The end of the game was a trial by fire for this long-time Giants fan. Down by two points, with 57 seconds left and 2nd and goal from the six, the right call was to run two plays, make New England use their last time out, and attempt a game-winning field goal that, from that range, is just a glorified extra-point, which has a 99% probability of success.
Bill Belichick, wise coach that he is, was aware of the statistics, and told his defense to lie down and let the Giants score. Tom Coughlin, a bit older than Belichick, but also quite wise, told his team to keep the ball from crossing the goal line, to set up the potentially easy game-winning field goal.
Ahmad Bradshaw, hard-running halfback for the Giants, was aware of the situation, and tried valiantly to stop at the one yard-line, but he was unable to do so. The Giants scored the go-ahead touchdown, but gave the Patriots a real shot to come back with just under a minute to play, and one time out remaining. The fact that a few passes were dropped in the final minute, and a last-ditch hail Mary hit the ground after a few Patriots had a shot at it only proves what Coughlin had told his team beforehand. Don’t score! Had New England managed to come back, it would have been a totally avoidable scenario that had been undone by a player’s failure to heed his coach’s admonition.
I was saying though, you gotta take the points if they are going to give them to you. The field goal is almost automatic but no guarantee like a giant hole and no one trying to tackle you. I would rather put my confidence in the defense than the field goal kicker. Anyway, it worked out for the Giants and they are champs.
“Ahmad Bradshaw, hard-running halfback for the Giants, was aware of the situation, and tried valiantly to stop at the one yard-line, but he was unable to do so.”
The fact is that Bradshaw had complete control of his body at all times. He very deliberately stopped inches in front of the goal line, pirouetted 180 degrees, then, after much deliberation, he sat down in the end zone for six points.
On his way to the goal line, Bradshaw had a flashback of what happened to Baltimore and their attempt at an “automatic” 3 points in the AFC championship game. This made him realize that scoring a touchdown would leave New England with the necessity to score an answering touchdown within 57 seconds to win the game, whereas if he did it Coughlin’s way Brady could have had about thirty seconds to get his team into position win it with a field goal.
In any case, Ahmad was right and Coughlin was wrong, and Coughlin knew it. One only had to look at the smile on Coach’s face after Brady’s last Hail Mary hit the ground to tell you that. If Bradshaw had done what Coughlin had told him, and New England moved the ball into field goal range and won it with a second left on the clock, and Coughlin would now be trying to sneak out of the country disguised as Madonna.
If Bradshaw could have gotten a first down without scoring, then it would have made sense to stop short of the goal line, since the Giants could basically run down the clock from there.
I believe it would have been third down, and New England would have taken a timeout, so that guaranteed that no matter what, they still would have gotten the ball back with at least 30 seconds left, so at the point, he might as well have scored.