Writer says blame officials, not Belichick

[TrueBeliever]

FINALLY someone who gets it:

Criticism for Belichick is misguided - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

 

[RobertWeathers]

My only gripe is that after looking at the reply 1000 times, Brady seemed to have Welker up the middle and instead, focused on Faulk who was in tighter coverage. Oh well. What if...

 

[SVN]

There are few things worse in sports than when conventional wisdom of how something should be done (because that’s how it’s always been done) sends a chilling effect for innovation and ingenuity.

There are few black-and-white decisions in the course of a football game. One may be better than the other, but it’s never 100 percent to zero percent. Belichick didn’t make a good choice or a bad choice, he made his own choice.

Having a coach think for himself based on great insight (statistical or otherwise) should never be called a bad move.

Great lines IMO. i saw Eric allen this AM calling the BB decision a pop warner coach would make. Thats the reason there are so many bad coaches and teams. Because very layman thinks he can coach just because they call the same plays and gameplans which fail and then blame it on the team/players/injuries and everything.Frankly from hating the call on sunday to today,my respect for our coach has grown even more.

 

[Patspsycho]

My only gripe is that after looking at the reply 1000 times, Brady seemed to have Welker up the middle and instead, focused on Faulk who was in tighter coverage. Oh well. What if...

This "what if" can drive you nuts.. this is why BB has a rule to dwell on a loss for one day and then just move on.

I think this forum should adopt that rule.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

thanks for the link. Very good read.

Liked the line where the Colts coach (unlike Dungy) correctly says each situation is different and that he will certainly not question someone who has won far more SBs than others can dream off. Nice!

Hope our D is not feeling the way Harrison and Brushi opined but still use Brushi's words for motivation to demolish the Jesters on Sunday.

 

[BelichickFan]

My only gripe is that after looking at the reply 1000 times, Brady seemed to have Welker up the middle and instead, focused on Faulk who was in tighter coverage. Oh well. What if...

It was fairly clear from Brady's radio interview that he was going to Faulk before the snap, he knew they would be coming after him, he had to get rid of it quickly and his presnap read liked the matchup with Faulk.

 

[Nunchucks]

If you blame the officials than you have already lost.

 

[RobertWeathers]

This "what if" can drive you nuts.. this is why BB has a rule to dwell on a loss for one day and then just move on.

I think this forum should adopt that rule.

Thats silly IMO. If anyone is "going nuts" over a game should seek medical help.

 

[BionicPatriot]

I have never understood certain fans, sports writers that waste hours of their life with large article/threads complaining about blown calls. Nothing you say will change it. I think the one part where I really agree with the guy is when he points out two huge red zone TOs. The Pats EXECUTE, and we're not talking about it.

Honestly folks, this loss sucks theres no way around it. This team is still alive, just forget about it and move on. Griping about calls and all that bull**** is nothing but a waste and it drives you crazy.

 

[BradyManny]

If you blame the officials than you have already lost.

Fans can blame officials - I hate it when players blame officials, but our guys never do that. But, we, as fans, sure - the refs blew it and I will state that. It certainly doesn't affect the outcome and it doesn't excuse the Patriots from making the mistakes they did to lose that game, it's just another factor that is OK to mention.

 

[BionicPatriot]

Thats silly IMO. If anyone is "going nuts" over a game should seek medical help.

I think we Pats fans really need to accept something.

Ever since 01 I've had ridiculous expectations for this team, when ever they lose it just completely dissapointed me. But this recent loss just shows me. This team is not the same team, they don't have the killer instinct. I think we as fans need to accept that and cut down our ridiculous expectations. I don't think games drive us crazy, our expectations do.

At this point I'm going to hope for something special to happen in the playoffs and whatever happens happens. I'm done setting myself up with unrealistic expectations. I think a lot of people would be happier if they did so as well.

 

[RobertWeathers]

It was fairly clear from Brady's radio interview that he was going to Faulk before the snap, he knew they would be coming after him, he had to get rid of it quickly and his presnap read liked the matchup with Faulk.

So? Doesn't mean he was right. Welker's man was playing off him in the slot. In theory, TB could have hit him just as quickly.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

The decision to go for it isn't the problem. Letting up after absolutely hammering an opponent for 3 1/2 quarters is the problem decision. Who cares if we run up the score.

Ofcourse, we should blame the officials. Look at the Houcoli call last year. Is that excusable? When you get to the point where officials have a blank check; bad calls follow.

I would feel much worse if we got blown out 40-3. Personally, I see zero problem returning to Indy. There was nothing in that game that tells me we can't dominate Indy for 60 minutes and we will get back Warren/Green/TBC/Springs/Morris/Taylor.

Also, this team is not 01-04. Look at the roster. Who is left? Did anyone really want Rodney (SB) and Bru (2007 AFCCG) on the field Sunday? The defense is filled with young talent. Embrace the change.

 

[SoCalPatsfan90]

I loved this line...

Instead, Belichick is an egomaniacal moron. He’d have still been a genius had he just punted and lost that way.

Sums it up nicely in my book. I think the guy and the call was gutsy, and it takes sack to make a call like that. It's not about disrespecting your D, or having no confidence in your D. It's about winning. Problem is perception, and peoples perception is skewed because no other coach in the league has the sack to make that call.

 

[BelichickFan]

So? Doesn't mean he was right. Welker's man was playing off him in the slot. In theory, TB could have hit him just as quickly.

I'm just saying that the fact that Faulk was covered tighter is almost irrelevant because I don't think Brady ever looked elsewhere. The way I heard his interview, pre snap he liked Faulk's matchup and that's where he was going unless he was completely covered.

If you don't like it, I can't help you with that. But the relative openness of Welker vs. Faulk wasn't relevant, the only issue was whether there was a window for Faulk because if there was that's where Brady was going.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I'm just saying that the fact that Faulk was covered tighter is almost irrelevant because I don't think Brady ever looked elsewhere. The way I heard his interview, pre snap he liked Faulk's matchup and that's where he was going unless he was completely covered.

If you don't like it, I can't help you with that. But the relative openness of Welker vs. Faulk wasn't relevant, the only issue was whether there was a window for Faulk because if there was that's where Brady was going.

No question. The reply shows Brady focusing solely on Faulk.

It's all speculation. thats what is fun about it. I''m sure there are 20 reasons BB and TB could give why the ball didn;t go to Welker that would make my head spin and curl up the fetal position....

 

[sarge]

Faulk made the first down.

He bobble the ball for a fraction of a second but had control before he was pushed back.

the official who was looking at Faulks back and could never see the ball spotted it where Faulk landed.

Ask yourselves this Pats fans.

If the roles where reversed, no one would be talking about the Colts going for it on 4th.

Everyone, and I mean everyone would be talking about the bogus spot on 4th down.

that is a fact.

Colt nation would be up in arms.

Pats got screwed!

 

[PatsSox363804]

Faulk made the first down.

He bobble the ball for a fraction of a second but had control before he was pushed back.

the official who was looking at Faulks back and could never see the ball spotted it where Faulk landed.

Ask yourselves this Pats fans.

If the roles where reversed, no one would be talking about the Colts going for it on 4th.

Everyone, and I mean everyone would be talking about the bogus spot on 4th down.

that is a fact.

Colt nation would be up in arms.

Pats got screwed!

Roles reversed there's no way in hell the Colts don't get the spot. This is the same team that got an obvious INT overturned in their favor in a playoff game and that has benefitted from bogus PI calls in important games every year since 2004. The real amazing thing is that no one, and I repeat NO ONE in the league has benefitted more from rule changes and crap officiating than the Colts, but just because the Pats had one correct call go in their favor in 2002 agaisnt the Raiders in a playoff game everyone always talks about us like we're the leagues darlings. BS, it's the Colts, and I guarantee if they ref did rule the spot correctly all we'd be hearing all week is questions on if the Colts got screwed on it.

 

[stevedogc]

One of the things that I have not heard to much of is how much the bogus PI call on Butler effected the rest of the game. The bogus PI on Butler moved the ball from the Colts 39 to the Pats 13 yard line. Due to that the Colts scored the TD that put the deficit to 6 with 2:23 left in the game. If that play had been called correctly, which was no Pass Interference, I dont think the Colts score a TD by the two minute warning. That changes everything. I think it certainly changes the way the BB played the final drive. If they start the drive with under two minutes in the game they run they ball, have the Colts burn TO's and then can punt the ball back to the Colts with very little time on the clock. I know this is alot of speculation, but it does show how a completely bogus penalty and the time it was called potentially saved the Colts precious time and timeouts.

 

[olschool]

One of the things that I have not heard to much of is how much the bogus PI call on Butler effected the rest of the game. The bogus PI on Butler moved the ball from the Colts 39 to the Pats 13 yard line. Due to that the Colts scored the TD that put the deficit to 6 with 2:23 left in the game. If that play had been called correctly, which was no Pass Interference, I dont think the Colts score a TD by the two minute warning. That changes everything. I think it certainly changes the way the BB played the final drive. If they start the drive with under two minutes in the game they run they ball, have the Colts burn TO's and then can punt the ball back to the Colts with very little time on the clock. I know this is alot of speculation, but it does show how a completely bogus penalty and the time it was called potentially saved the Colts precious time and timeouts.

It actually should have been called offensive interference. Wayne stopped and Butler ran into him.

I think being an official in Polian's building means being biased. It's called home field advantage, and the Colts have it in spades.