Otis, I'm as grateful to Bill Belchick as anyone. And while Buck's tone is a little strident, I have trouble disagreeing with anything he said. What specifically do you disagree with? Last night was well beyond "mailing in a stinker." It was about a piss poor defensive game plan and a series of personnel decisions (Butler out at 2, Rowe in at 2, Richards getting a lot of playing time, last second informing of both players and keeping Rowe on Jeffrey for a half) that were indeed putrid. Said differently, my gratitude to Bill doesn't change, even a little bit, my disappointment over coaching blunders that seemingly contributed mightily to a SB loss.
One of the great things about being a Pats fan during this run has been the knowledge that we have a brilliant HC (and GM). The most frustrating times for me as a sports fan are when the manager makes winning much harder. That's why I took the Pedro/Grady game so hard, and why having John Farrell as the manager was tough for me as a Sox fan. We can quibble about my analysis there, but the wonderful difference with the Pats has been that they almost always did the smart thing. Sure, individual decisions have made me wonder, and I still hate the Jimmy trade in the middle of the season given the lack of QB insurance and still wonder about the last two games of the 2015 season and the resulting loss of the HFA in the AFCCG. But until last night, I have never thought that Bill had a Grady Moment or series of them. To the contrary, I thought that was impossible. That he was well above that. And now we have last night and whatever fall out comes from it.