Chargers @ Browns Game Day Thread / Post Game Reaction (Week 5)

[21&500]

Right. If it was 4th down and two yards to go, I like the idea of punting and making Brissett win the game with his arm and not that potent CLE ground game.

But I think everyone is just glossing over the first down running play. CLE is expecting the run. We did not need to run the ball. We needed to get first downs until they were out of timeouts and we could kneel on the ball. If we are crazy enough to go for it on 4th down, then why in the heck are we not being aggressive enough to let Herbert run a play action pass play on first down?

This is exactly what I'm trying to say.
are we crazy or not?
I will root for either, but make a choice.
Against a starting quality, average qb, we lose, convincingly perhaps.

[Riverwalk]

I will say it again. When trying to run out the clock, the team needs to get first downs, not run the ball when the other team is waiting for the run. The last offensive series (before the kneel down) was blown on the first down running call. Just play action pass on first down and throw for a first down and then we win and it never gets to the idiotic 4th down call.

So they will go for it on 4th down deep in their own end with CLE already just about in FG range, but they will not let Herbert throw on first down--utterly idiotic!!!

I agree. It was classic Lombardi turtle call and three and out time…. The wild card was Staley’s go for it on 4th down. Predictable but then shocker.

[powderblueboy]

This is why the Williams and Palmer combination is not the best. They both are not the best at gaining separation. Without Allen and without any speedy WRs, this tends to be more noticeable.

Ugly win, but it counts.

Maybe, just maybe, if they had Keenan Allen on the field for that play call.....you go ahead and do it.

Lombo ran out of his bag of tricks with that Herbert roll out against the grain and pitching it to the short out guy one down before.


I'm speechless that some here have some erroneous percentage thrown at them, manufactured on the spot and they take it at face value.isser:

[Budsman]

The correct decision almost lost the game for them.

Its not Tom Brady, its Jacoby freeking Brisett on the other sideline who will have no timeouts and be inside his own 20 with 90 seconds left.

That’s called results oriented thinking. You stick to the process and you analyze if you didn’t follow the correct process but you don’t change because you lost. If you’re at a poker table with the best hand and someone sucks out and beats you do you now fold your best hand the next time you see it? Nope you play it correctly the next time because over time you will win more than you lose.

also Brissett was carving us up so I’m not so sure he would t have continued to do that.

[Velo]

Texans beat the Jags today.

Does that mean beating Houston in Houston was a big accomplishment,
or losing to the Jags at home was an epic failure?
:freakout:

It's so hard to make sense of the NFL these days. The Jags shutout the Colts, pummel the Chargers, then look bad in Philly and horrible today at home against the Texans. Go figure.

[Xenos]

How many games have we watched where an offense gets the ball back with 1 minute left and moves the ball down the field and wins? I get Staley playing the percentages and playing to win.

i don’t know if I could have made that call but if you think you’re chances of getting the 4th and 2 are say 70% and if you get it you win the game 99.9% of the time and the 30 percent of the time you miss you win 25% of the time then the odds tell you to go for it.

If you kick it and you’re 50/50 to win maybe 60/40 to win I think I agree with Staley you go for it. I would like a better playcall of course and would have preferred getting the ball to our best offensive player Ekeler.

Anyway at the knee jerk we’re so conditioned to think you HAVE to punt it but everyone here has watched a team down by less than a fg lose that game after punting.

If they’re going to go for it, I rather it be in Herbert’s hands instead of Ekeler.

[Cdn Bolt]

I dont' care about the analytics. Anecdotally in watching games for decades I just I don't recall ever seeing a team go for it in that situation that often if ever. You punt the ball and pin them inside the 20 at least and make them go the 50 yds or so. If Staley had a win percent above his shitty ~ 50% or whatever I would trust in him but he doesn't

[richpjr]

I agree. It was classic Lombardi turtle call and three and out time…. The wild card was Staley’s go for it on 4th down. Predictable but then shocker.

We didn't go three and out.

[powderblueboy]

This is why the Williams and Palmer combination is not the best. They both are not the best at gaining separation. Without Allen and without any speedy WRs, this tends to be more noticeable.

Ugly win, but it counts.

But as we found out last year, ugly wins eventually get cancelled out with ugly losses.:facepalm1:

[northerner]

i just got home from the sports bar. that 4th down call was one of the dumbest things i have ever seen. if you punt and get a touchback - i give the Browns offense a 5% chance to drive into reasonable FG range. by going for it, you make it a coin flip. they had no timeouts. just a few tackles inbounds and the clock will kill them.

i am a Staley fan but this makes me much less of a fan. there is a difference between some aggressive 4th down plays and complete stupidity.

[ChargingBolts]

Yeah - I don’t even know what to say. We just challenged the football Gods and they decided to show us mercy?!?

The Football Gods still owe us a few dozen games due to the dozens they stole from us throughout the decades.

[richpjr]

I dont' care about the analytics. I don't recall ever seeing a team go for it in that situation. You punt the ball and pin them inside the 20 at least and make them go the 50 yds or so. If Staley had a win percent above his shitty 50% or whatever I would trust in him but he doesn't

Bellichick did it a few years ago at his own 29 and failed to convert and the other team kicked a fg to win. Even the best gamble in strange places.