jad1

Heat is overrated. The only coaches that are concerned with heat are the inept ones that are going to be fired anyway. And in this case its meaningless. Bellichick basically told the entire league that his defense isn't good enough. That's the real story here.

If the Pats punted the ball, it would still be expected that they win the game. If they give up the touchdown, the story is that the Pats defense isn't strong enough to win the AFC. That's still on Bellichick and his team. Giving up a 17 point lead, even if they punted, isn't a victimless crime. That 3rd down pass you mention was almost a pick six. It showed that Indy was sitting on the short routes. It should have lowered the odds in Bellichick's mind for making the 4th and 2. In the end, Rodney Harrison's commentary was on target. The Pats young defense now knows that their coach has no faith in them. Along with the loss, it's another weight for the players have to carry.

In other words, Manning has made Belichick his B word.

Not sure what Bellichick's call has to do with the Bills, and not sure why he felt he had to gamble to that extent at that point in the game. And if the Pats can't stop the Colts 60 yards from the end zone with the game on the line, well they better be content with polishing the Lombardys they own, because they're not going to be winning any more any time soon.

I got to believe that it's more difficult to drive the ball 60 or 70 yards than 30.

Yeah, it wasn't a warm embrace, it was more like a 'I just got my ass handed to me by a rookie coach for the second time this season' acknowledgement.

He also gave an undefeated team playing at home a chance to win the game by making one play.

Bellichick is a great coach, but this was a bad decision and it deserves criticism. He showed no respect for the Colts defense or his own and his team paid for it.

Funny, the Colts defense was being owned the entire game, but given a chance with the game on the line and they come through. Maybe Bellichick should have given his own defense the same opportunity.

Again, Bellichick is a total dumbass for making that call.

Bellichick = moron (at least this week)

Bellichick makes a dumbass call and then can't challenge because he burned his timeouts!

Which is much different than a 51 yarder, especially when you look at Bironas' success from 50-55 yards. It's a no brainer, you take the penalty.

Actually, if you count OTL as losses (and you should because that's what they are), the Sabres currently stand 7 games over .500 after 17 games played. Looking at the 8th place teams from last season using the same math, Montreal was exactly .500 (41-41). Anaheim was 2 games over .500 (42-40). The Sabres were 41-32-9 last season, or 41-41 for a .500 record (The Canadiens had the good fortune to lose two more games in the OT/SO than the Sabres). So a team has to play roughly around .500 to make the playoffs. Since the Sabres are currently 7 games over .500 near the quarter pole, there's good reason for excitement this early in the season for the team. Of course it is a long season and the team still needs to prove that it can play consistently, but comparing their encouraging start against the Bills bumbling should be encouraging for Buffalo fans.

Bironas has made 6 of his last 7 between 50 and 55 yards. Maybe it wasn't exactly a chip shot, but it was as close to a chip shot that Bironas gets. Jauron should have accepted the penalty if just to extend the game. They have a safety who is leading the league in interceptions, and Vince Young isn't exactly in the Manning/Brady league yet. All they needed was a Young incompletion and the Titans were punting with a 7 point lead.

Big deal. Take the penalty and you have one play to keep yourself in the game. Sell out. Call an all-out blitz, or drop 8 in coverage . Call a double stunt. How about a MLB blitz. Point is do something other than watch a kicker make a wheelhouse kick. Fight to win the f###ing game. We know this team is young and injured, and not that good. What is unacceptable is that the coaching staff is defeated by that and REFUSES to let this team fight. As bad as the players were in that game, they deserved the right to try to make one more play with the game on the line. If they weren't up to it, so be it, but I'd rather have Byrd out there on 3rd and long, one more time, than watch Bironas make that kick with no fight.

He's one of the best kickers in the league. He can hit from 51. He missed from 60. Regardless of what you think of the defenses ability, you do what you can do get him to kick from 60. If the guy's range was 45 yards, and he was going to kick from 40, you'd move him back on a penalty, right? if his range was 35 yards, you'd move him back from 30. If the Bills were facing a kicker with a shorter range, or were playing in a rainstorm, 51 yards is out range. But those weren't the circumstances. Bironas has a range of 50-55 yards. It's a no-brainer, you move him back if you get the chance.

You don't get it. Regardless of the level of confidence you have in the Bills defense, you have to have confidence that Bironas is going to make that kick. It's within his range, the weather is perfect, and he's made clutch kicks like this before. So you have to figure that he makes the kick, which puts your team down by 10 late in the fourth, effectively ending the game. So if you want to win the game, you don't let Bironas kick without a fight, which means you take the penalty and hope that the defense can come up with a big play.

Because every down is a new play, and when you're down by 7 late in the 4th quarter, YOU GIVE YOUR TEAM A FIGHTING CHANCE TO WIN THE GAME! Who knows, maybe some pressure and Young chucks an interception.

Jauron, now there's a hell of a coach

Beat me to it.

It's funny because it's true.

Is anyone watching this game and thinking that we can book 0-6 in the division again this season?

Ah yes, another moral victory during the Jauron era!

I'd bet you're right.