh the odds of making the 4th down and 2 vs. the odds of stopping Indy on a 70 yard drive. One option leaves no margin for error so you go with the other one. More distance with no time outs. Less opportunity for Indy to play it safe and take their time. Better (i.e. some if slim) chance for a turnover. It was a bad move that almost paid off in spite of itself.
Side effect of course is also the fact that every NE defender went home and while brushing their teeth looked at themselves in the mirror and said I’m not good enough, I’m not smart enough, and gosh darn it Bill Belichick doesn’t trust me. It’ll be interesting to see if that has any lasting impact.
I would have punted but I don’t have any objection to going for the first down. I think the Pats messed up, however, by not allowing Addai to score once he got to the one yard line. With the likilihood of a TD being much greater than a successful goal line stand all stopping Addai at the one did was knock precious time off the clock that Brady could have used to drive the Pats to the winning score.