Going for it on 4th down

[Pez]

I hate going for it on 4th down unless we must. Sure there are supposed analytics and all kinds of stuff that say teams should do it more often, but today it left 6 points off the board.

This kind of stuff is how we manage to control TOP, have a billion more yards than they do, and still need overtime to beat a 3-6 team.

There is a time and place to be aggressive, but aggression for the sake of aggression is just kinda stupid. This game would have been completely different If we'd made those two field goals.

[YDFL Commish]

I don't like Steichen chasing points either. But, maybe he doesn't trust our current kicker. Other than that, I see no reason to do it.

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish

I don't like Steichen chasing points, either ...... but maybe he doesn't trust our current kicker. Other than that, I see no reason to do it.

o


I suspect that it has little to do with trusting the kicker. Before today Badgely was excellent for the Colts, going 5-for-5 on FG attempts, and 14-for-15 on X-tra Point attempts ...... and 2 of those 5 FG's were from beyond 50 yards, and 4 out of those 5 FG's were from beyond 40 yards. In spite of all that, Steichen went for it on 4th down of the Colts' opening drive of today's game instead of attempting a 44-yard FG attempt, and that was before Badgley's 2 misses today.

I think that Steichen just likes going for it, for other reasons besides the kicker. I think that he would have gone for it on that opening drive in today's game even if he had had a 26 year-old Adam Vinateri on the roster.

o

[Dam8610]

The Colts are like the top offense in the league at converting 4th downs, you only get a limited number of possessions in a game, and turning a 3 drive into a 7 drive can also often be the difference between winning and losing.

If the offense wasn't working so well, sure, take the points more often. But this offense is clicking on everything, and taking opportunities out of their hands is less than ideal currently.

[Kray007]

To me, yesterday at least, you take the points. You’re playing in a tough environment, on the road, 5,000 miles from home in the land of wiener schnitzel and great pilsner. It’s a tried and true recipe for looking discombobulated.

The fact that you’re down a Corner and an all pro Defensive Tackle was bad enough; but the guy you traded for to elevate the back end of your D to greatness was so new to the team that he only had a day or two to look at the playbook and had to make a Target run in order to have a change of underwear.

Under those conditions, every point was critical.

[Pez]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

The Colts are like the top offense in the league at converting 4th downs, you only get a limited number of possessions in a game, and turning a 3 drive into a 7 drive can also often be the difference between winning and losing.

If the offense wasn't working so well, sure, take the points more often. But this offense is clicking on everything, and taking opportunities out of their hands is less than ideal currently.

I get it, but the offense hasn't worked so well since before Halloween. Building confidence before we face some tougher teams (KC, Sea, Jax) is more valuable than rolling the dice twice for potential four-point swings in a game we managed to win by 6.

If we had taken the two chip shots, we would have been taking knees late in the 4th instead of needing yet another 4th down conversion to keep from losing.

Against the Chefs, I might have a different answer, but probably not.

[ChoppedWood]

I think he just believes his own genius combined with guys like Warren, JT, Pitt, and even Downs and AP, is effectively impossible to stop. Now, to me, it's like playing Black and Red at the roulette table- when you've been successful 12 in a row, well at some point you're streak is going to end so you have to lay back here and there. He pushed it too hard yesterday. That said, the team has to feel like a bunch of bullies when barring some bad shit, they are playing 4 downs to your 3. The confidence in that huddle has to be insane at this point.

To me, the last two games have unfortunately given the league a solid plan on how to somewhat slow us down (as others have pointed out- we still had a shit ton of yards and again went over 30 pts). It's all about selling out, especially on the edges, to hit DJ. 8 sacks in the first 8 games and 12 in the last 2, that is really fucked up! We have got to change up a couple things, DJ is not going to make it through the season getting hit like he has been.

[ChaosTheory]

At one point they showed the stat that we were something like 15/17 on 4th down, which is absurd. We were then 2/4 yesterday, so that would make us like 17/21 on the year.

I'll never mind the aggression, especially with an 80% conversion rate. The flick to JT was just too copy-and-paste from the Cardinals game. And the pass to Downs was just a tight throw and the DB made a play.

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by ChoppedWood

I think he just believes his own genius combined with guys like Warren, JT, Pitt, and even Downs and AP, is effectively impossible to stop. Now, to me, it's like playing Black and Red at the roulette table- when you've been successful 12 in a row, well at some point you're streak is going to end so you have to lay back here and there. He pushed it too hard yesterday. That said, the team has to feel like a bunch of bullies when barring some bad shit, they are playing 4 downs to your 3. The confidence in that huddle has to be insane at this point.

To me, the last two games have unfortunately given the league a solid plan on how to somewhat slow us down (as others have pointed out- we still had a shit ton of yards and again went over 30 pts). It's all about selling out, especially on the edges, to hit DJ. 8 sacks in the first 8 games and 12 in the last 2, that is really fucked up! We have got to change up a couple things, DJ is not going to make it through the season getting hit like he has been.

Yes, the "solid plan" is to have several elite edge rushers and blitz like crazy, and then you're still giving up over 400 yards and 30 points if you don’t get crazy Tomlin bounces to go your way.

[ChoppedWood]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

Yes, the "solid plan" is to have several elite edge rushers and blitz like crazy, and then you're still giving up over 400 yards and 30 points if you don’t get crazy Tomlin bounces to go your way.

At some point, all the hits end up taking the toll they are intended to take and he is on the sidelines in street clothes. If that happens in the game you are playing them, then you are giddy. If that happens in the next game and you were going to face in the playoffs and he is going to be in street clothes watching the game, you are giddy as well.