This is about games, just not video games (well, games relate tangenitally to the topic). Rather, it's about the NFL games played yesterday (Nov 15). Two of them, anyway. In one game, the coach made a good decision that didn't work and he is now being excoriated by fans and sports "experts." In the other game, the coach made a bad decision that did work out and he and the player who executed the play are being hailed as geniuses.

In Indianapolis, Bill Belichik decided to attempt to get a first down on 4th-and-2 with 2:08 remaining on New England's own 28-yard line and ahead by 6. The play failed, Indianapolis got the ball back and scored to win the game. Everyone thinks Belichik should have punted and forced the Colts to drive 70 or 80 yards for the win. But, Belichik played for the win. He had just watched his defense get carved up by Manning for 2 quick TD drives and he had no reason to think they could hold after a punt. (There are many who say the coach dissed his defense. Of course he did! They were great for 3 quarters and then rolled over and played dead.) Had the 4th-down play worked, Belichik would be hailed as a genius and a courageous coach who played for the win. Punting is playing not to lose. Belichik played the percentages (the Patriots convert 4th-and-short over 60% of the time) and it failed. That doesn't make his decision "bad," just the result.

(What was a bad decision was trying to stop Indianapolis. New England should have let the Colts score quickly and then driven down for a winning field goal.)

In New York, Maurice Jones-Drew was heading into the end zone with the Jags down by 1 and only 1:00 left on the clock. Instead, under his coach's direction, he went down at the 1 yard line and the Jags ran down the clock and then kicked a winning field goal. Del Rio and MoJo are considered to be very smart; but, what he did was stupid. You're behind, you take the points! A figgie, even from the 3, is not automatic. You're going in for a TD, take it! Then challenge your defense to hold since the Jets will need to drive the length of the field with no timeouts in less than a minute. But, the field goal was good, the Jags won and everyone thinks it was a smart play. The decision wasn't "good;" but, the result was.

This is a lot like real life. We don't really know whether a decision is "good" or "bad" until we make it and play out the result. One of the things I really like about Dragon Age thus far is the fact all the decisions in the game are not "good" or "bad". There's no "karma meter" or "axis of evil". All you have are decisions and the results of playing out those decisions.

Oh, and I've read The Blind Side by Michael Lewis. If the movie that opens this week is half as good as the book, it will be worth seeing. (And you should also read the book.)