Belichick’s decisions drawing criticism

Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH,MASS.

You still see T-shirts around the home of the New England Patriots with coach Bill Belichick’s scowling face and the mantra “In Bill We Trust.”

But more than any time since the hoodied football guru began filling the team’s trophy case, fans here are beginning to question his judgment.

Two decisions to forego a field goal and go for it on fourth down in Sunday’s AFC championship game was just the latest in a series of calls that didn’t work out for Belichick and the Patriots this season. The Broncos won 20-18 to earn a trip to Super Bowl 50 that the defending champions had considered their birthright.

“I think each of us that competed in the game — players, coaches — probably feel the same way,” Belichick said on Monday. “A couple of plays, calls, that you’d like to have back.”

The Patriots wouldn’t have even been in Denver — where quarterback Tom Brady has a 2-7 record — but for a rare December collapse by a team that has been one of the league’s best finishers.

Winning just two of their last six regular-season games, the Patriots finished one win short of home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs.

Belichick’s decisions — some risky but reasonable, others downright puzzling — were a big reason why.

While only the most extreme talk radio loudmouths would be calling for the head of a four-time Super Bowl winner after a few failed moves, Belichick conceded on Monday that he second-guesses himself “all the time.”

Among his players, there’s still absolute loyalty.

“One hundred percent, we follow him and the decisions he makes,” long-snapper Joe Cardona said as he cleaned out his belongings in a somber locker room on Monday.

“We follow him and the decisions he makes,” he said. “Obviously, he’s accomplished a lot. There’s no questioning our leaders.”

The coaching future of Belichick, who turns 64 in April, is unknown. He’s previously said that immediately following a season is not the time to make snap judgments of any kind. He repeated that on Monday.

“Absolutely. The emotion of the game is still with all of us. But the process still has to start,” he said. “So we’ll start it and do things in the normal course that we do.”

But the lasting memories of the Patriots’ 2015 season will likely be its humbling conclusion.

“We did a lot of good things, won a lot of games and came up short in the end. It’s bittersweet,” Belichick said.

The year began with quarterback Tom Brady tarred, then unchained from a suspension on the heels of cheating allegations in the scandal known as “Deflategate.”

Brady and the Patriots seized on that momentum and played like a team in a time machine, running off 10 straight victories before Thanksgiving weekend. Brady looked like the early-season MVP during the stretch, throwing for 25 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards.

Receiver Matthew Slater said the team tried to rally behind their quarterback during the scandal.

“Certainly that was a motivating factor for us. But it wasn’t just for him, it was for the whole football team,” he said. “A lot of guys went through a lot this year. Maybe not as highly-publicized as what Tom went through. But a lot of guys went through things.

“There’s a lot to be said for what we were able to accomplish and where we got ourselves this year.”