Can anyone explain not punting with 1 minute left?

[rpntex]

What if it backfired? Tannehill throws a hailmary and then onside kick. The right decision is kick and it will always be the correct call in that situation. We won and I am only one of the few that has stuck with this team while 3/4 jumped off the bandwagon along time ago. Go boys!!!

Nobody is questioning your fandom here, dude, but you're still wrong. Just do the math.

How many times, over the course of the season, do you see a completed Hail Mary type of pass? You might see it once or twice per season in the entire NFL - that's all 32 teams.

Compare that to how many times, over the course of a season, you see a bad snap, blocked punt, or big return. Whereas you see a Hail Mary completed once or twice per season, you see a botched (in some manner) punt once or twice PER WEEK. This happens WAY more often and it's not even close. The oercentage of times a punt is screwed up is small, but the percentage of time a team completes a Hail Mary is even smaller.

With either decision, the Dolphins need to score quickly in order to have a chance at an onside kick and a second score. Therefore, the correct decision is the one that assumes the least amount of risk.

 

[rpntex]

how many punts get blocked??
how many fumbles snaps occur on a regular handoff??

risk aversion is one thing but just giving up on a play out of fear is another

Pin them inside the 5 and increase your chances of winning from 95% to 98% instead of the other way around

It wasn't giving up on the play out of fear. It was instead, risk aversion. You're equating one with the other, and they're not mutually inclusive.

 

[Craig]

Up by 2 on the opponent's 5 with 20 seconds left in the game and they kneel it to win...people would be whining that garrett made the wrong play call.

 

[rpntex]

I'm not "entrenched" lol, they were more likely to score on the first play from scrimmage from the 40 yard line than from a punt block and return.

That's not correct at all. There are FAR MORE punt snafus each season than there are Hail Mary TDswhen the defense is playing 7 DBs. Teams are much more likely to block a punt, get a long return, or force a bad snap than they likely to complete a desperation pass.

 

[Doc50]

I understand it was a 2 possession game. The value of 30 yards of field position vs the miniscule chance of a punt block, recovery and return, it's not really close.

How can you guarantee 30 yards improvement in field position? It would most like be 15-20; not worth the risk, and you keep the clock running and might just bust the run for a first down.

Nothing to complain about here.

 

[rpntex]

That is a ridiculous comparison. The fact that Michigan punted on 4th and 2 from the 50 shows you that it is the better play. They couldn't run off 9 seconds so they decided to punt and make the field longer.

If they go for it and fail, MSU is in Hail Mary range.

Decisions should be based on giving your team the best chance to win, not worst case scenario.

But that is how JG always coaches and it is why we lost 7 games without Romo. He game-planned for what could go wrong and not for what could go right.

Michigan MSU was a ONE-SCORE GAME. In that situation, of course it was the right decision. This was a two-score game.

 

[yimyammer]

I was wondering why we called a timeout at 2:04 vs running the ball which would have taken it down to the 2 minute warning, this basically gave miami an extra timeout

 

[JoeKing]

For some fans, winning isn't enough. They think they are smarter the folks that get paid to coach this game so if you don't win the way these self imposed experts thing you should then they are going to raise hell. With these individuals, there will always be something to complain about... a win can never be enjoyed just because you won. You know who you are.

 

[RJ_MacReady]

I was wondering why we called a timeout at 2:04 vs running the ball which would have taken it down to the 2 minute warning, this basically gave miami an extra timeout

Did we? I thought that was Miami's timeout?

 

[Nightman]

For some fans, winning isn't enough. They think they are smarter the folks that get paid to coach this game so if you don't win the way these self imposed experts thing you should then they are going to raise hell. With these individuals, there will always be something to complain about... a win can never be enjoyed just because you won. You know who you are.

No, when you see something that is never done in pro football it gets your attention.

Most people are able to be super excited with the win but they can also realize a stupid play.

 

[Nightman]

It wasn't giving up on the play out of fear. It was instead, risk aversion. You're equating one with the other, and they're not mutually inclusive.

You should listen to yourself.

Even a bad snap on a punt doesn't mean it would be turned into a TD. It would most likely be fallen on and you would still need the Hail Mary and then an onside kick and then another Hail Mary.

Good coaches stress the positive reinforcement and trust their players to do what they are taught to do.

99 coaches out of 100 punt the ball there after the penalty because it increases your chances of winning.

AND the other team can have bad results as well. They can rough the punter and give you a first down, they can muff the punt trying to fair catch or they can block in the back for a big loss. The punt doesn't have to be a beauty, just get it off.

 

[Nightman]

How can you guarantee 30 yards improvement in field position? It would most like be 15-20; not worth the risk, and you keep the clock running and might just bust the run for a first down.

Nothing to complain about here.

The clock stops on change of downs. There was no time benefit to running the ball. In fact a punt would run off a few more seconds.

 

[8FOR!3]

It was strange to me when it happened, I guess it makes a little more sense now. I get what ya'll are saying about a blocked or botched punt but I for the life of me don't remember ever seeing a pro football team in the NFL not punt or kick the field goal (what yard line were we on again?) in that situation. Even throwing it to me would have made a little more sense.

 

[bark]

For all the heat Garrett gets for his game management, this is not a situation that calls for blame. Not punting was the right call here. A blocked punt would have been one of the few ways to lose this game.
Some of you guys are blinded by your hatred for Garrett it seems.

 

[yimyammer]

Did we? I thought that was Miami's timeout?

Thats what I thought and then I rewound it and saw Dallas called the TO (at least thats what the screen graphic said, it could have been wrong). I was thinking what the hell was that?

 

[Tenkamenin]

I understand it was a 2 possession game. The value of 30 yards of field position vs the miniscule chance of a punt block, recovery and return, it's not really close.

What's mind boggling is that we have a pretty darn good punter who happens to get the luckiest rolls ever. Jones can punt the ball 5 yards and get it to roll 50 yards.

 

[Nightman]

It was strange to me when it happened, I guess it makes a little more sense now. I get what ya'll are saying about a blocked or botched punt but I for the life of me don't remember ever seeing a pro football team in the NFL not punt or kick the field goal (what yard line were we on again?) in that situation. Even throwing it to me would have made a little more sense.

An injury to the long snapper or punter would be the only sensible explanation to not punting.

How many times has Romo fumbled the snap or bobbled a hand-off?

Bad things can happen on every play but you can't stop playing.

That is paralysis by analysis.

 

[rpntex]

You should listen to yourself.

Even a bad snap on a punt doesn't mean it would be turned into a TD. It would most likely be fallen on and you would still need the Hail Mary and then an onside kick and then another Hail Mary.

Good coaches stress the positive reinforcement and trust their players to do what they are taught to do.

99 coaches out of 100 punt the ball there after the penalty because it increases your chances of winning.

AND the other team can have bad results as well. They can rough the punter and give you a first down, they can muff the punt trying to fair catch or they can block in the back for a big loss. The punt doesn't have to be a beauty, just get it off.

Which happens more often...a punting snafu (bad snap, block, or long return), or a Hail Mary completion? The punt screwup happens FAR MORE often. By running a play, Dallas GUARANTEED the only way Miami could score was by a desperation heave. Send the punt team out there, and you multiply the chances of them scoring quickly by three.

Good coaches don't take unnecessary risks, and there is far more risk in attempting a punt as opposed to handing the ball to your RB. Your assertion that "99 out of 100" coaches would punt there is asinine. I'd bet that it's more like 50-50 in that situation. Put more time on the clock, or give Miami at least one timeout, or cut the lead to one score or less, and it changes the decison greatly.

 

[JoeKing]

No, when you see something that is never done in pro football it gets your attention.

Most people are able to be super excited with the win but they can also realize a stupid play.

Did it lose the game? The only reason it's "stupid" is because you think it is... that doesn't make it true.

 

[Doc50]

The clock stops on change of downs. There was no time benefit to running the ball. In fact a punt would run off a few more seconds.

True, and a quick punt should be routine.

But the team has found ways to lose 7 in a row, and the potential benefits of punting didn't outweight the risks by much.

I think they needed to eliminate any catastrophic errors, and they did that.