I won't leave this one alone.

I have been replaying the end of the Pats-Colts game in my head much of the night and am trying to wrap my head around it.

I am past questioning the move and have moved onto why he did it. I went through the options in my previous blog entry, but for me it's more of a cracking-into-his-brain exploration now.

Bill Belichick loves to go for in on fourth down and (fill in the blank). I know he has seen "The 4th Down study" written by (of course) a Navy grad with whom Belichick already would have a connection because of his late father's coaching ties to the school. Heck, Belichick probably secretly wrote the study under a pen name of a Navy pilot. But doing that would make the world aware of his secret evil genius, so maybe not. He prefers to show people in games how smart he is.

It's apples and oranges, but Belichick's move struck me as one of determined, unwavering arrogance in his own coaching ability. It was Maverick performing a split S with a MiG right on his tail, or as Charlie said, "What were you thinking?" All except the part where Mav's aggressive move works for him. But for me, it's the aftermath of this "Gun" scene that plays out in true Belichickian fashion this morning with his team's higher-ups. I can see it in my head:

BB: You don't have time to think out there. If you think, you're dead.

Robert Kraft: That's a big gamble with a $900 million franchise.

Ernie "Slider" Adams: Gutsiest move I ever saw, man.

[Cue Berlin's "Take My Breath Away. Belichick speeds off on a motorcycle up Rt. 1.]

I can't wait to see how this plays out. The game last night probably didn't mean a ton. Sure, home-field advantage would have been nice. But they still would have had to catch the Colts before they got it. I am not sure they would have.

What is more striking to me is how this blunder will affect the way Belichick coaches his team. I suspect he still will put the pedal to the metal. But even Maverick learned his lesson. The difference is he was young and still green while Belichick is pretty hardened in his ways. Usually, he's right. We'll see who gets the MiG in the end.