New life for Panthers
There's been a lot of second-guessing of Panthers coach John Fox's play-calling on the radio airwaves the last couple of days. If their overtime loss had knocked the Panthers out of playoff contention, I could understand all the grousing about pitching the ball to Nick Goings on first down, then running out the clock conservatively in the final 1:37 of regulation Saturday night in Atlanta.
The thing is, missed opportunity or not, the Panthers are in almost as good of shape now as they were before playing the Falcons. What happened to NFL parity? Why can't the NFC produce six playoff-worthy teams? The Panthers are still tied for the last playoff spot, at 6-8, and have tiebreaker edges over both St. Louis and New Orleans.
So, would Fox and offensive coordinator Dan Henning open things up in the same situation against Tampa or the Saints these next two weeks when the Panthers NEED to win -- that is, assuming other teams in the playoff race actually win from here on out -- or will they play for overtime?
"I would do the same thing again 10 times," Fox said Monday.
Comments (1)
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I personally thought it was a horrible call. With 1:37 to go in a game and 40 or 50 yards to cover, you have to throw the ball. It should be a given. ESPECIALLY when your quarterback has ALREADY thrown for 300+ yards without throwing an interception. Go for the win. If you play to win, people will understand and support you. If you play not to lose, you might have to explain your timidity if and when you lose.
My thoughts. I'm no coach, but I love to see a team take a chance on winning a game.
Posted on December 23, 2004 1:41 PM