Did Gibbs Make the Wrong Call?

[rickmmrr]

This is when Brunnel needs to be able to audible. He sees the bucs stacking for the run and he changes the play to a roll out option.

But I don't think this lost the game. It was the defense this game.

[MTK]

It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. Gibbs chose to keep the clock running which is what he'll do 99% of the time. I'd rather not pick this decision apart when there are bigger fish to fry like the defensive breakdowns and the turnovers.

[Daseal]

I'd rather not pick this decision apart when there are bigger fish to fry like the defensive breakdowns and the turnovers.

Matty -- if we get that first down. Game over and we get a W.

Exactly, skins052. Even dating back to last year we put the game in our defenses hands seemingly not even trying for the first down to kill the clock. While an incomplete pass would have left them an extra 30ish seconds I doubt it would have mattered. Taking a high percentage pass instead of running the exact same play three times in a row is the way to go for me. Or at least try to show a new look besides everyone but Portis on the line.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Daseal

Matty -- if we get that first down. Game over and we get a W.

You can say that about anything that happens during a game.

If we don't turn it over twice and spot them easy points it's a different ball game.

If we don't jump offsides and give them the chance to go for two, perhaps it's a different ball game.

If the refs don't call that horrible force out call perhaps it's a different ball game.

If the defense doesn't keep giving up big play after big play, it's a different ball game.

It's convenient to boil the game down to one play, but the game wasn't decided on that one play.

[#56fanatic]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

You can say that about anything that happens during a game.

If we don't turn it over twice and spot them easy points it's a different ball game.

If we don't jump offsides and give them the chance to go for two, perhaps it's a different ball game.

If the refs don't call that horrible force out call perhaps it's a different ball game.

If the defense doesn't keep giving up big play after big play, it's a different ball game.

It's convenient to boil the game down to one play, but the game wasn't decided on that one play.

That is totally right!! If we dont spot them 14 or 21 points we win the game easily. Pass protection broke down early, although the second half was better. The pass to Patten was not a bad pass, but a bad effort on catching the ball. He should have broke towards the ball instead of letting the DB break on the ball. Our D needs some serious adjusting!! We cant give up that many points and expect anything other than a loss. Our Offense is playing as well as I have seen since 97-99(good ole Norv). I think GW may have been a little too aggressive in the end. I think we needed to keep as much help deep as possible especially since we were given up deep balls pretty much the entire game.

[railcon56]

Offenses are too explosive these days cant play and rely on the D to hold them ...Coach Gibbs needs to get that killer instinct step on thier necks ..shoot them in the back ..end it ..dont rely on anyone... i think he did make a mistake......but and what a great gutsy though provoking question TY

[CrazyCanuck]

It was the right call. It took the clock from 2:45 down to the 2-minute warning. Good teams can run when everyone knows they're running (like Gibbs 1.0). You don't need any fancy plays there, just pound it through (see Alstott's 2-pt conversion). We just didn't make it.

This loss is on the defense. If you claim to be a playoff caliber team but can't stop a rookie QB from marching the field with less than 2 minutes and no timeouts, then you have issues. Not to mention they rolled right thru our d on the previous series but luckily stalled at our 10.

[#56fanatic]

Originally Posted by railcon56@comcast.net

Offenses are too explosive these days cant play and rely on the D to hold them ...Coach Gibbs needs to get that killer instinct step on thier necks ..shoot them in the back ..end it ..dont rely on anyone... i think he did make a mistake......but and what a great gutsy though provoking question TY

usually you and I see eye to eye on things, but this time I have to disagree. You run the ball in that situation 99% of the time, or atleast Gibbs does. He always has been this way and probably always will. He won 3 super bowls with his "conservative" calls. we are too deep in our own territory to rish a throw. He may get sacked, fumble, int, what ever. too many risk factors involved to throw. Fact remains, the skins should have been able to run the ball to get two yards. We didn't , so we punted. What I am failing to hear is the fact the punter hit another bad punt. where is Tupa when you need him. the punt was only a net of about 30 yards, beside the fact it was a line drive punt. If he punts the ball deeper, we may be able to hold on. The whole team lost this game, but the punter seems to be getting a free ride here. He has not been a good punter up to this game and I dont see him changing anytime soon. Field position is key in that situation, and he blew it first, then the D blew it big at the end.

[railcon56]

Originally Posted by #56fanatic

usually you and I see eye to eye on things, but this time I have to disagree. You run the ball in that situation 99% of the time, or atleast Gibbs does. He always has been this way and probably always will. He won 3 super bowls with his "conservative" calls. we are too deep in our own territory to rish a throw. He may get sacked, fumble, int, what ever. too many risk factors involved to throw. Fact remains, the skins should have been able to run the ball to get two yards. We didn't , so we punted. What I am failing to hear is the fact the punter hit another bad punt. where is Tupa when you need him. the punt was only a net of about 30 yards, beside the fact it was a line drive punt. If he punts the ball deeper, we may be able to hold on. The whole team lost this game, but the punter seems to be getting a free ride here. He has not been a good punter up to this game and I dont see him changing anytime soon. Field position is key in that situation, and he blew it first, then the D blew it big at the end.

Oh that play didn't lose the game .... but I hate that thing where we play for the last possesion ...offense or defense and win it...we need to put people away...but that 1 play didn't lose the game...and i think the NFL is far more explosive than when gibbs won his superbowls...step on their necks and shoot them in the head..kick em when they are down!!!!

[Cooley 350Z]

You can always second-guess these things, and like someone previously said, you want to say we should have passed, simply because the run did not work out. Bottom line, Portis was running well & at the time the run was the right call. You can't win them all. Given our proclivity for heart-attack inducing close games, it was just a matter of time before one went the other way. Lets now focus on taking down the Raiders in our house with the 12th man in full force.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

The loss aside, is it just me or does it seem like Gibbs is trying to get EVERYONE involved in the offense so that when he WANTS to throw to someone like Koz that people won't expect it?

Also, Daseal pointed this out, that we were running many more stretch plays and lo and behold Portis's numbers went through the roof.

[Redskin]

you have ot kill the clock and the way portis was running it was golden what if brunnel through an interception he already had 2

[saskin]

Gibbs made the right call in running. We had the lead, and had the possibility to run down the clock more. Plus, Portis was running like a scalded dog all game. I'm surprised he actually didn't get a first down. He gained like 6 yards on the first down. If we had passed and had it intercepted and returned, people would be mad with Gibbs anyway.

[That Guy]

i think passing had a high chance to convert, even though it'd leave more time on the clock... I don't really think that was the worst thing that happened last night though.

I think having our D go MIA is a much bigger concern.

[EternalEnigma21]

He called the right play there, you can't crucify gibbs for getting somewhat conservative there and keeping the clock running....

but (and this is probably why I'm not an NFL coach) I would have definately gone for it (even on our own 20) on 4th and 1.

I mean we punt from our own 5, and you can bet they start in their own territory anyway... not only that, but we keep letting teams back in games by not putting them away with our offense. The eagles could have scored that last TD, and we should have been another TD ahead in that game.

If we don't make it, our D is somewhat fresh defending a shorter field (supposed to be in our favor, because there's less field to protect) and they play for a tie with no time and all we have to do is watch the pass with a more crowded secondary.

If we make it... game over.

I don't see how we can come back, take a lead, and then just let teams back in ball games like we do. Ther's been 2 games this year out of 9 that haven't been edge-of-seat finishes, and we've outgained alot of opponents that we've lost to in close games dramatically. We have to start putting teams away when we get ahead. If we can play great from behind, we should be able to keep it up.