If you don't trust Bill Belichick now, then go cheer for another team

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Well, well, well.

It looks like all the know-it-alls are coming out of the woodwork today to blast Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who decided to go for the win last night on fourth-and-2 from the Pats' own 28-yard-line late in the fourth quarter.

Sorry, he's not conservative, so the Pats went for it and they got burned (well, say what you want, but Kevin Faulk bobbled the catch but appeared to still have enough for the first down before the refs spotted the ball where he fell and landed which was obviously a very poor spot).

But now all the haters are coming out and blasting Belichick for going for it, including some Fan Fanatic Sports staff.

I can see fans getting upset for now beating the Colts -- remember they had a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter and you should never blow that big of a lead -- but to only focus on one play is downright wrong.

The Pats went for the win, is that a bad thing?

As far as I'm concerned, they had the play they wanted and went for it. Actually, the DID get the first and you can debate that all you want.

The conservative crew inside Patriots Nation wanted to see a punt. They think a tired and worn down defense would have stopped the Colts and Peyton Manning? No way. As much as you want to hang your hat on that, you know deep down it wasn't going to happen. They couldn't stop the Colts from scoring the go-ahead TD when the Pats turned the ball over, so why do you think they would have done it from say 50-70 yards out with about 2 minutes left?

What really burns me is that if the Pats did make the first down to seal the win, everyone would have loved the call to seal the win. They would have cited how gusty Belichick was for going for it and that the Pats' defense wouldn't have stopped them if they punted the ball back, but it's real easy to second-guess a coach when the result has already happened.

I loved the call, personally. They went for the win and there's nothing wrong with that. I'd rather that than being conservative and punting the ball away because I know the Colts would have easily marched down the field and scored.

Look at it this way: Belichick showed confidence in his offense to pick up the first down and his defense to stop the Colts if the offense didn't make the first down. Unfortunately neither group executed with the game on the line. And when you don't execute in the NFL, you don't win.

Don't pin this loss on Belichick, there's plenty of blame to go around.

But the Pats win and lose as a team. You'll never read me blasting Uncle Bill for being aggressive and trying to win.

There's no doubt I still Trust in Bill. If you don't, then trade in your Patriots gear for another team. We don't want you cheering for Pats. Find a conservative-coached team and start rooting for them. How about Cleveland? You can question everything Eric Mangini does!

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.

Week 10 Recap: What A Choke

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Cough! Cough! Gag! Sorry, I was just doing my impression of the New England Patriots.

Colts 35 (9-0) Patriots 34 (6-3)

It's time to face facts. The Patriots are the chokers, and the Colts are clutch. The Patriots have not won anything in over 5 years now, and not only that, you can absolutely count on them to blow it when all the chips are on the table. Just add this one to their most recent history of gag jobs. The 2007 AFC Championship, the Super Bowl against the Giants, and now this one. And it is time to stop giving Bilicheck a free pass. Any other coach would be fired for doing something like that. He cost the Patriots the game, and likely a chance at the Super Bowl. How do you recover from that kind of loss? This is the kind of loss that can destroy a season. Now the Patriots will have to go on the road in the playoffs - if they can still get there.

Saints 28 (9-0) Rams 23 (1-7)

The Saints remained perfect, but it was much harder than expected. The Rams played well, but Reggie Bush had his best game of the season. Bush found the end zone twice, helping the Saints overcome 3 turnovers and remain unbeaten.

Bengals 18 (7-2) Steelers 12 (6-3)

The AFC North is now the Bengals' for the taking. The Bengals defense stole the show, keeping the Steelers out of the end zone. Usually the Bengals are done for the year by this point. Now they look like they will be playing for a first round bye.

Redskins 27 (3-6) Broncos 17 (6-3)

Miracles do happen. Ladell Betts had 114 yards and a touchdown, and the special teams added a touchdown on a fake punt, leading the Redskins to the upset win. The Broncos have now lost 3 in a row, and they also saw Kyle Orten go down with an injury. Time to press the panic button in Denver.

Dolphins 25 (4-5) Buccaneers 23 (1-8)

Chad Henne was the story in this one, going from goat to hero in the final minutes. After throwing a huge interception with under 2 minutes left that set up the go ahead TD by the Bucs, Henne was able to redeem himself. With 1:14 left, Henne directed a 77 yard drive, setting up the game winning field goal with 10 seconds remaining. The win keeps the Dolphins slim playoff chances alive.

Panthers 28 (4-5) Falcons 19 (5-4)

What is wrong with the Falcons? Matt Ryan struggled again, and the Falcons have now dropped 3 of 4. The Falcons may be the most disappointing team in the league. There is too much talent on this team to only be 5-4.

Titans 41 (3-6) Bills 17 (3-6)

Chris Johnson stole the show, going over 100 yards rushing and receiving, and adding a pair of TDs to lead the Titans to the win. The Titans have now won three straight games after starting the season 0-6.

Vikings 27 (8-1) Lions 10 (1-8)

Brett Favre and Sidney Rice are starting to become a lethal combo. Rice caught 7 passes for 201 yards, leading the Vikings to an easy win. Adrian Peterson was he usual self, gaining over 130 yards on the ground and adding a pair of scores.

Jaguars 24 (5-4) Jets 22 (4-5)

The annual free fall of the New York Jets has begun. Maurice Jones-Drew's heads up play, taking a knee at the one yard line rather than score, helped run down the clock and set up a last second field goal by Josh Scobee. Rex Ryan sure isn't talking much these days, as the Jets have now lost 5 of 6.

Chiefs 16 (2-7) Raiders 10 (2-7)

Who needs Larry Johnson? Jamaal Charles stepped in and rushed for 100 yards plus a score, as the Chiefs won for only the second time this year.

Packers 17 (5-4) Cowboys 7 (6-3)

Just when you think that maybe Tony Romo is turning things around, and that the Cowboys may avoid a late season meltdown, they have the kind of game they had in Green Bay. The Cowboys offense struggled, and Tony Romo threw a late int at the Packers goal line to seal the win for Green Bay. It was a nice bounce back victory for the Pack, after dropping a tough decision to the Bucs one week ago.

Cardinal 31 (6-3) Seahawks 20 (3-6)

It's now how you start, but how you finish. After falling behind 14-0, Kurt Warner and the Cardinals rallied, as Warner threw for 340 yards and 2 TDs. It was only the Cardinals second home win of the season.

Chargers 31 (6-3) Eagles 23 (5-4)

Three weeks ago, it looked like there was no way the Chargers could catch the Broncos in the AFC West. Now it looks like it is the Chargers division to lose. Behind two TDs from LT, the Chargers have now won four straight to get to the top spot in the AFC West. The Eagles may have lost more than the game. Brian Westbrook suffered another concussion and may be done for the year.

The Big East Conspiracy

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Two bad calls in two days, both of which conveniently help the two top teams in the Big East. Hmmm...Interesting.

Ok, here it comes. Yes, another conspiracy theory by yours truly. And for the record, this one is not simply sour grapes because one of the calls in question happened to be against Notre Dame. Notre Dame was vastly outplayed for most of the game by Pitt and only had three points over the first three quarters. You don't deserve to win the game if you do that.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Before we tackle the Pittsburgh win over the Irish, let's examine a terrible call that had a huge impact on the outcome of Cincinnati's game against West Virginia. On first and goal, Isaiah Pead jumped over the pile and stretched the ball out towards the goal line. Not only did he not reach the line, but he fumbled the ball, which was recovered by West Virginia. That held the score at 14-7 with 5:15 remaining in the half. If you can see the indisputable video evidence that shows the ball crossed the line and that he maintained control as the ball crossed the plane, then you are a better man than I.

But wait. The replay gods saw fit to intervene and lo-and-behold, the call was overturned, making it a tie ballgame. Sure, there was a lot more football left to play in that game. However, the fact remains the Bearcats won by three points and the gift touchdown was the difference.

Fast forward to Saturday night, late in the Notre Dame - Pitt game. Notre Dame is faced with a third and 16 situation. Jimmy Clausen felt pressure as he did almost all game long and as he was going down, attempted a pass to Golden Tate, and while his arm was hit by Greg Romeus, it appeared to be an incomplete forward pass. The play was blown dead, but Pitt's Myles Caragein picked the ball up and attempted to run with it before realizing it had been called an incomplete pass.

Now here's where the mess begins.

Notre Dame let about 30 seconds run off the play clock before burning a timeout while trying to figure what to do on fourth and long. Seconds later, the Big East decided that would be a good time to review the play. Not before Notre Dame took its second timeout, so essentially, if the call has stood, the Big East would have essentially taken a time out away from the Irish. Upon review, the replay officials somehow saw that indisputable evidence that no one else, whether it be Notre Dame fans, Pitt fans or media outlets, saw. So it's a fumble. What happens now? Well, according to the officials, it's a fumble recovery by Caragein, despite the fact that the play was blown dead, giving Pittsburgh the ball and the win.

Sure, a fourth and 16 situation is likely going to be a turnover on downs anyway, but the fact of the matter is the officials upstairs made a bad call that took any chance away from Notre Dame. And let's remember that Jimmy Clausen is the quarterback with 63 passes of 15 or more yards and 22 completions of 25 or more (7th and 17th in the nation, respectively) with two of the best wide receivers in football.

So why did this happen? You can't think that it's a huge coincidence that the two top teams in the Big East were the benefactors of game-changing overturns.

The Big East is desperate to matter in college football again. The Big East since its formation has halways been a basketball conference first and since Miami and Virginia Tech bailed, the conference has been an afterthought in college football. Even as a BCS conference, in recent years they have gotten less national attention than the WAC and the MWC. Now they have an opportunity to be relevant.

Cincinnati played its toughest game of the season thus far on Friday after beating up mediocre to downright terrible opponents on its way to the No. 5 ranking in the BCS. Pitt has been one of the better defenses in the nation and the offense has found its way with LeSean McCoy gone, which most thought was a death sentence for the Panthers. With their win over Notre Dame, the Panthers moved to ninth in the BCS rankings.

Heading into this week, the Big East bigwigs had to be drooling at the idea of an undefeated Cincinnati facing a one-loss Pittsburgh for the conference title. Think about it. If Cincinnati loses to West Virginia, they no longer hold any major clout in the BCS. Even if Pittsburgh heads into the final week undefeated in this scenario, the odds of it meaning as much in terms of the BCS would be a lot lower than if Cincinnati were undefeated. And if Pittsburgh were to lose another game, Cincinnati would have the title locked up before the final week, making the matchup between the two teams irrelevant and one that people outside of the Northeast unlikely to watch. In all of these scenarios, the Big East stands to lose a lot. But most of all, it stands to lose a lot of money.

Monday Night Football: No Instant Classic Here

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Say one thing for Monday Night's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns - it will not be a game that will be replayed on ESPN Classic anytime soon.

The Cleveland Browns represent the worst that the NFL has to offer. You have to think that if ESPN had its way, it would not have schedule the Browns to be on prime time.

It has been kind of comical to seen ESPN try to hype this game. Other than fantasy football, is there any reason to really want to watch this train wreck of a game? There is no question that Baltimore will dominate from start to finish. The Ravens will look unbeatable on offense and defense, but that will have to do more with Cleveland's inept team than anything to do with Baltimore. Don't get to excited Ravens fans. Your team will look like the Super Bowl contender everyone thought they would be, but every team looks great against the Browns.

Brady Quinn takes over the offense form Derek Anderson, which is a step in the right direction. Anderson has been horrid this season, posting a QB rating of 36.2. Quinn cannot possibly do any worse, but it is unreasonable to think that Quinn will be anymore successful. The Browns simply do not have the weapons to put many points on the board. If the Ravens jump out to an early lead, and Cleveland has to throw the ball, then this one could get ugly real fast.

To make matters worse, things could remain ugly in Cleveland for awhile. Dating back to last year with the Jets, Mangini is just 2 and 11 in his last thirteen games as a head coach, but don't expect Eric Mangini to be fired anytime soon. Mangini is in year one of a four year contract. It's hard to imagine that the Browns would just eat the final years of Mangini's contract. Maybe this is one of the reasons that Jamal Lewis decided to retire at the end of the season. Things look bleak for the Browns for the foreseeable future.

Now it appears that many of Lewis' teammates agree with him. According to a report from the Associated Press, after Lewis ripped Mangini in an interview last week, Lewis was greeted as a hero in the locker room by many of his teammates.

If true, then Mangini has totally lost this team and it is highly unlikely that he will win them back. Mangini may have lost the team, but unfortunately for Browns fans, he may still not lose his job. Sorry Cleveland, your NFL team has hit rock bottom, and it appears that you will be there for awhile.

Prediction: Ravens 27 Browns 0

Week 10 Predictions: Colts Will Remain Undefeated

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

There is really only one game in the NFL this week that has our undivided attention. That is of course the Patriots taking on the unbeaten Colts in Indy on Sunday Night Football. With that in mind, lets get to the picks.

Colts 31 Patriots 28

I hope I am wrong, but I just see Peyton Manning leading the Colts on a last minute drive to give the Colts the win. Plus I like the Indy defense just a little more than the Patriots defense. The Colts look like they have the ability to pressure Brady and disrupt his timing. Also the Colts dodged a huge bullet last week at home against the Texans, so I expect them to look better this week.

Steelers 24 Bengals 17

Last time these teams met, the Bengals came away with a last second comeback win. This time the game is in Pittsburgh, and expect no such heroics from the Carson Palmer and company. The Steelers will regain the top spot in the AFC North.

Cowboys 30 Packers 20

Look for the recent trends with these teams to continue. Tony Romo will be solid again, and the Packers will have a difficult time keeping Aaron Rodgers upright. Rodgers was sacked 6 times against the Bucs last game. The Cowboys should at least equal that number.

Eagles 27 Chargers 24

Both of these teams have been tough to figure out. One game they will look great, the next game they will look terrible. The Chargers have struggled at times to stop the run. With Brian Westbrook back from injury, and LeSean McCoy playing well, the Eagles have just the running backs to give the Chargers fits.

Redskins 20 Broncos 17

The Broncos offense has struggled the past two games, and the Redskins actually managed to move the ball at times against the Falcons last time out. The Redskins have to score at least 20 points once this year right? The Redskins defense will force a few turnovers, give the offense a short field, and for once the Redskins will take advantage. It is time for Denver to panic.

Titans 28 Bills 7

The Titans have started to look more like the team everyone expected to see at the start of the season. It's the Titans all the way in this one.

Saints 44 Rams 7

The Saints will have no problem staying unbeaten. The Saints will score at least 40 points. The Rams may not score 40 points the rest of the season.

Dolphins 21 Buccaneers 3

Last week the Bus shocked the Packers to get their first win of the season. Don't expect it to happen again. The wildcat will keep the Dolphins offense on the field, and the Dolphin defense will make Josh Freeman struggle.

Vikings 31 Lions 10

Brett Favre has another big day, and Matthew Stafford will continue to struggle. Stafford threw 5 ints last week. He has only 5 TD passes on the season. Yikes.

Jets 23 Jaguars 16

The once confident Jets have looked rather ordinary the past month. The Jags have been bad on the road. The home field makes a big difference, and the Jets will get a little of their swagger back - at least for this week.

Falcons 28 Panthers 13

It is time for the Falcons to get on a roll. Matt Ryan has far too many weapons to look as average as he has for most of the season. He will get it together this week.

Chiefs 6 Raiders 3

The NFL is looking at the possibility of having Tom Cable undergo therapy to deal with some of his personal issues. I will need therapy if I have to watch this game. These are arguably the two worst teams in the league. Maybe this game should be blacked out and spare us all from having to watch.

Cardinals 38 Seahawks 14

Strangely enough, the Cardinals have look bad at home this year. That trend will come to an end. The Seahawks have not played well on the road, and have been out of sync on offense the entire season. Cards win big.

Ravens 27 Browns 0

Why are the Browns on MNF? The Ravens will look great in this one, but doesn't everyone look like a Super Bowl contender when playing the Browns.

Sunday Night Showdown: Patriots primed to hand Colts first loss

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

So how good are the New England Patriots? And how good are the Indianapolis Colts?

Well, we shall see on Sunday night when the 6-2 Pats travel to face the 8-0 Colts in a showdown that every NFL fan is eagerly anticipating.

What's going to give? Plan on the defenses playing a gigantic factor in the outcome at Lucas Oil Stadium.

We all know that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady -- perhaps the two best quarterbacks (you could make a case for Drew Brees, too, but he doesn't have any Super Bowl rings) in the league right now -- will be chucking the ball every which way, but it's going to come down to which defense can deliver big plays, because I'm expecting some points to be put on the board in the best regular season battle, hands down, of the season.

If you love football, these are the games you wait for all week. And this one is almost here.

No doubt the Pats must be licking their chops -- especially Brady and wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and even tight end Benjamin Watson -- with the shot of facing three backups in the secondary since cornerbacks Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden and strong safety Bob Sanders are all out. In steps rookies Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacy to fill the void at corner.

I bet they've been wetting themselves all week long thinking about facing the Pats' receivers and tight ends. Good luck youngsters, you're going to need it. And that's why the Pats should expect a lot of Cover-2 from the Colts, trying to limit the big play Pats running right by the secondary. The Colts will want Brady to dink and dunk the ball down the field, hoping the Pats stall on scoring touchdowns by putting together lengthy drives instead of striking fast with Moss burning the secondary on long TDs.

And if Laurence Maroney can get the running game going, look out because the Pats will be virtually impossible to stop. But don't forget the Colts feast on rushing the passer with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis using their great spin moves to beat offensive tackles and sack the quarterback. So the Pats better protect Brady, just like they did last week against the Dolphins.

And the Pats defense better be ready for a heavy dose of Manning. Everyone knows the Colts can't run the ball -- they average only 85.4 yards per game -- but running back Joseph Addai is a threat in the passing game with 34 catches and 2 scores.

But the major targets are Reggie Wayne on the outside and all-everything tight end Dallas Clark, who is Manning's binkie. Whenever the QB is in trouble, he's always looking for Clark over the middle. Clark might be a tight end, but he runs precision routes and most linebackers and safeties can't cover him.

So all eyes will be on New England safety Brandon McGowan, who has excelled in coverage all season. If McGowan can hold his own vs. Clark one-one-one, then it would allow the Pats to double Wayne on the outside at times. But if Clark is a handful, expect the Pats to pay extra attention to him.

Belichick always takes one weapon away in a game and it's got to be either Wayne or Clark. My guess is Clark this week.

It's basically going to be pick your poison vs. the Colts, just the Pats. While the Colts have Wayne and Clark to deal with, they've also got lesser known speedster wideouts Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon that have had big games this season, too.

I think the Colts have way too many weapons to keep down, but the Pats could give up yards but not TDs, just like the 49ers and Texans did the last couple of weeks.

You would think the Colts are primed for their first loss, but it's going to take a huge defensive effort from the Pats to sneak out a win and knock the Colts from the unbeaten.

Mind you, it won't be a blowout for either team, they are both too talented and know each other too well (it's the 10th meeting between the two teams in the last 7 years, including 3 playoff games).

But this is the chance for the Pats to avenge last year's 18-15 loss to the Colts.

I expect the Pats to pick on the Colts' secondary all night long, while the Colts do the same with mixed results (some field goals instead of TDs).

Brady outshines Manning on the road (Manning throws for more yards, however), but Maroney's late fourth-quarter TD is the difference.

Prediction: Patriots, 35-30