Never Would Have Guessed

[-JJ-]

I disagree. If Peyton had been playing then it might have been different and Belichick might have kept the pedal to the medal until the clock read 00:00. In that type of game, when both teams are clicking on all cylinders coming into the game, then some teams would be willing to go that extra mile to really crush an opponent to prove their superiority. However, without Peyton and with the Colts playing as horribly as they have been all season, there was nothing at all to gain, even for those who would be otherwise tempted, by running up the score. The Pats were 8-3 and 20+ point favorites to easily beat the 0-11 Colts and that's essentially what they did. I do agree with others that the game wound up closer than Belichick would have liked but it could have been much, much worse.

You make a good point about if PM had been playing.

Its also true you do want to crush opponents to show superiority and knock the wind out of their sails.

As you pointed..there weren't many sails to knock out

[The Fish]

Hoyer came in with less then 4 minutes to play, played 3 downs and was removed...how is that letting up?

I'll do you one better, how is that not letting up?

[braveheartcolt]

You make a good point about if PM had been playing.

Its also true you do want to crush opponents to show superiority and knock the wind out of their sails.

As you pointed..there weren't many sails to knock out

To give your opponents a chance ( a remote one I grant you) when you had them dead and buried is not good coaching, no matter how you spin it, and how it ended up. If you can't see that, then you are just in denial....

[JimJaime]

In most situation I would agree, the objective is to win, but there are those games in the NFL where if team A can run up the score and make team B look bad, they will and I think if Bill could have he would have loved to have destroyed the colts if possible.

I disagree, the only team he would destroy like that is one.. and that be the JETS.. he HATES the JETS, he has a lot of respect for the colts team and players.

[GoPats]

Poor coaching from BB. He took the foot off the gas, and was unprepared for what happened. As GoPats said, it was just a little too close for comfort. Once you relax in a game, it can be quite hard to get the momentum going again (sorry all you Polian crazies, it is important no matter what your Lord of the Dance says) and that showed up yesterday. All it told me was that there is no such thing as running up the score, you keep playing till the last drive. Like the Saints did.......

Just imagine if you had Hank Baskett covering that last onside kick.......

Spot-on. Belichick got a little too cute in the 4th quarter and it almost burned him in the you-know-what.

[dn4192]

I'll do you one better, how is that not letting up?

Really? 4 minutes left in the game? How about he comes in at the start of the 4th quarter then maybe I might see they Pats were letting up...but 4 minutes, 3 plays, 1 series? Not a chance

[colts_mp]

Did the Saints let up? Heck did Houston let up on us in game 1?

Did the Saints let up? Heck did Houston let up on us in game 1?

YES! Matt Schaub threw 1 pass attempt in the 4th quarter and Drew Brees did not even attempt a pass in the 4th quarter. That's about as letting up as it gets.

[JoKeR]

If you really think they "let up" you are kidding yourself. Bill doesn't let up on anyone. You and others just can't grasp the idea that the Colts played a pretty good game in NE.

I think what you saw was the stark contrast between a abysmal offense and a average offense.

[dn4192]

I think what you saw was the stark contrast between a abysmal offense and a average offense.

Right now I will take average any day and twice on Sunday.

[Yehoodi]

Yes... thats what i said..??? Bill didnt feel comfortable with the backup and didnt want a screw up.

true, but you are talking about one single play that is, unless you are Phillip Rivers, a 1/1000 that it will go wrong and 1/20000 with TB . . . I think the point is Virilundant was talking about a game wide plan and you are trying to compare that with a single play . . . I think your point might have more meaning if it was earlier in the game when the back up came in, kind of like against MIA in 2007, Cassell came in with a 21 point lead with 7 mins to go or so, and promptly threw a pick six 6 to Jason Taylor which brought the game to 14 points and more importantly got the fins crowd back into it, we were still in control but BB was not going to take any chances and put TB back in for a long time consuming drive and we got the 7 points back and it was game over . . . (and he got yelled at in the presser and in the papers the next day)

interestingly, last Sunday's game is proof positive that the pats were NOT running up the score as some think back in 2007, more than a handful of times were had a lead not that different then on Sunday and BB kept TB in the game, and sometimes we scored to go up 38-3 and sometimes we did not . . . but for some strange reason we did, and weirdly still do, get calls from our fan base and others, that we are running up the score . . . i was not sure then and still aint sure now, how one can be deem to be running up the score, when if you dont' make that last drive, teh opponent can, and sometimes - like Sunday-, will, get back in the game with a onside kick away from a game tieing score . . . the criticisim of the 2007 Pats running up the score will never make sense to me . . .

[Yehoodi]

Poor coaching from BB. He took the foot off the gas, and was unprepared for what happened. As GoPats said, it was just a little too close for comfort. Once you relax in a game, it can be quite hard to get the momentum going again (sorry all you Polian crazies, it is important no matter what your Lord of the Dance says) and that showed up yesterday. All it told me was that there is no such thing as running up the score, you keep playing till the last drive. Like the Saints did.......

Just imagine if you had Hank Baskett covering that last onside kick.......

agreed, and as i mentioned in the above post, it is kind of like the devil if you do and the devil of you don't , if one leaves his first line unit in for one extra series and they happen to score, the peanut galleries cries running up the score . . . but that by definition can not be running up the score if one is trying to put the game out of reach; that is, by either scoring or having a time cosuming drive on that extra possession with the first unit to avoid the last minute onside kick to get a game typing possession for the opponent . . . i still can not convince one of my pats fans about this concept . . . :rolleyes:

[-JJ-]

To give your opponents a chance ( a remote one I grant you) when you had them dead and buried is not good coaching, no matter how you spin it, and how it ended up. If you can't see that, then you are just in denial....

Oh I never said give them a chance. The offense didn't ever let up. Thats why Brady was mad he missed a pass when it was 31. He wanted to put the nail in coffin, contrary to some remarks made here he was mad because he couldn't run up the score for his stats mvp etc LOL.

But you do play different with a lead. The defense drops back into coverage and while not exactly our strong suit nevertheless.......