1st and 5 or 2nd and 2

[aikemirv]

Do y’all remember that scenario after there was a defensive holding call. We got an 8 yard play and I thought we would still accept the penalty to stay at first down but MM chose to decline it to make it 2nd and 2.

Was I the only one that would rather have the extra down rather than the two yards?

I didn’t like mm’s decision on that one even though it didn’t really matter in the long run.

I think it would have been 1st and 10- It was defensive holding wasn't it. That's an automatic 1st down, not a 5 yard penalty

Wise move I think. Pretty much ensures an extra down.

 

[BigBlacKahuna]

Situational football people. At that point in the game, the field position was more important than the 1st and 5.

 

[cowboyec]

he was right.
maher made it.
we won.

 

[ryanbabs]

Do y’all remember that scenario after there was a defensive holding call. We got an 8 yard play and I thought we would still accept the penalty to stay at first down but MM chose to decline it to make it 2nd and 2.

Was I the only one that would rather have the extra down rather than the two yards?

I didn’t like mm’s decision on that one even though it didn’t really matter in the long run.

I agree with you. I thought it was stupid at the time. But then again there wasn’t much time left anyways.

 

[Kevinicus]

Thank you two for truly understanding football. I am just amused how people is calling him an idiot, when in reality they’re clueless about strategic football. When it happened and the ref was talking to him, I said no doubt he takes the extra yards. Those extra three yards had us in field goal ranch and it was actually under 20 seconds with one time out. They wouldn’t ever had been able to use the EXTRA down. They where only able to run TWO plays after that call!

But y’all may continue!

This is not accurate. It was the first play of the drive. They were on the Dallas side of the field and there was over 50 seconds left.

 

[Creeper]

At that point in the game I think time and yards are more important than downs. McCarthy probably figured he had limited plays to get to the area where Maher could kick a FG. I think the down did not matter at that point. But I would love to hear McCarthy's explanation.

 

[Proof]

I was really confused by the call, but not to the point I thought it was wrong, just didn't see the benefit. Worked out though!

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

1st and 5 is better than 2nd and 2. But i dont blame him for the call.

would be 1st and 10

 

[charron]

would be 1st and 10

Wasnt it a 5 yard penalty? I was thinking thats why he turned it down

 

[aikemirv]

Wasnt it a 5 yard penalty? I was thinking thats why he turned it down

It was an automatic 1st down penalty - 1st and 10

 

[erod]

Do y’all remember that scenario after there was a defensive holding call. We got an 8 yard play and I thought we would still accept the penalty to stay at first down but MM chose to decline it to make it 2nd and 2.

Was I the only one that would rather have the extra down rather than the two yards?

I didn’t like mm’s decision on that one even though it didn’t really matter in the long run.

With less than a minute left, you take the yards. It was the right call, especially since it was 2nd down and they obviously had 4th down if they needed it.

 

[noshame]

Yep then there was the calling time out instead of spiking the ball on 1st down

 

[aikemirv]

With less than a minute left, you take the yards. It was the right call, especially since it was 2nd down and they obviously had 4th down if they needed it.

Those 3 yards may have been the difference in the FG - I think it would hit the post 3 yards back! I have looked at that FG multiple times and I still don't see it go inside the uprights - My eyes are failing me!

 

[starman22]

Those 3 yards may have been the difference in the FG - I think it would hit the post 3 yards back! I have looked at that FG multiple times and I still don't see it go inside the uprights - My eyes are failing me!

Same, I would love to see the fg from underneath the goalposts.

 

[nalam]

Do y’all remember that scenario after there was a defensive holding call. We got an 8 yard play and I thought we would still accept the penalty to stay at first down but MM chose to decline it to make it 2nd and 2.

Was I the only one that would rather have the extra down rather than the two yards?

I didn’t like mm’s decision on that one even though it didn’t really matter in the long run.

Yep , I heard commentator, guess Romo, say take the penalty get extra down . Which would be prudent , but it was moot since they got 1st down next play

 

[FloridaRob]

he did the same thing a few years ago in Green Bay but it was more strange. The defense had two penalties on the play. A defensive holding and an offside. MM took the defensive holding penalty until Aaron Rodgers corrected him to take the 1st and five. I though of that play yesterday when the play happened in the Cowboys game.

 

[VABoyz]

IT was about the yards for the field goal with minimum time left. sometimes i think he makes sketchy decisions but in THAT situation it made sense. every yard counts for those field goals. if it was one and a half minutes left then i would say take the penalty.

 

[nightrain]

Situational football. It was a smart move.

 

[RonnieT24]

Maher's game winning field goal barely made it through. If you take away those two yards he could have missed. So it wasn't about getting more downs it was about field position. McCarthy made the right decision on that one.

Situational football, situational decisions.

Was I the only one puzzled by how passively Pollard ran on the play that setup the FG? Why wouldn't you stick your head in there and try to get 1-2 yards closer for the kicker.. He seemed awfully content to take the loss/no gain and kick the ball. Could that have been what he was instructed to do? "Don't fight for any yards if it gets sniffed out, just go down and don't fumble.." Maybe.. I guess I could see that.. But I didn't like it at the time. Until they said it was a 50 yards.. and we know Maher is money from beyond 50.. LOL!

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

Was I the only one puzzled by how passively Pollard ran on the play that setup the FG? Why wouldn't you stick your head in there and try to get 1-2 yards closer for the kicker.. He seemed awfully content to take the loss/no gain and kick the ball. Could that have been what he was instructed to do? "Don't fight for any yards if it gets sniffed out, just go down and don't fumble.." Maybe.. I guess I could see that.. But I didn't like it at the time. Until they said it was a 50 yards.. and we know Maher is money from beyond 50.. LOL!

The play to Pollard was ran just to put the ball on the left hash mark for the up coming field goal. If they didn't get the ball outside of the hashes then they would have had to kick it from the middle of the field. So the left hash mark, for a right footed kicker is the ideal set up.