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Golden and 4th downs

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killacane

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I posted something from a prior game around concerns of Golden and him being way to conservative and his 4th down decision making continues to prove it. In the first half it was 4th and 2 on their side of the field and golden elected to punt. Our offense was moving the ball well and our D, well is our D. Luckily their was a penalty on Pitt on the punt that gave us the first down but these decisions really make me wonder what he sees in our D and the trust he still has.

The playing not to lose and fear of making mistakes is going to be something that needs to change for us to continue to move in the right direction.
 
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It was 4th and 5, not 4th and 2. Carry on but let's not let the facts get in the way.
 
Was talking about it while watching Alabama Auburn last night. Both coaches play to win the game. Not just 4th downs. But how about Alabama going long on 1st down with their back in the end zone? A team reflects its coach, and if he's not confident, how are they going to be? Conservative in too many offensive situations, bend but don't break defense, were playing not to lose across the board. It ******* sucks.
 
fresssh said:
Was talking about it while watching Alabama Auburn last night. Both coaches play to win the game. Not just 4th downs. But how about Alabama going long on 1st down with their back in the end zone? A team reflects its coach, and if he's not confident, how are they going to be? Conservative in too many offensive situations, bend but don't break defense, were playing not to lose across the board. It ****ing sucks.
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funny that you posted this -- you do realize that Saban going for it on 4 and 2 on their 15 with 2 minutes left was ******* stupid and cost Alabama a chance to 3-peat right?
 
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Tell me the last time you saw Saban go for it on 4th and 4 in enemy territory on the 40 yard line with a lead. If you want to make an argument bring accurate facts. Golden has gone for it plenty of time 4 and short inside the 30. Outside the 40 is a different ball game especially with the lead.
 
Cooper ran that route all game was open every time. Hardly a gutsy call. When auburn barely touched McCarron all game.

Also Saban got uncharacteristically aggressive at the end of that game and lost a chance to 3 peat on a 109 yard FG return to house. Great corching there too attempting a career long FG 57 yards in a tie game.

If golden made that call and got that result you guys would crucify him.
Please take Saban's nuts out of your mouth.
 
For one, Saban has defenses every year. When you don't have a defense, I don't know why this kind of thing makes any sense. When you do, it makes an extraordinary amount of sense.

Two, You can't blame that loss on Saban. You have to kick for the win. Maybe they could have gameplanned better for a miss but serious, who the **** could have seen that coming?
 
BlackKeysFan said:
For one, Saban has defenses every year. When you don't have a defense, I don't know why this kind of thing makes any sense. When you do, it makes an extraordinary amount of sense.

Two, You can't blame that loss on Saban. You have to kick for the win. Maybe they could have gameplanned better for a miss but serious, who the **** could have seen that coming?
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Your FG team doesn't have more than 3 tacklers at best. That is always dangerous when u are attempting a FG that long and as u could see Auburn setup for a Return on that play. I can see attempting that kick instead of a hail mary if u are losing. But if you have the tie and the veteran team. Why not trust your players? Easy to second guess today but that kick was 5 yards longer than the kids career long and the kid is Redshirt Freshman...just saying it was overly agressive.
 
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Al Golden is very very conservative. I'm a little torn on that philosophy at UM. In another 2 or 3 years when recruiting is more where it should be, it kind of makes sense for the coach to stay out of the way and let the better talent win 90% of the time. Still, I feel like we play not to lose instead of win. Between the ultra "conservative" defense that just sits there and hopes you make a mistake, even though no pressure is being applied to cause mistakes, the punting every time, just little stuff like that, I kind of get the vibe that we play scared and I think players pick up on it.
 
Dghustla said:
BlackKeysFan said:
For one, Saban has defenses every year. When you don't have a defense, I don't know why this kind of thing makes any sense. When you do, it makes an extraordinary amount of sense.

Two, You can't blame that loss on Saban. You have to kick for the win. Maybe they could have gameplanned better for a miss but serious, who the **** could have seen that coming?
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Your FG team doesn't have more than 3 tacklers at best. That is always dangerous when u are attempting a FG that long and as u could see Auburn setup for a Return on that play. I can see attempting that kick instead of a hail mary if u are losing. But if you have the tie and the veteran team. Why not trust your players? Easy to second guess today but that kick was 5 yards longer than the kids career long and the kid is Redshirt Freshman...just saying it was overly agressive.
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Of course it was captain hindsight. If he doesn't attempt that kick and they lose in OT, his whole fanbase is scalping him. At Alabama, theres no reason to not have the best kickers in the country and 57 is long but a concievable make, much more likely than a hail mary. I'm sure Saban has seen the kid drill 60 in practice 1000 times.

It was a crazy play but to say kicking the fg was the wrong move is crazier IMO.
 
edge said:
Tell me the last time you saw Saban go for it on 4th and 4 in enemy territory on the 40 yard line with a lead. If you want to make an argument bring accurate facts. Golden has gone for it plenty of time 4 and short inside the 30. Outside the 40 is a different ball game especially with the lead.
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Yes it was 4th and 4 with our D it shouldn't matter, netting 20 yards on a punt is worthless
 
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Do some of you complain just for the sake of complaining. I think we get that some on here hate Golden and his staff much like I hated the incompetent Shannon. But unlike Shannon and his lack of leadership, there is plenty to positive about.

Let this play out at least through year 4! ****, Dumb *** Shannon got it and Coker got 5!
 
Malzahn's decision to go for it on his own 35 was terrible too. Alabama ended up missing a FG there but that was a losing football decision. Down 7 with 8 minutes to go on your 35.....you don't go for it there.

They got absolutely lucky. You call it aggressive, I call it losing football.
 
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Big Sky Cane said:
Malzahn's decision to go for it on his own 35 was terrible too. Alabama ended up missing a FG there but that was a losing football decision. Down 7 with 8 minutes to go on your 35.....you don't go for it there.

They got absolutely lucky. You call it aggressive, I call it losing football.
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Again with a normal defense it's losing football with this D I would never punt.
 
So we just put the highest point total on Pittsburgh in two months, but we have a conservative coach who is scared to lose.
 
killacane said:
Yes it was 4th and 4 with our D it shouldn't matter, netting 20 yards on a punt is worthless
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Golden made a horrendous decision and was bailed out by the penalty. O'Donnell wasn't going to be as reliable in that type of weather, regardless of his career at Cincinnati. Notice that O'Donnell's kickoffs were short all day and his punting wasn't as consistent. Golden didn't take situational variables into account and assumed O'Donnell would drop it inside the 5.

I worked in a stats office in Las Vegas for several years. There were a handful of scenarios in which the entire office would instantly burst out into laughter, based on low percentage strategy that was ignorantly embraced by coaches. In no particular order, they were third down screen passes, squib kickoffs, punting from inside the opponents' 40 when favored, and fade passes from inside the 10. The media never hounds coaches for choices like that but if you chart the results it's unbelievable that any of them are ever attempted. We should have gone for it without second thought or apology.
 
Our 'Punter the size of a LB' proclamation by Gold during preseason had me thinking we might at least try one or two fake punts. At least one. But nothing. Kinda disappointed in that.
 
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