Not for nothing but...

[Fanfrom1960]

Re: Not for nothing but.....

Ken, you know I love ya, but Jaws said Moss "takes off plays" because, well...Moss TAKES OFF PLAYS. It's not a crime, he does on some level have to pace himself, but he also DOES do this and Jaws presented evidence to that effect.

All receivers do, to some degree, and Moss is a culprit - we knew that coming in. He's better than in the past about it, but you can't just run it full out ALL THE TIME, and he also is human and gets frustrated and isn't the most mentally tough guy on the team. The overall package of Moss is clearly worth it, but I don't think Jaws was wrong to do the story he did, and I CERTAINLY don't think he was "forced" to.

Not trying to knock Moss in his all pro season here, but does Welker take any plays off?

 

[patsox23]

Re: Not for nothing but.....

I don't know. Probably. I understand your insinuation, but it's possible Welker's a dirt-dog-y kind of guy who is the exception, 'though I doubt even that. I guarantee you, though, that Chad Johnson, Steve Smith, Larry Fitzgerald, Torre Holt, Jerry Rice, Keyshawn, Boldin and whole host of others do, or did, at times - because I've seen it.

 

[sg14]

Re: Not for nothing but.....

What does the bold part mean?? "For the second half, the captain who lost the pregame toss is to have the first choice of
the two privileges listed in (a) or (b), unless one of the teams lost its first and second
half options pursuant to 4-2-1.

Does that mean he told the ref he would defend the east end of the field at game start, but then walked his team to the west end, which would be failure to comply??

My head fogs over reading that rule.

When did I say there was a coin toss at the beginning of the second half?

Anyway, I'm right. Here's the pertinent section from the NFL rulebook:

Article 2 Not more than three minutes before the kickoff of the first half, the Referee, in
the presence of both team’s captains (limit of six per team, all of whom must be uni-
formed members of the Active List) shall toss a coin at the center of the field. Prior to
the Referee’s toss, the call of “heads” or “tails” must be made by the captain of the vis-
iting team, or by the captain designated by the Referee if there is no home team. The
winner of the toss must choose one of two privileges, and the loser is given the other.
The two privileges are:
(a) The opportunity to receive the kickoff; or
(b) The choice of goal his team will defend.

Penalty: For failure to comply: Loss of coin-toss option for both halves and over-
time, and loss of 15 yards from the spot of the kickoff for the first half only.

For the second half, the captain who lost the pregame toss is to have the first choice of
the two privileges listed in (a) or (b), unless one of the teams lost its first and second
half options pursuant to 4-2-1. Immediately prior to the start of the second half, the cap-
tains of both teams must inform the Referee of their respective choices.
A captain’s first choice from any alternative privileges listed above is final and not subject
to change.

 

[captain stone]

Re: Not for nothing but.....

but have you researched how the pats fare once they get the ball in the 2nd half. i havent but it seems they always end up doing nothing with the ball to start the 2nd half when they are in that situation.

What may be more important is that the other team does not have the possibility of two consecutive drives, i.e. the AFCC. At the least, our defense is given an extra couple of minutes to rest/strategize.

 

[emoney_33]

Re: Not for nothing but.....

Not trying to knock Moss in his all pro season here, but does Welker take any plays off?

Moss doesn't "take plays off" but he, like every other receiver, cannot play 100% for every snap when he plays so many snaps. And YES Welker doesn't play 100% every second of every play. They are human. Moss just gets scrutinized more.

 

[DaBruinz]

Can anyone point to a game where the team that lost the coin toss got the ball to start BOTH halves? I've never seen this in my 25 years of watching pro ball.

I was always under the impression that if you kicked off to start the game, you got the ball at the half.

 

[Pats Fanatic]

Can anyone point to a game where the team that lost the coin toss got the ball to start BOTH halves? I've never seen this in my 25 years of watching pro ball.

I was always under the impression that if you kicked off to start the game, you got the ball at the half.

The 1986 Championship game the Giants choose to kickoff because of bad winds. The Redskins choose to receive at the start of the second half, they never kickoff once since they lost 17-0.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_playoffs,_1986-87#NFC:_New_York_Giants_17.2C_Washington_Redskins_0

 

[JoeSixPat]

Moss is on the field nearly every snap. Of course he's not going to run full speed each and every time.

Sometimes he'll go full out and be the primary target

Sometimes he'll go full out and won't be the primary target

Sometimes he'll catch a breather and not go full out, and will not be the primary target

Sometimes he'll dupe his defenders, start half speed and then burn by them catching them by surprise.

So yes - he's going to take some plays off. He needs to, seeing as he's nearly always on the field. And sometimes that can be made to serve to one's advantage.