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OT: Question for those who did/didn't see the end of Iowa - PSU game last night

alden1

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Dec 18, 2008
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With 2:18 left in the game and Iowa up by 3, PSU went for it on 4th and 10 from their OWN 8 yard line. The play resulted in a poorly thrown pass that was intercepted by Iowa and downed at the PSU 25 yard line. Rooting for Iowa to win, I immediately screamed at the TV screen " Why did you intercept that pass, no less dive for it" since the intended receiver had no chance of catching it. If the Iowa player had just let the ball fall incomplete, Iowa would have taken over on downs at the PSU 8 yard line with 2:10 left to go where they could have put the game out of reach with a TD or kick a short FG after PSU used up all of their time outs and force PSU to have to score a TD to win. Instead, in addition to intercepting the ball, the Iowa player got penalized 15 yards for taunting the intended PSU receiver causing Iowa to get the ball on PSU's 40 yard line, where after 3 running plays for little or no gain and PSU using up all 3 of their time outs, Iowa was forced to punt from the their side of the 50 yard line( where a block/scoop and score or long return could have changed the outcome of the game). Although PSU got the ball back at about their own 10 yard line with about 30 seconds left, they still had a chance with Jahan Dotsan in the game, of making a big play to get them in position for a game tying FG.
My question is did I miss something? I didn't hear any of the TV announcers comment on wether it was wise to have intercepted the pass. The only thing I heard after watching the replay on YOU Tube was that the interception probably ended PSU's chance of winning, which it didn't seeing as how they got the ball back with the score unchanged. I'm still happy with the outcome of the game but it reminded me of another team I root for who has a knack of making things harder then it should to win a game.
 
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You see it all the time now.

I knew it when I was 8 years old. Don’t intercept it on 4th down unless you have lot of open space.
 
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Split second decision. All your training teaches you to be a ball hawk. If it's coming your way, a DB will go for the ball or at least tip or knock it away.
 
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No SK. The players understand the situation like even youth baseball players do before the ball comes their way.

Newell is exactly right. There’s no other reason but for the stats.
 
When I was a kid, I heard a TV announcer praise a player who knocked down rather than intercept a 4th down pass in the end zone so that his team would take over at the 39, the line of scrimmage, rather than the 20. But that was a long time ago.
 
I think DBs are just conditioned to react. OSU intercepted us last week on 4th and long too
DBs should know the situation. The OSU INT didn't impact the game and the DB knew that so take the INT.
 
Announcers were silent. Very poor job. Should have said it was a bad/dumb play.
 
Ok, let’s make this more confusing, Iowa took three knees, they did not even attempt to run the ball. Crazy ending that would never work out that way with us….
 
Fantasy stats is all u need to know.
Dumb play that I taught even youth FB kids to avoid. If he didn't know better he wasn't well coached his whole life and got by on natural ability. If he did know better, see the first line above. I see this too often recently and coaches at that level are REALLY good. You do the math. Very selfish in my opinion.
 
No announcer is going say "dumb" play. A simple he should have just knocked it down is plenty and explain why.
Perhaps no announcer would use that word, but many would get the thought across, e.g, "that was not a team play." Think about how someone like Matt Mullen is forever saying unkind things about players (even when it's not justified.)
 
Another situation that coaches should stress/remind their players about before they leave the locker room.BUT thee are tons of such situations soallare impossible to mention or remember.That's FB
 
Sadly, it's how today's athlete typically is. Me First, stats-first and team second.

I wonder if a MLB player would rather have three Game 7 home runs in a loss or 3 walks in a win. I think the former.

Bosox-Rays the other night. Tie game last inning, R2 and R3 with one out. Hernandez at bat. Rays defensive shift with F4 on the left side and possibly the slowest F3 (or any other position) in baseball history Choi playing closer to second base (aside: how is this guy even a pro?)

Announcer points out and repeats that it would be easy to bunt toward 1st base for a walk-off bunt and series win. Rays knew that's not how the game is played, not even to win the ALDS. Hernandez wanted a walk-off home run and an ESPN top play rather than a gimme bunt GWRBI.

Hernandez Sac-Fly won the game anyway, but the point still holds. Players only care about themselves.

I usually root for the Red Sox in the AL but at that moment I wanted them to lose because of that.
 
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Got to give the DB a pass. Football is an emotional game. Things happen in the heat of the moment. It asking a guy who tired and probably beaten up to make a split second decision in the heat of the moment. Yes it a coaching moment but they are only human.
 
it's not split-second. the player is aware of the situation as soon as the prior play ends. Incomplete pass is turnover-on-downs. As easy as it gets.
 
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the taunting / 15 yard penalty is where the problem is. without that it's actually a much different situation and this is likely a non-topic
 
Sadly, it's how today's athlete typically is. Me First, stats-first and team second.

I wonder if a MLB player would rather have three Game 7 home runs in a loss or 3 walks in a win. I think the former.

Bosox-Rays the other night. Tie game last inning, R2 and R3 with one out. Hernandez at bat. Rays defensive shift with F4 on the left side and possibly the slowest F3 (or any other position) in baseball history Choi playing closer to second base (aside: how is this guy even a pro?)

Announcer points out and repeats that it would be easy to bunt toward 1st base for a walk-off bunt and series win. Rays knew that's not how the game is played, not even to win the ALDS. Hernandez wanted a walk-off home run and an ESPN top play rather than a gimme bunt GWRBI.

Hernandez Sac-Fly won the game anyway, but the point still holds. Players only care about themselves.

I usually root for the Red Sox in the AL but at that moment I wanted them to lose because of that.
I heard the announcer's comment and thought, "how many players these days know how to bunt, let alone how to bunt to the right side?" On the other hand, I was really impressed that Arroyo was able to bunt the runner to second base, and on a high pitch at that. Sabemetrics says you should never bunt -- that it's wrong to trade a base for an out -- but in this case it paid off.
 
Stats/glory/look at me and low football IQ are all possible reasons for the interception in that situation. I get that it is a split second thing but in many ways it’s like a kid in little league knowing the game situation and thinking beforehand “what am I going to do if the ball is hit to me.”

BTW several years ago I witnessed the absolute worst possible ending to a football game. It was a high school game and a linebacker on a team with a 4 point lead intercepted a Hail Mary pass that was thrown as the clock expired. Unless there was a defensive penalty or the opponents scored on the Hail Mary THE GAME WAS OVER and the team on defense would win. EXCEPT… the boneheaded linebacker made the interception and started downfield trying to score. He was popped hard, fumbled, and the offensive team recovered the fumble and ran it in for the winning score. I can’t think of a worse play to end a game… situational awareness and football IQ matter. 😂
 
Camden...MLB hitters have probably the best hand-eye coordination of any professional athlete in the world, and obviously the best bat skills. They absolutely know how to bunt. Even the announcer noted that with the shift on it would be easy to bunt for the win.

They did win anyway, but in a 'me-first', lower probability way.
 
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