Football Challenging Conventional Football Wisdom

CaliforniaChief · 08:21 PM

I'm dying for football to start. But while I wait, I was thinking about a situation I saw in a game recently and have seen more than once.

Team A leads Team B 21-20 late in the fourth. They score a touchdown to go ahead 27-20. Conventional wisdom is that Team A goes for the extra point and takes an 8 point lead.

The thinking is obvious. You take the sure point and force the other team into a situation where they can only tie the game and send it into overtime.

I think they should go for 2. If they get it, they take a 2 possession lead. (29-20) If they don't get it, they're still up by 7 and if the other team scores a TD they would likely take the 1 point and go for the tie anyways.

It just seems to me that the right play is to try and put the game away...and if you fail, you're basically in the same spot you would be if you went for 1 in that the other team would be trying to tie it up.

Again, I apologize for the mundane thread but I've seen this situation many times and wonder if any of you think the same way.

What do you think about this? What are other pieces of conventional football wisdom you would challenge?

09-08-2010, 08:14 PM	Topic Starter
CaliforniaChief #RIPAce Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: So Cal Casino cash: $12262899	Challenging Conventional Football Wisdom I'm dying for football to start. But while I wait, I was thinking about a situation I saw in a game recently and have seen more than once. Team A leads Team B 21-20 late in the fourth. They score a touchdown to go ahead 27-20. Conventional wisdom is that Team A goes for the extra point and takes an 8 point lead. The thinking is obvious. You take the sure point and force the other team into a situation where they can only tie the game and send it into overtime. I think they should go for 2. If they get it, they take a 2 possession lead. (29-20) If they don't get it, they're still up by 7 and if the other team scores a TD they would likely take the 1 point and go for the tie anyways. It just seems to me that the right play is to try and put the game away...and if you fail, you're basically in the same spot you would be if you went for 1 in that the other team would be trying to tie it up. Again, I apologize for the mundane thread but I've seen this situation many times and wonder if any of you think the same way. What do you think about this? What are other pieces of conventional football wisdom you would challenge? Last edited by CaliforniaChief; 09-08-2010 at 08:21 PM..
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