Playing with a big lead

[Ring 6]

I do not think anyone gets this. (Apologies to anyone who posted it here and I havent read it yet)
I think it is blatantly obvious why BB continues to have his team play the game when it appears out of reach.
First, he brought up the Tampa (Colts?) game a few years back when they came back from a huge margin in like 5 minutes.
Asde from that, we are winning so convincingly, that if you removed the starters and/or cutback the offense to 3 yards and a cloud of dust, your players are only getting a half to 3/4s of a game under their belt.
Players need to play.
As BB has said MANY times, no team, no matter how good in October, will not win a Championship unless they improve.
How can we continue to improve to the level we must get to by having our players play a half of football every week, while other contenders are playing 60 minutes.

In essence we are wrapping games up so early that our players have not had enough reps, so the late parts of the game turn into practice.

Of course, the other end of it is, what else do you do? Its 4th and 1 in the early 4th quarter. Kicking a FG is a worse case of trying to run up the score. Giving the other team a chance to stop you is more sportsmanlike. Plus, at some point we are going to need to convert a 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter. We are better prepared to do so if we have done it under game conditions.

Everything that happens after the game is out of hand should be labeled PREPARATION for the rest of the season.

 

[CTPatsFan]

I believe it was the TN/Houston game BB was talking about when Houston outscored TN 29-6 in the 4th only to lose by 3.

That Indy game last year will stick in BB's craw until the day he dies and will never forget it. And nothing he does will please the opponents or the naysayers so why bother trying.

Game reps are key and nothing like practice reps. BB's job is to worry about what's best for his team, the other coaches for theirs. These aren't friggin' peewee kids or even highschool.

 

[Satchboogie3]

Det scored 35 in the 4th against the Bears earlier this year.

That is exactly what people aren't getting. Right now the second half of most of our games is PRACTICE. If a team is playing so badly that its oppenent starts using it as a practice squad, its their fault.

I think Bill Parcells said it best the other day. He was talking about a 4th and 1 situation in a blowout, "If you kick a field goal, the other team will complain that you wanted points, weren't running out the clock, and you didn't let their defense stop you. If you go for it and pass, they will complain that you are disrespecting them by passing and not running. If you run the ball, they will complain that you are going for it and didn't kick a field goal." No matter what you do, the other team will complain because you are blowing them out. Its professional football. All that matters is a W. If you lose, it doesn't matter if it is by 1 point or 100 points. Only the loser complain.

 

[Ring 6]

I believe it was the TN/Houston game BB was talking about when Houston outscored TN 29-6 in the 4th only to lose by 3.

That Indy game last year will stick in BB's craw until the day he dies and will never forget it. And nothing he does will please the opponents or the naysayers so why bother trying.

Yes, last years Indy game will influence BB for a long time. I think you can pretty much expect BB to not take the foot off the gas until there are not enough possessions left for the opponent to come back, even if we turn it over every time we touched it.

 

[Ring 6]

I believe it was the TN/Houston game BB was talking about when Houston outscored TN 29-6 in the 4th only to lose by 3.

That Indy game last year will stick in BB's craw until the day he dies and will never forget it. And nothing he does will please the opponents or the naysayers so why bother trying.

Game reps are key and nothing like practice reps. BB's job is to worry about what's best for his team, the other coaches for theirs. These aren't friggin' peewee kids or even highschool.

I was talking about the game a few years ago between Tampa and I think it was the Colts where they came back from something like 27 points down in 5 minutes. BB referenced that Sunday after the game.

 

[JoePats]

I was talking about the game a few years ago between Tampa and I think it was the Colts where they came back from something like 27 points down in 5 minutes. BB referenced that Sunday after the game.

Definatley the Colts, on a Monday night.

 

[CTPatsFan]

I was talking about the game a few years ago between Tampa and I think it was the Colts where they came back from something like 27 points down in 5 minutes. BB referenced that Sunday after the game.

Gotcha. I didn't catch any of the post-game.

 

[lander]

I do not think anyone gets this. (Apologies to anyone who posted it here and I havent read it yet)
I think it is blatantly obvious why BB continues to have his team play the game when it appears out of reach.
First, he brought up the Tampa (Colts?) game a few years back when they came back from a huge margin in like 5 minutes.
Asde from that, we are winning so convincingly, that if you removed the starters and/or cutback the offense to 3 yards and a cloud of dust, your players are only getting a half to 3/4s of a game under their belt.
Players need to play.
As BB has said MANY times, no team, no matter how good in October, will not win a Championship unless they improve.
How can we continue to improve to the level we must get to by having our players play a half of football every week, while other contenders are playing 60 minutes.

In essence we are wrapping games up so early that our players have not had enough reps, so the late parts of the game turn into practice.

Of course, the other end of it is, what else do you do? Its 4th and 1 in the early 4th quarter. Kicking a FG is a worse case of trying to run up the score. Giving the other team a chance to stop you is more sportsmanlike. Plus, at some point we are going to need to convert a 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter. We are better prepared to do so if we have done it under game conditions.

Everything that happens after the game is out of hand should be labeled PREPARATION for the rest of the season.

It is what it is no matter how you spin it.

 

[PAPatsjunkie]

I was talking about the game a few years ago between Tampa and I think it was the Colts where they came back from something like 27 points down in 5 minutes. BB referenced that Sunday after the game.

Hey, I was looking around for this game on NFL.com and couldn't find it anywhere... does anyone know the year, and was it definitely Indy/ Tampa?

 

[JoePats]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=231006027