In Bill We Trust? Not Anymore

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Last night marked a water shed event for me as a Patriots and Bill Belichick fan. Belichick's decision to go for it on 4th and 2 on their own 28 yard line was the WORST coaching decision I have ever seen. There isn't an argument you can make to convince me they should have gone for it. Punt the ball. That's what you need to do. Punt the ball! I don't care if the defense was gassed last night. I would feel much better giving Peyton Manning the ball with 65+ yards to go for a touchdown than 30. Belichick also should have instructed his defense to let Joseph Addai score when they got down to the 1 yard line. If they did, the Pats would have had another thirty seconds on the clock to get into position for a field goal.

Ever since the Pats won their first Super Bowl I've been a devoted follower in the philosophy of "In Bill We Trust". I accepted when he released Lawyer Milloy just prior to the first game of the season. I accepted trading Deion Branch to the Seahawks and going with the likes of Reche Caldwell and Doug Gabriel in 2006. No more. They should have resigned Asante Samuel prior to last year and not allow their defense to be so terrible in 2008. They should do the right thing and pay Vince Wilfork now so he won't cost more when he hits free agency.

BB is not infallible, and it's time that Patriots fans realize it. I listen to sports talk radio on the ride into work every morning. It disgusts me how ridiculous some of the excuses Pats fans are using to justify Belichick's decision. Kevin Faulk didn't have the yardage for the first down. He bobbled the ball and was pushed back. Wake up people. Bill Belichick made a critical mistake with the game on the line. He didn't make that decision to go for the win. He made that decision not to lose the game. Of course, that wasn't the only mistake that lead to the loss last night. I'll let someone else break down the rest of the game.