Jacksonville vs New York: The Maurice Jones-Drew Situation

P-L · 11-15-2009, 07:18 PM

They were debating this on ESPN, I was curious as to which side everyone here was on. For those of you who don't know what happened:

Score is: New York - 22, Jacksonville - 21. With under two minutes to go on 2nd & 6 from the 10 yard line Maurice Jones-Drew gets the carry and races towards the endzone. It looks like he has an easy touchdown, but instead he dives down at the one yard line to keep the clock running, as the Jets had no more time outs left. After two kneel downs by David Garrard, Josh Scobee kicked a 21-yard field goal as time expired.

Ok, so here is the question. What would you have done in that situation? Do you take the guaranteed 6 points (7 with the PAT) and give the Jets about 1:30 to work with? Or do you run the clock down and possibly risk a mishandled snap, a shanked kick, or a blocked kick?

tjsunstein · 11-15-2009, 07:22 PM

Go for the FG after running the clock down. I remember Westbrook taking a knee a couple years ago against Dallas in a similar situation but his team was up one.

Bengalsrocket · 11-15-2009, 07:22 PM

I take the points and trust my defense against a rookie QB in a pressure situation (who wasn't looking that good up to this point in the game anyways).

However, it's hard to argue against what actually happened since it worked and everything :P

Gay Ork Wang · 11-15-2009, 07:24 PM

Id take the points. josh scobee is far from spot on and if u miss the kick, your done. i think the jets moving down the field all the way with a rookie qb and no TOs is not that probable

JT Jag · 11-15-2009, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *** Ork Wang

Id take the points. josh scobee is far from spot on and if u miss the kick, your done. i think the jets moving down the field all the way with a rookie qb and no TOs is not that probable

Josh Scobee hasn't missed a single kick from within 40 yards this year, and has missed just one kick within 30 yards his entire six-year career. That miss was in 2005.

I'd call that pretty spot-on.

MetSox17 · 11-15-2009, 07:27 PM

This isn't like video games where you're pretty much guaranteed a good snap, and the defense not blocking it. You have to punch it in. It could have really blown up in MJD's face had something happened with the snap. Take the points. Go for two if you wanna be up by a whole TD.

Take your chances vs a rookie qb to drive his team down the field for a TD with no timeouts.

gpngc · 11-16-2009, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetSox17

This isn't like video games where you're pretty much guaranteed a good snap, and the defense not blocking it.

Yes it is.

There have been over 500 touchdowns this season and 8 missed extra points. That's a pretty solid percentage of success.

You have a lot better chance to make an extra point-like FG than stop a touchdown drive.

Wally03 · 11-16-2009, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njx9

in case you missed it, it wasn't an extra point. i'm sure we'll quit comparing apples to oranges shortly.

To be fair it was a 21 yd. field goal being compared to an extra point, which is in essence a 19 yd. field goal. So to claim the comparison is comparing apples to oranges strikes me as a touch drastic. It is more along the lines of comparing lemons and limes, a case in which there are certain differences but overall you're looking at two strikingly similar things.

Wally03 · 11-16-2009, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njx9

*shrug*

i maintain that there's a vastly different defensive approach to a mid-game extra point, than to a game winning field goal, no matter where that field goal happens to occur.

i have no interest in discussing intangible crap like psyche, but i'm sure someone who does could add that to the differences pile.

Fair point, hadn't really considered your statement from that point of view.

Bengalsrocket · 11-17-2009, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpngc

Yes it is.

There have been over 500 touchdowns this season and 8 missed extra points. That's a pretty solid percentage of success.

You have a lot better chance to make an extra point-like FG than stop a touchdown drive.

I don't know where you got your stats from, so maybe you already took this into account, but if the ball is not actually kicked, then failed PAT are counted as failed 2 point conversions. We had that situation this weekend against Pittsburgh.

Our place holder (Kevin Huber) took the snap, and the ball slipped as he went to place it for Graham. Graham hesitated so Huber picked the ball up. The official call on that is "failed 2 point conversation" not "failed PAT".

Todd Bertuzzi · 11-15-2009, 07:28 PM

As a Mojo fantasy owner this hurts, especially considering he fumbled at the two earlier. I've also heard that he owns himself in a fantasy league so this move makes no sense to me.

Seriously though you could argue either side. I think you have to be able to rely on your kicker to make the short field goal. If he does punch it in there is always the possibility of the Jets coming back down the field and scoring just like we saw in the Miami/TB game today.

PalmerToCJ · 11-15-2009, 07:28 PM

Take the points. If you're ahead 1 there, I agree with the move. If you're down like they were, you absolutely have to take the points.

TitanHope · 11-15-2009, 07:29 PM

I definitely take the points.

A TD makes it 28-22, so the Jets would need a TD to win - a FG would do nothing. They have no timeouts to get that TD as well. But, I didn't watch the game, so I dunno if it was reasonable of the Jags to trust their FG unit more than their DEF.

It was the definition of conservative, though. Not only for MoJo to kneel down, but for Garrard to also kneel down twice. Props to MoJo for being a team first guy, but why not run the ball instead of kneeling it? I know there's the possibility of a fumble, but if you don't make the TD, then the clock still runs. If you do, you get the points, and drained the clock to give the Jets less time than they'd have gotten if MJD had initially scored.

Every Jags fan would've blown their top if Scobee missed that FG too.

Kneel like that if you're up. When you're down, I think it's very risky to pass up points and assume you'll make the FG.

P-L · 11-15-2009, 07:30 PM

For what it's worth, I think you ALWAYS have to take the points.

Wally03 · 11-15-2009, 07:33 PM

I think it really come down to the debate of, do you create a situation where you need to make one play to win the game or create a situation where the opponent needs to make a play? Albeit in this case it likely would have really been a couple of plays, but one missed assignment on the kick coverage and there goes the benefit of getting the touchdown which based on the success of the Jag's 2 point conversion might be the difference between OT or a L. I like what the Jaguars did and always prefer creating the situation where I truly control my own destiny as opposed to having to stop someone else from doing something.

Hopefully that makes sense, I've tried to reword it a couple of time and have yet to be truly happy with the result.

MichaelJordanEberle (sabf) · 11-15-2009, 07:33 PM

In that situation, I take the points. But if you're playing the Saints, Colts or Pats, or any other team with a top notch QB, the knee can be a good idea.

JT Jag · 11-15-2009, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slightlyabroncosfan

In that situation, I take the points. But if you're playing the Saints, Colts or Pats, or any other team with a top notch QB, the knee can be a good idea.

I think the Jaguars were more worried about a nutty sextuple-lateral play than they were about Sanchez driving on them.

JRTPlaya21 · 11-15-2009, 07:36 PM

Take the knee. I've done it against friends in Madden. If you miss the FG well then...

The Unseen · 11-15-2009, 07:43 PM

I see both sides of the argument, but there was 1:46 minutes left on the clock. That's about 1:20 for Sanchez to drive down the field. Dustin Keller and Jerricho Cotchery had been getting wide open all game. In a way the risk was greater kicking off, but I could understand doing so.

M.O.T.H. · 11-15-2009, 07:57 PM

I couldnt imagine doing this while I was losing. The Westbrook thing was completely different, as was said because, they had the lead.

OzTitan · 11-15-2009, 07:59 PM

In Madden FGs are automatic. Not so much in real life, even that close.

I take the TD. How stupid would it have been had the FG been missed or blocked?

Bengalsrocket · 11-15-2009, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OzTitan

In Madden FGs are automatic. Not so much in real life, even that close.

I take the TD. How stupid would it have been had the FG been missed or blocked?

The FGs aren't automatic for the CPU. in the 2008 Madden for Xbox, even if you play on All Star mode with all the settings cranked you'll get some 99 rated kickers shanking 35 yard kicks (or worse, PATs) lol.

falloutboy14 · 11-15-2009, 08:12 PM

I think there's a better chance of a team driving 70-80 on you, then there is of a bad FG from that close. I agree with taking the knee down 1.

Timbathia · 11-15-2009, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by falloutboy14

I think there's a better chance of a team driving 70-80 on you, then there is of a bad FG from that close. I agree with taking the knee down 1.

While intuitively you might assume that taking the points is the right thing to do, this is actually the correct answer statistically speaking.

Unbiased · 11-16-2009, 08:29 PM

For me, what it comes down to as the coach is which you have more confidence in...

1. Your defense keeping the Jets from going the length of the field with 2 minutes to score a TD

or

2. Josh Scobee making an 21 yard field goal right in the middle of the field.

I'd take the FG every time.

Put the game in your hands. Not the other team's.