Look, I'm one of those guys who hates "the book". Baseball is run by "the book." So much so that much of the subtle moves are expected by anyone who has followed the game for a bit. Football has those moments, too, and I usually applaud when a coach goes against the grain and tries to make something happen.
That wasn't the case tonight during the Patriots-Colts game. Bill Belichick went too far outside the box.
I get the strategy. You don't want to give Peyton Manning the ball and plenty of time to go down the field and win the game. So, with it 4th-and-2 on their own 28 yard line, Belichick rolled the dice and attempted to pick up the two yards which would pretty much end the game. And if not for a questionable spot, it would have worked.
The pass to Kevin Faulk was oh so close to the first down marker. The official, who was behind Faulk, determined that he bobbled the ball as he caught it and the forward progress that he initially had was void. Because the Patriots used their final timeout to set up that fourth down play, they couldn't challenge the play.
In that instance, you punt the ball. The risk-reward is so great in going for it. The reward is that you pick up that first down and you drain out the clock, winning the game. The risk is that you give Peyton Manning the ball back with just 30 yards to gain for the game winning TD. The reward for punting the ball is that you make Manning go 70 yards or so for the game winning score. The risk is that he actually does it.
Rodney Harrison, who retired from the Patriots this year and stepped into an analyst role for NBC (which televised the game), said that this was the worst coaching decision he has ever seen Belichick make.
Again, I'm all for going for the throat (I believe that if you score a TD really, really, really late in a game to get within a PAT of tying, you should go for the two-point conversion instead) but you have to have the will power to hold back your impulses a bit.
That wasn't the case tonight during the Patriots-Colts game. Bill Belichick went too far outside the box.
I get the strategy. You don't want to give Peyton Manning the ball and plenty of time to go down the field and win the game. So, with it 4th-and-2 on their own 28 yard line, Belichick rolled the dice and attempted to pick up the two yards which would pretty much end the game. And if not for a questionable spot, it would have worked.
The pass to Kevin Faulk was oh so close to the first down marker. The official, who was behind Faulk, determined that he bobbled the ball as he caught it and the forward progress that he initially had was void. Because the Patriots used their final timeout to set up that fourth down play, they couldn't challenge the play.
In that instance, you punt the ball. The risk-reward is so great in going for it. The reward is that you pick up that first down and you drain out the clock, winning the game. The risk is that you give Peyton Manning the ball back with just 30 yards to gain for the game winning TD. The reward for punting the ball is that you make Manning go 70 yards or so for the game winning score. The risk is that he actually does it.
Rodney Harrison, who retired from the Patriots this year and stepped into an analyst role for NBC (which televised the game), said that this was the worst coaching decision he has ever seen Belichick make.
Again, I'm all for going for the throat (I believe that if you score a TD really, really, really late in a game to get within a PAT of tying, you should go for the two-point conversion instead) but you have to have the will power to hold back your impulses a bit.
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