Has Belichick lost his genius? flip a coin

Who would've thought that here on the cusp of Super Bowl 50, a game in which by all rights the New England Patriots should be playing, I'd be unable to shake the fact that it's not the aging arms and legs of our star quarterback that sticks in my craw, but the seemingly fading "genius" of our once-unquestionable coach Bill Belichick.

Soon after Belichick arrived in England I had proclaimed him one of the smartest coaches in the NFL.

And there was plenty of evidence to back me up.

I never questioned his decision a few years ago when he kept the offense out on a fourth down on our side of the field, only to fail to make the first down and lose the game.

In fact through good times and bad, I at first, supported, then deferred and finally swallowed his decision. After reading Education of a Coach by David Halberstam and following him for decades, well, you don't question Sheldon Cooper, Albert Einstein or Coach Belichick.

However, beginning with the Jets' game, I've begun to doubt Belichick.

Judging by the grimaces of Tom Brady and other Patriots during the interviews after the Jets game regarding the coin flip, I believe cracks in the foundation of trust in their coach showed on their faces.

I mean how do you win the coin flip IN OVERTIME and not give the ball to Tom Brady. It's unfathomable.

And just so you know, it was not Matthew Slater's screwup. Belichick had gone to the refs before the toss and instructed them the Pats wanted to kick off, just in case Slater got caught up in the frenzy of the moment and made the proper call.

And then we limped into Miami and took the ball completely away from Brady, supposedly to protect him from monsters like runaround Suh, perhaps the dirtiest player in football. But perhaps if we'd put the ball in Brady's hands early on, picked up a blitz or two and thrown for a touchdown, the defense would've become more honest, just like it did when we did precisely that in the Chiefs game.

Belichick totally lost it in the last two games, playing it way too cozy. Some apologists even said he intentionally lost the last two games trying to get that perfect postseason matchup in the Divisional Round.

I say "hooey" to the Pollyannas out there.

He lost it. Belichick, whose teams usually perform their best in December, stumbled into the playoffs with him to blame.

Julian Edelman, who looked great against the Chief, could likely have come back against Miami in the final regular season game. Give Brady the ball on the first play, set the tone, read some blitzes and get the bye and home field advantage.

With a pathetic overall record playing the Broncos in Denver (13-26), Belichick should have recognized the danger of going to the Mile High City, no matter Peyton Manning's arm status.

I don't think we lose in Foxboro. I just don't.