Stupid Play Call Helps Colts Beat the Patriots

The football world is ablaze this morning with questions regarding Bill Belichick's late play call against the Indianapolis Colts. New England held a 34-28 lead with 2:08 left to go. With the ball on his own 28, Bill Belichick decided to roll the dice and go for it on fourth and two. New England used their last timeout to discuss the play and then lined up. Tom Brady passed to Kevin Faulk who juggled the catch and didn't bring it under control until he had back tracked behind the first down marker. Since he had used his last timeout, Belichick could not challenge the call, Indianapolis' ball. Peyton Manning took advantage throwing a one-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne, giving the Colts a 35-34 win over the Patriots.

Of course it is easy to second guess Belichick's play call since his gamble did not pay off. Hindsight is 20-20. But regardless of this, this was a very stupid call and will be remembered as one of the biggest blunders in NFL history. Why did he make the call? With 2:08, the Colts would have had the 2-minute warning and all three timeouts to work with, an eternity in football. With Peyton Manning under center, the Colts would have had a good chance had the Patriots punted. Another reason is simple arrogance. While Bill Belichick may be one of the greatest football coaches of all time, he is nothing if not arrogant. No coach would make that call if he did not think he could make the first down, but it really goes beyond that for Belichick. He may not have even contemplated the possibility that his team wouldn't be able to make the first down.

While many will question Belichick only because his gamble failed, this play call was dumb even before Manning made him pay for it. Had the Patriots punted, the Colts would have gotten the ball with about 1:55 left, somewhere around their own 30 yard line. With three timeouts, the Colts would have had plenty of time. New England's defense, however, had done a good job against Manning to that point forcing two interceptions. There is no guarentee that the Colts would be able to drive 70 yards to take the lead. By giving the Colts a short field, you are also allowing them the option of running the ball which they took full advantage of. The Colts averaged 5.1 yards a carry last night. Containing the Colts would have been easier if they Patriots didn't have to account for Joseph Addai taking handoffs.

Most importantly, this play call reeks of desperation. What can Belichick say to his defense after this? "I didn't trust you to stop their offense from seventy yards out, but I know you can do it from thirty." At that point, the Patriots' confidence had to be shot and the Colts were playing with all the momentum. With football being such a mental game, it is no surprise that the Colts were able to punch the ball into the endzone with relative ease.

Belichick may claim this call was made out of respect for the abilities of Peyton Manning, but such an aggressive play call said more about his defense than it did about the Colts' offense. While punting the ball would have given the Colts the opportunity to win the game, they would have taken the field with 70 yards to go and some momentum. There was no guarantee they would be able to drive for a score. By going for it on the 26, Belichick made it that much easier for Manning to do what he does best. While Belichick will remain one of the best coaches ever seen in the NFL, this call last night was a joke showing the utter lack of respect he had for either his own or Indianapolis' defense. This call was a huge mistake and his team suffered a loss because of it.