by W.H.

After a full 24 hour media blitz is there anything left to say about Sunday night's fourth and two maneuver. For every Cris Carter or Gregg Easterbrook, who praised Bill Belichick's decision, there were a thousand Tom Jackson's and Tedy Bruschi's who were upset that the coach “didn't trust his defense”. Because of what we learned about the Patriots coach's sociopathic tendencies during the Spygate revelations, and due to his coaching specialty being defense, it seems impossible for him to not have confidence in his defense since he is the Alpha and the Omega ofit. Besides, if the Patriots defensive players lack esteem enough to lose confidence when their coach won't put the game in their hands,how devastated would they feel when they gave up the 70 yard drive for the winning touchdown?

Considering that only twelve people in the world own as many Super Bowl rings as Bill Belichick it seems irresponsible to feed the frenzy because he finally made a bold decision that didn't reap a reward (other than choosing to coach the Browns, that is).   Amid the discussion, much was made about Belichick's respect and fear of Peyton Manning, but what about his respect for his own future Hall of Fame quarterback? The New England coach may have been looking across the field at the championship quarterback on the Colts sideline, but he sends his plays in to a three-time champion. Manning may well be considered the greatest passer in NFL history by the time his career is up. However, Tom Brady has a significantly higher career winning percentage with the added bonus of ripping Dan Marino's heart out while breaking the single season touchdown record.

The focus should come down to the down,the distance, the time remaining, and the field position. New England had 2 yards to go on fourth down and had been averaging over 6 yards a play against the Indianapolis defense. There was slightly over two minutes to go in the game with a 6 point Patriot lead and the ball on the New England 28. Considering that Peyton Manning had just engineered two 4th quarter touchdown drives, Belichick had to believe there were three possible outcomes:

1. The Patriots PUNT. Peyton gets the ball with 2 minutes left with somewhere around 70 yards to go for a touchdown. His two previous touchdown drives had each gone 79 yards and lasted 2:04 and 1:49 respectively. The Patriots defense had only been off of the field for 23 seconds of game time and had already given up 14 points in the fourth quarter. When they inevitably gave up the score there would be no time left for New England to strike back.

2. The Patriots GO FOR IT and DON'T CONVERT. Peyton has 2 minutes to go 28 yards. The New England defense is tired, the Colts score quickly. This gives Brady and Moss time to get back on the field and move the ball within field goal range.

3. The Patriots GO FOR IT and CONVERT. Game Over. They'd been averaging over 6 yards per play, have a Hall of Fame quarterback, Hall of Fame receiver, and a brick wall offensive line. Their odds of success were higher than most teams in that situation and Belichick would forever be remembered as the ballsiest coach in the NFL.

For a borderline sociopath like Belichick, going for it was a no-brainier. Upon success he would receive the praise and upon failure, his players didn't execute. Did he leave that sideline any different than he came in? The media may try to craft a new legacy of failure for him, but there was nothing at risk by losing that game. New England has a 2 game lead in their division. They're 1 game behind the Bengals for a first round bye. Indianapolis may get home-field advantage but they're only 4-4 at home in the post-season under Manning. Why should the Patriots be scared of going back to Indy when they just played them to a 1 point game in their new stadium? Which Hall of Fame quarterback's hands do you want the ball in when the game is on the line, yours or theirs?

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