How in the remotest hell is it possible that players wouldn’t know this? Any passionate fan would know it and most casual ones. How could people paid millions of dollars to win a game not know the rules to winning the game?
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This is all on Shanahan!!!
Didn’t have them prepared
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Taking the ball second is really a huge advantage in playoff overtime. At least you know what you have to do.
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When SF won the flip and chose the ball I was confused.
I was thinking that the OT was now very similar to College where you 100% want to go on defense first. So when they took that ball I was like why would they do that? And then I had to go check the rules because I was like…do they win automatically if they score a TD?
So yeah it was super dumb and a bad decision. Why would you ever take the ball in that situation?
Hardman said after the game that he had no idea that he had just won the game with his last catch.
So it wasn’t only the 49ers players that didnt know.
It took me 3 separate threads on this board to figure it out. The whole thing seems way over complicated.
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Listen the refs explained it perfectly but the whole world and clearly the players were not listening:
Gentlemen we are in essence starting a new game. The exception is that both teams must get a possession before the game can end.
He did not add but it was clearly inferred that after each team had 1 possession that if anyone was ahead in the score the game would end.
This is a classic case of many players not being a student of the game. And shame on Shannahan. This IMO made him look really bad. And his team looked unprepared.
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The guys mentioned in the other thread that you still want to receive so that you get the 3rd possession.
i.e.
1st possession SF = FG
2nd possession KC = FG
3rd possession SF = FG = game over.
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Not when you have Mahomes…
I would always take defense in that situation. Not only does it allow you to know what you need to do but I would also suggest that the situation you are using is wrong. You only take the ball in the hopes of this situation:
1st possession SF = Punt
2nd possession KC = Punt
3rd possession SF = FG = game over
Because again the situation of having the ball second allows you to approach the game with 4 downs.
Sorry but there is no way I would ever take the ball in OT in a playoff game based on the current rules. Never, nope, nada, no way jose.
And Mahomes knew they won…just because the dumbass WR did not know the rules means nothing. Mahomes and most of the KC team seemed to know exactly what was happening. And it could be he did not know because he was not on the team at the beginning of the season and missed that training. And REid did not think to go back and train him assumng all staffs educated their players.
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I think it’s a no brainer to get the ball 2nd
If both team scores a TD you can just go for 2 to win the game
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Interesting angles. I’m still in securing the 3rd possession for myself in a tight game like theirs.
If you’re the play-with-4-downs-and-go-for-the-2-point-pat guy, you do that on your 1st possession.
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But there might not be a 3rd possession like last night
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I feel strongly that this thinking is also the thinking that leads one to “take the wind” in OT. Sorry but playing for the 3rd possession is IMHO playing to not lose or be the smartest guy in the room mentality.
At that point you are taking the same approach MM took. Which I think we should have all vowed to take the approach that if MM would do it then we would do the 180 degree opposite. Or I would hope we would all agree to that approach in life.
Right. So then is the issue that SF went first or that SF didn’t play for the win?
You’re saying that you want to win the coin flip so you can have the ball 2nd to play for it all on that possession. Why do you need a coin flip to tell you to play for it all on your possession?
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100% still take the ball first.
If KC drove into FG range and faced a 4th and 5 or longer, they kick the FG and SF gets the next possession to win it. It is only 4 downs until FG range.
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Coin flip allows you to dictate.
A) Your defense can stop them
B) If they don’t, then you have an extra down on offense.
If you go on a Offense first, you are essentially having to do the reverse scenario.
Like you don’t know if you will need to go for a TD or FG or anything so you’re just gonna go for it anyways.
If you get the ball 2nd and your defense can’t stop them you still gotta chance.
If you get the ball 1st and your defense can’t stop them you lose.
MCDC does NOT approve this message
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I don’t think there is a right canned answer. Mostly depends on who you trust the most, offense or defense.
The Niners had only given up one TD all game, maybe Shanahan felt we score first and put the pressure on them. Who knows but would be interesting to see if he gets asked this question.
That doesn’t surprise me after listening to Steve Young bloviate on Dan Patrick this morning.
He talked about the Niners taking the ball first. Dan Patrick didn’t embarrass him and call him on it, but by Young’s strategy comments, he all but said he had no idea that playoff overtime rules were different.
All I know is Marty Mornhinweg was ahead of his time when he chose the wind instead of the ball. He was on to strategy before the rule changes unfortunately.
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