ESPN.com: Page 2 : It doesnt pay to punt
In early October, deep in the throws of football season, my husband and I spend upwards of 20 hours each week watching football. The fact that nearly all the teams I root for lose notwithstanding (Lions and Packers and Spartans oh my!), I watch every play and overall, I enjoy it immensely.
This article on ESPN.com by Gregg Easterbrook made me chuckle because I always tease my husband that if he had a football team, he wouldn’t need a punter. He would go for it on 4th down no matter how many yards there were to go. Actually, he wouldn’t need a field goal or PAT kicker either. He’d try for a touch-down or two point conversion every time. So he would only need a kicker for kick-offs. And yesterday when the Lions (:sigh:) had a 4th and 1 against the Rams, I said “Now they gotta kick it,” he said – as Gregg Easterbrook echoed in his article – “No, they never have to kick it.”
Are he and Easterbrook right? Do coaches err on the side of caution so they won’t be at fault if the conversion doesn’t work? To help them keep their jobs? On Saturday we attended our only Spartan football game this year up in East Lansing (losing to Illinios), and, at one point, the Spartans faced a 4th and 1. The puting team ran out on the field and the crowd booed so loudly you could probably hear it back in Ann Arbor. Suddenly Coach Smith called a time out. When the players returned to the field the Spartan offensive line was in attendance – not the punting team. Coach Smith heard the boos and knew it was time to anti up. I respect him for that.
Did they make it? Probably not, but it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that football fans want to see their team go for it on 4th down when they are behind. I’ve heard loud boos greet the punting team in Spartan stadium countless times. The fans absolutely hate when their team doesn’t go for it.
Coaches – especially collge football coaches – need to be popular with their fans. I think that going for it on 4th down would not only increase their chances of scoring, but would increase their chances of keeping their job. When faced with a losing record, coach popularity has to enter into the decision to keep or fire.
Remember George Perles? Did anyone like him?
