The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

If you read Greg Easterbrook's TMQB column on ESPN.com's Page 2, you know he frequently goes after coaches for kicking FGs late in games when your team is down by several TDs, saying these coaches are trying to minimize the loss on the scoreboard so they look good, instead of going for the win. Most of the examples he gives are good. However, after the 'skins game yesterday, I flipped around to some other games, and saw a coach trying too hard to win when the game was clearly DONE. Specifically, the Lions had the ball on offense with less than a minute to play, down 34-7 against the Bears, and they were STILL running plays! What's the point of that? There's simply no way your team is going to close a 27 POINT gap with less than a minute to go, and you're just risking injury. Why?!? And to top it off, the last play called was a run from deep inside the Lion's own territory. Like that's going to work. Why bother calling a play at all? I understand the coach not wanting to look like a quitter or whatever, but at that point, I would've just told the QB to take a knee and try harder next week. Thoughts?

Yeah, with only a minute left, I would have to agree. It doesn't make sense to risk an injury that way.

Isn't something similar to this also how Anquan Boldin got injured against the Jets? I'm not sure, but I though that happened in garbage time as well with that game already decided.

So your saying that even though you are losing, it is ok to give up and quit playing. Personally if I were a coach and we were losing big I would encourage my team to play hard until the end of the game. The Lions need something positive to build on and I am pretty sure packing it in and giving up isn't going help turn the team around.

stevejrfan78 wrote:So your saying that even though you are losing, it is ok to give up and quit playing. Personally if I were a coach and we were losing big I would encourage my team to play hard until the end of the game. The Lions need something positive to build on and I am pretty sure packing it in and giving up isn't going help turn the team around.

No, actually no one is saying to just give up if you get down by a lot of points. But with only a minute and some change left on the clock, why would you want to risk injury to your star players?

The Lions have star players? Barry Sanders is back??????

gibbs4president wrote:No, actually no one is saying to just give up if you get down by a lot of points. But with only a minute and some change left on the clock, why would you want to risk injury to your star players?

So what would you do? Just take a knee? I see your point but any coach that did that even though his team might have been losing by 70 would be crucified by the media, the fans, and most likely summarily dismissed by the ownership.

BigRedskinDaddy wrote:

gibbs4president wrote:No, actually no one is saying to just give up if you get down by a lot of points. But with only a minute and some change left on the clock, why would you want to risk injury to your star players?

So what would you do? Just take a knee? I see your point but any coach that did that even though his team might have been losing by 70 would be crucified by the media, the fans, and most likely summarily dismissed by the ownership.

It shows a lot about the team and the coaches to how they react to a skulldragging like the Lions. If under those demoralizing circumstances, you can still muster some level of confidence in themselves and their teammates, it's a good thing. It's also a good practice against someone else besides your own team.

VetSkinsFan wrote:

BigRedskinDaddy wrote:

gibbs4president wrote:No, actually no one is saying to just give up if you get down by a lot of points. But with only a minute and some change left on the clock, why would you want to risk injury to your star players?

So what would you do? Just take a knee? I see your point but any coach that did that even though his team might have been losing by 70 would be crucified by the media, the fans, and most likely summarily dismissed by the ownership.

It shows a lot about the team and the coaches to how they react to a skulldragging like the Lions. If under those demoralizing circumstances, you can still muster some level of confidence in themselves and their teammates, it's a good thing. It's also a good practice against someone else besides your own team.

As someone already mentioned, the Card's star WR Boldin was injured last week going for a pass with 27 seconds left in a game with a 21 point deficit. He's going to miss at least a game, maybe more, because the Cards, who are actually leading their division, decided to keep playing when the game was effectively done. That makes no sense. Ask any military person - if your army is getting destroyed on the battlefield, do you prolong the massacre to prove how "confident" you are, or do you retreat and recover to fight another day? Detroit's season is done anyway - all they can do is look to the future, which is why they're thinking of trading stars like Roy Williams. What if Williams had gotten injured playing out the game in a blow-out? Who would give draft picks for him then? A coach should try to win today, but if he can't do that, he should try to win tomorrow.

andyjens89 wrote:The Lions have star players? Barry Sanders is back??????

Calvin Johnson is pretty good. I'm sure the Redskins would take him in a second.

Yeah he's pretty good, but with a good team around him he could be a top 5 WR... on the Lions, that just isn't going to happen

I think some of that is the coach looking for something positive to take with them in the locker room afterward. Ya know "somthing to build on".

They had the backup QB in so I suppose it was a chance for him to show what he could(n't) do.

Something tells me the league would have pretty stiff sanctions against a team that forfeit a game even if their players had already given up.

Squib kicks when yer 'supposed' to have one of the best ST units in the league are an idiotic idea. YET AGAIN, Lovie proves he si no head coach.