Gantt: Payton outsmarted himself

[Mr. Scot]

I said it in another thread: Payton's biggest mistake was hubris.

He didn't think that Cam could get it done...at home...with the NFC South at stake...without Steve Smith. He was wrong. If you have Brees, you have to try and pick up that first down and end the game. Period.

From what I've seen, Payton doesn't believe he's the smartest coach in the league.

He knows he is :unsure:

[jungleking]

Gonna go against the grain here. I actually liked the fake field goal, I thought it was pretty smart. If he puts his offense out there, he doesn't get Jimmy Graham in single coverage against one of our safeties. That's one of the best receivers in the NFL in single coverage, but the quarterback couldn't hit. It seemed like a good idea that was executed poorly.

[R0CKnR0LLA]

Gonna go against the grain here. I actually liked the fake field goal, I thought it was pretty smart. If he puts his offense out there, he doesn't get Jimmy Graham in single coverage against one of our safeties. That's one of the best receivers in the NFL in single coverage, but the quarterback couldn't hit. It seemed like a good idea that was executed poorly.

 

The QB didn't complete it because it was the backup QB that hadn't thrown a pass all day. I couldn't stop laughing at that play, what a stupid decision. It wasn't like they faked the FG anyway, they just lined up for it, then shifted to a different formation, making it obvious they weren't going for a FG. The defense had adjusted and was ready for the play before they even snapped the ball. At least if they had done a fake FG to try to catch the Panthers offguard that would be one thing, but why take the ball out of Brees hand if all you're going to do is shift formations around pre-snap. lololololol still laughing at the stupidity of that play.

[ajax4132]

That is his fuging problem

[Dalga]

when you think about one first down at the end gets New Orleans the win, it would make me mad that they tried to play for the percentages and milk the timeouts and clock. Just play for the win even if it leaves us with an extra 30 seconds. That is Rivera ball (pre 2013 especially). This notion of playing not to lose in the NFL is a joke. Great coaches and there are only a few right now (Belichick, Harbaugh, one or two others) would have thrown it for a first down and put the game away and not left it to chance at the end.

 

I TOTALLY agree.  I hate to see this as well and while we were having a hard enough time moving the ball on you guyz as it was...we still had a MUCH better chance of doing so by mixing in a play action pass...why go away from your bread and butter.  We were too conservative and I do not agree with our decision to run run run even had it resulted in a first down.

 

On the other end prior to the above mentioned 3 and out the Panthers decision to punt had me relieved because at the time i recall feeling like that was a huge mistake by Rivera and we would chew up the remainder of the clock..... boy was i wrong and that sense of relief quickly turned into a broken remote.  

[Mvp2014]

If you are going to gamble you put brees out there and let him go for it on fourth down. The fake FG was a horrible decision

Exactly. Batshit crazy move