I thought it has been so huge in the sports news, it'd be nice to have a discussion on this topic.

For those of you who don't know what "The Call" is (and shame on you if you don't know) then this is it:

The Patriots are up, with the score being 34-28. It is 4th down and 2 on their own 28 yard line with 2:08 left. The Colts have all of their timeouts left while the Patriots have none. The choice comes down to this: punt it and leave them with 60 some odd yards to make in 2 minutes or try and convert the 4th down and essentially seal your victory. But if you the 4th down fails, then Manning and the Colts have it on your own 28 with 3 timeouts left.

And Belichick decides to go for it. The pass is short for the first down. Manning takes the advantage and scores with just 16 seconds left, thus just about sealing the victory.


Do you think this was a good call? Bad call? Or maybe you're neutral on the subject?




My opinion is that I disagree with the call but I can understand why he did it. With how the Pats and the Colts were playing, the odds were good to get that first down and the victory. But failing would mean a loss because you know Peyton would make it back there. So it was a go for the win or lose it all (like choosing to do a 2 point conversion when you are down by 1). So the thought it "I'll put my Pat's offense up against an injured and tired Colts' defense". I can understand why he did it.

I probably would have punted it but you can definitely defend the ball. Why give arguably the quarterback of all time that much time to win the game?

I agree with Steely entirely. I would have punted but I can see why you would make that call, especially after the Colts just marched it up the field to score.

Going for it on fourth down was not the right thing to do in my opinion. You've got to have confidence in your defense to stop them from scoring in just under two minutes with only one timeout when they need a field goal. Especially when the Colts had been dinking and dunking all game.

Worse then that though was the actual play call. That play just did not put them in a good position to convert. Maybe it was just exceptional defense on the Colts part, but that play just looked like a mess from the beginning.

I think Manning would have won the game if they had punted - you know what he's like when the game is on the line. I think it was a gutsy call, but the right one.

I thought they only had 1 timeout left with 2:08 on the clock though?

Pretty sure they had all three.

Colts had only 1 timeout at the time of the play.

Off Topic: I love how Dnet makes this thread as a Colts fan. Seems too coincidental to me. Whatever, not the point.

On Topic:
Personally, I think it was the correct call. If you punt it, your defense still likely gets burned by Manning anyway. They were completely spent, and Manning had plenty of time and a timeout to work with. He drove 76 yards in 1:52 with no timeouts used, so he could easily do it again with more time and an even more tired defense. Belichick had the chance to end the game. Regardless of where Manning got the ball, Belichick knew Manning was going to score, so he tried to just end it and avoid that possibility. The execution of the play worked, but you can't win a game running a 1-yard route when you need 2 yards. Not really Belichick's fault there. I completely back the call from an unbiased standpoint.

People treat this like it is the end of the world though, which I don't understand. It is merely one game. People say "Oh, its virtually gives the Colts home-field advantage" and yada yada yada. What we fail to realize here is that this game was IN Indy. New England was one failed call away from winning. Who's to say they can't do it again? I don't see the big deal. Its a regular season game. You can't win em all. He made the decision that gave his team the best opportunity to win but it didn't work it. If it were in the playoffs, maybe you decide to punt because you run the risk of not seeing another game. Here, you do. These are the times to take those risks. Not in the playoffs.

quote Kirbyking

Except he'll probably only need 1 or 2 plays to get to the endzone. If they punted, he'd need a lot more plays and a lot more chances for mistakes.

Man, you should really watch more than just Jags games.

If you've ever watched a Manning come-from-behind game winning drive, you'd realize that it doesn't matter how much field or time this guy has. The dude gets it done no matter where he is. Belichick obviously didn't have complete and utter confidence in his D, and you can't blame him. Manning is the best in the league. You're better off giving Brady a chance to seal the game rather than hoping Manning will make a mistake.

quote MJ12 L0rD

Off Topic: I love how Dnet makes this thread as a Colts fan. Seems too coincidental to me. Whatever, not the point.

So?