He had masterfully led a beat down of the home team through three quarters.
One of the NFL’s all time master tacticians had the Colts right where he wanted them, down by 17 early in the fourth quarter, with the home team playing confused on defense. All he had to do was stay the course (which had effectively made the Indianapolis defense look like a Division 2 college squad up until that point) and he would be home free.
However, with a gutsy, yet maniacal decision to go for it on fourth and two from his own 28 yard line with just 2:08 left in the game, Bill Belichick handed Indianapolis an opportunity to snatch victory from the proverbial jaws of defeat.
The Colts accommodated him with a touchdown in the waning moments of the game to remain undefeated, and send the Patriots home with questions about their coach’s moxie, and their playoff future, by virtue of an improbable 35-34 Colts comeback victory that certainly had the Patriots’ name written all over it.
While both teams would sputter on their initial possession, the Colts would draw first blood on the night by moving the ball 90 yards in textbook fashion. Joseph Addai capped off the 10-play march to the end zone when he took a Peyton Manning pass from 15 yards out and the Colts were quickly up 7-0.
Tom Brady would waste little time countering and after finding Randy Moss for a 55 yard gain to move the ball to the Colts six yard line, New England would have their first touchdown of the night, courtesy of a one yard run by Lawrence Maroney.
The Colts would fail to mount an attack on their next possession, allowing the Patriots to again move the ball down the field in what looked like another touchdown drive.
However, an offensive holding penalty and a sack of Brady by Robert Mathis would cause them to settle for a field goal and assume a 10-7 lead with 13:15 to play in the second quarter. After a three and out series for Indianapolis, Brady would find Moss on yet another big play, this time for 63 yards and a touchdown that gave the Patriots a 17-7 lead.
The home team would again show futility offensively, producing yet another three and out, as Manning was sacked by Jerod Mayo, which forced the Colts to punt, putting New England back in business on their own 43 yard line with 9:31 remaining before halftime.
The sell out crowd would then get a dose of vintage Brady as he mixed pin-point passing with an effective running play to easily move the ball down the field before finding rookie wide out Julian Edelman for a nine yard touchdown pass, and in the process, a commanding 24-7 lead.
But the Colts offense would come to life, and by virtue of a New England pass interference penalty and a nifty run by reserve running back Chad Simpson, the Colts finally had something cooking, and would find the end zone courtesy of a Manning to Reggie Wayne touchdown strike from 20 yards out that pulled the Colts to within ten at the half, 24-14.
Both teams would struggle to find their rhythm in the third quarter and would fail to register any points as a result. Wes Welker returned an Indianapolis punt 69 yards to close the period, and New England was indeed back in business at the Colts seven yard line. Two plays later Brady would find Moss on a quick five yard strike and the Patriots extended their lead to 31-14 and making the home crowd deadly silent in the process. Manning and company would have no part of it though, as they produced a slick five play drive which covered 69 yards in just five plays, and in a mere 2:04 the Colts had trimmed the Patriot lead to 10 on a 20 yard strike from Manning to speedster Pierre Garcon.
The Colts defense, which had been no real match for New England to this point, would then wake up and hold the Patriots to a field goal, giving the offense the ball back trailing 34-21 with just 4:12 left and setting the stage for one last push and a unlikely comeback. Manning would come out firing, and by virtue of a highly questionable pass interference call against New England (a.k.a. gift from the referees) the Colts suddenly found themselves on the Patriot 13 yard line.
Three plays later, Addai would run it into the end zone off tackle and Indianapolis had sliced the New England lead to just six with just 2:23 left in the game.
The Patriots would take possession on their own 20 and the stage was set for a sequence of events that will be discussed in NFL circles for years to come. After managing just eight yards in three plays, New England coach Bill Belichick, one of the most brilliant minds in the history of the NFL, elected to go for a first down from his own 28 yard line. Tom Brady’s pass to a leaping Kevin Faulk was initially caught just into first down territory, and then quickly bobbled as he was slammed by the Colts’ Melvin Bullitt. When Faulk reached the ground with the ball under control he was just short of the first down, and the Colts were granted new life once again.
Manning wasted no time finding Reggie Wayne for a quick 15 yard gain to the Patriots 14 yard line, and when Addai took the following handoff and rambled up the middle for 13 yards to the New England one, the stage was set for a yet another classic finish to this heated rivalry. Wayne would provide the heroics as he worked his way free to haul in the tying score. Matt Stover’s extra point provided the go ahead margin and the roof at Lucas Oil Stadium was completely blown off by the reaction of the faithful in attendance.
New England would get one more chance with 9 seconds remaining, but a last hurrah pass from Brady to Welker produced just nine yards and the celebration was on for Colts fans who witnessed a truly brilliant comeback buoyed largely in part by the dreadful fourth down decision made by Belichick.
Notes: After the game Bill Belichick denied he did not have confidence in his defense, and simply made the risky fourth down call due to the fact that he thought they could get the first down and run out the clock. Say what?
Belichick should expect a phone call from NFL security after his own aide knocked NBC cameraman Peter Stendel to the ground after the game heading to the locker room. I have known Stendel for over 10 years and he is a total professional. Yours truly was on the sideline and can attest to the fact that Stendel at no time impeded the path of Belichick. This is the second incident in less than one year at Lucas Oil Stadium and it is time for the NFL to drop the hammer on these hooligans. Belichick owes Stendel a public apology. I doubt he will give him one.
To make matters even worse, Rush Limbaugh was in attendance for the game and was on the sidelines during the pre game.
Limbaugh was reportedly a guest of NBC announcer Al Michaels and he tried unsuccessfully to walk around without being noticed. It is hard to fathom who in the Colts organization was responsible for issuing a credential to Limbaugh after Jim Irsay’s candid stance against Limbaugh’s failed attempt to become part of an ownership group that is attempting to purchase the St. Louis Rams.
Perhaps it was Colts Vice President of Public Relations Craig Kelley, who was one of the many people requesting a photo opportunity with Limbaugh on the sidelines.
How anyone could pose for a picture with this bigot is beyond me. Shame on whomever issued Limbaugh his credential for the field, as it was a slap in the face to all African-Americans, not just the ones in NFL uniforms or attending the game.
Call the Colts at (317) 297-2658 and let them know.
The Colts next game is Nov. 22 against the Ravens in Baltimore, and can be seen on CBS starting at 1 p.m.
Danny Bridges, who is far more concerned about Rush Limbaugh being on the sidelines than the 375 passing yards the Colts secondary yielded, can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or Bridgeshd@aol.com.
