N.F.L. Fast Forward
Forget the Barry Switzer references. Yes, Bozo the Coach, which is what The New York Post called Switzer in a headline in 1995 when his Cowboys failed to convert a fourth-down attempt at their 29-yard-line against the Eagles — made the same decision that Bill Belichick did Sunday night in the Patriots’ 35-34 loss to the Colts.
But as second-guessing continues to rage about Belichick’s stunning decision to keep his offense on the field on fourth-and-2 deep in his own territory, with quarterback Peyton Manning waiting on the opposite sideline, the best point of comparison may be Belichick himself earlier this season.
Against Atlanta on Sept. 27, Belichick went for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 24-yard line. The Patriots converted. Belichick was hailed for his you-play-to-win-the-game moxie. And in his postgame comments, he sounded strikingly the way he did Sunday night, if a lot more jovial.
“I felt like we could get a yard,” he said that day. “There would have been plenty of criticism if we didn’t. But then we were able to get that and basically hold on to the ball.”
That’s exactly what Belichick was trying to do Sunday. The differences, of course, were substantial. The Patriots were leading when Belichick made his gambit against Atlanta, too. But it was only the third quarter. There was plenty of time to recover. And with all due respect to Matt Ryan, it was not Manning who was preparing to take over if the Patriots came up short.
But the Patriots’ offense was struggling for consistency at the time, so the decision to hand off to Sammy Morris seemed outrageous then, too. It worked: the Patriots held the ball for almost the rest of the third quarter, kicked a field goal, and packed the game away. Which is why you haven’t heard much more about it until now. The Patriots, by the way, are 17th in the N.F.L. in fourth-down efficiency. They have gone for it 11 times on fourth down and converted five times.
“Bill obviously has more faith in the ability of his offense to get a yard than for his defense to keep Manning and the Colts from orchestrating a two-minute drive,” the former Ravens Coach Brian Billick said. “No one knows his team better than Bill. I do wonder what message it sends to the defensive players.”
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