Regarding the Patriots decision to go for it on 4th, Gene Wojciechowski writes:

As for Belichick, I’m still waiting to hear a logical reason why a fourth-and-13 attempt at the Giants’ 31 makes more sense than a 49-yard field goal attempt. But that’s what Belichick decided to do with 6:49 left in the third quarter and the Patriots ahead 7-3.

Personally I respect this decision. It’s easy to criticize it now seeing the final results of the game. Had the patriots got the first down would this pundit still be critical of this decision? Seems unlikely.

The safe move, the more typical move would of been to go for the field goal. Such safe play calling wins super bowls but what it has not done is generate an undefeated team. Belichick seems to understand that. If you want great things you have to be willing to take great risks. That what Belichick did and I respect that.

Should I renounce my atheism?

could write this opinion piece and keep his job. Fortunately Jason Whitlock is African American because he makes a very interesting argument.

It’s already starting to happen. A little-publicized fact is that the Colts and the Patriots — the league’s model franchises — are two of the whitest teams in the NFL. If you count rookie receiver Anthony Gonzalez, the Colts opened the season with an NFL-high 24 white players on their 53-man roster. Toss in linebacker Naivote Taulawakeiaho “Freddie” Keiaho and 47 percent of Tony Dungy’s defending Super Bowl-champion roster is non-African-American. Bill Belichick’s Patriots are nearly as white, boasting a 23-man non-African-American roster, counting linebacker Tiaina “Junior” Seau and backup quarterback Matt Gutierrez.

Unfortunately I think Jason misses the underlying argument. I’m willing to bet really good money that its not that the Patriots and the Colts have more white players but rather that they have more players that were raised by two parents instead of one. In this way, race serves as a rough measure for how many parents raised a child.

So it turns out the Patriots dominance in the NFL is becasuse they are cheaters. Given what I know of Patriot fans this really doesn’t surprise me.

In the preseason game against the Panthers as way of explanation for why they got trounced the panthers head coach said they didn’t want to show all their weapons. At the time I passed that off as coach out of reality with the shortcomings of his team. But now i see his wisdom. He was afraid the patriots would illegally tape all of their super secret hand signals making them weak during the season when they play the patriots for real.

Go Panthers! Been a fan for almost thirty years.