Comments on: LaFell says Panthers should have gone for it

By: slammincamnewton

slammincamnewton — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:21:17 +0000

I thought the punt was the right call. Esp b/c we pinned them at the one. Problem is, we got a white guy in the secondary who couldn’t cover his kid with a blanket. Seriously, all that guy does is back pedal, and you’re taught not to do that.

By: wicky888

wicky888 — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:10:54 +0000

A few points here:

-Hindsight is 20/20
-Us Atlanta fans know exactly how bad it can when you go for it on 4th down and don’t get it
-Guys who don’t record a single stat in the game shouldn’t be allowed to talk

By: thesheriffisnear

thesheriffisnear — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 23:52:39 +0000

Some say Coach made the right decision by punting and playing the averages that your defense could hold them. What about playing the averages on your 90 million backfield. What do you think the odds are that Cam fumbles 2 times in a row?
Coaching staff needs to show some killer instinct and fast!

By: realfann

realfann — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 23:24:03 +0000

He’s right.

By: kev86

kev86 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:21:19 +0000

As a head coach you need to think the opposing QB can’t complete a 60 yard bomb from his own end zone there. Gotta blame terrible defense even if the defenses isn’t that good. Carolina is toast. Maybe next year.

By: ballreaper

ballreaper — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:07:50 +0000

What Cam needed to do but he is still a puppy was SEND the DEFENSE right back off the field , No way on this green earth you let a DEFENSE that was rank near at the bottom last season to come out and decide your faith, when you have power runners with a tough QB who can run too.

i did say in another blog at the time this guy is not playing to win with less than a arm to get , and if i was the OWNER of that team he would be FIRED immediately after the game.I would have put in the assistant to coach the rest of the season with these words” we coach here to win”.

By: johnmshort3

johnmshort3 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:42:03 +0000

every body talks bought the last play i am more concerned with clock mismanagement before the half the last two weeks let see 1.30 on the clock 3 time out’s throw a pass up the middle do not call time out let time run off no point’s and if cam is two young to understand the time out the coach should be calling it letting time run of may prevented a field goal meaning that they would have needed a TD instead of a field goal to beat us these are unforgivable mistakes that are the coach’s responsibility not the players.

By: brianfromcanada

brianfromcanada — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:24:11 +0000

I personally think carolina made the right call. if they would have gotten stopped the falcons were sure to win. pinning them on the 1 yard line should have won the game for them. how about giving some credit to the falcons since they had to start from their own goal line.

By: ravenseattheirownpoop

ravenseattheirownpoop — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:14:30 +0000

“you play to win the game!”
Thanks Herm

By: skittlesareyum

skittlesareyum — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:11:55 +0000

I switched to that game near the end and was astonished they didn’t go for it. The reasons:

1. The Panthers’ defense had a rough time stopping the Falcons all game. If the defense had been playing well up to that point it might have been a different story. But why would you expect a stop from them?

2. They traded in the offseason for Mike Tolbert. The guy is a tank and is made for short-yardage situations.

3. They have Cam Newton. Rushing machine.

I don’t see how the Falcons had a realistic chance of defending a fourth-down play. They don’t know if it will be a handoff to Tolbert, a roll-out by Newton, or a simple pass. Pretty much everything but a deep bomb was in play.

By: droop

droop — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:10:37 +0000

and Josh Freeman from Tampa Bay says, “We should’ve have gone for it on 4th and 4 on the Washington 28. We have some of the best power backs in the NFL. Doug, LaGarrette and myself. I’d rather get blown out than lose a game like that.”

Woe to the NFC South.

By: catman72

catman72 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:00:30 +0000

If you pin a team on it’s own one yard line with less than a minute on the clock and no timeouts, you should win.

By: judsonjr

judsonjr — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:51:53 +0000

I think statistically if they had a 40% chance or so chance of making it, it would have been the right choice to go for it.

The only thing I don’t like is that on short yardage plays the result is often arbitrary. The refs view and replay is usually obstructed, leading to unpredictable results.

Still I think you have to go with what gives you the best chance to win, even if it means the players on the field have less control over the result.

By: 7swag7

7swag7 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:37:28 +0000

If I’m Atlanta, and it’s 4th down, I’m thinking “please punt, please punt, we need the ball back now, please punt.” I doubt any defense wants them to go for it in that situation, because punting means you are guaranteeing them 1 more posession. So then, wouldn’t it make sense on some level that what’s best ofr the Panthers would be the opposit of what’s best for the Falcons? Me thinks so.

By: bangitfootball

bangitfootball — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:31:39 +0000

I didnt know Lafell was even in the stadium hes not in the box score at all for ANYTHING.

By: rjkilla

rjkilla — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:30:16 +0000

that’s the dumbest thing i’ve ever heard. you’d rather get blown out than lose by a game winning fg? u should hate to lose period. plus the offense had it’s chance and failed to covert which is why it was 4 and 1 in the first place.

By: rickyclark5

rickyclark5 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:27:47 +0000

As a Panthers fan I wanted to go for it too but the issue is not with the call but that we had them on their 1 yard line with no timeouts left and our defense still let them score. Our d is a joke.

By: hor2012

hor2012 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:20:42 +0000

I don’t think that’s a statement he should be making in public. If that’s the way he felt he should leave it behind close doors. Now, I know this shouldn’t matter but I’m a Saints fan. And, I think it was last year Atlanta tried something like that in overtime and it caused them the game. I think you have a good team and they’re going to make the playoffs this year. But, the players should just shut up and play

By: kev86

kev86 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:20:34 +0000

dropping this turd from my fantasy team..was hoping he could provide some points at the flex spot. sounds like a big mouth for a guy whp produced squat.

get open and shut your mouth.

By: paulitik74

paulitik74 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:18:59 +0000

The Carolina Pouters.

No team in the NFL whines more than the Panthers.

Oh wait, I forgot about the Saints.

By: EJ

EJ — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:01:11 +0000

4th an inches with the athleticism of Cam Newton behind the line, why not go for it? I bet the next time the team is in another 4th and short situation, they think about it twice before making their decision. I can say from experience, being in situations where I made the wrong decision and wished to god that I could just go back and have a redo, go with my gut. I guess thats just part of life, you learn from your mistakes…. most of the time.

By: realfootballfan

realfootballfan — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:54:45 +0000

If a scrub is speaking up on this screw up by the coach, what do you think is being said by the rest of the locker room?

Like i said following that game, the inability by Rivera to feel the flow of that game and not go for a higher percentage play of picking up the first down as opposed to kicking back to Atlanta (who you hadn’t stopped all day) might be kthe beginning of the end when the locker room tunes him out for not seeing that.

By: ilovefoolsball

ilovefoolsball — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:51:45 +0000

Panthers 3-13

By: sdanner52

sdanner52 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:51:38 +0000

It don’t matter if Atlanta was out of time outs,they got a fourth time out anyway,Mike Smith had to make an adjustment to his defense.

By: Mr. Wright 212

Mr. Wright 212 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:44:42 +0000

What HE should have done was actually get a CATCH in that game.

At any rate, I said even before the seemingly 10 minute delay between the fumble and the punt that Rivera should have gone for it. Playing not to lose gets you beat every time.

By: chademer07

chademer07 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:42:04 +0000

That easily was the right call, Atlanta had no time outs. With sufficient defensive play at the end they would have won that game no problem

By: zoxitic

zoxitic — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:35:08 +0000

“I’d rather get blown out than lose a game like that,” LaFell said
___________________________________
You must have been happy with the loss to the Giants then.

By: descendency

descendency — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:31:39 +0000

He had better watch out, or Falcons’ players might start accusing him of sounding like a Packers’ player.

By: NakedCowboy!

NakedCowboy! — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:31:25 +0000

I was thinking at that time that they should go for it and let cam get a yard… it would have been a a bold decision by coach… if it flopped like it did for BB against manning (in 2009 i think) then everyone would be after him for not trusting his defense…
still i thought better odds in getting first down then holding them off field goal..

By: droyer85

droyer85 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:25:09 +0000

Always fun to have a Monday morning QB on the team. Tune in next week for LaFell’s report on what they should have done to beat the Seahawks.