It happened in the Carolina game, and again yesterday.

We get the ball back on downs late in the 4th, with a penalty, we get the ball at the Pittsburgh 10. A TD wins the game, but instead we run 3 plays up the middle and settle for a FG giving us a 6 pt lead. Not a single well designed play to even attempt a TD.

And then there we were, within a eyelash of losing a game that would have lived on in infamy, as one of the biggest chokes in NFL history. GREAT!

Philbin really needs to step up his killer instinct.

Had Philbin gone for the 4th and 2 in the Carolina game instead of trying a 53 yd FG, we had a very legit shot of winning that game.

Very concerning.

Let's leave aside the Carolina game.

I seem to remember the series you are talking about in the Steeler game and remember being disappointed with the LACK OF TRICKERY or the "make em guess" element being missing.

Tanny is a tremendous talent and it's not like you have Dan Marino trying to hobble into the endzone.

So if I'm remembering correctly, I agree with you on the play calling.

You just NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T do anything that is going to set you back further like taking a sack.

Maybe Philbin was thinking about Tanny taking a sack.

Throwing the ball into the Cheap seats does not seem to be in Tanny's DNA although he did better in this game than previous ones.

Wasn't this game the one in which he was almost called for intentional grounding because he threw one away?

But that being true, I can't jump on Philbin's back as I usually do.

Of course that kick off run back was, well,,.....come on, not since we did it to Stanford .....AND THEN WE HAD THE HELP OF THE STANFORD BAND AT THE END....LOL.

obviously we were trying to run clock. We were so close even a sack doesn't take us out of FG range and keeps the clock going so I don't think that was the concern.
I agree they played it safe but if Tanny throws an INC then Pitt gets the ball back with over 1 minute to drive down for a TD than the 30 secs or so they had and everyone would be calling for Philbin's head
Remember in the mid-2000s, last game of season to make playoffs, we beat NE we are in, up 3 points or so with the ball, idiot Wannsted throws instead of running, INC passes let them get the ball back and tie us and end up winning in OT
Philbin played it safe but it wasn't the "wrong" move, just not the aggressive one

________________________________________________________
The beatings will continue until morale improves.

It was the safe play under still sloppy field conditions.
I was a little miffed at the time by the lack of aggression but the exact same scenario played out in the 49ners and Seahawks game and with the same results. Lesson learned.

........................................

The Clown Show Continues



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berkeley223 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> obviously we were trying to run clock. We were so
> close even a sack doesn't take us out of FG range
> and keeps the clock going so I don't think that
> was the concern.

Not on a normal field with normal weather conditions but a 10 yard sack would have meant that instead of looking at a 27 yard field goal, you were looking at a 37 yard field goal.

Normal field conditions??? No biggie.

This snow field.... You SHOULD MAKE IT ANYWAY but no one wants to write it down in history if you miss either.

Whoa, scary.

No folks. I have not dispatched THE Truth and hacked his account.

It really is him doing his post and me doing mine.

THE Truth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
.
>
> That said, I would have loved to have seen them
> run a naked boot leg on third down. Worst case
> RT carries the ball and the clock continues to
> run. Best case he walks into the endzone.

yes! I was calling for the same thing at the time. they could not stop RT's running all game

________________________________________________________
The beatings will continue until morale improves.

THE Truth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That said, I would have loved to have seen them
> run a naked boot leg on third down. Worst case
> RT carries the ball and the clock continues to
> run. Best case he walks into the endzone.

This was my thought too, put the game in Tannehill's hands.

I have zero problems with the decision to not throw and settle for the FG. And i'm not just blindly loyal to Philbin, but he played the end of the game right.

ChyrenB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let's leave aside the Carolina game.
>
> I seem to remember the series you are talking
> about in the Steeler game and remember being
> disappointed with the LACK OF TRICKERY or the
> "make em guess" element being missing.
>
> Tanny is a tremendous talent and it's not like you
> have Dan Marino trying to hobble into the
> endzone.
>
> So if I'm remembering correctly, I agree with you
> on the play calling.
>
> You just NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T do
> anything that is going to set you back further
> like taking a sack.
>
> Maybe Philbin was thinking about Tanny taking a
> sack.
>
> Throwing the ball into the Cheap seats does not
> seem to be in Tanny's DNA although he did better
> in this game than previous ones.
>
> Wasn't this game the one in which he was almost
> called for intentional grounding because he threw
> one away?
>
> But that being true, I can't jump on Philbin's
> back as I usually do.
>
> Of course that kick off run back was,
> well,,.....come on, not since we did it to
> Stanford .....AND THEN WE HAD THE HELP OF THE
> STANFORD BAND AT THE END....LOL.

*****************************************

What I was looking for and what one of the announcers mentioned, was Tanney bootlegging with the option to pass or run. Didn't happen.

Philbin, et al, seemed happy to be in the position they were (leading the game with little time left on the clock).

Then the Fins allow that end of game nonsense to happen and luckily Brown stepped out of bounds. Stupid! Everybody in the world, even those who don't understand the game, knew that's what Pitt was going to do. I just can't comprehend that.