Adventures in Game Management - Conference Championship Edition

Nothing egregious took place in the AFC Championship Game, but Brad Childress put on a clinic in the NFC Championship Game. Let's go over the gory details.


1-10-NO 33 (1:06) 29-C.Taylor right guard to NO 33 for no gain (92-R.Ayodele).

2-10-NO 33 (:25) 28-A.Peterson right end to NO 33 for no gain (92-R.Ayodele, 98-S.Ellis).

The first down run wasn't a bad play call. Just a play earlier Taylor had busted off a 14 yard run, and the Saints are soft against the run, so it wasn't a bad idea to try get closer with a run, and let the clock run as well. However, the 2nd down run play was overly conservative and that was the time to put the ball in the air. A 50 yard field goal is no gimme, so this is the spot where you pull out one of your best pass plays that can get at least 5 yards to give Longwell a good shot at a field goal.

3-10-NO 33 (:19) PENALTY on MIN, Offensive 12 On-field, 5 yards, enforced at NO 33 - No Play.

Oh lordy. I mean, what the hell was going on here? Favre also tried to call timeout here, which would have been a penalty because Minnesota had already called a timeout. Whether it was truly Childress' fault or not, the confusion in the huddle here falls at his feet.

The interception that followed is all on Favre, and Childress made the right decision in letting him put the ball in the air. You have to trust your QB not to screw this play up, and unfortunately Favre did. But the overly conservative play-calling and inexcusable 12 men in the huddle is essentially what ruined Minnesota's season. Memo to coaches: don't just settle for long field goals. I know that as soon as you get within range for a 50 yarder to win the game, it's tempting to close up shop on offense and make nothing bad happens, but you leave yourself no room for error. A run for loss or a penalty pretty much takes you out of field goal range. Keep your foot on the gas until it is a sure-fire gimme field goal. A 30 yard attempt, that you can settle for. But you should at least try to push in a 50 yarder even closer. Longwell can make 50 yard field goals, but try to make it easier on him.


1-10-MIN 41 (11:52) 9-D.Brees pass incomplete short left to 85-D.Thomas. PENALTY on MIN-51-B.Leber, Defensive Pass Interference, 12 yards, enforced at MIN 41 - No Play.

I only bring this up to have it on the record that this was a complete BULLSHIT call in every form. Ben Leber didn't interfere with David Thomas (replay clearly shows Thomas falling backwards on his own), and even if he did (which he didn't) the ball was clearly uncatchable. In fact, the only reason Thomas is falling backwards is BECAUSE the pass was uncatchable. Why do we have the "uncatchable" rule if we aren't going to use it? Thank you, Pete Morelli, for helping to decide Minnesota's season on a bogus pass interference call. I hope you can sleep at night.

I beleive I also stated yesterday that Morelli officiated the Steelers-Seahawks Super Bowl, and that is untrue. He did, however, officiate the Steelers-Colts playoff game from 2005 when he overruled what sure looked like a Troy Polamalu interception, and then later in the game (maybe my favorite officiating call of all-time) called for a re-do when his crew couldn't decide if Pittsburgh's Alan Faneca jumped or if the Colts were offside on a crucial 4th down play. Better to make no call than the wrong call, right?

Also, Troy Aikman, I may agree with you that the roughing the passer call against the Saints yesterday (in which a Saints' defender, I believe Anthony Hargrove, drove Favre into the ground after he had thrown a pass) was ticky-tack, it is the rule. You can't hit QBs in the head, below the knees or drive them into the ground after they've thrown a pass. I don't like it anymore than you do, but it's the rule. And actually, the hit a couple plays later that Favre took in which he got high-lowed by a couple Saints was an even bigger roughing the passer penalty that wasn't called. I don't like these rules necessarily, but we have to abide by them. So please don't waste my time again on how an obvious violation of these rules is a bad call.