My reasoning is that it doesn’t maximize your chance of winning. And there is no way to know either way.Of course you can, and teams do. The "right way" is the way that maximizes your chances of winning.
What's your reasoning?
Before you "Tom Landry" Belichick, he did have a Rookie QB put up 29 points on a Cowboys Super Bowl bound defense, had a gimpy RB rush for 101 yards, had lost defensive starter during the game, and at the end of regulation Cowboys needed a pick 6 and a FG to tie the game.The Patriots averaged 10.9 yards per pass attempt today (this stat excludes sacks)
The Patriots averaged 4.4 yards per rush attempt
So what did Belichick do in overtime needing just 3 yards with the Pats at their own 46?
He did what other traditional dinosaur coaches do: punted. Surrendered the ball for 34 yards of field, which wasn't likely to matter to the Cowboys offense, which gobbled up 567 yards on the day.
The sport is getting smarter. People like Bill...are not.
I believe the emotional hot headed NE even less. OF COURSE they’re going to find a reason to blame someone in a close game. That’s the nature of being a fan and I’ve yet to see a team lose a game and say well, I guess the other team was just better.In overtime? Yes
The way that game was going, punting it to Dallas while also immediately converting the game to a sudden death scenario was a de facto forfeit. If you don't believe me, go check out NE pundits on social media. To a man they all concede they felt the game was over when NE punted.
So basically what you’re saying is that the cowboys were the better team. And that can’t be the biggest reason we won? If the other team has to play desperate football, then they’re likely going to lose regardless.They should have been prepared to go for 4th-and-short all the way down the field. Maybe not 4th-and-3 from their own 25, but even 4th-and-1 there would be the right call.
Analytically how? You’re just making up stuff.About 75-80% of current NFL head coaches would have went for it there. Analytically, that is the “right call”. This is 2021, not 1992.
You would have a point if the Patriots had not won several Super Bowls in recent years. It is hard to criticize them considering the rings that they are wearing.The Patriots averaged 10.9 yards per pass attempt today (this stat excludes sacks)
The Patriots averaged 4.4 yards per rush attempt
So what did Belichick do in overtime needing just 3 yards with the Pats at their own 46?
He did what other traditional dinosaur coaches do: punted. Surrendered the ball for 34 yards of field, which wasn't likely to matter to the Cowboys offense, which gobbled up 567 yards on the day.
The sport is getting smarter. People like Bill...are not.
Field position game in OT. Easy to 2nd guess after the game.The Patriots averaged 10.9 yards per pass attempt today (this stat excludes sacks)
The Patriots averaged 4.4 yards per rush attempt
So what did Belichick do in overtime needing just 3 yards with the Pats at their own 46?
He did what other traditional dinosaur coaches do: punted. Surrendered the ball for 34 yards of field, which wasn't likely to matter to the Cowboys offense, which gobbled up 567 yards on the day.
The sport is getting smarter. People like Bill...are not.
Excellent way to frame the question and for the record I was terrified that they would go for it.I guess I would ask myself if I were Bill: would the Cowboys happier if I punted or went for it?
Yes, obviously. The Cowboys are the better team. And when you're playing a superior opponent, you need to pursue higher-variance strategies if you want to win, like going for it on more 4th downs. If you just play it straight, you'll lose in boring fashion. If you play more aggressively, you may lose in embarrassing fashion, but you also improve your chances of winning.So basically what you’re saying is that the cowboys were the better team. And that can’t be the biggest reason we won? If the other team has to play desperate football, then they’re likely going to lose regardless.
Who's second-guessing after the game? I was thrilled and shocked in the moment that they didn't go for it.Field position game in OT. Easy to 2nd guess after the game.
Field position is everything in overtime. If you get stuffed inside your 50 in regulation, you can recover. In OT, you pretty much gave the game away.Who's second-guessing after the game? I was thrilled and shocked in the moment that they didn't go for it.
"Field position game in OT" is just a cliche. You're playing an opponent that has moved the ball up and down the field at will the entire game, and only needs a FG. The Cowboys had reached FG range on 8 of 10 drives. Why in the world would you play a "field position game" against an opponent like that?
How'd that work out for the Patriots?Field position is everything in overtime. If you get stuffed inside your 50 in regulation, you can recover. In OT, you pretty much gave the game away.
stats? forget stats. You had a 4th and short. I knew when we got that ball back we were winning that game. Our offense walked up and down the field all game. What possibly made the greatest coach in the history of human existance think that his defense was al of the sudden going to stop us?It was the right call to punt. I don’t care what the stats say. You don’t go for it there.
how many possession did the pats actually stop the Dallas offense WITHOUT Dallas making a turnover or a holding penalty? Dont even count the goal line fumble, because that isnt happening in OT. Dont count the endzone interception, because again, that aint happening in OT.They did stop us at times. And making a team drive 80 yards or more your chances of stopping them are better than to stop them from getting 20 yards for a FG.
So it was the right thing to do. It just didn’t work.