The case for running up the score.

[Red Dragon]

In case someone interjects, "When have the Cowboys been good enough to even be in a position to run up the score?" - This is a post about the strategy in general, not about Cowboys football as of late.




1. Padding your lead is simply smart football strategy. Teams have come back from huge deficits before to win (i.e., 1992 Bills came back from 32 points behind to beat the Oilers in the playoffs; Eagles overcame a 31-10 deficit with just seven minutes left, last year, to beat the Giants.) When you're up by just three or four scores, padding the lead is simply the wise thing to do. When you have your foot on your opponent's neck, why even give them the chance to rise back up again, especially when the playoffs or a Super Bowl are at stake?


2. The psychological factor. Some will argue that it's "poor sportsmanship" to run up the score. There might be a good argument to be made for that. But other teams certainly aren't going to show the Cowboys mercy (re: Eagles 44, Cowboys 6.......Patriots 48, Cowboys 27)......so why should the Cowboys show them any mercy?

It can also get in the heads of the opposing team. Of course, there's no indication that it will have the desired effect (the Cowboys swept the Eagles the very next year after losing 44-6 to them.) But why not?


3. Making your teams' dominance as convincing on paper/in the headlines as it was on the field. We often hear recaps along the lines of, "The score only read 27-14 on the scoreboard at the end, but it was a much worse beating than that on the field." Why not make it every bit as convincing at first glance as it was on the field? If it really felt much more like a 41-14 drubbing than a 27-14 game, why not make it 41-14?


4. Padding the stats. Statistics should always rank as a very low priority in football strategy. But once you're comfortably in the lead, and the game is in the bag, why not pad your teams' stats? Why not, for instance, let Ogletree have his first NFL receiving TD, or let some of the lesser-known players get in on some long plays and big yardage?




Caveat: Avoid injuries to important players at all costs. Once the team is up by four scores, Romo, Witten, Austin, Dez, etc. can be benched to avoid injury. But still let your scrubs have valuable playing time, and also aggressive playcalling. They can do the running-up-of-the-score for the Cowboys.

 

[burmafrd]

A lot of that can be done without motivating your opponent in the next game you play. Team accept that on some days you just stink and get your butts kicked. But when they see you deliberately trying to run up the score it is another matter. That is when things can happen like injuries. and even if they happen to your backups it is not a good thing. Overall there are more minuses than plusses for doing it.

 

[Beast_from_East]

I guess it depends on how the score is being runned up. If a team is just methodically moving down the field with running plays and short passes, then it is really not that big of a deal.

Now if a team is chunking bombs left and right with a 3-4 TD lead, or doing trick plays like reverses, flea flickers, laterals, double passes, HB passes, ect........


Then the other team is probably going to get pissed and will start taking some "extra shots" if you know what I mean.

 

[Everlastingxxx]

I always think your posts are very captain obvious. Of course “scoring” is good. Duh. But i think you have to be able to run the ball and eat up some clock. Eating up some 7-10 minutes of clock is huge in football when you have a double digit lead. Points are a bonus.

I also don’t understand using the Bills/Oilers as an example. The Oilers actually kept trying to score, probably why they ended up losing. They were a run and shoot team and could not dominate the game on the ground.

Also rubbing it in an opponents face can come back to haunt you. Just look at last years Jets/Patriots rematch in the playoffs. Jets were pissed and came back on a mission.

One point win vs 28 point win has no more meaning. Win is a win. Plain and simple.

Why pad stats if the game is in hand? Aikman didn’t have great stats because the Cowboy ran the ball and ate up clock to finish off games. 3 SBs and Hall of Famer.

Try to run up the score with backups? Talk about asking for trouble.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Isn't it the opposing teams job to stop the other team from scoring? If you don't like the other team scoring on you, .. stop them.

As a coach, I have been on both ends of "butt-whoopins". (thankfully more giving than taking)

When I was losing, I never expected the other team to try and not score.

And other than taking a few of the best players out, when I was winning I never tried to have my team stop scoring.

This is an age old argument, .. but taking it easy on the loser is more degrading and insulting than scoring a few more points.

Sports = competition

If you can't handle that, find another activity.

 

[Dodger]

Isn't it the opposing teams job to stop the other team from scoring? If you don't like the other team scoring on you, .. stop them.

As a coach, I have been on both ends of "butt-whoopins". (thankfully more giving than taking)

When I was losing, I never expected the other team to try and not score.

And other than taking a few of the best players out, when I was winning I never tried to have my team stop scoring.

This is an age old argument, .. but taking it easy on the loser is more degrading and insulting than scoring a few more points.

Sports = competition

If you can't handle that, find another activity.

QFT...

And I don't say this just when the Cowboys are handing out the beating. If the Cowboys are playing ridiculously awful, making mistakes, and getting their butts kicked, I expect the other team to pour it on and not let up.

 

[Stautner]

It's all a matter of at what point you should ease up, but their is always a point wher that should occur. 35-10 going into the 4th quarter is boarderline - almost impossible, but not impossible for the losing team to come back, so you don't really ease of much if at all. 50-10 you ease off. You don't stop playing, but maybe take out your QB and other key players to avoid injuries. Don't throw the ball downfield. Try and control the clock.

 

[WV Cowboy]

QFT...

QFT ??

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

QFT ??

Quite, you can figure out the F, True

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I get the whole if you can't stop them then don't be mad at them for running up the score mentality.

However this is not college football, this is not about style points in order to garner votes for bowl games where it could come down to points scored in order to get team A or B into a big bowl game over another team in a three or four way race.

If you are well ahead in a game and there is no way another team is coming back...just run the ball. If the other team can still not stop you, then so be it. But you are just running the ball and not doing trick plays, throwing bombs or something of that nature.

It is called Class IMO. If you run the ball, they can not stop it...so be it. But to intentionally run the score up by trick plays, bombs and so on that is an utter lack of class IMO. And many times that kind of situation comes back to bite you in the butt. It is also a chance for the other team to see the lack of class and wind up hurting one of your star players with a cheap shot or just pure frustration.

Another thing to consider is it is a good time to get some 2nd or 3rd string players some game time.

Just some things to consider.

 

[superpunk]

Quite, you can figure out the F, True

It's "Quoted for Truth"

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

It's "Quoted for Truth"

Maybe in your lilly white world.

 

[superpunk]

Maybe in your lilly white world.

qfracism

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

qfracism

It's true...I hate pirates.

I used to own the East India Trading company.

 

[Dodger]

It is called Class IMO. If you run the ball, they can not stop it...so be it. But to intentionally run the score up by trick plays, bombs and so on that is an utter lack of class IMO. And many times that kind of situation comes back to bite you in the butt. It is also a chance for the other team to see the lack of class and wind up hurting one of your star players with a cheap shot or just pure frustration.

I agree, actually. I'm not a fan of running up the score on purpose, but if one team is just playing football as they had throughout the game, staying with their gameplan but running up the score, and the other team can't stop them, well, it's too bad for the team getting buried, I guess.

 

[WV Cowboy]

If you are well ahead in a game and there is no way another team is coming back...just run the ball. If the other team can still not stop you, then so be it. But you are just running the ball and not doing trick plays, throwing bombs or something of that nature.

True, good stuff.

It is called Class IMO. If you run the ball, they can not stop it...so be it. But to intentionally run the score up by trick plays, bombs and so on that is an utter lack of class IMO.

True

And many times that kind of situation comes back to bite you in the butt.

I have heard this but can't see how that could happen if you always have your team prepared and ready. Is the other team going to all of a sudden be better the next time because they took a butt-whoopin?

If your team isn't as prepared the next game as the team that took the butt-whoopin, shame on you as the coach.

It is also a chance for the other team to see the lack of class and wind up hurting one of your star players with a cheap shot or just pure frustration.

A coach can't make decisions based on worrying that the other team will resort to playing dirty.

Another thing to consider is it is a good time to get some 2nd or 3rd string players some game time.

True, nothing better for morale than to win and everybody play a lot.

You are talking about football, .. what about basketball?

Or better yet, what about baseball where there is no clock? You could be ahead 10 runs with two outs in the last inning and still lose.

 

[forever22]

It depends on the situation. If you're up by say three TD's with a couple minutes to go and you're still firing passes to the endzone, then I don't care what a coach feels, that's classless. In boxing, you still don't keep punching a guy that's down, even if the ref doesn't call it. You'll see the boxer back off.
Baseball is a whole other game. I'm up in the air because there is no time limit. The rule is you don't steal bases after a certain point. I'd like to know what point that is? Most times it's unlikely to score say 10 runs in an inning but would they stop scoring if it came close?