DOLPHINS: 4th and 1

[Danny Nelson]

Being down by 1 leaves you more options than being down by 2 if the other team
ends up scoring another TD.  Example, if the Pats score a TD rather than throw
a pick then they go up by 2 scores rather than one.  It's a matter of
percentages.  Why take the risk until you have to?  Was it a terrible decision
at the time?  No.  And obviously it turned out okay.  While I follow certain
guidelines about going for two, sometimes you just have to play your gut.  But
I'm not sure the decision was made on the assumption that we wouldn't get
another chance.  I haven't read any of Sparano's comments, so if that's what
he said then okay.  My feeling is that it was more like, hey we're down by two
so the math works, rather than thinking about percentages or looking ahead to
scenarios.  They won, so it'a all good.

------ Original Message ------
From: "Salas, Randy" <Randy.Salas at startribune.com>

> If the Dolphins had gone for the extra point and the Pats had then scored,
as you say, the Dolphins would then have been down by 8 points again with a
2-point conversion the only way to tie it up. So they would have to go for 2
points in either situation. The problem wasn't that the Dolphins went for 2
points early rather than later; the problem was that they didn't convert it.
> 
> When this situation came up, I told my wife that most people would argue
that the Dolphins should go for the sure extra point at that point in the game
rather than go for 2. I asked her what she would do. She said that considering
the game up to that point, the Dolphins might not have another chance to tie
the game. So they should go for 2, she said, which they did. Sparano
apparently thought the same way.
> 
> I didn't have a problem with it.
> 
> ________________________________________
> From: dolphins-disc-bounces at phins.com [dolphins-disc-bounces at phins.com] On
Behalf Of Danny Nelson [cheesefrog at usa.net]
> Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 8:34 PM
> To: Miami Dolphins Discussion
> Subject: Re: DOLPHINS: 4th and 1
> 
> Damn, I just don't get why this is so hard for smart people (like Sparano)
to
> understand.
> 
> Had the Pats scored a TD after that long completion to Welker, they go up
by
> 9, i.e. 2 scores.
> 
> They won so you can't complain.  But I still say...
> 
> Don't go for 2 until you need to!!!
> 
> ------ Original Message ------
> From: Kristoffer Shields <kms223 at hotmail.com>
> 
> > I completely agree that you don't go for 2 there----I don't think you do
> that until you absolutely have to.  You just don't know what's going to
happen
> the rest of the game.  But more than that, if we lose, I think it'll be
> because (a) the Patriots are better and (b) someone (I assume Pasqualoni)
> thought it'd be a good idea to run a defensive scheme where Welker is
fairly
> consistently covered (or should I say not covered) by a LB.
> 
> 
> 
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