Just one question

[cltchperf]

I'm not the type to usually look back on a play, and I realize hindsight it 20/20, but I would have thought Bell knew that it was 4th down. Andre Johnson made a great play with the first down catch and I understand if it's 3rd down and Bell is trying to make a play on the ball and intercept it and Johnson leaps over and wrestles it from him. But it was 4th down, and an interception is not better than simply swatting the ball down. He tried intercepting the ball and fought to grab it, which allowed Johnson, who is a very good WR to leap over and get it away from bell. If Bell swats that ball down, that his hands were able to reach, Johnson wouldn't have been able to wrestle the ball away or make a play as the ball would have been smacked into the ground. Game over. I would have thought this would be the thing for defenses to focus on just deflecting the pass and not trying to intercept it, sincei it isn;t any better than a deflection on 4th down, as that wins the game regardless. I'm not the only one that noticed this, am I?

It's too bad, since Bell seemed to have a good game, it's just frustrating that he just didn't swat the ball down instead of trying to pick the ball off.

 

[Avalanche of Wins]

you would think people who have been playing for their whole lives and get paid millions to play a game would understand such simple concepts wouldn't you

 

[SpaceMountain16]

I'm not the type to usually look back on a play, and I realize hindsight it 20/20, but I would have thought Bell knew that it was 4th down. Andre Johnson made a great play with the first down catch and I understand if it's 3rd down and Bell is trying to make a play on the ball and intercept it and Johnson leaps over and wrestles it from him. But it was 4th down, and an interception is not better than simply swatting the ball down. He tried intercepting the ball and fought to grab it, which allowed Johnson, who is a very good WR to leap over and get it away from bell. If Bell swats that ball down, that his hands were able to reach, Johnson wouldn't have been able to wrestle the ball away or make a play as the ball would have been smacked into the ground. Game over. I would have thought this would be the thing for defenses to focus on just deflecting the pass and not trying to intercept it, sincei it isn;t any better than a deflection on 4th down, as that wins the game regardless. I'm not the only one that noticed this, am I?

It's too bad, since Bell seemed to have a good game, it's just frustrating that he just didn't swat the ball down instead of trying to pick the ball off.

Maybe,

But Bell had very good coverage on it and that play just demonstrates how much skill Andre Johnson really has. Bell had a good game like you said, and maybe he could have batted that ball down, but he still had solid coverage on it and really was just over matched. Either way they still left the guy wide open on the next play, and still let Schaub walk into the endzone in the end.

 

[JDOE]

There were a few plays like that. I didn't like them punting on 4th and an inch even though they were still in their own territory. You've got Ronnie Brown who makes something out of nothing on every other play and decide to punt it away? You're not playing to win, you're playing not to lose.

There were also a couple times were the wildcat would have been a good call, but they went vanilla and predictable again. I understand you don't want to overuse a play, but we put them on their heels with it and failed to close the deal.

 

[cltchperf]

You would think that Bell or the other players would know this. Isn't this football 101 and the basics of football? I mean, from what I recall, I thought coaches always say for the defense on hail marys to swat the ball down and on 4th down to just worry about deflecting the pass and don't worry about trying to intercept and make a play. It's like basic knowledge what out the window there.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

That may be a very valid point. The internet stream was fuzzy so I didn't get a great look at Bell's tactics on that play.

Regardless, I'm continually baffled by inept strategic tactics late in these games. The Bears gave away the game worse than we did. There was still time for Atlanta to complete a pass and get out of bounds. But Chicago's secondary acted like Atlanta needed a TD. They played 40 yards back and gave Atlanta a cheap deep out to the 30 with 1 second remaining, and it cost them the game.