Patriots thankful for Chargers’ stupidity
Monday, October 25, 2010
The real bozo Sunday was Chargers’ offensive lineman Louis Vasquez, followed closely by head coach, Norv Turner, who channeled his inner Marty Schottenheimer to help flush what could’ve been a dramatic come-from-behind win for San Diego.
After the New England Patriots’ failed in their attempt to ice Sunday’s game on fourth-and-1 from their own 49-yard line with under two minutes remaining, Turner’s bonehead play-calling in the closing seconds left backup kicker Kris Brown with the unenviable task of attempting a game-tying field goal from 45 yards out.
In what can only be described as poetic justice for a coach incapable of gaining more than 20 yards with three timeouts at his disposal (or a coach who puts a historically inaccurate kicker in a position to fail) Vasquez got flagged for a false start penalty on the game-tying attempt, instead forcing Brown to try a 50-yarder with 27 seconds to go.
To no one’s surprise, Brown – only 18 of 33 in his career from 50 yards out – booted the ball directly into the upright in his first major test as a Charger, allowing the Patriots to escape with a 23-20 win despite San Diego scoring 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
Had Brown done his job – or, better yet, had Vasquez not jumped before the initial snap – the Chargers might have pulled this one out in overtime, leaving Belichick with the goat horns in a game eerily similar to New England’s meltdown in Indianapolis last year.
Against the Colts, Belichick rolled the dice by attempting a fourth-and-2 pass play from his own 28-yard line in the closing minutes with a chance to ice what would’ve been a huge road win. The call backfired, and Indianapolis scored on the ensuing possession for a 35-34 victory. As was the case last year, Belichick had the right idea, but picked the worst possible play to run. Last year, it was a quick out to Kevin Faulk, who got popped right at the first-down marker and fell a yard short. Yesterday, it was a sweep to BenJarvus Green-Ellis, a glorified, third-string running back whose role has expanded in recent weeks due to the team’s lack of depth.
On most fourth-down plays from short distance, the Patriots run a quarterback sneak, and it works 99 times out of 100 even though everyone in the stadium knows it’s coming. There was no need to get cute with the game on the line. Brady probably could’ve gotten three or four yards on a sneak, but for some reason the Patriots chose a play in which Green-Ellis took the snap from three yards behind the line of scrimmage, which does nothing but give him more ground to cover and give the Chargers’ defense more time to watch the play unfold.
This brought back memories of watching Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin, who used to have this habit of running pitch plays to lead-foot Brandon Jacobs instead of giving the ball to Tiki Barber in short-yardage situations. Naturally, Belichick’s gamble failed miserably as San Diego linebacker Antwan Applewhite read the play beautifully and stuffed Green-Ellis for a 1-yard loss.
I applaud Belichick for having the guts to go for the knockout blow, but if you’re aiming for the jugular at least have the common sense to throw the right punch. Know your personnel. Green-Ellis is probably the last guy I’d want touching the ball with the game on the line. You don’t let Bill Cartwright shoot when you have Michael Jordan, and you certainly don’t put the weight on Green-Ellis’ shoulders when you have one of the game’s top five players in the huddle.
When the dust settled, the Chargers took over from New England’s 48 with 1:55 remaining. Keep two things in mind: No. 1, Brown had just signed with the team on Wednesday to replace injured starter Nate Kaeding, which means he was out of a job up until that point and probably out of a job for good reason (namely because he’s terrible); and, No. 2, Brown had just booted a kickoff out bounds, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 40 on the previous drive, which could’ve been disastrous had Applewhite not stopped Green-Ellis.
With that said, it was Turner’s job to call the right plays to get Brown as close as possible, knowing full well his replacement was already having a shaky game up until that point and was never any good from beyond 40 yards to begin with. The Chargers had all three of their timeouts remaining, so they had plenty of time to gain at least 25 yards without compromising the effectiveness of their offense. Patrick Crayton’s drop on first-and-10 from the 35 didn’t help, but neither did the curious call on the next snap, which resulted in Rivers having to chuck the ball out of bounds because no one was open.
The Chargers managed to get 8 yards on third-and-10 when Rivers hit Antonio Gates near the sideline, but that still left Brown with a 45-yard try, which only got more complicated when Vasquez jumped the gun on the ensuing snap. Six years ago, the Chargers suffered a similar loss in a playoff game against the Jets when then-head coach Marty Schottenheimer called three consecutive running plays from the 22-yard line in overtime instead of trying to get closer. As a result, Kaeding – a rookie that year – missed from 40 yards out. The Jets eventually won, and Schottenheimer took most of the blame.
Turner should be fired for Sunday’s debacle. His players are undisciplined and lack common football knowledge, such as when a play is or isn’t ruled dead, a problem that led to two of the Chargers’ four turnovers yesterday. His decision to try a surprise onsides kick in the first quarter Sunday and his horrific clock management in the closing minutes should be the last straw for San Diego.
As for the Patriots, they still have a problem closing out games, but a win is a win and they’re now 5-1 with the struggling Vikings coming to town next weekend. Don’t be too hard on Belichick for his near-gaffe Sunday. At least the Patriots don’t have Turner on their sideline.
Related Articles
- Ignore Moss’ gibberish and just be glad he’s here
- So long, sucker! Moss dealt to Vikings
- Patriots’ struggles can be linked to poor decision-making
- The Patriots’ path to glory is littered with trash
- Belichick, Pats Escape San Diego With a Victory
- Scott Cordischi On Sports - Belichick Had His Reasons to Trade Moss
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It