phins_4_ever
E12 FH Tailgate Gang
I am one who says that the time out call on 4th and 9 was the right call. A lot of people around me agreed with that. But to understand the call and realize that there are times to throw out the book and do what is right in that very moment we have to look at the bigger picture rather than the 4th and 9 as an individual play.
Roll back
The deeper reason reason for that call lies essentially in our first half. Heat and humidity is supposed to be our advantage but the fact that our D was on the field for 20 minutes out of 30 in the first half negated that advantage and put us into the disadvantage.
At half time there were plenty of discussions amongst us and the consensus was that if the game is close the first half will come back to haunt our defense.
Roll Forward
If you want to talk about taking time outs with a 20/20 hindsight we also have to question the time out before we punted on 4th and 8. The majority of coaches does that but in hindsight it would not have mattered if we punted at 2:15 with the time out or 2:17 or 2:16 without the time out. But that extra time out might have done wonders for our defense when they needed it most.
When our offense failed to keep possession and our D had to trot back out on the field after what was a lousy two minute possession by us. You literally could see them being exhausted. In the first half and most of the second half they were hoping and bouncing around and getting the crowd going. But when they came back out on the field it was more like a beaten unit.
The consensus was pretty much that they are finished. Just before the 3rd and 9 we all felt that this is the down which would make or break us. Our D was slow in getting up. Slow lining up. Couple of fans screamed out what I was thinking "Take a time out now" and couple others said that if we don't get a turnover here we are done. I think from a physical stand point this was the down where they gave their last they had. It almost worked. If any of you would have seen them struggle to line up after that play you'd be changing your mind. They were done. Finished. Kaput. We all were screaming for a time out at that point.
Under normal circumstances I agree. Don't call a time out when you have the momentum on your side. But to be honest what we may call momentum on 3rd and 9 was probably more the last energy coming out in a burst. There was nothing left after that. In hindsight I rather would have spend a time out on 3rd and 9 and if necessary on a possible 4th down play.
For an Aaron Rodgers it didn't matter if there was a time out or not. He plays his game regardless. The only thing stopping him is a defense. But when you have a defense which is physical exhausted you have a defense which makes a lot of mental mistakes. It is no surprise that the remainder of that possession was almost the easiest one for Rodgers and the Packers O.
The time out on 4th down was not a time out by the books. It was a time out call on a strictly human level trying to give your D a rest. Unfortunately it didn't work.
On my way back from the stadium someone on the radio suggested that it was taken because we had the wrong personnel on the field. NO. We did not substitute anybody. This TO was a TO to avoid the inevitable because for most of us the 3rd an 9 was the play we finally lost. Can you just feel the irony? We stop an opponent on 3rd and 9, cause a fumble and almost recover it yet it is the one play we could have won the game.
So if you look for an explanation for that time out you have to look at the game as a whole. It really makes sense when people say that winning the time of possession is important especially in close games. On Sunday it turned our advantage into a disadvantage.
Roll back
The deeper reason reason for that call lies essentially in our first half. Heat and humidity is supposed to be our advantage but the fact that our D was on the field for 20 minutes out of 30 in the first half negated that advantage and put us into the disadvantage.
At half time there were plenty of discussions amongst us and the consensus was that if the game is close the first half will come back to haunt our defense.
Roll Forward
If you want to talk about taking time outs with a 20/20 hindsight we also have to question the time out before we punted on 4th and 8. The majority of coaches does that but in hindsight it would not have mattered if we punted at 2:15 with the time out or 2:17 or 2:16 without the time out. But that extra time out might have done wonders for our defense when they needed it most.
When our offense failed to keep possession and our D had to trot back out on the field after what was a lousy two minute possession by us. You literally could see them being exhausted. In the first half and most of the second half they were hoping and bouncing around and getting the crowd going. But when they came back out on the field it was more like a beaten unit.
The consensus was pretty much that they are finished. Just before the 3rd and 9 we all felt that this is the down which would make or break us. Our D was slow in getting up. Slow lining up. Couple of fans screamed out what I was thinking "Take a time out now" and couple others said that if we don't get a turnover here we are done. I think from a physical stand point this was the down where they gave their last they had. It almost worked. If any of you would have seen them struggle to line up after that play you'd be changing your mind. They were done. Finished. Kaput. We all were screaming for a time out at that point.
Under normal circumstances I agree. Don't call a time out when you have the momentum on your side. But to be honest what we may call momentum on 3rd and 9 was probably more the last energy coming out in a burst. There was nothing left after that. In hindsight I rather would have spend a time out on 3rd and 9 and if necessary on a possible 4th down play.
For an Aaron Rodgers it didn't matter if there was a time out or not. He plays his game regardless. The only thing stopping him is a defense. But when you have a defense which is physical exhausted you have a defense which makes a lot of mental mistakes. It is no surprise that the remainder of that possession was almost the easiest one for Rodgers and the Packers O.
The time out on 4th down was not a time out by the books. It was a time out call on a strictly human level trying to give your D a rest. Unfortunately it didn't work.
On my way back from the stadium someone on the radio suggested that it was taken because we had the wrong personnel on the field. NO. We did not substitute anybody. This TO was a TO to avoid the inevitable because for most of us the 3rd an 9 was the play we finally lost. Can you just feel the irony? We stop an opponent on 3rd and 9, cause a fumble and almost recover it yet it is the one play we could have won the game.
So if you look for an explanation for that time out you have to look at the game as a whole. It really makes sense when people say that winning the time of possession is important especially in close games. On Sunday it turned our advantage into a disadvantage.
