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Monday, November 16, 2009

Bad Call By Bill B.?

I believe this is the column Shank has been waiting nearly a decade to write.
INDIANAPOLIS - Ghastly.

This was as bad as anything the Red Sox ever did. Had it been a playoff game, it would be right up there with Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, Aaron Boone, and History Derailed in Glendale, Ariz.

And Bill Belichick played the part of Grady Little.

While I agree with the sentiment of "what the hell is he doing?" when Belichick went for it on 4th and 2, Shank overstates the magnitude of the error by comparing this game to four playoff / championship games. The Grady Little comparison is the pro forma cheap shot, among others.

Belichick is known as the consummate gambler. He's gambled many times before, and won. This time, he gambled and lost. Does Shank consider this angle at all? Not for a second.

Even the legions of zombies who say “In Bill We Trust’’ and the formidable pay-for-play Patriot media machine will have a hard time defending the brilliant coach on this one.

In the world of Dan Shaughnessy, if you like Belichick as a coach, you're basically brain dead. It's always nice to hear such cheery sentiments from a columnist who 'writes for the fans' he's insulting at the same time.

2 comments:

rakeback said...

Great coach/terrible call. Whether the play succeeded or not, you just cant go for it on 4th down on your own 28 yard line with a 6 point lead this late in the game. Make the Colts go 80 yards to beat you.

Monkeesfan said...

The call was right because punting is always stupid when you can run out the clock, plus the defense had already been gashed for two touchdowns that quarter. Faulk made the play; the ball spot was off, albiet it was a very close call.

I don't agree with the "what is he doing?" sentiment because the way the rivalry with the Colts has gone you have to keep advancing the ball, not punt it back to the Colts.