Do you make that call?

Probably the ballsiest coaching choice I've ever seen Tomlin make.
Knowing the outcome, I like it. But what if they didn't get in? Would you still be okay with the call?
I like the decision, and putting the ball in one of the best RB's in the NFL's hands inside the one shows faith in the team. I think this win might have done even more for the team then just putting one in the win column. I think this is a vote of confidence to the team that they can come together and win, even without Ben.

 

I was screaming go for it, go for it, Give it to Bell. I did not want them to give a hot Rivers the chance in OT. Had he been stopped short, I would have been upset we lost, but glad we had the balls to make that call and try it. I think this game may be looked back on later this season as one that turned everything in the right direction as we work towards a playoff birth!!!!

 

I wanted them to go for it, and I wanted Bell to have the ball. I'm glad he called it. Of course I'd be unhappy if they would have lost, but I would have still thought it was a good, albeit gutsy, call.

It's exactly what I wish they would have done in the ravens game instead of having Vick throw on 4th down in OT.

 

Under those circumstances yes. I make that call.

If Ben was playing, I kick and play OT. Vick in I go for the win right there.

 

Okay I am going to sound like a Negative Nancy here....but I thought the play call was bad...glad they got in, but it was a very risky call. Going for it was the right call because the Steelers were essentially outgunned going to OT with a gassed DL and Rivers being hot and hoping for another long drive from Vick was wishing for too much.

But the play call was very questionable. If you do a QB sneak or quick dive with Bell, you likely can get a TO to try the FG if you do not get in. They ran a counter with DeCastro pulling which takes eons of time to develop and also considering it is goal line, everybody is up on the line for SD defense. Thankfully Bell was able to bounce off of DeCastro and get it in - just another day at the office for Superman...that guy is the best back in the league.

 

I would have kicked it. I'm glad they made the call because of how it turned out but actually IN THE MOMENT I would have kicked it. Although given how drained the D had to be I can understand the call. The thing that really ticks me off about it though is why didn't we also give it to Bell last week when we only needed 2 yards? We should be 4 and 1 right now. I will just never get over that rats game. I'm traumatized. LOL.

 

I watched a little bit of ESPN after the game and I was surprised Steve Young actually made a cogent point. He said when you run a franchise and have only 3 head coaches for the past 55 years, then your coach can have confidence to make a call like that because he doesn't have to look over his shoulder all the time. I thought that was an interesting observation.

 

I go for it....but I did not like the wildcat......from the half inch line....I go out of the I formation with a FB and Bell....and go QB sneak with my backs pushing the pile......takes less time off the clock...and I can still call my timeout and kick the tie.

I love giving Bell the ball...but from that close...I go QB sneak

HACK

 

I think Tomlin made the right call. The play call choice was a bit crazy, but it worked. I think it was right to get the ball to Bell, but I think I would have run a quick pass to him or something.
I wouldn't have played for OT. The defense was dog tired from being on the field and Rivers was starting to get it together.

 

I'd make that call everyday and twice on monday. We were not going to win that game in OT.

 

If Tomlin felt that he didn't like the odds of Vick winning if we went to OT, then I like the call. You might as well accept the fact you're likely to lose and take a shot at winning when the opportunity presents itself. If it was some other reason they made that call, then I don't like it whatsoever. It's too risky and many times it's not going to work out.

Would I have made the call? I don't know, that's tough to say. The coaches have so much film and tendencies to look at that they have a good idea of the chances of their play succeeding vs that particular defensive call. We don't have that luxury. I would likely kick the FG based on the Oline play we got that day. As we saw, Bell did get stuffed. The Oline gave him nothing, but he fought for that TD. The play didn't exactly work as designed.

 

Did you notice that Bell could have taken it to the outside, there was nobody there. Also saw 3 great blocks, Heathe, Decastro, Nix.

Also right before the last run, did you notice Ben telling Bell on the sidelines "don't dance" "don't dance" just hit it.

Thought Ben should of gotten the game ball for figuring out and calling for the play to Wheaton and continuously talking to Vick, Bell, Brown on the sidelines. He played the leadership roll well last night.

 

i would have sent Vick up the middle. that would have left time on the clock for a TO and a kick.

 

Absolutely make the call and go for it. With one big exception...

Actually be prepared in case he doesn't make it, and put one person (probably the QB) in charge of calling timeout when there's 1 second left, no matter what. You give the ball to the RB (or in this case, line up at WR and just stand there), and then you find the ref and look straight at the clock, keeping an eye on the field. If Bell walks right in, great. If he gets stuffed, or disappears into the line and you're not sure what happened, you call timeout like crazy.

Everyone talks about how we wouldn't have been able to run another play if Bell had been stopped short. Sadly, that's true, but not because the play took 5 whole seconds. It didn't. Bell hit the ground and crossed the plane with more than 2 seconds on the clock. Then it ticked down to 1, then it ticked down to 0. He made it by a few inches, but suppose he hadn't. Suppose that knee hit a little sooner. No one called timeout. No one tried, and no one looked prepared to, just in case. Everyone was watching, like mother****ing fans. Like us. Everyone knows clocks continue to tick a few seconds after they're supposed to stop. That's why the Chargers aren't complaining that we should have had to kickoff to them. And that's why Tomlin should have been prepared by putting a safety net under his gutsy call.

The call was smart, the lack of preparation was frustrating. Just another clock woe for this team.

Site note, everyone knows how frustrated I get with this team in play/spike/TO situations. Tomlin and Ben are terrible at it. Did anyone catch Ben suggesting a timeout after Vick's run? Hilarious.

 

No way I make that call. They got lucky and Bell got the TD but with that many seconds left ( 5 secs) there is no way there is enough time to make a play and call a timeout so they can kick the field goal.

I read today that the game clock as wrong. Should have been .23 seconds left on the clock instead of 5

 

I was screaming for them to go for it, the chargers were reeling a little from the last couple of plays, and we have the best back in the nfl....go for it everyday, every time.

 

I wish they would've put the ball in Bell's hands on those two 4th down plays against the Ravens.

 

What people don't get is how risky NOT going for it is. Suppose you "play it safe" and kick the field goal.

Well now you're going into overtime, where at best there's a 50% chance you'll lose. I'd give Le'Veon better than a 50% chance at getting in from the 1 foot line.

Add to that, if you look at your overtime chances, you've got a backup quarterback that's you could at best say has been playing erratically, a defense riddled with injuries, facing a franchise QB who, although not necessarily playing that great at the moment, could tear down the field in a hurry, and we all know it. If we go into overtime I put our chances of winning at more like 35-40%. And I didn't even get into the mystery that is our kicking situation.

Add to that, if you look at my previous post, it shouldn't have been a risk going for the run anyway. It should have been safe, if only we'd bothered to use our heads.

 

Honestly thought a sneak would be a better option considering the time but in the end I was still jumping for joy. The thing is, even if he didn't make it I wouldn't of minded that Bell got the call. Unlike last week ):

 

yep, we were at the 3 inch line with a worn out defense in the heat.

 

I have no issue with it. I think he made a great call by giving it to Bell in that situation. If he would have left it in Vick's hands I would have probably thrown my TV through the window in disgust. So I'm glad he didn't let the worst QB in the league touch the ball in that situation.

We tie the game - we lose in OT. We had no business being in the position to win that game so you have to take the chance.

 

I agree hack... Did not like the wildcat formation in that game, much less in that particular situation. Problem is, now we'll probably continue to see it since they'll deem it the package that won. Uggghhhhh