Bill blew it by punting in overtime

[32BellyOption]

I agree with the OP. As soon as they punted I knew it was over.

 

[jazzcat22]

how many possession did the pats actually stop the Dallas offense WITHOUT Dallas making a turnover or a holding penalty? Dont even count the goal line fumble, because that isnt happening in OT. Dont count the endzone interception, because again, that aint happening in OT.

That game was lost the second he decided to punt. How many of you were like , whew... thank God he is punting?????

Apparently this issue is important to you and others.

Punting was still the right call in that circumstance. There were several punts, and Dallas stopped themselves yes, so chances of that happening on an 80 yard drive or more, is far better than a 20 yard drive.

If that was us, depending on the outcome of the play, either way, fans on here would be up in arms starting WWIII over it.
But since it was NE, some still want to do that.

IT WAS THE RIGHT CALL.
I explained why in another post, and just again now, and not doing it again. But I guess it is important so some. Just enjoy the win. If Bill screwed up in eyes of some, then is it not great another coach actually screwed up against us. It was the right call.

 

[jazzcat22]

I agree with the OP. As soon as they punted I knew it was over.

Oh, I did also, but I still think NE punting was the right call. I was glad they punted.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Apparently this issue is important to you and others.

Punting was still the right call in that circumstance. There were several punts, and Dallas stopped themselves yes, so chances of that happening on an 80 yard drive or more, is far better than a 20 yard drive.

If that was us, depending on the outcome of the play, either way, fans on here would be up in arms starting WWIII over it.
But since it was NE, some still want to do that.

IT WAS THE RIGHT CALL.
I explained why in another post, and just again now, and not doing it again. But I guess it is important so some. Just enjoy the win. If Bill screwed up in eyes of some, then is it not great another coach actually screwed up against us. It was the right call.

The Cowboys made it at least to FG range on 8 of 10 drives in regulation, including the 4 drives that immediately preceded OT (the Pats defense was done). There were not "several punts." (Also, on one of those two drives that failed, they went three-and-out, which would have worked for the Patriots whether they punted or failed on the 4th down).
I like how you call it an "80 yard drive or more," when we're really talking about a 50-yard drive. All they needed was a FG.
I was quite clearly the wrong call.

 

[jwooten15]

Analytically how? You’re just making up stuff.

Sounded good though, didn’t it

 

[jazzcat22]

The Cowboys made it at least to FG range on 8 of 10 drives in regulation, including the 4 drives that immediately preceded OT (the Pats defense was done). There were not "several punts." (Also, on one of those two drives that failed, they went three-and-out, which would have worked for the Patriots whether they punted or failed on the 4th down).
I like how you call it an "80 yard drive or more," when we're really talking about a 50-yard drive. All they needed was a FG.
I was quite clearly the wrong call.

Still disagree. What is so hard about that?
Even at that 50 yards better than 20 yards.

 

[droopdog7]

Sounded good though, didn’t it

I sho did!

 

[BobbyFlame469]

I agree. If you’re playing against a powerhouse offense, you have to play to win and take risks that you typically wouldn’t.


Belichick didn’t do that, and it cost them.

he didn’t respect the #1 offense in the NFL

 

[Vtwin]

Bill also got hammered by the fans when he did this.

 

[Verdict]

In overtime? Yes

The way that game was going, punting it to Dallas while also immediately converting the game to a sudden death scenario was a de facto forfeit. If you don't believe me, go check out NE pundits on social media. To a man they all concede they felt the game was over when NE punted.

I think you guys are missing the boat. By punting The Hoodie was giving the refs a better chance of winning the game for him. The refs had been playing well all day, so he was wise to lean on the refs heavily when the game was on the line.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Still disagree. What is so hard about that?
Even at that 50 yards better than 20 yards.

Sure, 50 yards is better than 20 yards. But converting the 4th-and-3 is WAY better than that 30-yard difference. And it's certainly your best chance to win.

 

[Reid1boys]

Apparently this issue is important to you and others.

Punting was still the right call in that circumstance. There were several punts, and Dallas stopped themselves yes, so chances of that happening on an 80 yard drive or more, is far better than a 20 yard drive.

If that was us, depending on the outcome of the play, either way, fans on here would be up in arms starting WWIII over it.
But since it was NE, some still want to do that.

IT WAS THE RIGHT CALL.
I explained why in another post, and just again now, and not doing it again. But I guess it is important so some. Just enjoy the win. If Bill screwed up in eyes of some, then is it not great another coach actually screwed up against us. It was the right call.

you can explain it all you want. Us PUNTING would have been the right call. We were clearly the better team. What you do and what you dont do is 100% dictated by where you are. If teams are about equal, yea, you punt. When you are clearly not as good, you go for it.

 

[zrinkill]

Bill puts more stock in his defense than his offense.

He made the right call and lost.

 

[conner01]

McCarthy should have punted during our Cowboys 1st series where it was 4th & 1 inside our own 35. It gifted the Patriots an easy 7 points. Maybe McCarthy's terrible "analytics" game management scared Belichick into punting?

Different thing all together
Going early or when a FG beats you is not even comparable
I didn’t mind MM going
Generally until proven wrong one yard should be automatic for this offense. The Pats later proved it wasn’t but after the first decision

 

[G2]

This is all McCarthy's fault.

 

[VaqueroTD]

The Patriots averaged 10.9 yards per pass attempt today (this stat excludes sacks)
The Patriots averaged 4.4 yards per rush attempt

So what did Belichick do in overtime needing just 3 yards with the Pats at their own 46?

He did what other traditional dinosaur coaches do: punted. Surrendered the ball for 34 yards of field, which wasn't likely to matter to the Cowboys offense, which gobbled up 567 yards on the day.

The sport is getting smarter. People like Bill...are not.

Patriots also surprisingly top 10 in NFL on 3rd down % and 4th down % for completions. Although they are almost dead last in 4th down attempts, so playing conservative has most likely improved that 4th down completion %.

 

[Walker]

If that was MM and he would have gone for it and it was unsuccessful we would have been roasting him here for not punting.

 

[Reid1boys]

If that was MM and he would have gone for it and it was unsuccessful we would have been roasting him here for not punting.

YES, WE WOULD HAVE. Because we were by far the superior team. That is why it was dumb of MM to go for it on our own 30 on our first posession. By taking dumb risks, you help the weaker team get an easy touchdown. We were superior and didnt need to take any risks.

I coached softball against some of the best players in the country. When I would play a team LOADED with top D1 talent, they were going to be simply better than my team. That caused me to take chances I normally wouldnt take, because if i didnt take those chances, we had no chance of winning against them.

Same thing here. There was little doubt in my mind we were gonna win that game when Billy punted.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

The Patriots averaged 10.9 yards per pass attempt today (this stat excludes sacks)
The Patriots averaged 4.4 yards per rush attempt

So what did Belichick do in overtime needing just 3 yards with the Pats at their own 46?

He did what other traditional dinosaur coaches do: punted. Surrendered the ball for 34 yards of field, which wasn't likely to matter to the Cowboys offense, which gobbled up 567 yards on the day.

The sport is getting smarter. People like Bill...are not.

A 75 yard bomb certainly inflated that yards per pass attempt stat. New England dinked and dunked for over three quarters.

 

[Plankton]

The Cowboys punted once in this game. Once.

The other times where the Cowboys did not complete drives were ones where they failed to execute - missed FG, interception in end zone, fumble in the end zone, stop on the first drive on downs.

If Belichick punted thinking his defense would hold, he wasn't paying attention to how the game was going. Horrible error on his part. Go down swinging when you are playing a superior opponent who can close you out on their next drive.