Jim Donaldson of the Providence Journal thinks Patriots coach Bill Belichick made the right call going for it on fourth down on his own 28, but it didn’t work out as the Patriots lost 35-34.
Said Patriots QB Tom Brady, “I love the call. I love the fact that we’re out there
with a chance to win. The coach has confidence that we can make it. I
had confidence. We all did.”
Patriots LB Tully Banta-Cain left the game with a rib injury and didn’t return, and his replacement Rob Ninkovich also left the game with an injury.
Two Patriots turnovers close to or inside the Colts end zone stopped them from blowing the game open.
Patriots rookie T Sebastian Vollmer held Colts DE Dwight Freeney without a sack.
Colts CB Jerraud Powers broke up a pass intended for Patriots WR Wes Welker to make the crucial fourth down call necessary.
Said Colts C Jeff Saturday of the comeback from 17 points down, “We just kept fighting. We just kept telling ourselves, ‘We can get back in this and make a run. You look at the numbers for the whole game and they’re not that much apart. They just kept making some big plays.”
Colts QB Peyton Manning passed Fran Tarkenton with his 126th career victory.
Colts DE Robert Mathis had two sacks for the 15th multi-sack game of his NFL career.
On the winning touchdown play, WR Reggie Wayne was originally supposed to run a fade but shook off Manning and ran a slant instead.
For more on the Patriots and Colts, Mike Florio has the full Morning Aftermath right here.
Funny how no one talks about how faulk had the first down. If it was the other way around it would be controversial.
Love the call.
Giving Manning the ball at his own 20… down 6 with 1:57 on the clock and two time outs? Crazy. Belichick would be buried over that.
They pay Brady a lot of money to get two yards in these exact situations.
Manning did his job. Brady didn’t.
Still sick to my stomach.
I actually thought this was a good call. A TO would have helped of course. The Colts were scoring at will in the 2nd half (mainly 4th) so if I am the Pats, I am hoping that they hurry up and score and give us the ball back with a least a minute to work with….of course I work at Target and the only decision I had to make concerning that game was how many points I would get out of Moss/Manning/Addai/Maroney….and oh yeah I won big time…and it was fantastic.
Somewhere a voice off in the distance could be heard saying:
“If you’re gonna go for fourth and two…at LEAST throw the ball more than two yards so you get the first down if the pass COMPLETED” – John Madden
COLTS 35
Patriots 34
What in the name of Touchdown Tommy Vardell happened here?!?!
Final outcome aside, love the job the line did (for the most part) protecting Brady. Vollmer should be protecting Brady’s blind side for years to come, maybe time to switch Light over to the right side? Either way, Vollmer is a stud, Freeney was a complete nonfactor last night.
“Colts QB Peyton Manning passed Fran Tarkenton with his 126th career victory.”
I’m sure Tran Farkenton will have something dumb to say about that.
OK… I’m not a Colt or Patriot fan but I watched the game and saw the replays of this critical play. One replay angle showing Faulk from the front side seemed to me to clearly show Faulk established control of the catch beyond the first down gold line (after his momentary bobble). Unfortunately for the Patriots, they had no time-outs left so could not challenge the spot and of course the Colts were not going to challenge it either. Since the play started before the 2 minute mark, the upstairs guys also had no authority to review it. My take is that with a review of the play, an honest eye would have ruled Faulk’s possession beyond the first down marker, Patriots ball, and the Pats would have gone on to their win. Of course, I could be wrong as I’ve watched many a replay that to me clearly showed the call on the field incorrect only to have the ref come out from under the hood and say the play stands as called. Just my 2 cents…
@coach ripper
i think what the problem with what you’re saying is that, in order for him to have possession he had to get his to feet down. He bobbled it while not having any feet down, then, I think he got one before he hit the ground. So he never had possession til he hit the ground, explaining the spot of the ball.
“Patriots rookie T Sebastian Vollmer “HELD” Colts DE Dwight Freeney without a sack.”
There, a much more accurate description of what really happened. Not to mention that he had tons of help there as well.
I still say the deciding factor wasn’t the fourth down play, which is was everyone’s talking about.
It was the Maroney fumble. He scores, and the Colts don’t have a chance……
Tim’s_Mom says:
November 16, 2009 3:29 PM
I still say the deciding factor wasn’t the fourth down play, which is was everyone’s talking about.
It was the Maroney fumble. He scores, and the Colts don’t have a chance……
________
COOL…let’s do play the “IF” game…
IF the Colts WRs had caught all of the catchable balls downfield, the Pats would have never taken that big of a lead.
IF the Colts WRs hadn’t run the wrong routes on Manning’s two INTs, the Colts would have been closer earlier and probably won easily, given the fact that they had finally figured out Belichick’s defensive schemes by the fourth quarter (and without the use of a sideline camera, to boot).
IF Powers had picked off Brady’s pass on that last third down that he had his hands on, the fourth down play would have never happened.
And IF “IF” was a spliff, all of you Pats fans would be STONED right about now.
NO…the “IF” game doesn’t change a thing…except that it makes those of you who engage in it seriously (instead of jokingly like I just did) into the BIGGEST LOSERS of all. LMFAO!!!!
@CornFlorio
That is exactly right! The “IF” game… too funny.
What a horrible waste of my time last night was. Did I really have to stay up to midnight just to be pissed off and disgusted.
The end of that game was so horrible, I would rather have put this clip on a continuous loop, taped my eylids open and watched it all night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWQFcPEuRJY
What the Christ is this world coming to.
@CornFlorio
Like IF Cornflorio got laid he wouldn’t be spending his days ripping one football team.
IF Cornflorio could get that temp job he would not be stealing our taxes to do nothing.
IF Cornflorio could get his member working properly he wouldn’t have ruined his senior prom by shooting one off in his cousins hair.
Yeah the IF game is fun.
“There, a much more accurate description of what really happened. Not to mention that he had tons of help there as well.”
CornFlorio, you keep proving yourself to be the dumbest poster on here, with each succeeding post.
NBC had an isolation on Freeney/Vollmer all night long, and NOT ONCE did they show a hold, and only twice did I see a “double team” ….. think about that, a rookie – going against a pro like Freeney – actually had very LITTLE help stopping him. Dude is an animal!
Matt Light isn’t getting that job back, sorry. But the good news is Nick Kazur – who couldn’t handle Mathis nearly as well, on HIS own – will be on the bench with Light protecting Brady’s strong side.
Like IF Peyton Manning wins another Super Bowl he still would have less then Brady..
IF I was the patriots I would careless about losing a regular season game to the Colts, because IF the colts can even make it to the AFC Championship game, they are IFY to win.
The colts have a soft schedule and Peyton didn’t win that game, LUCK won that game for the colts and LUCK will run out on them….
The Real Shuxion says:
November 16, 2009 7:11 PM
@CornFlorio
Like IF Cornflorio got laid he wouldn’t be spending his days ripping one football team.
IF Cornflorio could get that temp job he would not be stealing our taxes to do nothing.
IF Cornflorio could get his member working properly he wouldn’t have ruined his senior prom by shooting one off in his cousins hair.
Yeah the IF game is fun.
____
benniebro27 says:
November 17, 2009 9:52 AM
Like IF Peyton Manning wins another Super Bowl he still would have less then Brady..
IF I was the patriots I would careless about losing a regular season game to the Colts, because IF the colts can even make it to the AFC Championship game, they are IFY to win.
The colts have a soft schedule and Peyton didn’t win that game, LUCK won that game for the colts and LUCK will run out on them….
_______
More like IF either of you guys EVER get laid, it will be the first time either of you had pussy since pussy had you.
Or IF the Bills hadn’t given the first game to the Pats with that stupid fumble (way more stupid than Belichick’s play call) or the Ravens’ stupid WR hadn’t dropped that easy pass, the Pats would be 4-5, instead of a pathetic 6-3.
Or IF the Pats can ever beat a team of merit this season (since the best team that they have beaten this season is 5-4, what a joke).
But MOST IMPORTANTLY, IF the men of New England will finally admit to themselves that they are the biggest bunch of PUSSIES on the planet.
Oh, as regards “LUCK”…try looking at your own team (Bills and Ravens games this season, the Tuck Rule, the Ricky Proehl fumble, the Panthers kicker kicking the ball out of bounds after the Panthers tied the game giving the Pats the ball on the 40, McNabb being sick with the flu, etc.).
Yes, it is true…New England sports fans are the MOST IGNORANT HOMERS in the sports world. NO DOUBT about that.
BTW, PoorMoron2256…NO ONE saw the entire tape of the “iso”, so you can’t back up what you say. I can, since EVERYONE knows that there is always holding on the offensive line in EVERY game…and get this….EVERYONE DOES IT (something you all love to use regarding Spygate, yet you all have NO evidence of it). LMFAO!!!!
@matt Russell
Matt, Having the feet down is not the issue. Forward progress at the point of clear possession is the issue. The replay I watched showed Faulk establishing control of the ball while his body and the ball was beyond the first down marker. All Faulk had to do was to retain possession of the ball through the tackle. If he did that, the catch is marked not where he winds up after the tackle, but where he established possession of the ball. Players are not allowed to carry receivers backwards in order to negate forward progress. Would be a strange game is that were true… just have your defenders grab the guy leaving his feet while catching the pass and then before the receiver can get his feet down, carry him backwards 20 yards (or more) with a blocking convoy. LOL!