All the media is abuzz this Monday about New England's choice to kick off in overtime against the Jets. The Boston Herald has a column that maintains it was the right decision by head coach Bill Belichick.
"You're The Decider... and your decision looks wrong. But was it?" the piece begins. "Not really unless you are the type who believes any decision someone makes that doesn't work out was the wrong one."
Another Herald piece focuses on the Patriots' mounting injury list, which the players insist is not an excuse for Sunday's loss in New York.
The Boston Globe's column about the OT kickoff decision calls it a head-scratcher.Another Globe piece looks at the problems New England had on offense, but contends that all hope is not yet lost.
CSNNE.com looks at both sides of the coin, if you'll pardon the expression, regarding Belichick's OT decision.
"Was Belichick "wrong" to take the ball out of Brady's hands at the start of overtime Sunday against the Jets," the writer asks, "to kick it off and hope to win a prolonged overtime battle? Or was it a calculated risk that just didn't work out?"
Not surprisingly, a New York Daily News columnist criticizes Belichick's decision as "indefensible."
Another writer in the New York Post also lambastes Belichick, saying, "He wanted Ryan Fitzpatrick to have the ball at the start of overtime because he has made a career of chewing and spitting out Jets quarterbacks and figured he had himself another foil. Thanks, genius! Somebody forgot to tell Belichick there is FitzMagic in the air around these Jets."
Meanwhile, ESPNBoston.com looks on the bright side following the Patriots' loss. Here's an excerpt:
"[T]his is the type of game that serves as a reminder of why the Patriots are still viewed by many as a top Super Bowl contender in the AFC, and that probably explains why Belichick and the team's locker room didn't seem as sullen as one might expect afterward."
Elsewhere, The Providence Journal has an offering on newcomer Steven Jackson in the running back's Patriots debut.Another ProJo story focuses on the absence of New England's two starting safeties and how that impacted the outcome of the game.
Finally, The New York Times has an interesting feature on a New Englander who's a loyal Jets fan.
