Sean Payton and Gruden chime in - New England Patriots Forums

SVN · 11-17-2009, 01:58 PM

Jon Gruden leaves Mike Shanahan in prime position - Peter King - SI.com

Quote:

Gruden on Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 from his own 28 with 2:08 to play and a six-point lead Sunday night at Indianapolis:

"A couple of things. If you give Peyton Manning the ball and let him play with four downs, that's a big difference from giving him three downs. [Meaning because the Colts wouldn't punt, Manning would always have four downs to keep the chains moving.] In Tampa, we had a 35-14 lead on Manning with five minutes left, and he beat us. So two minutes, one timeout, four downs ... that's an eternity for Peyton Manning. I know this: There's not too many guys out there, maybe Sean Payton, who would have made that call.''

So I called Payton. What would Payton have done in this case?

"The question you're asking is something I really can't know without actually being there and knowing all the variables,'' he said. The question can't exist in a vacuum, he said. How's your defense holding up? What kind of confidence do you have in your quarterback? Do you fear the other team's offense? Do injuries from the night play a factor?

"Only Bill can know how the game is unfolding, and it's not something he's going to talk about," Patyon added. "There are some things you don't want to say to your team or to the public. I remember learning from Bill Parcells, who also was around Bill [Belichick] forever, that you've got to pay attention to the game. Bill does that better than anyone in our game today.

"Sometimes the conventional thing is what the defense wants you to do. The Colts wanted Bill to punt. But I'm watching the game at home Sunday night, and about five seconds after they didn't make the third down, I'm looking at their sidelines and I say, 'He's going for it.' ''

I got the strong feeling Payton would have punted, but as he said, he wouldn't know for sure without being on his sideline and considering everything -- whether he felt good about getting the two yards, and how he regarded the matchup between his defense and the opposing quarterback.

There's no question in my mind that having Peyton Manning on the other side of the ball changed everything for Belichick.

PatsSox363804 · 11-17-2009, 01:59 PM

I love how King adds in his own "I got a strong feeling Payton would punt." douchebag.

Intommywetrst · 11-17-2009, 02:05 PM

Say what you want about Gruden, but I admire his passion for football and he gets excited but he does stay fair, unlike other people.
cough: collinsworth :cough

I love bein' associated with that guy!

BradyManny · 11-17-2009, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatsSox363804

I love how King adds in his own "I got a strong feeling Payton would punt." douchebag.

Unreal that King comes to that conclusion from what Payton says. It angers me to no end that people as plain stupid as Peter King become considered an authority on anything.

Garbanza · 11-17-2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Intommywetrst

Say what you want about Gruden, but I admire his passion for football and he gets excited but he does stay fair, unlike other people.
cough: collinsworth :cough

I love bein' associated with that guy!

Whaaaaa??? Do you hear him on Monday nights? The word assclown comes to mind.

***MoLewisrocks*** · 11-17-2009, 03:00 PM

Gruden was even more forceful in having BB's back on MNF. Said he punted twice in that 2003 game and paid the ultimate price.

As for Payton I think King misinterpreted his comments to suit his own view because most of what he's hearing from the real pros is contrary to the kneejerk hatchet job he mailed in on Monday. What Payton lacks that BB has over most of his peers is the cache and security and stones (not to mention QB) to make the decision they really want to strategically in that identical situation.

That he and his ilk are what votes for the Pro Football HOF is nauseating.

SVN · 11-17-2009, 03:03 PM

anyone having twitter accounts can convey this to him..

***SoCal Pmen*** · 11-17-2009, 03:07 PM

Payton is dead on in his observation. He may have wanted to punt it if he had a stable of healthy d linemen who weren't gassed at the end of the game. But my $$ is on him going for it given that he has similar offensive weapons as the Pats do and confidence that they can get 2 yards against a weak secondary.

PatsSox363804 · 11-17-2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal Pmen

Payton is dead on in his observation. He may have wanted to punt it if he had a stable of healthy d linemen who weren't gassed at the end of the game. But my $$ is on him going for it given that he has similar offensive weapons as the Pats do and confidence that they can get 2 yards against a weak secondary.

and he probably would've thrown a short pass to Bush.

SVN · 11-17-2009, 03:15 PM

i think this point about colts having 4 downs to move has not been emphasised enough by anyone in the media

"if you give Peyton Manning the ball and let him play with four downs, that's a big difference from giving him three downs. [Meaning because the Colts wouldn't punt, Manning would always have four downs to keep the chains moving.]"