Boneheaded Fake Field Goal

[feltdizz]

we went for a 4th and 1 on our 30 vs Cleveland?

[hawaiiansteel]

I am in favor of a trick play now and then. I don't think the Steelers have run one this year before the fake FG. I did not like the fake FG because I don't like trick plays where the kickers are called on to pass.

I don't think punters or FG kickers make good passers. They might try a trick play with him sometime but Boswell passing? didn't like it.

it worked with Boswell throwing a TD pass to AV on a fake FG against Denver in 2018:

[Steelerphile]

You did the research and found the Boswell TD pass that I forgot about. I guess they wanted to see a play open up like with Villaneuva. Boswell was clueless when it didn't open. But I still wouldn't want to see him pass that many more times. He didn't demonstrate much form or arm strength even on the completed pass. He isn't strong and mobile and can't take a hit.

[NorthCoast]

It's a shame Boswell got injured but the Steelers need to be more aggressive & less predictable. I liked them going for it on 4th & 1 from midfield too.

One outcome from the fake FG was that it forced them to be a lot more aggressive than maybe they would have been if they had Boz the entire game.
Would they really have gone for it on the 4th down to Muth? Or would they take the easy points on another FG?

[papillon]

See, I see it differently. On a day when points were going to be hard to get, that is exactly when you want to try to do that to create some points distance between you and the enemy. Why would you try a trick play when you are up by 10? It was early in the game and it was an aggressive call that if it failed didn't put you in an insurmountable hole.

Two different points of view.I like the points, the lead and getting the ball over, tie game and getting the ball. As I mentioned, the opening drive of the 2nd half may have been a good place to try some trickery because the Browns may have been thinking that they dodged a bullet. I'm okay with the play call but would have preferred the points.

Pappy

[Moonie]

See, I see it differently. On a day when points were going to be hard to get, that is exactly when you want to try to do that to create some points distance between you and the enemy. Why would you try a trick play when you are up by 10? It was early in the game and it was an aggressive call that if it failed didn't put you in an insurmountable hole.

That's a good point. Every conclusory reason given why it was a bad call can be easily flipped around as a conclusory reason why it was a good time to try a fake field goal (assuming there ever is a good time to do it).

[NJ-STEELER]

we went for a 4th and 1 on our 30 vs Cleveland?

TBW #1

in the oakland game. the scenario actually called to go for it more then the cleveland game. they needed 2 scores ij the oakland.
they did need to score on the drive in the Cleveland game
30 or the 50..who f**cking cares. its 20 yards. 1 pass away from having the same field position

shows you how much his head is in the game

[feltdizz]

TBW #1

in the oakland game. the scenario actually called to go for it more then the cleveland game. they needed 2 scores ij the oakland.
they did need to score on the drive in the Cleveland game
30 or the 50..who f**cking cares. its 20 yards. 1 pass away from having the same field position

shows you how much his head is in the game

so now the 30 and the 50 are basically the same place on the field? lmao..

okay.

[feltdizz]

See, I see it differently. On a day when points were going to be hard to get, that is exactly when you want to try to do that to create some points distance between you and the enemy. Why would you try a trick play when you are up by 10? It was early in the game and it was an aggressive call that if it failed didn't put you in an insurmountable hole.

I think this was the idea. In wasn’t in favor of the fake FG but people act like FG’s are hard to come by with Boz.

TD’s are a struggle with this offense, not FG’s.

[Starlifter]

While I still don't think the call was the correct one - it's still 51-49 to me and I wasn't upset at the aggressive attempt to put up 7.
As I essentially said previously in the thread - trick plays work best when the other team doesn't expect it and you don't tip your hand. The Steelers had the advantage in that NO ONE expected a fake - but their poor execution tipped their hand and allowed the browns defense to adjust quickly.

The ultimate reason the play blew up is Boz failed to see Polamalu lining up in C gap and didn't audible out of the fake and back to the FG.

[NorthCoast]

Boz bounced around early in his career before the Steelers were lucky enough to sign him.
And few people might remember the hate just a few years ago.

Chris Boswell deletes his Twitter account after another missed field goal
Posted by Michael David Smith on December 17, 2018, 5:46 PM EST

AP
Steelers kicker Chris Boswell is struggling through a rough season, and when players are struggling, they often take abuse on social media. So Boswell has decided to bow out.

Boswell deleted his Twitter account, on which he had been posting @WizardOfBoz09, some time on Sunday night, after missing another field goal in Pittsburgh’s win over the Patriots.

Although Boswell was praised by Steelers coach Mike Tomlin after the game for shaking off his 32-yard miss and then making one from 48 yards late in the fourth quarter, he likely calculated that he just didn’t want to know what fans had to say on social media afterward.

It’s hard to blame him. A search of his name makes it easy to find many tweets in which people directed ugly, abusive language toward him. There ought to be no place for that anywhere, but unfortunately, if you want to avoid that kind of abuse, sometimes your only choice is to get off Twitter altogether.

If you look around the league this season at the trash kicking that's been happening, Boz is worth his weight in gold.

[Oviedo]

Boz bounced around early in his career before the Steelers were lucky enough to sign him.
And few people might remember the hate just a few years ago.

Chris Boswell deletes his Twitter account after another missed field goal
Posted by Michael David Smith on December 17, 2018, 5:46 PM EST

AP
Steelers kicker Chris Boswell is struggling through a rough season, and when players are struggling, they often take abuse on social media. So Boswell has decided to bow out.

Boswell deleted his Twitter account, on which he had been posting @WizardOfBoz09, some time on Sunday night, after missing another field goal in Pittsburgh’s win over the Patriots.

Although Boswell was praised by Steelers coach Mike Tomlin after the game for shaking off his 32-yard miss and then making one from 48 yards late in the fourth quarter, he likely calculated that he just didn’t want to know what fans had to say on social media afterward.

It’s hard to blame him. A search of his name makes it easy to find many tweets in which people directed ugly, abusive language toward him. There ought to be no place for that anywhere, but unfortunately, if you want to avoid that kind of abuse, sometimes your only choice is to get off Twitter altogether.

If you look around the league this season at the trash kicking that's been happening, Boz is worth his weight in gold.

Message boards unfortunately are a double edge sword. A media for those who love their teams and want to share their thoughts and a media for those who can't get beyond never ending negative posts and their deep rooted prejudices. Maybe each site should have a positive and negative section?

Boz is worth every penny we pay him as are the majority of the players, coaches and front office in this organization

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

If you look around the league this season at the trash kicking that's been happening, Boz is worth his weight in gold.

As a 4th string QB?

[whisper]

Would love to hear (and know I will) the defense of Tomlin’s ridiculous decision to fake a field goal with a direct snap to our kicker when the Steelers were about to take the lead going into the half of a must win game and get the ball back after the half.

It’s possible our kicker just got knocked out of the game with this hare-brained amateurish garbage call.

It was stupid on many levels:

1. Tight game like that, 3 points are needed.
2. It was a bad play call, it fooled no one, they easily covered it.
3. It obviously put your only kicker at huge risk.

Just dumb, dumb Tomlin decision.

[NJ-STEELER]

so now the 30 and the 50 are basically the same place on the field? lmao..

okay.

when your down 2 scores with 8 minutes to go. yes its essentially the same. 1 yard to move the chains and keep the offense on the field