The Mad Genius

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It was a cold, crisp November night...the temps in the 40s - a typical fall evening in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Tom Brady strolled up to the line of scrimmage; his usual swagger replaced by apprehension. His usually quick-witted, genius coach had been temporarily replaced by a raving lunatic. The obvious look of surprised confusion was not easily hidden from the millions of watching eyes, the majority sharing in Brady's bewilderment...some relishing the opportunity to see Belichick crash and burn. And, crash and burn he did. But, Brady not accustomed to questioning his coach's decisions, just prepared to execute the play given to him. It was the 4th Quarter; the Patriots were leading by 6; the ball was at their 28-yard line; there was 2:08 left on the game clock; and the Patriots were facing a 4th and 2.

What happened next will live forever in Colts lore as another great example of Peyton Manning's ability to extract victory away from the overwhelming jaws of defeat. It will at the same time go down in the realms of football lore as an example of a dimwittedly bad coaching decision made by an otherwise (and it pains me to say this) great coach.

Tom Brady drops back to pass quickly (hoping to catch the Colts off guard), and tosses a floater to Kevin Faulk at the 30-yard line (the first down marker). But, seemingly happening in ultra-slow-motion, Faulk bobbles the ball before falling to the ground at the 29-yard line. The world held its breath; the stadium held its collective breath; the Colts' fans held their breath; the Patriots fans held their breath...all awaiting the decision from the referees.

The referees ruled that Faulk had indeed caught the ball and maintained possession, but not until he was downed at the 29-yard line, thus giving the ball to the Colts with just under 2 minutes left on the clock. The thousands of replays, from every angle humanly conceivable, that followed all showed that the call was questionable at best. However, the play was deemed unreviewable because the Patriots did not have any remaining challenges left at their disposal, so the call remained as stated...Indianapolis Colts' ball at the Patriots 29-yard line with just 1:57 to go in the game and all 3 timeouts...a perpetual eternity to a Quarterback like Peyton Manning.

The outcome was as surprising as the fate of Jason Voorhees, or anyone of his unsuspecting victims, at the end of each Friday the 13th movie. Peyton Manning slashed through the Patriots' defense as if wielding a razor-sharp machete, and quickly and convincingly diced the Patriots' hopes of victory, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with 13 seconds left on the clock. It took 4 plays and 1 minute 44 seconds. Final score: Colts 35 - Patriots 34.

Bill Belichick stands by his decision, and in all fairness, he would've been called a gutsy genius if it had turned out right. But, hindsight being what it is, everyone will question his decision to go for it when conventional wisdom says to punt, but if Belichick has ever been anything, it's unconventional...that's why I call him...The Mad Genius!

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