Welcome aboard, BigHoss.
I don't necessarily fault the play. I fault the play using MATTHEW SLATER at THAT particular time in the game, which makes it 1) predictable - he does nothing else when in on offense and 2) a predictable failure - - he had one miracle catch against the Steelers and that was it.
Run it with Tiquan Underwood or OchoCinco (if he were there), but not even under those circumstances. There were 7 minutes to go in the game. The Spikes INT MEANT something and they shiould have capitalized with what was 1) working and 2) guaranteed to take time off the clock.
Instead, they chose to ignore the clock and put all their hopes onto Matthew Slater and an already struggling Tom Brady.
Sorry, that's what the barely employed guy down at the 7-Eleven does each Friday when he sinks all his paycheck into the MegaBucks machine.
We are in agreement, then. In terms of personnel, the Patriots don't even really have anyone capable of making that play work, but if I were to be strong armed into it, I would've run it with Branch. I know he isn't that fast, but Branch is experienced enough to know to become a defensive back if he needs to. I really don't know what the hell Slater was doing on that after he saw the ball was underthrown.
Branch also had not been targeted much up to that point in the game and may have been able to get behind the defense, but running it on first down was a mistake and O'Brien was outcoached there.
Like I said, I'd have started that drive with a draw no matter what, and I'm confident it would've gotten at least 5 yards there. The Ravens were begging the Pats to go deep on first down.