Worst coached game in BB's Patriots tenure?

[AFPatsFan12]

Racking my brain, I am having difficulty coming up with a worse one...

(1) The bad challenge on the 12 men on the field call. Either thinking that the actual 12th man got off, or for thinking that the 11th man running off was actually the 12th man... just terrible.

(2) Burning the final timeout. In retrospect, the play WORKED. Cassel got the first down, but there needed to be some understanding that, if the play wasn't there, Cassel needed to take the Delay of Game penalty, and and have Ghost try a 30 yarder. That timeout is too valuable (primarily for challenge purposes). Case in point, there was a play that NBC glossed over where it was pretty clear Dallas Clark fumbled. It was also pretty clear that there was clear recovery by a Patriot (a "play through the whistle type deal"). But, no timeout = no challenge.

(3) The 3rd and 16 shovel pass to Faulk. Obviously, this one is on McDaniels (who I thought called a great game, except for this play). But you're playing a small, fast Colts defense. You're finally getting some mid-range pass plays underneath. Why, in the name of all that's holy, not try to pick up 8-10 yards there, either to (a) set up a manageable 4th down, or (b) get Ghost a 53-54 yard game-tying field goal attempt.

(4) The 2-point conversion... pure panic on BB's part. Midway through the third, you don't chase points, period. Baffling...

(5) Why is Deltha O'Neal playing 10 yards off his receiver when a first down all but ends the game?? Not sure if that was by defensive design or not... but goodness...

A mind-numbingly frustrating loss. This makes it VERY difficult to win a Wild Card birth (a bad 3-3 conference record, with tie-breaking losses to the Colts and Chargers). Certainly this isn't a devastating loss for the season... but man does it complicate things....

 

[sieglo]

Good post.

Sad thing is, I think BB had a very good game plan, which the team executed well ins spite of the horrific game management by BB.

So depressing.

 

[jgpatriot]

I hope the thread does not get moved. I do not post much but I was having exact thoughts. BB is human and is entitled to an off-day. Unfortunately, some of his decisions did not help tonight. Of course, this does not take Dave Thomas and Jabar Gaffney off the hook either.

In the end, the Patriots are still in the running for the playoffs. They can really help themselves with a win over the Bills next Sunday.

 

[PittPatriot]

I hope the thread does not get moved. I do not post much but I was having exact thoughts. BB is human and is entitled to an off-day. Unfortunately, some of his decisions did not help tonight. Of course, this does not take Dave Thomas and Jabar Gaffney off the hook either.

In the end, the Patriots are still in the running for the playoffs. They can really help themselves with a win over the Bills next Sunday.

They need to sweep the Buff-NYJ games before I exhale.
As for BB, he is like the kid who studied so hard leading up to the test, pulled an all-nighter and was totally prepared...but then fell asleep before completing the exam.
Great game plan...poor in game coaching/decision making.

 

[WhiZa]

It wasn't the worst, but it did seem awkward.

My biggest complaint about the coaching of this game was calling that stupid wildcat play. Yes it works when the other team hasn't seen it yet, but the entire league is prepared for it. Unless Moss is going to throw a TD to Gostkowski, you aren't going to fool anyone and it's just a wasted play. I really thought BB/McDaniels would be smart enough not to use someone else's idea and come up with something on their own.

 

[SVN]

the 12 men challenge has to be on someone upstairs who counted wrong and asked bb to challenge.

 

[Trot]

Uh, going for it on fourth and 13 from the Giants 31 ring any bells...? The Superbowl was his worst coached game ever.

 

[DocE]

Uh, going for it on fourth and 13 from the Giants 31 ring any bells...? The Superbowl was his worst coached game ever.

I'd have to agree. The lack of adjustments in that game was baffling.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Great game plan...poor in game coaching/decision making.

Pretty much.

As far as in-game coaching, it is the worst I can recall since he's been in NE.

 

[Richter]

I can't think of a worse game by BB. One of his very few clunkers. I found myself disagreeing with him at numerous points in the game, especially the terrible challenge. I really felt like the Patriots were the better team and the coaching along with two awful plays lost it for them. Thomas and Gaffney are big-time goats this week.

 

[tombonneau]

I was going to post something similar. Usually, I'm watching games by other coaches who terribly mismanage the game and think "Thank God we have BB"; but this time it was him making some highly suspect coaching decisions.

Only thing I can think of is the last few years when the Pats play the Colts he seems to "coach scared". Going for 2 was the perfect example of this.

Ironically, it was his conservative, chicken**** TO on 4&1 that was his biggest mistake of the game.

All in all, very frustrating to see BB out-think himself like this. Ultimately, I'm not sure any of it cost the team the game as the Gaffney drop & Dave Thomas penalty did a lot more damage, but it certainly didn't help.

You also bring up an excellent point about needing a TO on that Clark play, as it looked like a fumble to me. (Unfortunately, NBC wasn't too concerned with running a replay).

 

[Hardboiled]

(5) Why is Deltha O'Neal playing 10 yards off his receiver when a first down all but ends the game?? Not sure if that was by defensive design or not... but goodness...

Almost like they conceded a first down with that coverage. When the camera panned over, I was surprised to see the reciever standing and waiting for the ball.

 

[Bonzo]

Racking my brain, I am having difficulty coming up with a worse one...

(1) The bad challenge on the 12 men on the field call. Either thinking that the actual 12th man got off, or for thinking that the 11th man running off was actually the 12th man... just terrible.
What's worse is that the Pats couldn't pick up yardage against the short-handed Colts D.

(2) Burning the final timeout. In retrospect, the play WORKED. Cassel got the first down, but there needed to be some understanding that, if the play wasn't there, Cassel needed to take the Delay of Game penalty, and and have Ghost try a 30 yarder. That timeout is too valuable (primarily for challenge purposes). Case in point, there was a play that NBC glossed over where it was pretty clear Dallas Clark fumbled. It was also pretty clear that there was clear recovery by a Patriot (a "play through the whistle type deal"). But, no timeout = no challenge.
Yeah, the better option would have been to take the Delay penalty, but how could that have been communicated to the QB?

(3) The 3rd and 16 shovel pass to Faulk. Obviously, this one is on McDaniels (who I thought called a great game, except for this play). But you're playing a small, fast Colts defense. You're finally getting some mid-range pass plays underneath. Why, in the name of all that's holy, not try to pick up 8-10 yards there, either to (a) set up a manageable 4th down, or (b) get Ghost a 53-54 yard game-tying field goal attempt.
This play mystified me as well, though yardage was being gained most consistently on the ground. Did all go according to design, or did Matt panic a bit?

(4) The 2-point conversion... pure panic on BB's part. Midway through the third, you don't chase points, period. Baffling...
I don't think this was desperation; the math seems pretty sound to me. Especially as hard as points were to come by.

(5) Why is Deltha O'Neal playing 10 yards off his receiver when a first down all but ends the game?? Not sure if that was by defensive design or not... but goodness...
Craziness, indeed . . .

Not BB's best gametime decisions, but given one fewer mental error by either Thomas or Gafney, this thread doesn't exist.

 

[patsgo]

Racking my brain, I am having difficulty coming up with a worse one...

(1) The bad challenge on the 12 men on the field call. Either thinking that the actual 12th man got off, or for thinking that the 11th man running off was actually the 12th man... just terrible.

(2) Burning the final timeout. In retrospect, the play WORKED. Cassel got the first down, but there needed to be some understanding that, if the play wasn't there, Cassel needed to take the Delay of Game penalty, and and have Ghost try a 30 yarder. That timeout is too valuable (primarily for challenge purposes). Case in point, there was a play that NBC glossed over where it was pretty clear Dallas Clark fumbled. It was also pretty clear that there was clear recovery by a Patriot (a "play through the whistle type deal"). But, no timeout = no challenge.

(3) The 3rd and 16 shovel pass to Faulk. Obviously, this one is on McDaniels (who I thought called a great game, except for this play). But you're playing a small, fast Colts defense. You're finally getting some mid-range pass plays underneath. Why, in the name of all that's holy, not try to pick up 8-10 yards there, either to (a) set up a manageable 4th down, or (b) get Ghost a 53-54 yard game-tying field goal attempt.

(4) The 2-point conversion... pure panic on BB's part. Midway through the third, you don't chase points, period. Baffling...

(5) Why is Deltha O'Neal playing 10 yards off his receiver when a first down all but ends the game?? Not sure if that was by defensive design or not... but goodness...

A mind-numbingly frustrating loss. This makes it VERY difficult to win a Wild Card birth (a bad 3-3 conference record, with tie-breaking losses to the Colts and Chargers). Certainly this isn't a devastating loss for the season... but man does it complicate things....

3rd and 12 a running play and settle for a field goal??? awful game for belichick

 

[DarrylS]

Racking my brain, I am having difficulty coming up with a worse one...

(1) The bad challenge on the 12 men on the field call. Either thinking that the actual 12th man got off, or for thinking that the 11th man running off was actually the 12th man... just terrible.

This was something that came from upstairs, he cannot see the whole field..

(2) Burning the final timeout. In retrospect, the play WORKED. Cassel got the first down, but there needed to be some understanding that, if the play wasn't there, Cassel needed to take the Delay of Game penalty, and and have Ghost try a 30 yarder. That timeout is too valuable (primarily for challenge purposes). Case in point, there was a play that NBC glossed over where it was pretty clear Dallas Clark fumbled. It was also pretty clear that there was clear recovery by a Patriot (a "play through the whistle type deal"). But, no timeout = no challenge.

Taking a penalty would have been worse.

(3) The 3rd and 16 shovel pass to Faulk. Obviously, this one is on McDaniels (who I thought called a great game, except for this play). But you're playing a small, fast Colts defense. You're finally getting some mid-range pass plays underneath. Why, in the name of all that's holy, not try to pick up 8-10 yards there, either to (a) set up a manageable 4th down, or (b) get Ghost a 53-54 yard game-tying field goal attempt.

Could have been a better play call, otoh the best play call in the world could have been flubbed

(4) The 2-point conversion... pure panic on BB's part. Midway through the third, you don't chase points, period. Baffling...

Being up by 3 is better than being up by 2, would the alternative made any difference

(5) Why is Deltha O'Neal playing 10 yards off his receiver when a first down all but ends the game?? Not sure if that was by defensive design or not... but goodness...

Because Deltha O'Neal stinks, and this is a better alternative than him chasing wayne or Harrison down the field looking at this jersey.

A mind-numbingly frustrating loss.

Not sure it is mind numbing, but it is frustrating.. seen better coached games and seen worse by BB, in reality all of this would have been moot if Gaffney caught the ball or if Thomas did not get the call(which looked like an overreaction by the refs).. it was a chess match and the pats lost.

 

[World Champs 3X]

3 and 12 play with the safety playing back hard to pick up a first down like that the draw has been working all night. TO play if you watch the end of the play their was a fumble not exactly shore when it occurred but the ball seemed to come out fairly early.

 

[Mack Herron]

When Brady first came in Charlie Weiss understood that the margin for error was small and that he needed to take some shots to win (remember Patton to Brown in Indianapolis?). We are now content to throw three yard passes and try to win with field goals, and that simply won't cut it in this league, which is too competitive and where human beings will occassionally, fumble, throw an interception, or drop a pass. Coaching: F.

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

We are now content to throw three yard passes

Yep, you're right. That 3 yard pass Gaffney dropped just isnt gonna cut it

 

[Peytonsbetter]

3rd and 12 a running play and settle for a field goal??? awful game for belichick

Actually, running on 3rd and 12 is usually a good call against this Colt's defense, especially when they're in a dime defense. They are God-awful at defensive tackle and inconsistent at linebacker.

 

[Mack Herron]

Yep, you're right. That 3 yard pass Gaffney dropped just isnt gonna cut it

One shot at the end zone is not enough. Please see scoreboard.