How do these coaches keep their jobs

How do these coaches keep their jobs Simply amazing to punt on 4th and 6. If you punt and they get 2 first downs, you lose. If you go for it and make it you may win. If you go for it and don't make it: they get 2 first downs, you lose. they get 1 first down - they may kick fg and you still have chance. they get no first downs - they punt.

I thought it was the right call. NO had just driven 92 yards for the go-ahead TD, and had all the momentum. If ATL gives them the ball at the ATL 43 with 2:44 left, NO is close to the dead nuts to: (1) put more points on the board; [U]and[/U], (2) chew up clock. IF NO gets a TD here, which is very possible given NO's air attack, it's game over. If NO gets a FG here, it's pretty much game over since there will be very little time left, and ATL will then need a TD. If ATL stops NO, they wil have no TO's, and, in a best case scenerio, will likely have to start at their own 20 trying to drive for a FG. On the other hand, by pinning NO deep in its own territory, ATL has a chance to stop NO, and get the ball back with no TO's probably around the ATL 43, which is where they were at on 4th and 6 anyway, needing only to get about 22 yards for a realistic game-tying FG try. In sum, Mike Smith had to make a choice - "Do I put this game in the hands of my offense on 4&6, or in the hands of my defense to stop NO deep in its own territory?" On balance, it was a tough call, and I think he made the right one. It almost workd out too when Jimmy Graham nearly fumbled at NO's own 21.

[QUOTE=Cizzle;36119]I thought it was the right call. NO had just driven 92 yards for the go-ahead TD, and had all the momentum. If ATL gives them the ball at the ATL 43 with 2:44 left, NO is close to the dead nuts to: (1) put more points on the board; [U]and[/U], (2) chew up clock. IF NO gets a TD here, which is very possible given NO's air attack, it's game over. If NO gets a FG here, it's pretty much game over since there will be very little time left, and ATL will then need a TD. If ATL stops NO, they wil have no TO's, and, in a best case scenerio, will likely have to start at their own 20 trying to drive for a FG. [B]On the other hand, by pinning NO deep in its own territory, ATL has a chance to stop NO, and get the ball back with no TO's probably around the ATL 43, which is where they were at on 4th and 6 anyway,[/B] needing only to get about 22 yards for a realistic game-tying FG try. In sum, Mike Smith had to make a choice - "Do I put this game in the hands of my offense on 4&6, or in the hands of my defense to stop NO deep in its own territory?" On balance, it was a tough call, and I think he made the right one. It almost workd out too when Jimmy Graham nearly fumbled at NO's own 21.[/QUOTE] Your bold sums it up. At best they get the ball back right where they were. Punting was clearly the wrong thing to do and I'm not saying that because it didn't work out. You don't punt the ball to Sean Payton, he's not going to run the ball 3x and give it back to you. You made the point, the Saints just drove 93 yds. Now they have to drive 20 yds to win the game...

I think punting was the wrong move. By punting you still have to stop them. They had two timeouts and the 2 minute warning. So, if they stop them, there is still just under two minutes to go. Meaning, if they went for it and didn't get it they would still have nearly two minutes to drive from their own 15-20 to kick a field goal. If they can't stop them on the first three downs, either way they will only have about a minute left and would still have to drive quite a bit to get into field goal range. I think the correct move was to go for it. You give yourself another chance to make the first down. Knowing they were going to go for it they could have run something different on 3rd down to give them a shorter distance to go on 4th down. If you don't get it, you still have to stop them, just like before.

I agree. Ridiculous call. Payton isn't going to run it up the middle 3 times and punt. Anyone who watches football knows that. If Sean Payton and Drew Brees have to go 50 yards for a field goal with two minutes left, do you feel like they can get it done? What if they only have to go 20 yards and time is irrelevent? It's ridiculous for Mike Smith to think that they can stop the defending Super Bowl champions from gaining 20 yards and that they can get the ball back with enough time to score themselves. On top of that, if Atlanta gets the first down, they have a good chance at a win, not a prayer on a field goal at the end of the game and a coin flip on who wins in overtime.

I think Mike Smith should keep his job even if he made the wrong decision last night. Sounds like others want him fired though. It wasnt a clear cut 100% decision but punting IMO was the wrong move there

He shouldn't be fired as his team is going to be the #1 seed, but punting there is stupid. Here's another way to put it. Does Belichick or Payton punt in that situation?

[QUOTE=Sixth Sense;36122] If they can't stop them on the first three downs, either way they will only have about a minute left and would still have to drive quite a bit to get into field goal range.[/QUOTE] The difference though is that if ATL does not stop NO on the first 3 downs when NO starts from the ATL 43, then, at best, it likely becomes a 6 point game instead of a FG game with only a minute left. Smith had to ask himself which play was +EV: (1) Going for it on 4&6; or, (2) punting with 2 TO's and the 2 minute warning and trying to get a stop. Considering that ATL was 3-12 on 3rd downs in the game (which I think does not translate into a good 4th down conversion rate), and that the ATL defense had forced two 2H NO turnovers, giving up only that one long drive, he concluded that punting and trying to get a stop was the +EV play. It's the most defensible "questionable" decision we've seen a coach make this season. I have no idea what Belichek would have done in this situtation. I do know that last season's NE/IND was different though. When Big Bill went for it in the 4Q of that game, two facts were entirely different: (1) NE had the lead on the road and could have won the game with a 1st down; and, (2) Manning was on fire in the 4Q and, but for one bad pass, was unstoppable.

Or has been used in the famous 4th-and-short situation NE vs. Ind last season: If you're NO, would you rather Atl punt or go for it?

Have to go for it. Payton will not play it snug and shouldn't. You think a coach that does an onside kick in the Superbowl is going into a shell? Nope. If they get even one first down you are likely sunk regardless of field position. But they were going to punt...and they did. Try a fake punt even. But you've got to go for it. NE goes for it for sure.