5 weeks ago
Friday, January 21, 2011
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Playoffs - Day 1
I didn't have any favorites (or any collateral interest) in Saturday's games, but I found it interesting that the teams that lost did so due, at least in part, to some very conservative coaching strategy --
In the NFC game, the Saints trailed by 7 points with about 9:13 left in regulation. With a 4th down at about the Seahawk's 4 yard line, they elected to go for a field goal to cut the deficit to 4 points. As it happened, a short time later the Seahawks scored a TD on Marshawn Lynch's highlight-reel run. That made it 41-30 Seahawks. The Saints were able to muster a TD late, but botched the onside kick and ended up losing 41-36.
Granted, there were 9 minutes left, but a FG does you no good in that situation. If you fail on the TD, you have your opponent deep in their own territory and an excellent chance to get the ball back with good field position.
In the AFC game, the Irsays trailed the J!E!S!T! 14-10 with 4:37 left and had 4th-and-6 from the J!E!S!T! 14 yard line. They elected to go for a FG to make it 14-13. They were lucky enough to get the ball back and kick another FG to take the lead 16-14 with 0:53 left, but some shoddy special teams and defensive play enabled the J!E!S!T! to get down the field and kick a FG to win 17-16 as time expired.
Again, the first FG (at 4:37) does the Irsays no good in that situation -- they still trail, and there's no guarantee you'll get the ball back (the J!E!S!T! had just completed a 10-minute drive on their previous possession). See Saints, above -- your opponent will have the ball deep in their own territory even if you fail at the 4th-down conversion. As it happened, they did get the ball back in time to take the lead, but only by a 2-point margin, which was easily overcome by the eventual winners. Conversely, a TD with about 4 minutes left gives the Irsays a 17-14 lead, and then the either add a FG for a 6-point lead or the J!E!S!T! tie it up with their last-second FG.
In any case, I had no stake, tangible or intangible, in either game, but I watched both of them and found it interesting that both outcomes occurred in very similar fashion. You never know what's going to happen or how the rest of the game plays out, but winners sometimes have to take risks when their season is on the line.
In the NFC game, the Saints trailed by 7 points with about 9:13 left in regulation. With a 4th down at about the Seahawk's 4 yard line, they elected to go for a field goal to cut the deficit to 4 points. As it happened, a short time later the Seahawks scored a TD on Marshawn Lynch's highlight-reel run. That made it 41-30 Seahawks. The Saints were able to muster a TD late, but botched the onside kick and ended up losing 41-36.
Granted, there were 9 minutes left, but a FG does you no good in that situation. If you fail on the TD, you have your opponent deep in their own territory and an excellent chance to get the ball back with good field position.
In the AFC game, the Irsays trailed the J!E!S!T! 14-10 with 4:37 left and had 4th-and-6 from the J!E!S!T! 14 yard line. They elected to go for a FG to make it 14-13. They were lucky enough to get the ball back and kick another FG to take the lead 16-14 with 0:53 left, but some shoddy special teams and defensive play enabled the J!E!S!T! to get down the field and kick a FG to win 17-16 as time expired.
Again, the first FG (at 4:37) does the Irsays no good in that situation -- they still trail, and there's no guarantee you'll get the ball back (the J!E!S!T! had just completed a 10-minute drive on their previous possession). See Saints, above -- your opponent will have the ball deep in their own territory even if you fail at the 4th-down conversion. As it happened, they did get the ball back in time to take the lead, but only by a 2-point margin, which was easily overcome by the eventual winners. Conversely, a TD with about 4 minutes left gives the Irsays a 17-14 lead, and then the either add a FG for a 6-point lead or the J!E!S!T! tie it up with their last-second FG.
In any case, I had no stake, tangible or intangible, in either game, but I watched both of them and found it interesting that both outcomes occurred in very similar fashion. You never know what's going to happen or how the rest of the game plays out, but winners sometimes have to take risks when their season is on the line.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
