More on Coach Bill (already!)

Lest you think that I am just some clueless chick with my theories on arrogance and disrespect, allow me to present the following from folks who actually play the game (and must be wicked smart because they agree with me!)

I pulled this from the Pats blog on ESPN Boston
November 16, 2009, 2:47 AM
By: Chris Forsberg

INDIANAPOLIS -- If the Patriots showed confidence in their offense going for a fourth-down conversion at their own 28-yard line late in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's 35-34 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, what did it say to the Colts' defense?


"Total disrespect," said linebacker Clint Session. "They disrespected us and got what they deserved. They fought hard throughout the game, but they disrespected us at the end and they got what they deserved."

The Colts leaned hard on the disrespect card after the win as their prideful defense, which gave up a season-high 34 points despite entering the game as the best scoring defense in the league, came up with a critical stop. Defensive back Melvin Bullitt tackled Kevin Faulk a yard shy of the first-down marker, forcing a turnover on downs at the two-minute warning.

Reggie Wayne hauled in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning with 13 seconds remaining as the Colts prevailed. Here's a collection of the Colts' reaction to Bill Belichick's fourth-down call.

DE Dwight Freeney: "To be honest with you, that's how we take it. Any defense should take it the same way. Whenever you go for it on fourth down in that situation, we've got to make a play. It even happens in video games. You go for it on fourth down when you're not supposed to and something bad happens. We're happy. We got to continue the streak. We won another game."

QB Peyton Manning: "Not much surprises me with New England. You kind of expect the unexpected. … When you see them going for it on fourth down, I can't lie to you, obviously you certainly get a little nervous because you realize you might get a shorter field, but the game might be over."

WR Reggie Wayne: "Coach Belichick has never shied away from confidence. He really feels like his team can get the job done. He made a call and they had to execute it, and our defense did a good job of holding them short and giving us an opportunity to go out there and take a lead."

DB Melvin Bullitt: "Not with the New England Patriots. You never know what you're going to get with them. You can expect anything and you always have to be ready. They have that die-hard type of attitude."

DE Jerraud Powers: "I was surprised. I thought maybe he was going to try to get us to jump offside or something. I didn't think he'd actually try to run a play. That's the confidence Belichick has in his players and his quarterback. But we just stepped up to the challenge and made plays when we had to."

DE Robert Mathis: "Wow. All you can say is wow. They were going to do it like that, so we had to step up and fortunately we did. That's a lot of disrespect. I know they're trying to win the game just like we are, but we were fortunate to get a stop on that play."

DB Antoine Bethea: "We were like, 'Look, man, they don't respect us.' Like a reporter said, they might want to convert because our offense was clicking at the time and they wanted to keep our offense off the field. But as a defense, that's kind of disrespectful, and that's how we took it."

'nuf said, man

So close and yet...

Everyone is talking today about Bill Belichick, so allow me to join the conversation.  (It is my blog, so I can do what I want.)

First, if you have missed the discourse, here is a nice summary from people who think they know.

(Actually first, first: if you missed the discourse - HOW?)

So, he is gutsy or he's an idiot.  He is dissing his defense or showing confidence in his Brady-led offense.  He is one hoodie short of a full closet.  And so on and so on.  You can listen to former Patriot defender Tedy Bruschi claim it is a rip on the current Patriot defense.  You can watch Merrill Hoge defend coach Belichick (in a nice little chat with a rather annoyed ESPN acnhor).  You can read what former Patriot Rodney Harrison says about it.  This is just a taste, but you get the idea.

I am kind of shocked this is so shocking.  As a Colts fan, I can attest that going for it on 4th down is pretty standard operating procedure for the Patriots when playing the Colts (and, on an unrelated note, for the Jeff Fisher Titans when they play the Colts too).  Why it is so shocking now and such a slam on the D is beyond me.  Was it a slam on Tedy, et al, when the Coach went for it when they were on the team?

They cruised up and down the field all night with the hallowed Tom Brady at the helm.  Why WOULDN'T they assume they could get two more yards on top of the hundreds they had already amassed??

Here it is:  it isn't a rip on the Patriots' D.  It is a rip on the Colts D.  He (Belichick) was convinced the Colts couldn't stop his team/prevent them from gaining two little yards, so he went for it.  It isn't about his precious little D.  It is about them continuing to disrespect the Colts and being convinced in their minds that they are and continue to be the much better team/personnel/coach etc.  Disrespect for the Colts and uber-confidence in his peeps.

Bottom line: it was arrogance.  The concept that Peyton was "in Belichick's head" is totally laughable.

And now you have my two-cents to add to this ridiculously loud discourse.  Can we move on now?

None But Jesus

A couple weeks ago I was blessed with an opportunity I never thought I would have: to participate in an interpretive dance of this beautiful song. 

Was psyched to also find a video from Hillsong with Darlene Zschech singing and some groovy dancers dancing.  Different choreography, same concept.  Way cool.  Wish they showed more of the dance, but still awesome.

(Sorry I am not tech-y enough to put the video here for you to see, but take 4 seconds and go to the link.  Good stuff.)

London Calling...

I love the newsboys – a rock group made up of some cool Christian dudes. The ringtone on my cell phone is from their song, “Something Beautiful”. Perhaps you have heard it (if not, catch a glimpse and a listen here or on www.newsboys.com). I thought this would be great, as I like the song and would get a burst of happiness every time my cell phone rings.

A good idea in theory.

Except, every time my cell phone rings, this is what one hears, “it’s the voice that whispers my name, it’s a kiss without any shame – something beautiful…” It's cool in the context of the whole song, but out of context it is … hmmmm, I'm not sure.

Should I change it? I am starting to feel self-conscious when I am out and about and it rings. I am not a loud-cell phone-talker-in-public kind of chick anyway - so there will always be some awkwardness when my phone rings in the middle of a conversation - but I am starting to frantically dig for my phone to shush it ASAP when it rings for fear of what someone might think. Whaddya think? How would you respond if someone's pocket started singing that?

Jesus - No Greater Love

The Jesus Movie for

the Next Generation

www.NewJesusMovie.com

Guest post by Bruce Marchiano, producer of Jesus...No Greater Love

The truth of the gospel never changes. But Christianity has many faces. They reflect the customs and cultures and the beautiful diversity of the global church. They are lined with the wisdom of age and vibrant with the passion of youth. One gospel for all the world…but how will we deliver it in a way that reaches the whole world? How will we reach the next generation?







Young Christians today are more like St. Francis of Assisi than a circuit riding preacher. “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” This is a generation focused on being the hands and feet of Christ and meeting the physical needs of those in both the local and global community. They are building houses, planting gardens, taking food and clothes to the poor and helping the widows and orphans… and then they are sharing the gospel. And they are using technology like never before. They communicate the message through audio, film, video and the internet, and they strive for excellence within those mediums. They must. This is how they will reach their generation for Christ.







I share their passion. In the film, The Gospel According to Matthew, we were able to capture the heart of Christ that is so often missing in Christian films, but the quality of the film making was constrained by an $800,000 budget. Now we are inspiring a movement that will bring Jesus to film in a version that literally leaps off the screen and into the hearts of viewers.

Jesus…No Greater Love, the new Jesus movie, (http://www.newjesusmovie.com/) will be a word for word, verse by verse film adaption of the Gospel according to John. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. That’s really our concept, that the gospel would go out in the power of the film medium, unaltered by any human script writer.







The budget for a typical Hollywood production is $100-110 million. Actors’ salaries account for much of that cost. Because the new Jesus movie will be not be paying big name actors, our team believes we can produce a world class, state-of-the-art film incorporating the latest cutting-edge technology for just $45 million. The production will be shot on location in Jerusalem and shot digitally using CGI backgrounds and a green screen stage, providing unlimited potential for sharing the gospel for generations to come.







We are inviting people from all nations and all generations to join this movement to bring the gospel to all people. A movement made of 4.5 million people contributing a tax deductible donation of $10 each would fund the cost of the film. The Gospel belongs to everyone, and the new Jesus movie will be produced expressly so it can be accessed by everyone, no matter their financial situation. Our team's vision is to see the film translated into as many languages as possible and supplied to mission organizations and churches all over the world.







You can become a part of the movement to reach the next generation. Please help us spread the word to your friends and family. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so at http://www.newjesusmovie.com./

Also, you can keep up with our progress by visiting any of these links:

www.facebook.com/newjesusmovie

www.twitter.com/brucejesusmovie



www.youtube.com/newjesusmovie



www.tangle.com/newjesusmovie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bruce Marchiano is an actor, author, international speaker, and the founder of Marchiano Ministries, a non-profit organization reaching out to people both spiritually and practically in the USA and across the world. He is best known for his joyful, passionate portrayal of Jesus in the film, The Gospel According to Matthew.