If it wasn’t for the three super bowl rings and the great legacy Bill Belichick has already left, that could be the title of his autobiography: 4th and 2 from the 28. For any other coach or team, the decision to go for it on 4th and 2 from their own 28-yard line with 2:08 left and a six-point lead with Peyton Manning waiting to get the ball may have defined a career. However, Belichick and the Patriots have a great decade of football to fall back on. But, in a way, it does show the kind of coach Belichick is. Despite his calm demeanor and vague answers at press conferences where he never takes credit or blames anyone, Belichick has an ego. He feels he’s a genius and wants to be seen that way. Although he is one of the best coaches of all-time and will find himself in the Hall of Fame when his time comes, sometimes his ego can get in the way. Maybe going for it did give the team the best chance to win. Manning did drive the Colts down on the previous two drives without much resistance from the Patriots defense. The Patriots offense is still one of the best in the game, and putting the ball in Tom Brady’s hands is never a bad idea. It was a do-or-die play. By going for it, it was pretty obvious that Belichick did not believe in his defense. They knew that, and therefore had even less confidence when they had to take the field to stop Manning with a short field. It was inevitable that they would score. Belichick now has to win back his defense, after sending a very strong message that they were not ready to help them win the game. This could be something that haunts the team for the rest of the season, with a crucial game against a conference rival coming next week. Maybe this is a sign that times are changing. Manning led a ferocious comeback against the Patriots in the 2006 AFC Championship game as well, leading to a Colts Super Bowl victory. Manning changed his legacy from a great quarterback who couldn’t perform in the playoffs to a clutch quarterback. He showed that once again Sunday night, leading another great comeback with the Colts entering the 4th quarter, trailing by 17 points. I’m not saying that it was a bad call or that I don’t see why Belichick did it. But it does bring to question if the crown has been turned over. It takes a lot to win a Super Bowl, and the Patriots have not done it since 2004. There is a long way to go in the season, but plays and games like that can send a team in one of two directions. Belichick will really show himself as a coach if he can bring this team back from that loss and go deep into the playoffs, with a chance at a rematch of Sunday’s game in Indy for the AFC title.