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4th down: let’s go for it !


Italian Bills

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Every time i watch a Bills game, i think this: if i was the HC i would say to my offensive players to play always thinking they have four attempts and not three to get the first down, when they are in opponent’s territory. 
I know that lately, always more frequently, we see teams go for it on fourth and one… but i’m talking about having always the mindset to have four attempts and not three to gain the ten yards. 
I think it could be mentally different play like this.. it would help to know that you have to get less than three yards per attempt on every down to get the first down. 
 

What you think ? 

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23 minutes ago, Italian Bills said:

Every time i watch a Bills game, i think this: if i was the HC i would say to my offensive players to play always thinking they have four attempts and not three to get the first down, when they are in opponent’s territory. 
I know that lately, always more frequently, we see teams go for it on fourth and one… but i’m talking about having always the mindset to have four attempts and not three to gain the ten yards. 
I think it could be mentally different play like this.. it would help to know that you have to get less than three yards per attempt on every down to get the first down. 
 

What you think ? 

I think you would be unemployed at the NFL level. 

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How is 3 yards per attempt so much better than 3.3?

 

Mind games. I think you're overthinking it.

 

On a related note, the trend of going for it simply because "analytics says so" is beginning to annoy me. Some coaches want to go for it regardless of how their team is performing. If you're team is struggling into FG range and losing the battle in the trenches, then kick the FG. Take the points. If your team just cruised into FG range on an easy drive and is winning the trenches, then go for it. Ride the momentum.

11 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Kevin Kelley pretty much never punts, always goes for it on 4th down and won 9 Arkansas State Championships in 18 years.  He also frequently onside kicks too.

 

https://www.si.com/college/2021/05/21/kevin-kelley-high-school-never-punts-presbyterian

High school football?

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4 minutes ago, mattynh said:

Really?  Because going for it is the right call.  Simple math shows that.


oh really. 
 

Bass - O - Matic is $. 

 

The Tenny game - Take the 3 and live for OT.  
 

Jax 4 th and 14 (again) Take the 3 and live for OT.  

 

Coaching lost the opportunity twice in 3 weeks.   
 

They would be top dog with only 2 losses 

3 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

Play To Win New York Jets GIF


HELLO. And the Bills LOST 

😆 

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29 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Kevin Kelley pretty much never punts, always goes for it on 4th down and won 9 Arkansas State Championships in 18 years.  He also frequently onside kicks too.

 

https://www.si.com/college/2021/05/21/kevin-kelley-high-school-never-punts-presbyterian

The 4th down thing makes total sense in the right situation at every level. The onside kick has terrible odds at most levels. Onside kicks would only work at the high school level if you have a team that dominates its opponents in every phase. 

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1 minute ago, SirAndrew said:

The 4th down thing makes total sense in the right situation at every level. The onside kick has terrible odds at most levels. Onside kicks would only work at the high school level if you have a team that dominates its opponents in every phase. 

 

Oh I agree...just was letting the OP know there is someone who does it he can take a look at

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32 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

I think it’s stupid if you need 3 points to tie and go for it on 4th and 1 at the goal line and get stuffed

 

 

 

Haha true the hindsight was bad on that one 😂 tough to pick up a crucial yard on a 4th down when your oline is struggling in one on one matchups. I really thought they were starting to pick up in that game and the titans dline was getting gassed which might have factored into the decision but they made the play that counted…crazy how different this season would look if we won that game even with our bad colts loss

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1 hour ago, Italian Bills said:

Every time i watch a Bills game, i think this: if i was the HC i would say to my offensive players to play always thinking they have four attempts and not three to get the first down, when they are in opponent’s territory. 
I know that lately, always more frequently, we see teams go for it on fourth and one… but i’m talking about having always the mindset to have four attempts and not three to gain the ten yards. 
I think it could be mentally different play like this.. it would help to know that you have to get less than three yards per attempt on every down to get the first down. 
 

What you think ? 

 

I think we have lost games getting too cocky.

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51 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I think we have lost games getting too cocky.

Bills have done pretty good the times they do go for it on 4th down. Sure there are few times they didn't convert, but I wouldn't say that's why they lost games. McD has confidence in the offense and they convert more often than not

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2 hours ago, Italian Bills said:

Every time i watch a Bills game, i think this: if i was the HC i would say to my offensive players to play always thinking they have four attempts and not three to get the first down, when they are in opponent’s territory. 
I know that lately, always more frequently, we see teams go for it on fourth and one… but i’m talking about having always the mindset to have four attempts and not three to gain the ten yards. 
I think it could be mentally different play like this.. it would help to know that you have to get less than three yards per attempt on every down to get the first down. 
 

What you think ? 

If the team knows it will use 4 downs to get the first down, sure, it definitely is an advantage to have 4 plays to work with to get 10 yards instead of just 3.

 

That's one of the reasons why it is sometimes much wiser to go for it than to punt the ball.

 

But would there be some psychological benefit to the players making them play better if you told them to "think like they are going to use 4 downs" ????

 

I don't think so.  Or if there is one, it's so small as to be insignificant.

 

 

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16 hours ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:


oh really. 
 

Bass - O - Matic is $. 

 

The Tenny game - Take the 3 and live for OT.  
 

Jax 4 th and 14 (again) Take the 3 and live for OT.  

 

Coaching lost the opportunity twice in 3 weeks.   
 

They would be top dog with only 2 losses 


HELLO. And the Bills LOST 

😆

You make the decision with the Information you have.  Not after you see the results.  The bills and Allen were 13/14 on 4th and one up to that point.  I’ll take those odds to win the game.  Taking it to OT is 50/50.  So you want 50% or a 93% chance to win?   
 

 

hello simple math

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32 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

I think it’s stupid if you need 3 points to tie and go for it on 4th and 1 at the goal line and get stuffed

 

 

 

Yea, okay. I think we can all agree that if a coach knows he can't make it on 4th down he shouldn't go for it 🙃

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4 hours ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:


oh really. 
 

Bass - O - Matic is $. 

 

The Tenny game - Take the 3 and live for OT.  
 

Jax 4 th and 14 (again) Take the 3 and live for OT.  

 

Coaching lost the opportunity twice in 3 weeks.   
 

They would be top dog with only 2 losses 


HELLO. And the Bills LOST 

😆

Your assuming they win in OT. They could easily have lost both as well. 

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3 hours ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

Bills have done pretty good the times they do go for it on 4th down. Sure there are few times they didn't convert, but I wouldn't say that's why they lost games. McD has confidence in the offense and they convert more often than not

 

You have to read the game. If you are getting stuffed all game, don't assume you're gonna convert 4th down just because that's what you do. Take the points and be in the game.

 

Remember the Pats game in Buffalo two seasons ago? The one Allen got knocked out of? Barkly has us 4th and goal at the 2 down 6, we go for it and we fail. Had we kicked we'd be down three. Next possession we are in FG range again, still down 6. We go for it on 4th and fail again. If we had kicked the FG earlier, we could tie the game. Instead we go on to lose by 6.

 

That was a game a little humility would have been a good thing.

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5 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

If the team knows it will use 4 downs to get the first down, sure, it definitely is an advantage to have 4 plays to work with to get 10 yards instead of just 3.

 

That's one of the reasons why it is sometimes much wiser to go for it than to punt the ball.

 

But would there be some psychological benefit to the players making them play better if you told them to "think like they are going to use 4 downs" ????

 

I don't think so.  Or if there is one, it's so small as to be insignificant.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

If the team knows it will use 4 downs to get the first down, sure, it definitely is an advantage to have 4 plays to work with to get 10 yards instead of just 3.

 

That's one of the reasons why it is sometimes much wiser to go for it than to punt the ball.

 

But would there be some psychological benefit to the players making them play better if you told them to "think like they are going to use 4 downs" ????

 

I don't think so.  Or if there is one, it's so small as to be insignificant.

 

 

Thanks God you really understood what i meant in my post. Of curse i didn’t mean to go for it on a 4th and 5 or 6… if not that you are down by a TD with the game on the line. I just meant to play every possession with this mindset, thinking you have 4 attempts and not three to get the 10 yards. You will focus on get less than 3 yards per attempt and that could be very different. 
At the same time the defense would be stressed much more knowing that has to defend for 4 times and not three. 

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