The Pats' last two drives before giving up the lead (1 Viewer)

[John Mamula]

The Pats completely abandoned the run game in their last two drives when their main goal should have been eating up the clock and forcing the Colts to use their timeouts. Their obsession with constantly throwing the ball with less than 5 minutes to go had me completely shuked.

Can someone explain this to me?

Bellicek was supposed to be a genius I thought?

Did he outsmart himself?

PS: Reggie Bush is fast.

 

[parasaurolophus]

Well if we are going to call him a genius for always going for the throat, can we really criticize him for doing the same? The pats throw a lot of passes. It is their identity. You can not ask them to change their stripes, especially not after the fact.

 

[Banger]

I posted this in the gameday thread...The biggest reason the Pats lost this game was their inability to run the ball especially in the 2nd half. What happened to them? Dillon had 7-48 but 35 yards was a 4th and 1 where he broke through the line and Maroney had a 8-13

Facing one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL with a lead going into halftime they run the ball 4 times in the 2nd half. Faulk gets 8 yards on a draw, Maroney goes for -1 and -2 and Dillon goes for -1. That's it, the entire 2nd half. Your defense is out of gas and you have the lead I don't know how they don't try and run the ball more than a handful of times. Their inability to run the ball at all lost the game for them.

 

[John Mamula]

Well if we are going to call him a genius for always going for the throat, can we really criticize him for doing the same? The pats throw a lot of passes. It is their identity. You can not ask them to change their stripes, especially not after the fact.

against one of the worst run defenses with less than 5 minutes left when you have a lead?

 

[PatsWillWin]

They needed first downs to take the Colts out of the game. They couldn't run all day - running clearly wasn't the best way to get the first downs.

 

[wharf rat]

The biggest reason they lost was BB calling a conservative run play on 3-10 from the Indy 29 yard line. He didn't have enough confidence in his rookie kicker making a 47 yard field goal so he went with a running play that picked up 4 yards instead of going for the first down.

They would not have done this if Viniteri was their kicker. How can you play for the FG with 4 minutes left against Peyton and the Colts when they are scoring at will in the second half?

 

[John Mamula]

I posted this in the gameday thread...The biggest reason the Pats lost this game was their inability to run the ball especially in the 2nd half. What happened to them? Dillon had 7-48 but 35 yards was a 4th and 1 where he broke through the line and Maroney had a 8-13 Facing one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL with a lead going into halftime they run the ball 4 times in the 2nd half. Faulk gets 8 yards on a draw, Maroney goes for -1 and -2 and Dillon goes for -1. That's it, the entire 2nd half. Your defense is out of gas and you have the lead I don't know how they don't try and run the ball more than a handful of times. Their inability to run the ball at all lost the game for them.

i don't care if you go 3 and out on the first drive because you would eat up about 3 minutes or make them use timeouts. and then on their second drive you do the same and maybe manning has a minute or so to drive down the field with no timeouts.that was a complete mis-management of the game. you break one first down on either drive by running the ball every time and you ice the game.

 

[CalBear]

Remember when Schottenheimer was a moron because he went for it on fourth and long instead of trying a long field goal, and the pass was incomplete? Belicheck was a genius because he went for it on fourth and long instead of trying a long field goal, and Brady completed a pass to Troy Brown which then led to a TD.

There is no clean formula to coaching; the only certainty is that if it doesn't work, the fans will blame your decisions.

Considering that New England hadn't had any positive running plays in running situations, and that the only real star on the offensive side of the ball is Tom Brady, you'd think that giving it to Brady would be a reasonable decision. Turned out not to work out, partly because of two passes to Ricochet. If it works, he's a genius again.

 

[djcolts]

The 12 men in the huddle prevented the Pats from running the ball in their 2nd to last drive.

 

[John Mamula]

The 12 men in the huddle prevented the Pats from running the ball in their 2nd to last drive.

 

[fred_1_15301]

Well if we are going to call him a genius for always going for the throat, can we really criticize him for doing the same? The pats throw a lot of passes. It is their identity. You can not ask them to change their stripes, especially not after the fact.

against one of the worst run defenses with less than 5 minutes left when you have a lead?

During the previous 2 games, the Colts didn't look like one of the worst run defenses in the league. Maybe Belichick realized this and thought the Colts pass D was actually weaker.

 

[PatsWillWin]

I posted this in the gameday thread...The biggest reason the Pats lost this game was their inability to run the ball especially in the 2nd half. What happened to them? Dillon had 7-48 but 35 yards was a 4th and 1 where he broke through the line and Maroney had a 8-13 Facing one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL with a lead going into halftime they run the ball 4 times in the 2nd half. Faulk gets 8 yards on a draw, Maroney goes for -1 and -2 and Dillon goes for -1. That's it, the entire 2nd half. Your defense is out of gas and you have the lead I don't know how they don't try and run the ball more than a handful of times. Their inability to run the ball at all lost the game for them.

i don't care if you go 3 and out on the first drive because you would eat up about 3 minutes or make them use timeouts. and then on their second drive you do the same and maybe manning has a minute or so to drive down the field with no timeouts.that was a complete mis-management of the game. you break one first down on either drive by running the ball every time and you ice the game.

Belichick had just watched Manning carve up his defense like they weren't even there for the entire second half. They needed to get first downs to end the game. He didn't feel like they could do it on the ground - they hadn't had much success there all game and IND was certainly looking for the run defensively. I have zero problem with him putting the game in Brady's hands. If Brady converted that 1st down, this post would have never been written and Belichick would have been lauded for going for the jugular and putting the game away. I think it was the right strategy even though it didn't work out. Maroney was getting hit in the backfield the entire game, and Dillon, as usual, plays a nice first half and then disappears. Faulk was hurt.If anything - I have a problem with them running it on that 3rd and 10 before the FG. Someone already posted about it. THAT was the real f-up in my opinion - 3rd and 10 and they run a draw to EVANS. Nice role player, but he's not busting 10 yards. They can't play for the FG there, they have to try and get a TD. FG is not enough as Manning proved.

 

[djcolts]

The 12 men in the huddle prevented the Pats from running the ball in their 2nd to last drive.

The penalty made it 1st and 15 - so then they did a successful 7 yard pass for 2nd and 8. They could have ran on 2nd and 8 but threw it in the flat. 3rd and 4 is usually a pass or a draw - and they put it in Brady's hands to pick up the 1st down. I don't see how any of those playcalls are wrong.

 

[PatsWillWin]

The 12 men in the huddle prevented the Pats from running the ball in their 2nd to last drive.

The penalty made it 1st and 15 - so then they did a successful 7 yard pass for 2nd and 8. They could have ran on 2nd and 8 but threw it in the flat. 3rd and 4 is usually a pass or a draw - and they put it in Brady's hands to pick up the 1st down. I don't see how any of those playcalls are wrong.

Neither of the first two play calls stopped the clock. So you can really only complain about passing on 3rd and 4th - but I think most would agree that calling the best play to get the 1st down is the priority here, not taking another :40 seconds off the clock.

 

[PMENFAN]

I posted this in the gameday thread...The biggest reason the Pats lost this game was their inability to run the ball especially in the 2nd half. What happened to them? Dillon had 7-48 but 35 yards was a 4th and 1 where he broke through the line and Maroney had a 8-13 Facing one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL with a lead going into halftime they run the ball 4 times in the 2nd half. Faulk gets 8 yards on a draw, Maroney goes for -1 and -2 and Dillon goes for -1. That's it, the entire 2nd half. Your defense is out of gas and you have the lead I don't know how they don't try and run the ball more than a handful of times. Their inability to run the ball at all lost the game for them.

That surprised me. It was bad runs. They kept going with the draw, trying to catch indy upfield, but it didn't work. Rarely any quick hitters behind the fullback. It's not like BB to not run the ball. Maybe they saw something that wasn't there. Yes, they were one of the worst run D's, but in the playoffs, they had corrected that. Criticize the play calling, but take away two drops by Caldwell that hit him in the breadbasket, and it's a different discussion. So, the play calls were right, and successful. The plays were there. Just bad drops. The game turned on Hawkins getting hurt and Baker having to take the field, and Caldwells two drops. Of course, if those things don't happen, maybe something else happens differently?

 

[John Mamula]

The 12 men in the huddle prevented the Pats from running the ball in their 2nd to last drive.

The penalty made it 1st and 15 - so then they did a successful 7 yard pass for 2nd and 8. They could have ran on 2nd and 8 but threw it in the flat. 3rd and 4 is usually a pass or a draw - and they put it in Brady's hands to pick up the 1st down. I don't see how any of those playcalls are wrong.

Neither of the first two play calls stopped the clock. So you can really only complain about passing on 3rd and 4th - but I think most would agree that calling the best play to get the 1st down is the priority here, not taking another :40 seconds off the clock.

i disagree. time is your best ally (or lack thereof). you don't jeopardize time trying to get first downs. your first priority is running out the clock, the second priority is getting a first down.but whatever. i just thought it was curious, but it seems like i am in the minority here.

 

[buck naked]

PS: Reggie Bush is fast.

I saw Bush run on TV, but watching him in person yesterday on the 88 yard catch and run gave me an entirely different appreciation of just how fast he really is. That was awesome.But I was really glad somebody threw that beer at him for being a taunting ****.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

The 12 men in the huddle prevented the Pats from running the ball in their 2nd to last drive.

The penalty made it 1st and 15 - so then they did a successful 7 yard pass for 2nd and 8. They could have ran on 2nd and 8 but threw it in the flat. 3rd and 4 is usually a pass or a draw - and they put it in Brady's hands to pick up the 1st down. I don't see how any of those playcalls are wrong.

I agree. Moreover:1. The Patriots tend to throw a lot anyway. They won multiple championships by throwing little dink and dunk passes that are the rough equivalent of running plays. I'm not sure why they should be criticized for going with what worked for them before.2. Can you really criticize BB for putting the game in Brady's hands? I mean, come on. We'd all have done the exact same thing.

 

[parasaurolophus]

Well if we are going to call him a genius for always going for the throat, can we really criticize him for doing the same? The pats throw a lot of passes. It is their identity. You can not ask them to change their stripes, especially not after the fact.

against one of the worst run defenses with less than 5 minutes left when you have a lead?

First off, take away that 35 yard run and the Pats ran for 58 yards on 23 carries. Against one of the "worst" run defenses. So i guess it is safe to say that they ahve one of the worst rushing attacks in the league. Which would mean maybe you should pass the ball. I mean hey they have won 3 championships with a pass first mentality maybe they should stick with that philosophy.To say that Belichek mismanaged the clock down the stretch on offense would measn that they had the lead and just had to protect it and run down the clock. When they got the ball at 13:24 the game was tied. So they probably shouldnt be worried about running down the clock. Probably want to score some freakin points actually. However what they did was the equivalent of running three straight times, as they didnt throw any incompletions.When they got the ball at 10:26 it was also tied, so once again getting POINTS is the main goal. Which they did.When they got the ball back at 5:31 it was tied again. I might seem crazy here, but i think maybe going for POINTS makes sense. Which they got, again. When they got the ball ahead 34-31 with 3 minutes left, if they run the ball the first two plays and then try for the first down on 3rd and 4, nobody says boo about it. But the fact that it was 3 straight pass plays people think he made a mistake. A short pass that is complete is the same as running. So there is no difference here. As far as milking the clock when the second half started. They were up 21-13 against a team who had just scored with ease on 2 straight drives. Are you really trying to tell me that going into clock management mode was the way to win here? I know you said in your original post we should talk to you like you post in the FFA, but I think maybe you are taking this role playing thing a bit far.

 

[parasaurolophus]

The 12 men in the huddle prevented the Pats from running the ball in their 2nd to last drive.

The penalty made it 1st and 15 - so then they did a successful 7 yard pass for 2nd and 8. They could have ran on 2nd and 8 but threw it in the flat. 3rd and 4 is usually a pass or a draw - and they put it in Brady's hands to pick up the 1st down. I don't see how any of those playcalls are wrong.

Neither of the first two play calls stopped the clock. So you can really only complain about passing on 3rd and 4th - but I think most would agree that calling the best play to get the 1st down is the priority here, not taking another :40 seconds off the clock.

i disagree. time is your best ally (or lack thereof). you don't jeopardize time trying to get first downs. your first priority is running out the clock, the second priority is getting a first down.but whatever. i just thought it was curious, but it seems like i am in the minority here.

I might be mistaken here, but didnt Indy finish the game with one timeout left, so isnt the incompletion 100% irrelevant on 3rd and 4?

 

[John Mamula]

PS: Reggie Bush is fast.

I saw Bush run on TV, but watching him in person yesterday on the 88 yard catch and run gave me an entirely different appreciation of just how fast he really is. That was awesome.But I was really glad somebody threw that beer at him for being a taunting ****.

as having seen multiple games with him playing live at USC, that is one thing i tell anyone who has only seen him on tv.he is actually faster in person.

 

[John Mamula]

The 12 men in the huddle prevented the Pats from running the ball in their 2nd to last drive.

The penalty made it 1st and 15 - so then they did a successful 7 yard pass for 2nd and 8. They could have ran on 2nd and 8 but threw it in the flat. 3rd and 4 is usually a pass or a draw - and they put it in Brady's hands to pick up the 1st down. I don't see how any of those playcalls are wrong.

Neither of the first two play calls stopped the clock. So you can really only complain about passing on 3rd and 4th - but I think most would agree that calling the best play to get the 1st down is the priority here, not taking another :40 seconds off the clock.

i disagree. time is your best ally (or lack thereof). you don't jeopardize time trying to get first downs. your first priority is running out the clock, the second priority is getting a first down.but whatever. i just thought it was curious, but it seems like i am in the minority here.

I might be mistaken here, but didnt Indy finish the game with one timeout left, so isnt the incompletion 100% irrelevant on 3rd and 4?

we are talking about two drives here. the first i think they threw it every time, or at least twice. you run the ball every time you make them have either much less time or fewer timeouts.this goes beyond on 3rd and 4.

the patriots should not have passed once in either of those two drives. the colts' biggest issue was the clock, not the pats.

 

[parasaurolophus]

The 12 men in the huddle prevented the Pats from running the ball in their 2nd to last drive.

The penalty made it 1st and 15 - so then they did a successful 7 yard pass for 2nd and 8. They could have ran on 2nd and 8 but threw it in the flat. 3rd and 4 is usually a pass or a draw - and they put it in Brady's hands to pick up the 1st down. I don't see how any of those playcalls are wrong.

Neither of the first two play calls stopped the clock. So you can really only complain about passing on 3rd and 4th - but I think most would agree that calling the best play to get the 1st down is the priority here, not taking another :40 seconds off the clock.

i disagree. time is your best ally (or lack thereof). you don't jeopardize time trying to get first downs. your first priority is running out the clock, the second priority is getting a first down.but whatever. i just thought it was curious, but it seems like i am in the minority here.

I might be mistaken here, but didnt Indy finish the game with one timeout left, so isnt the incompletion 100% irrelevant on 3rd and 4?

we are talking about two drives here. the first i think they threw it every time, or at least twice. you run the ball every time you make them have either much less time or fewer timeouts.this goes beyond on 3rd and 4.

the patriots should not have passed once in either of those two drives. the colts' biggest issue was the clock, not the pats.

What? You are a way better poster than this, so this has to be a joke. When are we talking about here? When the game is 31-31 who the hell cares about the clock? Its not like the Pats were always ahead in the second half. They only had two possessions the whole second half where they were leading. One was their first drive of the second half, the other was the previously mentioned 3rd and 4 drive, which turns out to be irrelevant.Now your coaching philosophy may be to run the ball as much as possible and shorten the game even when it is tied and take it to OT, but that is most DEFINITELY NOT BB's style. Just ask Madden. You cant criticize somebody for throwing at the end of a game if the passes are being COMPLETED.

I think you maybe have a slightly off recollection of this game. Most of the time the Pats had the ball the second half they were TIED with the colts.

How many coaches try to run out the clock when it is tied with 20 minutes to play? I would like to see that list!

 

[comfortably numb]

Is it relevent to call the Colts "the worst Run D", when they have the best Run D in the playoffs?

 

[CalBear]

I mean hey they have won 3 championships with a pass first mentality maybe they should stick with that philosophy.

The 2001 championship was not done with a pass-first mentality. New England ranked #24 in the league in pass attempts that year, #8 in rushing attempts. In 2004, they ranked #22 in pass attempts and #5 in rush attempts. Only in 2003 did they rank higher in passing than rushing attempts, and that was due to the personnel involved (an injured Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk at RB). This year, the Pats were fairly balanced, #12 in pass attempts and #6 in rush attempts.I don't question the play calls, but it is not accurate to say the Pats are a pass-first team.

 

[Gr00vus]

Seemed to me like the Colts were stuffing the run pretty well in the 2nd half. They even eventually figured out that draw play to Faulk. At that point you have to take what the defense gives, they weren't giving 1st downs rushing.

The big mistake I think Belichick made was not calling timeout with 1:43 left on that last Colts drive. I can understand the trade off, keeping the timeout, but to my mind, you can't put time back on the clock no matter how many timeouts you had, and I'd rather have had the extra 40 seconds. Turns out it was a moot point as they ended the game with one left after the INT - but the extra time maybe would have eased the pressure a bit.

 

[Sweeper]

I posted this in the gameday thread...The biggest reason the Pats lost this game was their inability to run the ball especially in the 2nd half. What happened to them? Dillon had 7-48 but 35 yards was a 4th and 1 where he broke through the line and Maroney had a 8-13 Facing one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL with a lead going into halftime they run the ball 4 times in the 2nd half. Faulk gets 8 yards on a draw, Maroney goes for -1 and -2 and Dillon goes for -1. That's it, the entire 2nd half. Your defense is out of gas and you have the lead I don't know how they don't try and run the ball more than a handful of times. Their inability to run the ball at all lost the game for them.

This is why they lost the regular season game against the Colts, too. All they had to do was run the ball. They have a good run game and a solid D. If they stuck to the run they would have used up the clock and chewed up yardage. Instead they over coached themselves into a loss.

 

[CalBear]

we are talking about two drives here. the first i think they threw it every time, or at least twice. you run the ball every time you make them have either much less time or fewer timeouts.

You're really ignoring some important facts here. Let's look at the drives.The third-to-last drive began with the score tied, the ball on the New England 46, and 5:23 on the clock. The first play was a 25-yard completion to Daniel Graham. Are you saying you think New England should have run it three times in a row and punted instead of trying to score?

After the completion, the Pats were at the 29 with about 5 minutes left in the game. They could have run it three times in a row, kicked a field goal and left the Colts with about 3 minutes left to drive down the field; do you really think that's a winning strategy? The winning strategy at that point is to try to score a TD; there's way too much time on the clock to be that concerned about keeping it moving--you're not even ahead yet!

So, they tried two passes, both incomplete, and then a run to improve field goal position, kicked a FG and went up 34-31 with 3:53 left.

After a failed Colts drive, they got the ball back with 3:22 on the clock at the New England 40, and got the 12-men penalty, so it was first and 15 at their own 35. Yes, they threw two passes--short completions ending in the field of play! So in terms of clock management, coming into the third-and-four situation the timing was exactly the same as if they'd run the ball twice, except they managed to pick up 11 yards on two passes, so they had a short third down instead of third-and-long.

So, there's 2:30 on the clock, the opponents have two timeouts and Peyton Manning, you're up by 3, and it's third down and 4. Is your call really to run it into the line, not making a serious attempt to get the first down? You have to get the first; even if you let the clock roll there, the Colts will still have two minutes and two timeouts, or over two minutes and one timeout, needing to get a FG to tie. It is far more important in that situation to get the first down than it is to run clock.

 

[parasaurolophus]

I mean hey they have won 3 championships with a pass first mentality maybe they should stick with that philosophy.

The 2001 championship was not done with a pass-first mentality. New England ranked #24 in the league in pass attempts that year, #8 in rushing attempts. In 2004, they ranked #22 in pass attempts and #5 in rush attempts. Only in 2003 did they rank higher in passing than rushing attempts, and that was due to the personnel involved (an injured Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk at RB). This year, the Pats were fairly balanced, #12 in pass attempts and #6 in rush attempts.I don't question the play calls, but it is not accurate to say the Pats are a pass-first team.

well the last 4 years Brady has been 8th, 4th, 5th, and 3rd in Pass attempts. I would say its safe to say they chuck the rock around quite a bit. In 2001 the pats threw 52, 39, and 27 passes in their 3 postseason games. In 2003 they threw 41,37, and 48 passesIn 2004 they threw 27, 21, and 33. Ok so I was wrong about 2004, but i was dead on about the other two years.

 

[parasaurolophus]

I posted this in the gameday thread...The biggest reason the Pats lost this game was their inability to run the ball especially in the 2nd half. What happened to them? Dillon had 7-48 but 35 yards was a 4th and 1 where he broke through the line and Maroney had a 8-13 Facing one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL with a lead going into halftime they run the ball 4 times in the 2nd half. Faulk gets 8 yards on a draw, Maroney goes for -1 and -2 and Dillon goes for -1. That's it, the entire 2nd half. Your defense is out of gas and you have the lead I don't know how they don't try and run the ball more than a handful of times. Their inability to run the ball at all lost the game for them.

This is why they lost the regular season game against the Colts, too. All they had to do was run the ball. They have a good run game and a solid D. If they stuck to the run they would have used up the clock and chewed up yardage. Instead they over coached themselves into a loss.

Who seriously worries about chewing up clock when the game is tied or you are losing???? The Patriots were NEVER ahead in the regular season game. I cant believe I am reading these things.

 

[Sweeper]

I posted this in the gameday thread...The biggest reason the Pats lost this game was their inability to run the ball especially in the 2nd half. What happened to them? Dillon had 7-48 but 35 yards was a 4th and 1 where he broke through the line and Maroney had a 8-13 Facing one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL with a lead going into halftime they run the ball 4 times in the 2nd half. Faulk gets 8 yards on a draw, Maroney goes for -1 and -2 and Dillon goes for -1. That's it, the entire 2nd half. Your defense is out of gas and you have the lead I don't know how they don't try and run the ball more than a handful of times. Their inability to run the ball at all lost the game for them.

This is why they lost the regular season game against the Colts, too. All they had to do was run the ball. They have a good run game and a solid D. If they stuck to the run they would have used up the clock and chewed up yardage. Instead they over coached themselves into a loss.

Who seriously worries about chewing up clock when the game is tied or you are losing???? The Patriots were NEVER ahead in the regular season game. I cant believe I am reading these things.

When you play the colts you worry about keeping the ball out of Manning's hands. They were behind by less then a TD and they abandoned the run and went to an all pass game and it was still early. They were facing the worst run D at the time and they entirely gave up on the run and went to the air. Had they stuck to the running game, it's quite possible that they could have kept the Indy O on the sidelines a lot longer and racked up more points at the same time.

 

[Gamblor]

First off, take away that 35 yard run and the Pats ran for 58 yards on 23 carries.

Take away the 58 yards on 23 carries, and you are left with a 35 yards per carry average. Thats pretty good.

 

[John Mamula]

First off, take away that 35 yard run and the Pats ran for 58 yards on 23 carries.

Take away the 58 yards on 23 carries, and you are left with a 35 yards per carry average. Thats pretty good.

 

[parasaurolophus]

I posted this in the gameday thread...The biggest reason the Pats lost this game was their inability to run the ball especially in the 2nd half. What happened to them? Dillon had 7-48 but 35 yards was a 4th and 1 where he broke through the line and Maroney had a 8-13 Facing one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL with a lead going into halftime they run the ball 4 times in the 2nd half. Faulk gets 8 yards on a draw, Maroney goes for -1 and -2 and Dillon goes for -1. That's it, the entire 2nd half. Your defense is out of gas and you have the lead I don't know how they don't try and run the ball more than a handful of times. Their inability to run the ball at all lost the game for them.

This is why they lost the regular season game against the Colts, too. All they had to do was run the ball. They have a good run game and a solid D. If they stuck to the run they would have used up the clock and chewed up yardage. Instead they over coached themselves into a loss.

Who seriously worries about chewing up clock when the game is tied or you are losing???? The Patriots were NEVER ahead in the regular season game. I cant believe I am reading these things.

When you play the colts you worry about keeping the ball out of Manning's hands. They were behind by less then a TD and they abandoned the run and went to an all pass game and it was still early. They were facing the worst run D at the time and they entirely gave up on the run and went to the air. Had they stuck to the running game, it's quite possible that they could have kept the Indy O on the sidelines a lot longer and racked up more points at the same time.

If you jump out to a lead then it makes sense to try to shorten the game. But you dont go into a game that you fall behind in and worry about controlling the clock. The patriots didnt abandon the run against the colts early this year. Brady threw a pick on a drive where they were moving the ball. Then Dillon fumbled. Then they lost a yard on their next rush. Tried a botched reverse. and had to punt. Then they were down by 10 points. They scored a FG on their next possession. On their next possession they got down to the IND 21, ran for 5 yards on first. Lost 2 yards rushing on 2nd down and faced 3rd and 7. Would you run again here? Down by 7?Their next possession they were down by 10 in the 4th quarter. Hardly time to bring out the power running formation. They didnt just quit running the football. They quit running it well and had some costly turnovers which put them in a situation where they couldnt just burn up clock.

 

[Tau837]

The big mistake I think Belichick made was not calling timeout with 1:43 left on that last Colts drive. I can understand the trade off, keeping the timeout, but to my mind, you can't put time back on the clock no matter how many timeouts you had, and I'd rather have had the extra 40 seconds. Turns out it was a moot point as they ended the game with one left after the INT - but the extra time maybe would have eased the pressure a bit.

I agree. I often think that coaches wait too long to use their timeouts. As you say, you can never add time back on to the clock.At the point of that decision, with 1:43 left, if you are Belichick you have to assume the Colts are going to at least tie, so even if you are confident in your defense, you know you want as much time as possible to drive for a winning FG. Worst case is obviously what happened, and you need to drive for a TD. Either way, don't you need those 40 seconds more than a timeout?

 

[AB in DC]

So, there's 2:30 on the clock, the opponents have two timeouts and Peyton Manning, you're up by 3, and it's third down and 4. Is your call really to run it into the line, not making a serious attempt to get the first down? You have to get the first; even if you let the clock roll there, the Colts will still have two minutes and two timeouts, or over two minutes and one timeout, needing to get a FG to tie. It is far more important in that situation to get the first down than it is to run clock.

Curiously, the Pats faced a similar situation in their very first Super Bowl, where Belichick made what I consider his worst coaching decision ever in New England.It was the fourth quarter, just over two minutes on the clock (ball was snapped at 2:16), third down and eight. Pats were up 17-10. Martz, in his usual fashion, had already blown all of his timeouts early in the half. So if the Pats pick up a first down, the game is over. Instead they run Antowain Smith up the middle for about three yards. UGH!

After the two-minute warning and a punt, Rams have the ball at 1:51. Instead, let's say that Brady throws an incomple pass. Most likely, the punt would leave the clock around 1:59 or 2:00. So giving up any reasonable shot at a first down ran less than ten seconds off the clock!

No matter how much success you've had on D, there's no way you want to put the ball back in the Rams' hands. Fortuntely for them, the Rams scored so quickly that it gave the team another chance during regulation, but I can't see how anyone could defend that decision.

For all that people talk about that Super Bowl, I never hear this play discussed. It was a Grade A boneheaded move by Belichick that could have easily cost the Patriots the championship.

 

[parasaurolophus]

I am pretty sure you would never see belichek make that call again in a big game. I think he has shaken any of the conventional wisdom that holds other coaches back.

The NFL is basically one big fat head coach. Its almost like they all have the same book. Some coaches read the whole book, some coaches just read some of the chapters.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Remember when Schottenheimer was a moron because he went for it on fourth and long instead of trying a long field goal, and the pass was incomplete? Belicheck was a genius because he went for it on fourth and long instead of trying a long field goal, and Brady completed a pass to Troy Brown which then led to a TD.There is no clean formula to coaching; the only certainty is that if it doesn't work, the fans will blame your decisions.

Agreed. The sheep and their outcome based judging J

 

[parasaurolophus]

Remember when Schottenheimer was a moron because he went for it on fourth and long instead of trying a long field goal, and the pass was incomplete? Belicheck was a genius because he went for it on fourth and long instead of trying a long field goal, and Brady completed a pass to Troy Brown which then led to a TD.There is no clean formula to coaching; the only certainty is that if it doesn't work, the fans will blame your decisions.

Agreed. The sheep and their outcome based judging J

Isnt there a huge difference between 4th and 6 and 4th and 11? And people arent so mad because of the call. It was the call combined with the other call. Either 49 yards is too long, or it isnt too long. This is similar to sherman going for it on 4th down and then not going for it on 4th down. It is either the right call or it isnt.

 

[CalBear]

Isnt there a huge difference between 4th and 6 and 4th and 11?

Not really; Brown picked up way more than 11 yards (and the pass was more than 11 yards in the air).

 

[MarshallRob]

I didn't see any specific mistake Belichick made in terms of play-calling. New England would have benefitted from working the clock in the second-half because their defense was clearly tiring. However, as noted in earlier posts, other than the one Dillon run the Patriots had no success at all on the ground. They had no choice but to throw. In a game this great, you can point to so many different plays and say that was the one that made the difference and you couldn't be wrong. This game could so easily have gone the other way and then it would be Dungy getting the criticism now.

 

[videoguy505]

The 12 men in the huddle prevented the Pats from running the ball in their 2nd to last drive.

:(

The penalty made it 1st and 15 - so then they did a successful 7 yard pass for 2nd and 8. They could have ran on 2nd and 8 but threw it in the flat. 3rd and 4 is usually a pass or a draw - and they put it in Brady's hands to pick up the 1st down. I don't see how any of those playcalls are wrong.

Neither of the first two play calls stopped the clock. So you can really only complain about passing on 3rd and 4th - but I think most would agree that calling the best play to get the 1st down is the priority here, not taking another :40 seconds off the clock.

i disagree. time is your best ally (or lack thereof). you don't jeopardize time trying to get first downs. your first priority is running out the clock, the second priority is getting a first down.but whatever. i just thought it was curious, but it seems like i am in the minority here.

I disagree slightly. Converting that specific 3rd and 4 would almost guarantee a win because then they could take tons of time off the clock via the run. Making the 3rd and 4 would put them at 90% chance of winning, for the sake of argument, while failing to convert that down would make it 50/50-ish. In that situation, I'd do just about anything to get the extra first down right then and there, and let the rest of the game play out.

 

[parasaurolophus]

Isnt there a huge difference between 4th and 6 and 4th and 11?

Not really; Brown picked up way more than 11 yards (and the pass was more than 11 yards in the air).

Horrible argument here. This is after the fact analysis, which is of course unfair. If you are going to criticize a coaches decision or praise his decision it cant solely be based on the reults of the play.If it is 4th an 11 you can put way more pressure on the QB because the receivers have to get further up the field. EVERYTHING is different. I also thought this pass was actually a short pass with a catch and run.