3rd down FG

[cardcrazy]

Am I missing something?
Is this a professional football team?
Who kicks a FG on 3rd down when your on the 10 yd line with 50 seconds remaining? ….“Trying to conserve time for the next possession?”
IT WOULD HAVE ONLY RAN OFF 5 MORE SECONDS to take 1 more shot at the end zone!

 

[Cheesebeef]

Am I missing something?
Is this a professional football team?
Who kicks a FG on 3rd down when your on the 10 yd line with 50 seconds remaining? ….“Trying to conserve time for the next possession?”
IT WOULD HAVE ONLY RAN OFF 5 MORE SECONDS to take 1 more shot at the end zone!

Wait. We kicked that on 3rd down at the end of the game at the 10? Did I miss that?

 

[Russ Smith]

Am I missing something?
Is this a professional football team?
Who kicks a FG on 3rd down when your on the 10 yd line with 50 seconds remaining? ….“Trying to conserve time for the next possession?”
IT WOULD HAVE ONLY RAN OFF 5 MORE SECONDS to take 1 more shot at the end zone!

If you watched any pregame shows today they all asked that same question I think he saw Kyler not see open guys on the first play and not make a good throw on the 2nd and panicked If he was going to conserve time he should have kicked on first down when we got to the 20, easy kick 1:21 to go. Clearly we were going for the TD and at some point he panicked and thought I better kick on 3rd down in case we have a bad snap or something.

 

[Cheesebeef]

If you watched any pregame shows today they all asked that same question I think he saw Kyler not see open guys on the first play and not make a good throw on the 2nd and panicked If he was going to conserve time he should have kicked on first down when we got to the 20, easy kick 1:21 to go. Clearly we were going for the TD and at some point he panicked and thought I better kick on 3rd down in case we have a bad snap or something.

Okay. That’s indefensible.

I didn’t even realize that. WTF?!

 

[cardcrazy]

The key word here is “panicked”!
Huge red flag for our head coach moving forward!

 

[Montanaman]

KK is not up to the job. He has made countless mistakes and bad decisions. The fact that he can't even fix the snapping/center issue is glaring. I'd say 80% of all the snaps this year have been bad. Too high, too low, wrong time. It's a direct reflection of his incompetence. He needs to go. Pay him out and move on. Bad hire.

 

[Russ Smith]

KK is not up to the job. He has made countless mistakes and bad decisions. The fact that he can't even fix the snapping/center issue is glaring. I'd say 80% of all the snaps this year have been bad. Too high, too low, wrong time. It's a direct reflection of his incompetence. He needs to go. Pay him out and move on. Bad hire.

It's because we're never under Center though. I'd wager very few NFL centers have played in that system before.

 

[GatorAZ]

There is no logical defense for not going for a TD on third down. What is the difference between 46 seconds and 40 seconds in that situation?

 

[cardpa]

I keep saying this over and over, Kliff is an offensive coordinator who happens to have the title of Head Coach. The fact is he doesn't come close to performing the job and taking on the responsibilities required or expected of a HC. I suspect Vance pretty much has free rein on what happens with the defense in all aspects of it with little or zero input from Kliff. Same probably goes for special teams.

 

[gimpy]

I want a head coach who is a head coach, and not an in game offensive or defensive coordinator. If he wants to call the plays, hire him as the OC, not HC. My opinion.

 

[Stout]

I don't mind kicking a field goal early, in the right situation. If our dufus non-hurry-up QB could've moved us quickly into field goal range so we could attempt to snatch 3 points and then not have to onside kick, maybe, maybe we get the ball back with enough time to drive for a TD. Alas, that wasn't the case--wasted 3 minutes just to get to where we were. So damn right you try to score a TD because you've burned so damn much time to get it anyway that it's pointless to kick a FG on 3rd down in that situation.

 

[don7031]

You go for the touchdown first because it is easier to gain 20 yards to kick a game winning long field goal than to connect on a Hail Mary to win the game.

What Kingsbury accomplished by kicking the field goal is that he can blame the loss on Prater. That is the modus operandi of a coach used to having to justify his continued employment.

 

[juza76]

The Vikings yesterday with 45 seconds left and 10points behind they kicked a field goal on second down

 

[AZfaninMN]

The Vikings yesterday with 45 seconds left and 10points behind they kicked a field goal on second down

From the 26. Not the 10. They were still 20 seconds minimum from scoring a TD. They were also out of timeouts and had to spike the football to make it 2nd down. That’s a plan, but Kliff panicked and kicked it on 3rd down with a timeout still in his pocket

 

[juza76]

From the 26. Not the 10. They were still 20 seconds minimum from scoring a TD. They were also out of timeouts and had to spike the football to make it 2nd down. That’s a plan, but Kliff panicked and kicked it on 3rd down with a timeout still in his pocket

Its easier to find a td from the 26 then a hail mary from the 50

 

[AZfaninMN]

Its easier to find a td from the 26 then a hail mary from the 50

No timeouts though. If tackled in bounds it almost guarantees the game is over. Kliff still had a timeout so if we don’t score a TD and are tackled in bounds the play only costs 5-8 seconds.

 

[gimpy]

Teams have used this tactic before. We're not the first. But, I think I would have preferred one more pass attempt.

 

[kerouac9]

You go for the touchdown first because it is easier to gain 20 yards to kick a game winning long field goal than to connect on a Hail Mary to win the game.

What Kingsbury accomplished by kicking the field goal is that he can blame the loss on Prater. That is the modus operandi of a coach used to having to justify his continued employment.

Kingsbury throughout his tenure has always pointed the finger at himself.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Kingsbury throughout his tenure has always pointed the finger at himself.

And yet doesn’t seem to become a better game manager. Or right the ship from his NINE CONSECUTIVE SEASONS of late season slides.

 

[kerouac9]

And yet doesn’t seem to become a better game manager. Or right the ship from his NINE CONSECUTIVE SEASONS of late season slides.

I think he’s a better game manager today than he was in the lions game two years ago. He’s still not all the way there tho, obviously.

Part of the problem is he was brought in to be an offense and QB guru. There are only so many hours in the day, and I don’t know how much time is left over in-season for him to develop as a game manager when he’s doing to many other things.

FWIW, I’m more forgiving of what a lot of people are saying are terrible decisions because it’s bad luck or whatever.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I think he’s a better game manager today than he was in the lions game two years ago. He’s still not all the way there tho, obviously.

Part of the problem is he was brought in to be an offense and QB guru. There are only so many hours in the day, and I don’t know how much time is left over in-season for him to develop as a game manager when he’s doing to many other things.

FWIW, I’m more forgiving of what a lot of people are saying are terrible decisions because it’s bad luck or whatever.

Bad luck? Decisions to kick a 67 yard fg with the other team trotting out maybe the best returner in the league isn’t luck. It’s stupidity. Going for it on 4th down on your end of the field already down 7 isn’t luck, it’s stupidity. He hasn’t grown much, if at all, in game management. I think his game management - like many of kylers and the defense’s issues - were masked by us winning earlier in the year. He is still the same guy that just doesn’t quite seem to have to his arms around what’s going on in the game. And the fact that his #1 guy kyler still can’t run a 2 minute offense is both an indictment of kyler and of kliffs inability to teach him.

Also the fact that his team almost invariably seems to start slow, crumble in pressure games and his putrid 2nd record over 9 seasons speaks to a complete lack of leadership.

All of this, imo, MORE THAN COMPLETELY counterbalances any benefit we might get from his playcalling.

 

[Chopper0080]

There is no logical defense for not going for a TD on third down. What is the difference between 46 seconds and 40 seconds in that situation?

Because Kyler would take a sack or throw it two yards past the LOS.

 

[cardpa]

Part of the problem is he was brought in to be an offense and QB guru. There are only so many hours in the day, and I don’t know how much time is left over in-season for him to develop as a game manager when he’s doing to many other things.

Sorry this doesn't cut it. Kliff wants to be the show on offense and refuses to either give up the play calling or bring in anyone to be an OC. Cam Turner is the QB coach so this job should be handled by him, not Kliff. Yeah Kugler is a run game coordinator but does not have the title of offensive coordinator. KK could easily make more time to perform his duties if he would allow it, but he doesn't.

Meanwhile in Kansas City: Kansas City's play-calling duties fall to head coach Andy Reid, although time and again he's given lots of credit for the explosive Chiefs offense to Eric Bieniemy. Reid and Bieniemy have also both pointed out that it's not a one-man show for Kansas City's play-calling but rather a collaborative operation.

 

[kerouac9]

Sorry this doesn't cut it. Kliff wants to be the show on offense and refuses to either give up the play calling or bring in anyone to be an OC. Cam Turner is the QB coach so this job should be handled by him, not Kliff. Yeah Kugler is a run game coordinator but does not have the title of offensive coordinator. KK could easily make more time to perform his duties if he would allow it, but he doesn't.

Meanwhile in Kansas City: Kansas City's play-calling duties fall to head coach Andy Reid, although time and again he's given lots of credit for the explosive Chiefs offense to Eric Bieniemy. Reid and Bieniemy have also both pointed out that it's not a one-man show for Kansas City's play-calling but rather a collaborative operation.

I guess it’s probably different for Reid who has been doing this for three decades and has an NFL background as an assistant and Kingsbury who has never been any kind of coach at the NFL level. This stuff is hard.

The Cards made Kingsbury head coach based on the assumption that he’d be so valuable as an offensive mind he’d be poached if he were given a more experienced hand. It hasn’t even been three seasons.

 

[cardpa]

I guess it’s probably different for Reid who has been doing this for three decades and has an NFL background as an assistant and Kingsbury who has never been any kind of coach at the NFL level. This stuff is hard.

The Cards made Kingsbury head coach based on the assumption that he’d be so valuable as an offensive mind he’d be poached if he were given a more experienced hand. It hasn’t even been three seasons.

My point is Kliff is too stubborn or blind to acknowledge that maybe a bit of help would be useful and productive. I'm not understanding the poached part as he was hired as the HC so how would he be poached? He's under contract so another team would have to pay the Cardinals to hire him while under contract. I'm not saying being a HC in the NFL isn't hard, it's damn hard and I would never want to put in the hours they do, however Kliff took the job to be HC and it doesn't appear that he is fulfilling the duties of HC. In fact I will blame Keim just as much as he doesn't approach KK after the season and say to him look this doesn't appear to be working as we are in another second half tailspin and changes need to be made to correct the situation and a OC just may be the answer.

As for being a QB whisperer, his track record is nothing to get excited about. Keenum, Manziel, Webb, Mayfield, and Mahomes. Outside of Mahomes there is nothing there that makes you go wow. Keenum jouneyman backup on 7 teams in 8 years, Manziel out of NFL now retired, Webb journeyman who barely clings to an NFL job. Mahomes probably more credit to Reid than KK for his success. Murray seems to be spinning his wheels under Kliff. Murray's progress seems to be a experience factor more than a coaching factor.

No matter how you cut it, Kliff has established that he has trouble finishing off a season in a winning fashion. These second half crashes have happened during his entire career as a HC. As someone else mentioned somewhere, nine seasons of poor second half performances establishes a trend. I can't say why this happens, but it certainly is a Kliff problem.