http://www.advancednflstats.com/2009/11/be...n-vs-colts.html

The talking heads (yes this includes Dungy) who are claiming he should have "went with the odds and punted" and have no xxxxing idea what the odds even are.

99% of coaches don't have the balls to make a correct decision when it goes against "conventional wisdom."

ballsy call. I wouldn't have done it.

you could tell Bellifrick was extremely pissed at the end of it.

i'm down with the conspiracy thing.

When the Pats scored and i saw it was a 13 pt difference, i told my buddy right then that the Colts would win 35-34.

that kind of took the excitement out of it for me.

@chip-banks said:

Funny - no one wanted to see them get the first down more than me... but I didn't think he made it... and didn't think there was any chance that call would have been overturned even if they had the opportunity to challenge.

Since it's clear the D had no gas, I'm not sure how far I can second guess a coach with 3 SB rings ... he gambled to put the game away without putting it on the D at all.

As mentioned, if Maroney doesn't fumble there's no need to make that call in the first place. There were also some bad calls from the officials that wound up being pretty critical... but there's ALWAYS bad calls from the officials... so that's no excuse... no team should leave themselves in a situation where a call of the official can decide the game anyway.

Colts won. Colts deserved to win. Excellent football is good to watch. Bad football is painful. Period.

Bad football in Cleveland is an affront to the football gods, and Lerner needs to make things right with this team, this city and football fans in general.

@nw-ohio-brownie said:

I'm wondering out loud if anybody in the media will have the courage to give an honest assessment of what Bill Belichick just did to cost his team against Indy.

quote]

Parinoia striked deep.

A little background for ya: Belichick has THREE Super Bowl rings.

This decision was not good, especially given the results.

But please, have the courage to understand that Mangini is no Belicheck - at least not yet.

@mrfreeze said:

Not to mention EVERY camera angle that I saw said that Faulk controlled the ball with his forward momentum past the yellow line. So, Brady, Faulk and the officials were in on this "fix" too?

@mr.-t said:

I remember the summer before parcells won his 1 SB Imus was talking about how he was on the turnpike and got off to get a coffee and a pit stop, he witnessed Parcells, Belichick and some well known mob figures having a meeting right before the pre season was to begin.

Take it for what its worth.

Imus is a f'cking clown. I was driving on the turnpike and I saw Mangini, Obama, Elvis, and Jimmy Hoffa talking by a vending machine at a rest stop.

As for the game last night, wow, Belichick's arrogant ass finally got handed to him. Giving Manning the ball inside the 30 if you don't get the first down? I understand that the Pats were pretty much imposing their will offensively during the game, but the consequences of NOT getting the 1st down were far too great to risk even trying. He'll take his lumps for this one as the media is already doing a collective WTF? Second best game of the year next to our thrilling 6-3 win over Buffalo.

I agree that Belichick blew it with those timeouts and the 4th down call though. Who's to say Manning wouldn't have thrown another interception?

@joesixpat said:

Clearly the Patriots D had no gas left, but still - it's more than fair to question the call.

Of course is Maroney doesn't fumble in the endzone the Pats win for sure... count him among the guys thankful that Belichick made himself the goat last night.

Overall that was great football to watch... even being on the losing side, watching Brady and Manning is kindof like watching Bird and Magic...

Bird won his share, Magic won his share, and from a Football Fan standpoint, you really just have to sit back and admire good football.

I'd say the Colts have a great chance at a fully undefeated season now and will all but surely have homefield advantage through the playoffs (though I'm confident the Pats can win in Inday still) - but regardless of my Patriots fandom I can't help but think of how great it would be to see the undefeated Saints battling the undefeated Colts in the Super Bowl.

Wow, evenhandedness. Color me "impressed".

True, it was great football and it was hard not to be impressed by Manning and Wayne or Brady and Moss. Vollmer did a great job on Freeney considering his inexperience. Being shorthanded on the d-line was a problem for the Pats.

You can't pick a better QB amongst the two but, as a fan, you like to see it come down to one of them having the ball with a chance to win at the end.

@nw-ohio-brownie said:

First, the Patriots took TWO timeouts in three plays on offense, leaving them with no timeouts.

Second, and perhaps most egregiously, he chooses to go for it on 4th and 2 from his own 28 with just over two minutes left, leading by six. They don't get it and the Colts easily punch it in four plays later. Colts win 35-34.

Can you imagine what the anti-Mangini propaganda army would have done with that one? Since it's a wreck by Belichick, I can already hear the scribes lacing up their kid gloves.

You shouldn't have to look far... sure, if the ball is moved forward an extra foot everyone thinks he's a gutsy genius instead of an imbecile... but there's a fair question as to management of time outs, challenges, and whether the Defense had enough gas to hold them following a punt.

Clearly the Patriots D had no gas left, but still - it's more than fair to question the call.

Of course is Maroney doesn't fumble in the endzone the Pats win for sure... count him among the guys thankful that Belichick made himself the goat last night.

Overall that was great football to watch... even being on the losing side, watching Brady and Manning is kindof like watching Bird and Magic...

Bird won his share, Magic won his share, and from a Football Fan standpoint, you really just have to sit back and admire good football.

I'd say the Colts have a great chance at a fully undefeated season now and will all but surely have homefield advantage through the playoffs (though I'm confident the Pats can win in Inday still) - but regardless of my Patriots fandom I can't help but think of how great it would be to see the undefeated Saints battling the undefeated Colts in the Super Bowl.

And Peyton Manning got me 26 pts in fantasy football !!!!!!!!!!!!

And the Kosardawgs STILL LOST ! ROF,L !

dammit.

@earl34 said:

Of Tying the game if the successfully convert a 2-point conversion.

@hoorta said:

I have to wonder if Manning was hurt- a bunch of his passes looked like Charlie Frye wounded ducks.

OTOH gutless Marvin Lewis looks like a genius kicking a FG on fourth and two feet, when a fist down results in a victory formation end to the Steelers game.

LOL Man I did the same thing. Im still kicking myself for that to.

@brownindian said:

Kind of like the Nashville Oiler-er-Titans coming up a yard short?

@booker said:

fixed

@mr.-t said:

I remember the summer before parcells won his 1 SB Imus was talking about how he was on the turnpike and got off to get a coffee and a pit stop, he witnessed Parcells, Belichick and some well known mob figures having a meeting right before the pre season was to begin.

Take it for what its worth.

I disagree. The Pats were 3 and a half point underdogs and would have covered the spread whether or not Indy scored. So I don't see him throwing the game here.

@mr.-t said:

Manning was having a horrible night and this is the only way the colts would've won.

This has Donaghy written all over it, but this is football and not basketball.

I would not shed a tear if Bhellipuke saw a federal pen like Donaghy did.

Damn, I erased that game off my DVR- I figured when the Pats were up by 10 with seven minutes left, it was over.

I have to wonder if Manning was hurt- a bunch of his passes looked like Charlie Frye wounded ducks.

OTOH gutless Marvin Lewis looks like a genius kicking a FG on fourth and two feet, when a fist down results in a victory formation end to the Steelers game.

@mr.-t said:

I remember the summer before parcells won his 1 SB Imus was talking about how he was on the turnpike and got off to get a coffee and a pit stop, he witnessed Parcells, Belichick and some well known mob figures having a meeting right before the pre season was to begin.

Take it for what its worth.

I never cared much for Imus. I don't like what happend to him a few years back but still never really cared much for his show.

smells fishy but when in doubt follow the money. I was flabbergasted to see Bill give the Colts the game in such an obvious manner. Was he hoping for a field goal?

I remember the summer before parcells won his 1 SB Imus was talking about how he was on the turnpike and got off to get a coffee and a pit stop, he witnessed Parcells, Belichick and some well known mob figures having a meeting right before the pre season was to begin.

Take it for what its worth.

Manning was having a horrible night and this is the only way the colts would've won.

This has Donaghy written all over it, but this is football and not basketball.

I would not shed a tear if Bhellipuke saw a federal pen like Donaghy did.