Sean McVay's Tomlin-esque In-Game Decision

[stillwright]

Is Darth Hoodie's performance shutting down the Rams to just 3 points his masterpiece?


Mcvay, an anointed genius admits he was badly outcoached. The Rams offense which ranked #2 in the NFL was very close to being shut out and Darth Hoodie did is with his defense ranked 21st overall in yards surrendered.

Goff looked lost.

 

[topseed]

The Rams were already down by 7. Again, the clock was every bit the enemy that the scoreboard was. Getting the ball back with damn little time and down only a 7 points isn’t any better than getting the ball back with damn little time plus :30 and down by 10 points. You’re almost certainly screwed either way. Declining the penalty and hoping the Patriots miss the FG was their best shot at winning the game.

Exactly, the Rams were already down by seven. Had they been down by three, declining the penalty would have made much more sense, because it's still a one-score game if New England kicks the field goal.

Um, yes, getting the ball back only down by seven IS better, because you would only need score once to tie the game, not twice. In my scenario, you need one touchdown in 30-35 seconds -- certainly improbable, but not inconceivable. In your case, you're praying for a missed field goal and a score, or they make the field goal (much more likely), and you need a score AND a successful onside kick AND another score. That was their best shot? Are you kidding me?

And, on top of it, there was certainly no guarantee the Rams would stop New England to force the field goal attempt. Had the Patriots gained two more inches, the Rams never see the ball again.

I guess you must believe everything Tony Romo tells you.

 

[Troglodyte]

Exactly, the Rams were already down by seven. Had they been down by three, declining the penalty would have made much more sense, because it's still a one-score game if New England kicks the field goal.

Um, yes, getting the ball back only down by seven IS better, because you would only need score once to tie the game, not twice. In my scenario, you need one touchdown in 30-35 seconds -- certainly improbable, but not inconceivable. In your case, you're praying for a missed field goal and a score, or they make the field goal (much more likely), and you need a score AND a successful onside kick AND another score. That was their best shot? Are you kidding me?

And, on top of it, there was certainly no guarantee the Rams would stop New England to force the field goal attempt. Had the Patriots gained two more inches, the Rams never see the ball again.

I guess you must believe everything Tony Romo tells you.

Regardless if you’re down by 7 or 10, if you get the ball back with :30 and no TOs, you are hoping for a miracle. So it was no guarantee the Rams stop the Patriots, but it was a guarantee the Patriots make the FG? How does that work? At the point the Rams declined the penalty, their best shot at winning was probably to block the FG and return it for a TD. Again, you can’t think in terms of what you would usually do when you’re hoping for a miracle.

 

[topseed]

Regardless if you’re down by 7 or 10, if you get the ball back with :30 and no TOs, you are hoping for a miracle. So it was no guarantee the Rams stop the Patriots, but it was a guarantee the Patriots make the FG? How does that work? At the point the Rams declined the penalty, their best shot at winning was probably to block the FG and return it for a TD. Again, you can’t think in terms of what you would usually do when you’re hoping for a miracle.

a) Scoring once in 30 seconds is much less miraculous than scoring twice in 60 seconds.

b) I never said the field goal was guaranteed, I said it was much more likely than a miss. Which it was, based on Gostkowski's 89% success rate in the postseason, and his 78% career mark from 40-49.

c) Well, considering that New England's kicker hasn't had a field goal blocked (let alone run back for a touchdown) since his rookie year in 2006, totaling 394 attempts, I believe your latest version of the Rams' "best shot at winning" makes even less sense.

Miracles are relative -- I'd say the Rams' best shot at winning would have been taking the penalty, forcing New England to punt, getting a couple first downs, and then putting together a play similar to what the Dolphins did in the waning seconds to victimize the Patriots in week 14 of THIS very season...not praying for a blocked field goal against a guy who hasn't had one since the Bush administration.

 

[Frosty]

He ran just fine when they used him. He had a 16 yarder and then a 12+ yarder called back due to a phantom holding call that even the announcers questioned. 20 carries and 4 to 6 passes and he would have easily had 100+ from scrimmage that would have opened up their bread and butter, play action.

And each of those runs he had a burst. Looked 100% on those carries. On his first carry of the game looked like another big gain until he was tripped.