Sunday was a bright, sunny day, unseasonably warm and pleasant. But for local sports fans, it may as well have been dull and gray, with a damp, biting rain stinging our faces.
Just about everywhere, the refrain was the same: "What was Belichick thinking?"
Or even worse: "They should fire him!" shouted an area postman.
For anyone who missed the sports disaster that visited New England late Sunday night, here's the synopsis: Patriots coach Bill Belichick was just two minutes away from spoiling the Indianapolis Colts' undefeated season. The Pats had the ball on their own 28-yard line, just two yards shy of a first down. His choice was to take the conventional strategy of punting the ball away and hoping his defense could hold on for two minutes, or take a monumental risk, try to gain a first down and win with his offense on the field.
His defense was clearly tired, so he tried the latter. It failed. Then it backfired. Within two minutes, stunned Pats fans watched the Colts score a final touchdown, winning the game by one measly point. It was the most hyped game of the season, a rivalry now put on par with the Red Sox/Yankees, and our guys lost in a heartbreaker.
Uncharacteristically, the calm and cool Belichick took off his headphones and ran his hands through his hair, in what looked like shock and disbelief. The genius of football had made a grand mistake. All of New England seemed to take it personally, as if a chosen son had betrayed us.
At a press conference Monday, Belichick gave his usual monotone answer: "It's the same thing I said after the game: I thought it was our best chance to win. I thought we needed to make that one play and then we could basically run out the clock. And, we weren't able to make it."
For those who hate the New England Patriots — and their numbers are legion across the country — this was a particularly sweet victory.
But Belichick will take his lumps and learn from them, as he always does. Our mad genius of football may concoct fallible formulas occasionally, but they are shuffled in among many brilliant ones. That's the price we pay for having an unconventional coach.
Looking back over his success-studded tenure in New England, it's worth it.
