Very interesting blog post on the Globe - New England Patriots Forums

SVN · 11-17-2009, 12:09 AM

Another vote for Belichick - Extra Points - Boston.com

Quote:

This is the most appealing part of the debate. Yes, this is about a football coach who made a surprising decision. Really, it doesn't matter. It's a game with an oddly shaped ball. But -- and I'll write this at the risk of wading into a deep end where I don't belong -- it is also, maybe, illustrative in revealing a Capital-T Truth about the way we think and act and maybe if there is a flaw there.

On Sunday night, pretty much everyone watching saw the offense run out there, thought, oh my God, what is he thinking, this is different and weird and so, so wrong. Me, too. The more I think and read about the decision, the more certain I am Belichick did the absolute right thing. Those who continue to believe he was wrong, I think, are wedded more to convention than to the truth of the matter. The argument for punting boils down most the time to this phrase: You have to punt there. You know what? No, you do not. The established thing to do is to punt there. The empirical evidence declares this to be wrong. But 31 of 32 coaches would have punted. Convention persists.

Again, I am probably in over my head here, and this is a Patriots blog, and I don't blame if you don't care. But how often do we do things because You Have To Do X There? Education, health care, garbage pick-up, coffee brewing, newspaper publishing -- how often are we doing things, to our detriment, because that's the way we've always done them? That's what Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on fourth down from his own 28 is making me think about.

GrogansArmy · 11-17-2009, 12:44 AM

I actually agree, I think it was the right call. That said, I also believe that if we did not make it, we should have let them score as quick as possible to give Brady enough time to drive us to within FG range. 13 seconds is not enough time.

Satchboogie3 · 11-17-2009, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrogansArmy

I actually agree, I think it was the right call. That said, I also believe that if we did not make it, we should have let them score as quick as possible to give Brady enough time to drive us to within FG range. 13 seconds is not enough time.

I think that they should have tried to keep them out of the Endzone... until the got to the 1. If I was BB, I'd would have told my players "Do everything you can to prevent them from getting yards, BUT if they do break off a run or a pass and end up close to the goal line and there is still a minute left, let them in and give Brady a chance to win it.

***maverick4*** · 11-17-2009, 08:53 AM

It would have been brilliant if he stuck consistently with his strategy (which he didn't).

If you know you're going on 4th no matter what, then run on 3rd and 4th.

If you fail, immediately lay down and let Indy score, and get the ball back.

Unfortunately the way he did it was incoherent.

***BelichickFan*** · 11-17-2009, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverick4

It would have been brilliant if he stuck consistently with his strategy (which he didn't).

If you know you're going on 4th no matter what, then run on 3rd and 4th.

If you fail, immediately lay down and let Indy score, and get the ball back.

Unfortunately the way he did it was incoherent.

It wasn't incoherent. It was totally logical.

Would I have run on 3rd and 4th ? Yes I probably would. But we have a Hall of Fame QB, great WR and a crappy running game. He put it in the hands of our best players. While I would have run, it's hard to argue with putting the ball in the hands of Brady and not Maroney.

It would be foolish to let them score immediately. They were at the 30 and needed a TD. You don't just give that up. The stop at the 1, I can see the argument there. But not immediately at the 30.

sandmanxw · 11-17-2009, 09:04 AM

Let's move on already! They are falling apart in NY JETS land!

Weaping Rex to Jets: "I believe in you" - Extra Points - Boston.com