Let's see now, Saints coach Sean Payton is gutsy and brilliant for calling an onside kick to start the second half, but Bill Belichick's a dope for having his Patriots go for it on 4th-and-2 at the N.E. 28 in the waning minutes at Indianapolis -- is that right?

I commend Payton for having the guts to make the call that caught the Colts by surprise and resulted in a touchdown. But, had it backfired, Indy would have had the ball in New Orleans territory at the outset of the third quarter with the distinct possibility of turning their 10-6 lead into a 17-6 advantage. Remember, the Colts did get into the end zone on their first possession of the second half.

Payton's decision was arguably more risky than what Belichick did. There was no reason for Coach Hoodie to think that, with Tom Brady at QB, and receivers like Randy Moss and Wes Welker, as well as Kevin Faulk coming out of the backfield, his Patriots couldn't pick up two yards, which would have wrapped up the game.

It was clear to Belichick -- and should have been to everyone else watching the game -- that, if Manning got his hands on the ball again, there was a very good chance that the Colts were going to score. So why not rely on his offense to put the game away?

After all,Belichick had seen his defense give away the 2006 AFC championship game at Indianapolis, when the Colts overcame a 21-3, second-quarter deficit and drove 80 yards in the final minutes to the winning touchdown. He'd also seen the New England defense fail to contain the Giants' comeback in the closing minutes of Super Bowl XLII, when they spoiled the Pats' perfect season with an 83-yard TD drive.

Belichick made the right move in trying to clinch a victory by going for it on fourth down at Indianapolis. I said it at the time, although many of many colleagues in the sportswriting business, along with a goodly number of irate fans, differed vociferously.

Many of those same colleagues, and fans, now are proclaiming how smart, how bristling with bravado, Payton is for calling for the onside kick -- strictly because his gamble panned out, and Belichick's didn't.