There is a saying in aviation “There are old pilots and there are bold pilots but there are NO old, bold pilots.” The same is true in football.
Mistakes lose football games and many/most football games are lost rather than being won. Real football coaches at every level are conservative, not only because they want to eliminate mistakes, but also because offensive football in particular is hard. Why do you think coaches at all levels spend so much time worrying about field position? Long drives are rare and only happen a few times a game, if that, unless the teams have very unequal talent. Risk, i.e. “opening it up” has to be balanced with getting the first down and improving your field position. I think Gruden mentioned during last nights Vikings game that the odds of making a first down on 3ed and 10 are only about 15%.
Where is offensive football easy? In Madden NFL, of course. 3ed and 25 on your own 10? “Open it up” and throw a long bomb. 4th and 5 on your own 30? Why go for it, of course. Why not? There is no physical, emotional or financial investment in a game of Madden. If you lose you just grab another beer and play again. That is not the way real football works.
The coaches, players, the University of Minnesota and the state of Minnesota through its contribution to TCF, are all hugely invested in the success of Gopher football. Don’t lose the game by getting stupid penalties, don’t miss blocks, don’t take sacks, don’t fumble or throw picks. Get first downs, improve field position and, every now and then, take a calculated risk. Whatever you do, don’t “open it up” with an inexperienced QB. That is just asking to lose the game. Save that strategy for Madden. It works much better there.
So… for all you Madden players, all you fantasy football experts, all you bandwagon jumpers, I would ask you to do this;
Watch some local high school football so you can see for yourself how difficult offensive football is. Passes are dropped, routes not run correctly, blocks missed, runners not seeing the holes, etc. Appreciate that these players are GOOD high school athletes. Watching a high school game is good for everyone - you, the players, the local high school - everyone.
Hope the Gophers don’t make many mistakes during the game. All teams make mistakes but hope the Gophers make fewer of them than the other team.
Take a break from Madden and stop thinking all football is played like the very best pro teams or like the highlights on Sports Center. It’s not.
Cheer for every first down, worry about field position and hope our QBs can protect the ball.
Realize the Gophers are not there yet but also realize they are making progress. This calls for you to put your big boy pants on and not be, as some other poster called you, “Whiny little bitches”
Of course it is OK to talk football on a football site but please, if you don’t understand why the coaches did something, pose a question not posit a Madden strategy that worked for you last night.
In the words of Mike Tice “Enjoy the game!”
POSTSCRIPT
A little math… if a QB completes 65% of his passes then the odds of completing two passes in a row are .65 x .65 = 42% The odds of completing three passes in a row are .42 x .65 = 27% Of course, some passes have a higher completion percentage than others, but the point still holds.
When Limegrover first started in coaching he said he implemented a spread offense but gave it up after a season or two. There were simply too many 3 and out series which put the defense back out on the field. Games were lost. Only a very few teams in the country can run the spread successfully. The Gophers are not one of those teams.
Whew ... Got that off my chest. Fire away.
Mistakes lose football games and many/most football games are lost rather than being won. Real football coaches at every level are conservative, not only because they want to eliminate mistakes, but also because offensive football in particular is hard. Why do you think coaches at all levels spend so much time worrying about field position? Long drives are rare and only happen a few times a game, if that, unless the teams have very unequal talent. Risk, i.e. “opening it up” has to be balanced with getting the first down and improving your field position. I think Gruden mentioned during last nights Vikings game that the odds of making a first down on 3ed and 10 are only about 15%.
Where is offensive football easy? In Madden NFL, of course. 3ed and 25 on your own 10? “Open it up” and throw a long bomb. 4th and 5 on your own 30? Why go for it, of course. Why not? There is no physical, emotional or financial investment in a game of Madden. If you lose you just grab another beer and play again. That is not the way real football works.
The coaches, players, the University of Minnesota and the state of Minnesota through its contribution to TCF, are all hugely invested in the success of Gopher football. Don’t lose the game by getting stupid penalties, don’t miss blocks, don’t take sacks, don’t fumble or throw picks. Get first downs, improve field position and, every now and then, take a calculated risk. Whatever you do, don’t “open it up” with an inexperienced QB. That is just asking to lose the game. Save that strategy for Madden. It works much better there.
So… for all you Madden players, all you fantasy football experts, all you bandwagon jumpers, I would ask you to do this;
Watch some local high school football so you can see for yourself how difficult offensive football is. Passes are dropped, routes not run correctly, blocks missed, runners not seeing the holes, etc. Appreciate that these players are GOOD high school athletes. Watching a high school game is good for everyone - you, the players, the local high school - everyone.
Hope the Gophers don’t make many mistakes during the game. All teams make mistakes but hope the Gophers make fewer of them than the other team.
Take a break from Madden and stop thinking all football is played like the very best pro teams or like the highlights on Sports Center. It’s not.
Cheer for every first down, worry about field position and hope our QBs can protect the ball.
Realize the Gophers are not there yet but also realize they are making progress. This calls for you to put your big boy pants on and not be, as some other poster called you, “Whiny little bitches”
Of course it is OK to talk football on a football site but please, if you don’t understand why the coaches did something, pose a question not posit a Madden strategy that worked for you last night.
In the words of Mike Tice “Enjoy the game!”
POSTSCRIPT
A little math… if a QB completes 65% of his passes then the odds of completing two passes in a row are .65 x .65 = 42% The odds of completing three passes in a row are .42 x .65 = 27% Of course, some passes have a higher completion percentage than others, but the point still holds.
When Limegrover first started in coaching he said he implemented a spread offense but gave it up after a season or two. There were simply too many 3 and out series which put the defense back out on the field. Games were lost. Only a very few teams in the country can run the spread successfully. The Gophers are not one of those teams.
Whew ... Got that off my chest. Fire away.
