Don't forget the pre-game show!
And Madden was crazy for telling them to run out the clock. The Pats D-line was dead, and they had very little chance of winning in OT.
Yep. With 1:48 left in the game, why not take a shot at getting in field goal range? I don't understand why Madden was disagreeing with Belichick's decision to let Brady throw the ball. Especially since Brady was playing a safe, conservative game anyhow. He didn't turn the ball over all night. It was plain to see that the Patriots defense was running out of gas and overtime would have favored the Rams.
Agreed. Somewhere, Dennis Green is sitting at a golf course, looking at a TV and saying, "I'd have fallen on the ball." The 1998 NFC championship was a classic example of a team playing not to lose (the Vikings) and then doing exactly that.
You play games to win them, not to avoid losing. I applaud Belichick for having the guts to try and win the game in regulation, and I'm glad he was rewarded for it.