Quite clear to me that the NYT article is about making a headline and therefore is emphasizing the side of the story that serves its target by telling the sad cases of patients who "bled to death" without giving all the details (were there other bleeding risk factors such as decreased renal function, low body weight, other concomitant medications that interact with Pradaxa like amiodarone, quinidine or verapamil etc), nor highlighting Pradaxa's advantages.
Eliquis will probably have superior safety and efficacy over coumadin claim in its label so its advantages are better understood.
Of course an antidote will make docs/patients feel a lot more comfortable with factor Xa inhibitors drug class, although in reality it would be used very rarely.