Ken Whisenhunt blew the game

[2003Contenders]

I, for one, have NEVER understood the criticism that Jauron has received here and elsewhere for routinely deferring when the Bills win the coin flip. Practically every coach in the NFL makes the same call. It affords you the possibility of getting the ball on offense twice in a row, which can't happen if you kick off to start the second half. (Remember Super Bowl XXV, when the Bills offense was on the sideline for over an hour as the Giants ended the first half with a long drive and started the second half in similar fashion?)

 

If the Cardinals score at the end of the half, instead of Harrison taking it the other way, the complexion of this decision changes in a big way.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Deferring was all set to work exactly as they wanted. They go down and score to end the half and then come out and get the ball at halftime and, with the momentum, take the lead. But, it all blew up in their face with Harrison taking it back 100 yards for what was ruled a TD. If Warner had thrown it to an open Fitzgerald, it would've been an entirely different game...

[Ramius]

Deferring is always the smart choice, because it gives you the only opportunity to have back to back possessions. Not to mention your offense has the entire first half to analyze the defense and come up with a way to attack after halftime.

[Lurker]

The more I think about the game, the more I think deferring to the second half was a mistake.

Yeah, I bet Wiz was thinking about that when Fitzgerald was running down the middle of the field with his second TD catch. "Damnit, why didn't I take the ball at the start of the game...."

[RLflutie7]

I read all your posts and they make sense, but the Cardinals didn't have the ball in the first quarter and it cost them the game.

 

They were on defense for 11 mintues. The Steelers didn't do that much damage, but they could have put the Steelers on their heels and they didn't.

 

The interception before the half killed them.

[The Dean]

I fully agree. All you would have to do is ask yourself what Jauron would have done to decide whether or not that was a pansy ass move.

 

 

I thought I was alone in thinking that was a mistake. With a D like the Steelers, I would have gone for it.

 

But, I wouldn't criticize either coach, too much, for that game. For the most part, both teams were well, coached, I thought. I usually don't second-guess coaches who display proficiency a high percentage of the time.

[The Dean]

I read all your posts and they make sense, but the Cardinals didn't have the ball in the first quarter and it cost them the game.

 

They were on defense for 11 mintues. The Steelers didn't do that much damage, but they could have put the Steelers on their heels and they didn't.

 

The interception before the half killed them.

 

 

What cost the Cards the game, was a horrible interception, and great run back for a TD, and the end of the 1st half, and a great drive by the Steelers to finish the game.

[RLflutie7]

What cost the Cards the game, was a horrible interception, and great run back for a TD, and the end of the 1st half, and a great drive by the Steelers to finish the game.

 

 

That's only if you're looking at the game from a ONE possession viewpoint.

[The Dean]

That's only if you're looking at the game from a ONE possession viewpoint.

 

 

Your take, that they lost "because of deferring", has merit only if you are making up what might have happened, and ignoring what actually transpired. Nobody knows what would have happened if the Cards took the ball, but their performance in the 1st quarter suggests they would have done nothing offensively, and the Steelers would have had a great first drive, and maybe scored the TD. Also, if the Cards took the ball, the Steelers feel like THEY won the toss, and have even more momentum starting the game. Maybe they return an INT for a TD, before their offense sees the ball.

[RLflutie7]

Your take, that they lost "because of deferring", has merit only if you are making up what might have happened, and ignoring what actually transpired. Nobody knows what would have happened if the Cards took the ball, but their performance in the 1st quarter suggests they would have done nothing offensively, and the Steelers would have had a great first drive, and maybe scored the TD. Also, if the Cards took the ball, the Steelers feel like THEY won the toss, and have even more momentum starting the game. Maybe they return an INT for a TD, before their offense sees the ball.

 

 

All very true. Because the Cards were attempting to rush the ball to start the game and at the start of the second half. Which, in my view, was a mistake.

 

Also, I didn't think the Cardinals took the right approach when they tried to run 10 minutes off the clock against Philadelphia in the fourth quarter. And that's why Boldin had his meltdown. Plus McNabb got another shot at the ball and he blew it.

 

It worked for the Cardinals. But it was extremely high risk, IMO.

 

And I had that sick feeling before the game that they would try to establish the run at the risk of taking the ball out of Warner's hand. And that's what they did.

[Dr. Fong]

I really can't believe you're blaming the Cardinal loss on the outcome of the coin toss. Give me a friggin break.

[VJ91]

The more I think about the game, the more I think deferring to the second half was a mistake.

 

You win the coin toss, you have a passing team with a weak defense and you don't play to your strength. I don't get that. The defense did come through

 

I understand it's a ploy to get the defense motivated and it could have worked. But Whisenhunt put the Cardinals on their heals the whole first half by doing it.

 

Chris Carter made a great point. The Cards defense was on the field for 11 minutes in the first quarter and he thought they didn't have enough left at the end of the game. And I think he was right. And they got things going on offense when they went to all passing.

 

Why not take the ball and let Kurt Warner do his thing, get a quick score and put the Steelers on their heels.

 

If you are grounded in numbers, which most coaches are, you don't make the decisions the Cards made. Numbers say take the ball, score, take time off the clock and DON"T try to make it a one possession game.

 

The Cards are a scoring machine and you need to try to get the Steelers into a shootout. You can't play grind it out ball with the Steelers and win.

 

Whisenhunt didn't lose the game for the Cards by deferring the ball to the second half. Mike Gandy's 3 drive killing holding penalties leading the way to the Cards' 100+ penalty yards lost the game for them. Those unbelievable 3 personal fouls on defense in one drive lost the game. Players' mistakes and penalties certainly made choosing to take the ball in the second half about the least important "mistake" the Cards' coaches made during that game! How about that horrible pass by Warner into the arms of Harrison from the Steelers' one yard line?? What the heck did kicking off to start the game have to do with that play?? A simple freakin' hand off to James, and a decent surge by the O-Line would have given the Cards the lead going into half time........despite the fact they elected to kick off first!

[RLflutie7]

Whisenhunt didn't lose the game for the Cards by deferring the ball to the second half. Mike Gandy's 3 drive killing holding penalties leading the way to the Cards' 100+ penalty yards lost the game for them. Those unbelievable 3 personal fouls on defense in one drive lost the game. Players' mistakes and penalties certainly made choosing to take the ball in the second half about the least important "mistake" the Cards' coaches made during that game! How about that horrible pass by Warner into the arms of Harrison from the Steelers' one yard line?? What the heck did kicking off to start the game have to do with that play?? A simple freakin' hand off to James, and a decent surge by the O-Line would have given the Cards the lead going into half time........despite the fact they elected to kick off first!

 

 

Gandy should be run out of town.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Forget the coach... Why isn't there more uproar about the clipping non-call on Harrison's return? The refs really pooched this game... ARZ has every right to feel "jobbed."

 

And granted... I would have liked the Cards to win because of the team and players... I hate the Bidwells, glad they lost... Same with the ARZ region too. On the other hand I am glad for the Rooneys and Tomlin that the Steelers won... Not so much for the PITT region and the fans. Is there a way BOTH teams could have lost?

 

I just wanted to see a fair game. To me, the game is tainted. Then there is the God awful call with holding in the endzone. Not even the NHL is this bad... Oh wait, forget that about the NHL. Now mix in the lip-syncing and everything being "canned" during half-time and the anthem... The game has become quite a joke.