What was Tomlin thinking?!?!

[steelz09]

by not kicking the FG on 3rd down? That was freakin' stupid.

If it was a bad snap, we would have been hosed. I can't believe Tomlin ran the ball on 3rd down. For what? To gain another 2 yards and risk a fumble? No excuse for that poor coaching decision. I thought that was coaching 101. If that was coaching 101 then Tomlin failed miserably.

You just can't expect to be a contender and make poor decisions like that and... the penalties.. that is just a sign of a undisciplined team.

[stopplayn]

Well if you cant execute a short fg then you deserve to lose.

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

by not kicking the FG on 3rd down? That was freakin' stupid.

If it was a bad snap, we would have been hosed. I can't believe Tomlin ran the ball on 3rd down. For what? To gain another 2 yards and risk a fumble? No excuse for that poor coaching decision. I thought that was coaching 101. If that was coaching 101 then Tomlin failed miserably.

You just can't expect to be a contender and make poor decisions like that and... the penalties.. that is just a sign of a undisciplined team.

I agree with your point about when to snap, but there's something to be said for the run and giving Suisham every extra yard possible ... he hasn't exactly proven himself to be Mr. Dependable, and if we can't trust our team to execute a handoff and not get hit for a loss when the chips are on the line, we're not going anywhere this post-season anyway.

A little off topic - though only 30 yards or so, that kick WAS a high pressure kick ... hopefully it'll give him the cojones when he has to win us a game in bad weather with a 55 yard kick later this year.

Back to Tomlin - I think we have enough data on Tomlin to know what where his weaknesses are (clock management, challenges, etc.), and what his mean that he will regress to is. Kind of like Ben - more like Farve than Brady, he is who he is.

But wait ... Ben is getting LOTS better this year, going through progressions, dumping off pretty quickly instead of holding on to the ball long enough to take a sack-fumble. So, maybe Tomlin will get noticeably better too! I think he should HIRE better people in the booth about when to challenge, and some smart dude whose only job is to watch the clock.

I agree about the discipline though - his ability to control the team has always been trumpeted as his biggest strength, but now I'm wondering if we're beginning to see cracks in that ... see my rant in the post titled "Pouncey's snaps ..." for more on that.

[stopplayn]

Challenges come from guys in the booth (steeler coaches). You guys say Tomlin cant control the team. Really? Tomlin is the 2nd coach that players want to play for in the NFL. So I'm sure you bloggers know better than the actual guys playing the games. You guys ALL got on Arians when he was here. What is he doing now? You were wrong about him and you are wrong about Tomlin. Tomlin went 3-1 without his franchise Qb. How did the Colts do without theirs?

[steelz09]

Challenges come from guys in the booth (steeler coaches). You guys say Tomlin cant control the team. Really? Tomlin is the 2nd coach that players want to play for in the NFL. So I'm sure you bloggers know better than the actual guys playing the games. You guys ALL got on Arians when he was here. What is he doing now? You were wrong about him and you are wrong about Tomlin. Tomlin went 3-1 without his franchise Qb. How did the Colts do without theirs?

Because Tomlin is buddy buddy with his players. Thats why guys want to play for him. Is it not that obvious?

Sometimes the best coaches and the best managers are not the "cool" dudes. You don't have to be cool to be a good coach and being "cool" or "liked" by your players does not make you a good coach either.

I think Tomlin walks that fine line of almost being to buddy buddy with his players. You need to have that clear separation no matter what.

[steelz09]

Well if you cant execute a short fg then you deserve to lose.

No... things happens. The weather was crappy, a bad snap, whatever...

Not kicking on 3rd down was incredibly stupid.

[Steelhere10]

The only problem I have with Tomlin right now is , not Benching Willie, not starting McClendon over Hampton, not starting Cam over Kiesel and not giving Adrian Robinson some pass rushing snaps. What down he kick the field goal on is petty in my book and no need for discussing. Now if we kick on 3rd and Philly have a big return and tie the game then some of you same posters would bitch about that..

[steelz09]

Challenges come from guys in the booth (steeler coaches). You guys say Tomlin cant control the team. Really? Tomlin is the 2nd coach that players want to play for in the NFL. So I'm sure you bloggers know better than the actual guys playing the games. You guys ALL got on Arians when he was here. What is he doing now? You were wrong about him and you are wrong about Tomlin. Tomlin went 3-1 without his franchise Qb. How did the Colts do without theirs?

Actually, I think the Rooney's did the right thing by firing Arians. I like the playcalling much better than last year.

[Steelhere10]

Yea kick on 3rd down and leave Philly with 30 sec, along with the way the defense is playing and kicking on 3rd is more dumber than this post. It took Oakland about a min to get in field goal range, with no name receivers I think the Eagles offense have better receivers .

[steelz09]

The only problem I have with Tomlin right now is , not Benching Willie, not starting McClendon over Hampton, not starting Cam over Kiesel and not giving Adrian Robinson some pass rushing snaps. What down he kick the field goal on is petty in my book and no need for discussing. Now if we kick on 3rd and Philly have a big return and tie the game then some of you same posters would bitch about that..

Wrong... a squid kick or even a kick out of bounds would solve that... take the penality. Vick has an arm but he wouldn't be able to chuck it 70 yards to the end zone. That depends on the time that was left... if more time than 1 play then obviously don't kick it out of bounds. Still, a squid kick is sound logic. Not kicking on 3rd is fuzzy logic at best.

[steelz09]

Yea kick on 3rd down and leave Philly with 30 sec, along with the way the defense is playing and kicking on 3rd is more dumber than this post.

Really? Is "more dumber"? lol

Kicking on 3rd is fundamental coaching. But then again, our team isn't playing sound fundamental football right now.

[Steelhere10]

A kick out of bounds ??? From who Shuisam ... lmao or out of bounds at the 40 ? Either thought is insane. He can't kick out the endzone when he tries.

[stopplayn]

Tomlin played it right. He left no time on the clock and it worked. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts then everyday would be halloween

[steelz09]

Yeah... he played it right ..... Leaving himself no bailout in bad, wet weather on sloppy field conditions and kicking towards the open end of the stadium in a high stakes situation. Thats intelligent.

[stopplayn]

Its very intelligent and it worked to perfection. The scenerio you are describing happens less than 10% of the time. Did you see the visual before the kick? Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin arm and arm. Ben loves Mike Tomlin. That means he is going nowhere. Ben hated Whisenhunt so Wiz didnt get the gig. Ben didnt get along with Cowher either and he subsequently retired. GET THE PICTURE NOW?

[stopplayn]

Yeah... he played it right ..... Leaving himself no bailout in bad, wet weather on sloppy field conditions and kicking towards the open end of the stadium in a high stakes situation. Thats intelligent.

Name the last time someone didnt kick on 3rd down and it came back to haunt him. lol

[steelz09]

Name the last time someone didnt kick on 3rd down and it came back to haunt him. lol

It's a precaution. My goodness... Like I said, the Steelers have been playing such crisp football that obviously we don't need to take any precautions. <enter sarcasm>

[steelz09]

Its very intelligent and it worked to perfection. The scenerio you are describing happens less than 10% of the time. Did you see the visual before the kick? Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin arm and arm. Ben loves Mike Tomlin. That means he is going nowhere. Ben hated Whisenhunt so Wiz didnt get the gig. Ben didnt get along with Cowher either and he subsequently retired. GET THE PICTURE NOW?

What does Ben have to do with this discussion? If you want to talk about how you think Ben is making head coaching personnel decisions, start a new topic. Yes, The picture is crystal clear.... Ben has the power to make HC personnel decisions (not Rooney) but he doesn't have the power to keep his buddy Bruce Arians around. <enter more sarcasm> Is this the twilight zone tonight?

[stopplayn]

It's a precaution. My goodness... Like I said, the Steelers have been playing such crisp football that obviously we don't need to take any precautions. <enter sarcasm>

The reason you cant name the time is because it seldom happens. Perspective

[stopplayn]

What does Ben have to do with this discussion? If you want to talk about how you think Ben is making head coaching personnel decisions, start a new topic. Yes, The picture is crystal clear.... Ben has the power to make HC personnel decisions (not Rooney) but he doesn't have the power to keep his buddy Bruce Arians around. <enter more sarcasm> Is this the twilight zone tonight?

He is on the Steelers. What does Suisham have to do with this discussion? Ben likes Tomlin, those are the facts

[steelz09]

He is on the Steelers. What does Suisham have to do with this discussion? Ben likes Tomlin, those are the facts

Huh? Nevermind.

As a rewind, this topic isn't about Ben and Tomlin's relationship. This is about Tomlin's decision to kick the field goal on 4th down instead of 3rd down. Tomlin and Suisham are pretty relevant to this conversation....not Ben.

[stopplayn]

When I see the Rooneys complain about our coach then I will pay attention. It was the right thing to do and it worked out. Are you mad that it worked? Whats the problem? I cant remember the last time that kicking it on 3rd worked out or backfired. Kicking on 3rd leaves them time on the clock. Kicking on 4th doesnt. Hmmmm. Not hard to figure out what is the right decison.

[Djfan]

Back to the topic.....

Tomlin said in his presser that he wanted to talk with the players on the kicking team to make sure they felt that they could do that kick. Good call by him - calm them down, get them focused and confident.

[SidSmythe]

Kicking on 3rd down is about as brilliant as "icing the kicker w/ a Timeout"

I've been watching football for 30 yrs and can count on 1 hand the amount of games lost on a "bad snap"

[feltdizz]

Kicking the football out of bounds has to be the more stupidist dumber thing I have ever heard...

and Vick can throw a football 60 yards with the flick of a wrist. The longest throw by Vick without pads is 74 yards

We won, bashing Tomlin after a win is more dumber.

[Ghost]

It wasn't just about trying to get 2 or 3 more yards. I thought they were trying to position the ball in the middle of the field where Suisham felt most comfortable. I, for one, loved not leaving a single second on the clock. Kick to win and head off!

[stopplayn]

Kicking on 3rd down is about as brilliant as "icing the kicker w/ a Timeout"

I've been watching football for 30 yrs and can count on 1 hand the amount of games lost on a "bad snap"

Exactly, great post

[ikestops85]

It wasn't just about trying to get 2 or 3 more yards. I thought they were trying to position the ball in the middle of the field where Suisham felt most comfortable. I, for one, loved not leaving a single second on the clock. Kick to win and head off!

I agree. Why bother to leave the Eagles any time left on the clock? You want the kick to be the game ... win or lose.

Kicking on 3rd down was a Cowher thing. He is probably the only coach that I can think of that did that consistantly.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Because Tomlin is buddy buddy with his players. Thats why guys want to play for him. Is it not that obvious?

Sometimes the best coaches and the best managers are not the "cool" dudes. You don't have to be cool to be a good coach and being "cool" or "liked" by your players does not make you a good coach either.

I think Tomlin walks that fine line of almost being to buddy buddy with his players. You need to have that clear separation no matter what.

I don't think that Tomlin is too buddy buddy with his players. When that happens, players like you but don't respect you. In Tomlin's case, the players seem to both like him as well as respect him.

I liked the little "Sounds of the Game" segment (or whatever they call it) during halftime of MNF last night that showed Tomlin greeting players when they came into the locker room after the game, and when Keisel walked in with his kid, Tomlin commented that the kid was lucky to inherit looks from his mother. Little jabs like that make it seem more like a family than just a job.

[Steelhere10]

Yea. Ask the Giants about kicking to the Eagles the last play of the game.

[lloydroid]

Because Tomlin is buddy buddy with his players. Thats why guys want to play for him. Is it not that obvious?

Sometimes the best coaches and the best managers are not the "cool" dudes. You don't have to be cool to be a good coach and being "cool" or "liked" by your players does not make you a good coach either.

I think Tomlin walks that fine line of almost being to buddy buddy with his players. You need to have that clear separation no matter what.

I.e. Tom Coughlin, end of story

[Slapstick]

I.e. Tom Coughlin, end of story

It's been pretty well publicized that Coughlin lightened up for the Giants...

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/giants_tom_coughlin_used_kurt.html

It's a pretty good read...

[ter1230_4]

When I see the Rooneys complain about our coach then I will pay attention. It was the right thing to do and it worked out. Are you mad that it worked? Whats the problem? I cant remember the last time that kicking it on 3rd worked out or backfired. Kicking on 3rd leaves them time on the clock. Kicking on 4th doesnt. Hmmmm. Not hard to figure out what is the right decison.

Actually, I seem to remember a game about 10 years ago where the Steelers attempted a crucial FG on 3rd down. I can't remember who they were playing, but I think Norm Johnson was the kicker. The FG was blocked and the Steelers recovered the ball. Since the FG attempt had not crossed the line of scrimmage they were able to try again on 4th down made the kick and won the game. It may not happen often, but the smart move is to kick on 3rd down. On Sunday the Steelers had control of the clock, they could have kicked on 3rd down with 9 or 10 seconds left. Make the FG, do a squib kickoff, and the Eagles may have a second or two left for one play from their 30 yard line or so. The OP is absolutely correct, kicking on 3rd down is the smart play.

[steelz09]

I.e. Tom Coughlin, end of story

Parcells, Walsh, Noll, Belichick ... there is a long list of coaches like that.

[steelz09]

Kicking the football out of bounds has to be the more stupidist dumber thing I have ever heard...

and Vick can throw a football 60 yards with the flick of a wrist. The longest throw by Vick without pads is 74 yards

We won, bashing Tomlin after a win is more dumber.


lol... Add pads and 10 yards after he drops back to pass. In that case, he doesn't even reach the endzone.

[steelz09]

Kicking on 3rd down is about as brilliant as "icing the kicker w/ a Timeout"

I've been watching football for 30 yrs and can count on 1 hand the amount of games lost on a "bad snap"

It's not even comparable. "Icing the kicker w/a Timeout" is like playing Russian roulette.

Kicking on 3rd down is precautionary. It's a BACKUP plan. Is it that difficult to figure out? Why do you have a 2nd QB active on game days? Ding Ding Ding..... we have a winner! Because he's a backup just in case your starter gets hurt. Kicking on 3rd down is YOUR BACKUP PLAN. There might not be a bad snap 99 out of 100 game winning field goals. You do it because of it'll save your butt on that one. period.

Add in the fact that the weather wasn't great and it's even more obvious....

My question to Tomlin would be...... If it was the Super Bowl, would you have kicked the FG on 3rd down. If the answer is yes (and it probably would be) then his decision on Sunday is even moreso moronic.

[eniparadoxgma]

It wasn't just about trying to get 2 or 3 more yards. I thought they were trying to position the ball in the middle of the field where Suisham felt most comfortable. I, for one, loved not leaving a single second on the clock. Kick to win and head off!


I agree. Why bother to leave the Eagles any time left on the clock? You want the kick to be the game ... win or lose.

Kicking on 3rd down was a Cowher thing. He is probably the only coach that I can think of that did that consistantly.

Agree with you guys. Nothing wrong with the move.

[steelz09]

Agree with you guys. Nothing wrong with the move.

Nothing wrong with the move? Seriously? Absolutely incredible.

So, this is the scenario....

It's the Super Bowl and we are down by 2.

It's 3rd and 10 from the 20 with 30 seconds left.

The Steelers run the ball to make it 4th and 8 from the 18 and run the clock down to :02 seconds.

The holder bobbles the ball and takes a sack. Turnover on downs and no time left. The Steelers lose the Super Bowl.

[steelz09]

A bobbled field goal? Yeah, that'll never happen in a critical moment....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt5PKysjVko

[feltdizz]

It's been pretty well publicized that Coughlin lightened up for the Giants...

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/02/giants_tom_coughlin_used_kurt.html

It's a pretty good read...


The team was tuning him out before he lightened up. 5 minutes early?

[Slapstick]

The team was tuning him out before he lightened up. 5 minutes early?

Exactly...

He changes his coaching style to a degree and now has two SB rings...

There is a correlation...

[Steelerphile]

All this passion over something that didn't have anything to do with the outcome of the game. If they would have lost I could understand calling Tomlin out, but they won and still. Ridiculous. Just looking for anything to criticize In an overly cautionary world, there is always a layer of protection to add, to almost anything. But in reality, 99% of the time the snaps and holds are good in the pros. Showing some confidence maybe was the psychologically right thing to do. What if he kicks on third down, wouldn't that damage the psyche of the snapper, the holder and kicker because they would feel like they weren't being trusted. Maybe that would cause them to flub the snap or in the future, play on their minds. Got to give that some consideration also.

[eniparadoxgma]

Nothing wrong with the move? Seriously? Absolutely incredible.

So, this is the scenario....

It's the Super Bowl and we are down by 2.

It's 3rd and 10 from the 20 with 30 seconds left.

The Steelers run the ball to make it 4th and 8 from the 18 and run the clock down to :02 seconds.

The holder bobbles the ball and takes a sack. Turnover on downs and no time left. The Steelers lose the Super Bowl.

It's not "incredible". It's actually the norm.

So, this is the scenario....

It's the Super Bowl and we are down by 2.

It's 3rd and 10 from the 20 with 30 seconds left.

Instead of running the ball to get it to the center of the field we kick it anyway...and miss it...

OR

We make the field goal, take the lead, give the ball back and they run it back for a TD...




I'm not sure I understand your point. Letting the clock run down and kicking it for the win is the norm. There's a reason no one has been talking about this.

[virgilbosetti]

Not a Tomlin fan for several reasons, but I like the call. More so because it killed the clock than anything.

[steelz09]

It's not "incredible". It's actually the norm.

So, this is the scenario....

It's the Super Bowl and we are down by 2.

It's 3rd and 10 from the 20 with 30 seconds left.

Instead of running the ball to get it to the center of the field we kick it anyway...and miss it...

OR

We make the field goal, take the lead, give the ball back and they run it back for a TD...




I'm not sure I understand your point. Letting the clock run down and kicking it for the win is the norm. There's a reason no one has been talking about this.

Yea. Because when we win, the Steelers blinders are put back on.

You kick it on 3rd down. By the time the play is run and the clock stops there is no more than 25 seconds left. By the time the squid kick occurs there is less than 20 seconds on the clock. Bad problem solving.... Bad risk management..... Bad "what if" analysis by the coaching staff.

And for the record, that run play hardly did ANYTHING to center the ball.

[steelz09]

All this passion over something that didn't have anything to do with the outcome of the game. If they would have lost I could understand calling Tomlin out, but they won and still. Ridiculous. Just looking for anything to criticize In an overly cautionary world, there is always a layer of protection to add, to almost anything. But in reality, 99% of the time the snaps and holds are good in the pros. Showing some confidence maybe was the psychologically right thing to do. What if he kicks on third down, wouldn't that damage the psyche of the snapper, the holder and kicker because they would feel like they weren't being trusted. Maybe that would cause them to flub the snap or in the future, play on their minds. Got to give that some consideration also.

So if we win the team is suddenly perfect? The next week they lose and then it's ok to criticize..

[eniparadoxgma]

Yea. Because when we win, the Steelers blinders are put back on.

And if we'd done it your way and it worked out the blinders are put back on.


You kick it on 3rd down. By the time the play is run and the clock stops there is no more than 25 seconds left. By the time the squid kick occurs there is less than 20 seconds on the clock. Bad problem solving.... Bad risk management..... Bad "what if" analysis by the coaching staff.

And for the record, that run play hardly did ANYTHING to center the ball.

You would kick it on 3rd down. Obviously our coaching staff...and most coaching staffs considering letting the time run down and then kicking it is the norm disagree with you. I mean, can you present some type of evidence that most teams kick it on 3rd down in those circumstances or are you taking umbrage with most every coach out there?

And whether or not that run play did anything to center the ball, I was under the impression that that was part of the motivation for it.

[steelz09]

And if we'd done it your way and it worked out the blinders are put back on.



You would kick it on 3rd down. Obviously our coaching staff...and most coaching staffs considering letting the time run down and then kicking it is the norm disagree with you. I mean, can you present some type of evidence that most teams kick it on 3rd down in those circumstances or are you taking umbrage with most every coach out there?

And whether or not that run play did anything to center the ball, I was under the impression that that was part of the motivation for it.

It was worthless... It was a dive play. The ball was basically already centered so their wasn't any motivation outside of running down the clock. And if that is the case, why didn't they just tell Ben to take a knee or take 1 step to the left and then take a knee. That is a safer play and quite idiotic that at a minimal, that wasn't the call.

I don't need to waste my time and prove something that is some unbelievable obvious it's pathetic I have to explain this.

Most teams would do that if they are given the opportunity. I think I've seen Belicheck do it. It's not a scenario that happens every week. Normally teams are rushing to the LOS to spike the ball to kick a game winning field goal or are racing the clock in another way. We had a perfect situation to play it smart, play with backup plan, but still play to win. We played to win and we won bu that wasn't the smart play call.

[eniparadoxgma]

It was worthless... It was a dive play. The ball was basically already centered so their wasn't any motivation outside of running down the clock. And if that is the case, why didn't they just tell Ben to take a knee or take 1 step to the left and then take a knee. That is a safer play and quite idiotic that at a minimal, that wasn't the call.

I saw it brought up that they could have been trying to get it closer to the middle of the field for the kicker. If that wasn't the case then that wasn't the case.


I don't need to waste my time and prove something that is some unbelievable obvious it's pathetic I have to explain this.

Most teams would do that if they are given the opportunity. I think I've seen Belicheck do it. It's not a scenario that happens every week. Normally teams are rushing to the LOS to spike the ball to kick a game winning field goal or are racing the clock in another way. We had a perfect situation to play it smart, play with backup plan, but still play to win. We played to win and we won bu that wasn't the smart play call.

Maybe you're right. Maybe you're not. I certainly don't think it's "unbelievable obvious" and "pathetic" you have to explain this considering it would seem the majority do NOT agree with you. You don't think it was the smart play. I disagree.

[MeetJoeGreene]

Yea kick on 3rd down and leave Philly with 30 sec, along with the way the defense is playing and kicking on 3rd is more dumber than this post. It took Oakland about a min to get in field goal range, with no name receivers I think the Eagles offense have better receivers .

That was my thought as well. he didn't want to leave them ANY time. It WAS a risk, but so was giving the ball back.

[steelz09]

Maybe... it's a legit argument.

My point is, backup plans are common and necessary. If it's easy, harmless and free... then it's a non brainer. This was a easy and harmless risk mitigation that IMO should have been implemented.

Why do people have insurance? You may not get into an auto accident for 10 years. But when you do, you have insurance for risk management to you and the other party involved.

Why do you backup your computer files? It's rare a hard drive will fail. But if it does, you'll be happy you backed up your files.

Why do buildings have emergency exits, sprinklers, and fire alarms. The building may NEVER have a fire. But if it does, there is risk mitigation implemented.

Why does software and IT systems have disaster recovery implemented? It's very costly and may never get used. Why? Backups for risk mitigation.

Why do elevators have malfunction and error handling implemented? Risk mitigation.

Why does the military implement backup plans on sometimes the simplest of missions? Why do people train their coworkers to do their own job? Risk mitigation incase you are not available whether it's due to injury, vacation, or whatever...

These are ALL examples of backup plans just incase things don't go as planned. Some are costly, time consuming and complicated.

Tomlin could have implemented a very simple backup plan for risk mitigation at zero expense.

[steelz09]

That was my thought as well. he didn't want to leave them ANY time. It WAS a risk, but so was giving the ball back.

Then that is really really sad. I know our defense has struggled lately but you aren't even talking 30 seconds here. By the time the field goal is clicked that will be around 5 seconds off the clock. Then, kick a line drive squid kick. That is at least another 5 seconds. You think Tomlin believes our defense would allow Philly to score in under 20 seconds?

[ter1230_4]

Maybe our D really is that bad these days. Remember when we all used to complain about how Cowher would start "turtling' as soon as the Steelers got a 10 point lead? But Cowher was something like 97-1-1 with a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter. This year the Steelers have already lost a game where they had a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter, and to the crappy Raiders at that. And they blew a 6 point 4th quarter lead against the Eagles on Sunday. Kind of has me pining for the good old turting days.

[Steelerphile]

So if we win the team is suddenly perfect? The next week they lose and then it's ok to criticize..

Who said the team is perfect. No Steeler team has ever been perfect. Perfection is not possible. The legendary teams of the 70s were far from perfect. However, I do think making a big issue of not kicking on 3rd down, when they won is silly. Name me some instances, when the snap and hold were messed up in the pros and caused a game to be lost. Kickers have missed FGs but usually they are longer ones. This was a relative chip shot from 30 yards, which is about a sure a play as you get in the world of sports where nothing is 100% for sure.

[feltdizz]

Maybe our D really is that bad these days. Remember when we all used to complain about how Cowher would start "turtling' as soon as the Steelers got a 10 point lead? But Cowher was something like 97-1-1 with a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter. This year the Steelers have already lost a game where they had a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter, and to the crappy Raiders at that. And they blew a 6 point 4th quarter lead against the Eagles on Sunday. Kind of has me pining for the good old turting days.

that record is for 11 point leads....

[steelz09]

Who said the team is perfect. No Steeler team has ever been perfect. Perfection is not possible. The legendary teams of the 70s were far from perfect. However, I do think making a big issue of not kicking on 3rd down, when they won is silly. Name me some instances, when the snap and hold were messed up in the pros and caused a game to be lost. Kickers have missed FGs but usually they are longer ones. This was a relative chip shot from 30 yards, which is about a sure a play as you get in the world of sports where nothing is 100% for sure.

Like I said... It's a backup plan and risk mitigation. Read my previous post about everyday backup plans that are implemented that may NEVER be necessary but you take them for granted.

Did you not watch the video I posted a couple pages back? Yeah, a bobbled snap NEVER happens in a critical moment (cough, cough, Tony Romo in the playoffs)

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

Didn't WE also (under Cowher) have a bad FG attempt, maybe even lost the game, once? I can picture it, sunny day, right hash mark, just don't know the other details.

[steelz09]

Didn't WE also (under Cowher) have a bad FG attempt, maybe even lost the game, once? I can picture it, sunny day, right hash mark, just don't know the other details.

It's happened multiple times over the years. It's not common but obviously but it happens. Multiple things have happened...

The kickers timing could be off.

The holder could bobble or drop the ball the ball.

The snap could be bad.

It's happened on multiple occasions.

Remember when Warren got hurt and Harrison was the long snapper and he snapped it over the punters head? That is just as rare but it HAPPENED.

[ikestops85]

It's happened multiple times over the years. It's not common but obviously but it happens. Multiple things have happened...

The kickers timing could be off.

The holder could bobble or drop the ball the ball.

The snap could be bad.

It's happened on multiple occasions.

Remember when Warren got hurt and Harrison was the long snapper and he snapped it over the punters head? That is just as rare but it HAPPENED.

Then why aren't you upset that we didn't kick it on 2nd down? After all, if it happened once it could happen twice. Better yet why not kick it on 1st down? That would lessen the chances of a problem since you would have 4 possible tries to get it right.

Then again, why risk the handoffs and running plays we ran at the end? I mean everyone remembers Herm Edwards claim to fame. Why didn't Tomlin just have Ben take a knee once we got Sushi inside the 50 yard range for his attempt?

How far do you want to take this? I don't think you would find many, if any, head coaches in the NFL that would have a problem with what Tomlin did.

[steelz09]

Then why aren't you upset that we didn't kick it on 2nd down? After all, if it happened once it could happen twice. Better yet why not kick it on 1st down? That would lessen the chances of a problem since you would have 4 possible tries to get it right.

Then again, why risk the handoffs and running plays we ran at the end? I mean everyone remembers Herm Edwards claim to fame. Why didn't Tomlin just have Ben take a knee once we got Sushi inside the 50 yard range for his attempt?

How far do you want to take this? I don't think you would find many, if any, head coaches in the NFL that would have a problem with what Tomlin did.

Disagree ......

The likelihood you bobble a field goal is rare but it happens.... The probability you would do it twice in a row would be extremely rare.

Two words: Statistics, Probability

Maybe Tomlin failed these two topics in school.

[Steelerphile]

Just as a point of reference, for the year 2012, NFL kickers overall are 67 of 72 for kicks from 30-39 yards. That is a rate of 93%. The field was not sloppy. It was raining but the footing was pretty firm. The probability was extremely high that Suisham would make that kick. The outrage over not kicking on 3rd down is misplaced.

[steelz09]

Just as a point of reference, for the year 2012, NFL kickers overall are 67 of 72 for kicks from 30-39 yards. That is a rate of 93%. The field was not sloppy. It was raining but the footing was pretty firm. The probability was extremely high that Suisham would make that kick. The outrage over not kicking on 3rd down is misplaced.

No it's not because you didn't take into consideration a possible mis-snap because of the wet weather or the holder dropping the ball and/or bobbling the ball.

Add in the fact that he took a chance on a stupid run play that accomplished nothing then it's even more idiotic.

[Steelerphile]

No it's not because you didn't take into consideration a possible mis-snap because of the wet weather or the holder dropping the ball and/or bobbling the ball.

Add in the fact that he took a chance on a stupid run play that accomplished nothing then it's even more idiotic.

I took it into consideration. It didn't happen, so the consideration that Tomlin gave it was correct since the kick went through.

[steelz09]

I took it into consideration. It didn't happen, so the consideration that Tomlin gave it was correct since the kick went through.

hahahhahahaha... thats sound logic.

[Slapstick]

Just like most plays in the NFL:

When it works and you win, you're right...

When it fails and you lose, you're an idiot...

[steelz09]

Another game ending FG, another idiotic decision....

[feltdizz]

Idiotic decisions: 1-1

[BURGH86STEEL]

Just like most plays in the NFL:

When it works and you win, you're right...

When it fails and you lose, you're an idiot...

This is what it boils down to for some fans.

[steelz09]

Idiotic decisions: 1-1

Really? I thought we were batting a thousand in idiocracy.

[steelz09]

See the Bills / Cardinals game?

See the kick on 2nd down? Hmmmm..... I wonder why they did that?

Oh yeah... because it's a smart backup plan to kick 1 down early.... Tomlin is still trying to figure some of these things out.