IT'S OCTOBER 29TH 2007, AND BILL BELICHICK IS STILL A DICK

by WCT, The Ship of Fools

I don’t think there is anyone or anything in sports that I personally hate more than that man, so this is not going to be a completely unbiased rant, but I would love to hear someone present the other side of this issue.

I have always held to the mantra “to the victor goes the spoils.” I have always felt that you cannot “show a team up” in a game. Its your job to stop them, not their job to stop. But what the Patriots did in Sunday’s game against the Redskins goes way above and beyond anything else I have seen in all my years of watching NFL football.

In the fourth quarter, with his team up 45-0, Belichick kept his offense on the field and went for it on fourth down. Twice.

Going for it on fourth and inches is one thing, but going for it on fourth and one in field goal range, or fourth and two in long field goal range is indefensible.

Nevermind the fact that Tom Brady was still throwing deep passes with his team up 45 points. Nevermind the fact that the coach on the other sideline was Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs. Honestly, can you even imagine another head coach who would do that? Maybe Brian Billick. MAYBE. But what other coach of a Super Bowl contender would stoop to that level?

Ok, we get it. You have a very good team. We’re all really impressed. But this is the NFL. There is no poll, and no BCS rankings. There is no incentive for a team to beat another team by 52 points rather than 45. Belichick was just being a dick. Of course all of his apologists will talk about how he was trying to “send a message.” But going for two forth downs when you are up by more than six touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and trying your best to embarrass one of the most respected coaches in the sport just isn’t right.