To receive or not to receive, that is the question. At least that was the dilemma facing New England last Sunday before the Patriots fell to the New York Jets in overtime.
In most cases, that is not a dilemma as most teams choose to take the ball in overtime of a football game, no matter what level, let alone the National Football League, especially considering New Englanders are blessed with the super-human arm of quarterback Tom Brady.
It was the call though from genius coach Bill Belichick – he of the intentional safety several years ago to win a football game and other boundary-pushing acts like SpyGate (proven) and DeflateGate (unproven) – to kick off in OT, setting things in motion, and sending the Jets to a W-I-N. Win. Win. Win.
Some say it was a blunder by Matthew Slater (who made the call), others blame Belichick (who claimed to have told Slater to make the call), and some have even pointed to a conspiracy theory, claiming the Pats lost on purpose to keep the AFC darkhorse Pittsburgh Steelers as far away from the playoffs as possible.
It all should play out in the coming weeks as playoff teams are finalized, and the postseason begins.
One person who did not let the madness of Sunday’s game affect their overall performance – Westfield resident Chris White.
White posted a 10-3 record (and correctly predicted a tiebreaker point total of 55) to claim the weekly prize, a gift certificate to The Tavern Restaurant, his second of the season.
“It was sheer luck this time around,” White said. “I went by my gut … instead of looking up statistics.”
A key selection for White involved making a choice with his head, rather than his heart.
“Even though I am a huge Patriots fan, I went against them,” he said.
That proved to be the correct decision. As for the Patriots’ decision to kick off … well, let’s not bring up the past.
The two entrants at 10-3 and five others with 9-4 records managed to top my 8-5 mark to earn entry into the grand prize drawing at season’s end. There is just one week left to earn a spot in the grand prize drawing for a flat-screen television, courtesy of Manny’s TV & Appliances.
Choose wisely!
