What a horrible decision to go for it on fourth down. Belichick will pull his tough guy schtick and not explain himself, but it shows he has no faith in his defense. This could be the beginning of the end for the Pats.
What a horrible decision to go for it on fourth down. Belichick will pull his tough guy schtick and not explain himself, but it shows he has no faith in his defense. This could be the beginning of the end for the Pats.
seriously? i'll roll with Tom Terrific to Kevin Faulk on 4th and 2 any time, any place. That's not what cost them the game. They lost the game because they were up 34-21 with 4:12 to play and let Indy back in it. It's one stupid regular season loss...no big deal. The Pats showed tonight they are still one of the top 3 teams in the NFL and will be a force come playoff time. don't be an idiot.
I'm glad the Patriots lost. It was the good guy vs the bad guy, and the good guy won.
beginning of the end? wrote:The Pats showed tonight they are still one of the top 3 teams in the NFLThe Colts are obviously better, as are the Broncos. To that you can add New Orleans and Minnesota, as well as Cincinnati. Arguments can also be made for the Chargers, Cowboys, Steelers and Cardinals, all of them are 6-3 as well.
Colts are regular season all-stars. The playoffs come & they choke in their first game against the Chargers like the last 2 years.
I'd take the Pats in the playoffs vs anybody as long as they have Brady & Belichick.
return to index wrote:
I'm glad the Patriots lost. It was the good guy vs the bad guy, and the good guy won.
Patriots as bad guys? I was a neutral observer for the game tonight and Manning's complaining and whining makes him hard to root for. Brady is a man of class on the field. All the other players on both teams do what players do.
Based on your Patriots-biased posts, I'm pretty sure you were not a "neutral observer."
beginning of the end? wrote:
seriously? i'll roll with Tom Terrific to Kevin Faulk on 4th and 2 any time, any place. That's not what cost them the game. They lost the game because they were up 34-21 with 4:12 to play and let Indy back in it. It's one stupid regular season loss...no big deal. The Pats showed tonight they are still one of the top 3 teams in the NFL and will be a force come playoff time. don't be an idiot.
First of all, "Tom Terrific?" OOOOkay. In ANY situation it makes NO sense to go for it on 4th and 2 on your own 28 with a lead so late in the game. That IS what cost them the game because it rolled out the red carpet for a game-winning score by the Colts. And, it's not just, as you put it, "one stupid regular season loss...no big deal;" BS! The Colts may have all but locked up home-field-advantage for the playoffs with the win! That IS a big deal! And, just how did the Patriots show that they are "still one of the top 3 teams in the NFL?" THEY BLEW A 17-POINT LEAD IN THE 4th QUARTER!!! YOU'RE JUST AS ARROGANT AS BELICHICK!
Pretty interesting link. A more mathematical approach to the situation.
On the surface it looks like a bad call, but does anyone really think that if they had punted manning wouldn't have scored anyway? I don't like the Pats or their coach but I certainly don't think the call was ridiculous. If it had worked everyone would be praising his confidence in his team.
No sure thing Manning would have scored had he had to drive 60 yards or more. A lot can go wrong.
Looks like a bad call by Belichek, but given his record with the Pats, I think he will be forgiven. There is no denying the guy can win football games. Just not this one.
either way, it was the most badass call I have ever seen in football. For a coach to go so far against conventional wisdom really shows you that he has cojones.
return to index wrote:
I'm glad the Patriots lost. It was the good guy vs the bad guy, and the good guy won.
Between the video recording thing and the dominance in the past few years making them hated, I can understand calling the Pats badguys (even though I disagree), but what exactly makes Peyton Manning and the Colts goodguys?
It was certainly an unconventional decision. But if the Pats convert there and run out the clock, Belichick would be hailed as a ballsy genius.
The reality is this: the Patriots are going to win their division and make the playoffs. If they beat the Colts last night, they would have a chance to catch the Colts and get the #1 seed in the playoffs. Now they almost certainly won't get the #1, but they may still get the #2. What I saw last night tells me the Patriots are a better team than the Colts, and they can certainly win there in January. The Patriots seem to be getting better each week, and the Colts seem to be hanging on.
Whoever said Denver is better than the Patriots has apparently missed the newsflash that the Broncos lost to the crappy Redskins yesterday and are in a freefall right now. The Broncos at 6-0 were like the subprime housing market.
Finally, I think the refs missed that last call and that Faulk actually did have possession of the ball past the 30. I think on a review that would have been overturned.
A few points to consider...
- The home field advantage IS significant, because the Colts' run game is crap, and they HAVE to play in controlled conditions in order to perform well in the postseason. Colts win, they get those controlled conditions. If they had lost, they may have had to play at Foxborough come post-season, NOT what they want.
- That said, it may not matter after all, because as stated above, the Colts have never been that gamey, and tend to underperform in the postseason. They may never get to enjoy any homefield advantage that they earn.
- Statistically, teams don't go for it often enough on 4th down.
- I don't think this was too little faith in the defense so much as too much faith in the offense.
- There are only a few situations where this will be remembered; if the Colts and Pats play at Indy in the post season, and Indy wins on a superb performance by Manning, or if the Pats somehow crash and burn after this game and miss the postseason by a game. Those are the only two conceivable instances where this game actually matters.
Thanks, Bill. Your arrogance is much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Colts Fan
home field advantage in the playoffs is HIGHLY overrated. both the Pats and Colts will make the playoffs. Heck, the Colts might even go 16-0 with the easy schedule they have coming in...but they WON'T win the superbowl. Not sure the Pats will win it either, but I like their chances against the Colts in a big time playoff game. let's all remember this is only week 9...did anyone think the Cardinals would make the superbowl in week 9 last year? did anyone think the Giants would win the superbowl in week 9 the year before? no. simple as that. whomever is playing the best football come janaury will win...it's not even thanksgiving yet.
Belichick will have the Pats ready for the playoffs at 13-3 or 12-4 (if they can't beat the Saints in the dome) and they'll be ready to have a long playoff run.
The Bare Facts wrote:
Finally, I think the refs missed that last call and that Faulk actually did have possession of the ball past the 30. I think on a review that would have been overturned.
You may be right but Belichick unnecessarily wasted two timeouts and could not challenge the call...every is overlooking this point.
Pats got ripped off on the final spot. The receiver achieved the 1st down yardage if you watch the replay.
Every replay showed Faulk juggling the ball as he was knocked backwards, possession isn't until you secure the ball. In all of the stories I've read about the game no one has complained about the spot of the ball, so I'm taking that to believe that the Pats felt it was the right call. If he'd had a challenge he would have used it, of course, but the call and the spot are correct.
Belicheat is such a classless, arrogant prick. He was caught cheating vs. the Jets and encourages the use of PED's in his veteran players i.e. Rodney Harrison. I was glad to see his decision backfire. He doesn't trust his Defense for a reason and that is why they will not go far this year.