MattFancy Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I've always said that time of possesion doesn't always mean as much as people make it out to. Last night the Colts had the ball for less than 15 minutes and scored 27 points and beat the Dolphins 27-23. We had the ball for 34 minutes against the Rams and score 9 points. Its not about how long you have the ball, its what you do with the ball when you have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrifNick21 Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Yes, it is. That was absolutely amazing what they did last night. Only had the ball 14 minutes and 53 seconds and STILL put 27 on the board. Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonnyJ Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Yeah, it's one of those stats that are generally the RESULT of winning, not the cause (a lagging indicator, not leading). Kind of like when they trot out such and such team is 100-0 when their RB gets 100+ yards - like all they have to do is get the guy a 100 yards and they'll magically win, glossing the fact that that guy gets 100+ yards because the team is playing well, getting a lead, and able to keep running. Teams that play from behind generally don't get 100+ yard rushers. If I'm a DC, all I want from my offense is points and/or don't put the defense in a bad position. The defense will handle limiting the opponent's TOP. Give me a lead that makes the opposing offense predictable. I'll take it from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BALLz Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I remember when Florida State was among the best in football and they would be winning like 45-0 at half time and only ran like 10 plays. The Garcon TD, IMO, shows why you can't place all the blame of our offensive woes on Campbell. If Campbell throws that exact pass to Randle El he'd fall as soon as the defender got close, Thomas probably drops it and Kelly would have got caught from behind at the 10 and we would have ended up kicking a field goal. Moss would have been double covered and tackled on the spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonnyJ Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 The Garcon TD, IMO, shows why you can't place all the blame of our offensive woes on Campbell. If Campbell throws that exact pass to Randle El he'd fall as soon as the defender got close, Thomas probably drops it and Kelly would have got caught from behind at the 10 and we would have ended up kicking a field goal. Moss would have been double covered and tackled on the spot. No, it wouldn't have been successful because Campbell would have double-clutched the release, throwing the timing of the play off, and, as he's getting hit, would have proceeded to throw a low and away heater that skips off the receiver's hands. Then the Campbell faithful would rise up in unison and crucify the receiver for screwing up the catch, his route, and his failure to get any separation; the OL for not providing Campbell the requisite 5 seconds that he needs on a play with practically no drop and should be thrown within a second; the defense for not providing the turnover that had the ball in immediate FG range; and Zorn for a bad play call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhouse Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Its not about how long you have the ball, its what you do with the ball when you have it. Controlling the clock definitely gives you an advantage so it's not overrated. But you have you take full advantage and put up 7's at the end of burning up clock....last night was just the better team winning. If phins didn't move the ball the way they did, it would have been a blowout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattFancy Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 Controlling the clock definitely gives you an advantage so it's not overrated. But you have you take full advantage and put up 7's at the end of burning up clock....last night was just the better team winning. If phins didn't move the ball the way they did, it would have been a blowout. True that it gives you an advantage, but it doesn't mean you will win. We usually win the TOP most weeks, yet we don't always win. You can have the ball all you want, but if you're only kicking FGs and the other team is putting up 7, it doesn't matter that you had the ball 15 minutes more than they did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWFLSkins Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Every rule has exceptions. The Colt don't need the ball control to win. The Dolphins should not have even been in the game, IMO, but because of TOP it was close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 The Colts defense was absolutely gassed by the end of the game. Sure, the Colts offense were able to put up enough points, but you cannot put the game in your defense's hands like that. Had the Dolphins used better clock management/more urgency on their last drive they easily could have scored. Bottom line: If you don't have redzone woes, high TOP is very valuable. You can drive the ball up and down the field, gassing the other team's defense and killing the clock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhouse Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 True that it gives you an advantage, but it doesn't mean you will win. We usually win the TOP most weeks, yet we don't always win. You can have the ball all you want, but if you're only kicking FGs and the other team is putting up 7, it doesn't matter that you had the ball 15 minutes more than they did. Ya, obviously the only formula to winning is scoring more than the other team. I'm just saying TOP is not an overrated stat. You always want to do that because your team is keeping the defense fresh, you're keeping the opposing offense on the sideline and over-working the opposing defense; in essence you're controlling the game. I agree that winning TOP doesn't mean winning the game but it is an ingredient for success. It gives you a huge advantage and from there you just have to capitalize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darklight1216 Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I still think that passing yards are the most overrated stat in football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonnyJ Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I agree that winning TOP doesn't mean winning the game but it is an ingredient for success. It gives you a huge advantage and from there you just have to capitalize. Disagree that it's an ingredient. It's a by-product of success. It probably means your defense is playing well and getting off the field (or, in the case of last night, your defense is giving up quick scores ), and your offense is having consistent success moving the ball against the other team. In Super Bowl XXII, the Redskins only had the ball for about 4:00 of the second quarter - think the Redskin defense was at a disadvantage then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Sorry but one game is the exception not the rule, I'd imagine better than 3/4 of the time the team that wins the TOP by a good margin wins the game. BTW the most useless stat is QB, win/loss record Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsBry Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 You can score 27 points in under 15 minutes when you have a top QB like Peyton. It was exciting to watch him command his team down the field. Replace Manning with an average QB and the results will not be the same. Then there's the defense, I don't see a defense lasting on the field 45 minutes a game week in and week out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tr1 Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Sorry but one game is the exception not the rule, I'd imagine better than 3/4 of the time the team that wins the TOP by a good margin wins the game.BTW the most useless stat is QB, win/loss record I agree. Having the better TOP means the other team has less time to score... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSO Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Bad logic in the thread title. If Colts consistently did this more than once a decade, than they've proven something. This was an isolated incident. TOP absolutely matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Bad logic in the thread title. If Colts consistently did this more than once a decade, than they've proven something.This was an isolated incident. TOP absolutely matters. But it matters as a reflection of what is happening on the field. Just holding onto the ball can help keep the ball out of the hands of a quick strike offense but it can also backfire and make the game closer than it might be considering other factors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrifNick21 Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 BTW the most useless stat is QB, win/loss record Except when you're talking about Romo sits to pee in the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 BTW the most useless stat is QB, win/loss record I don't know. If you insert me into the lineup for the Patriots in 2007, do they go 18-1? What if the league lost it's mind and gave me 10 years of games to build up a record? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnb123 Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 The Colts proved that Peyton manning is god. The game itself was one huge exception to the rule. I was more impressed with what Peyton did with a bunch of nobodies at receiver other than Wayne. It really makes you think what someone like Kelly could do with someone like him at QB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSO Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 But it matters as a reflection of what is happening on the field. Just holding onto the ball can help keep the ball out of the hands of a quick strike offense but it can also backfire and make the game closer than it might be considering other factors. True, but this backfiring that you speak of is really really rare, and should not be taken seriously in any legitimate game planning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Sassy Molassy Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Big Play Pey-Pey is probably the smartest QB in the NFL, that's always been the case. He's like having a coach on the field with you. He led that team so well out there, this game proved that much. TOP is a very important piece to a winning football team, however the most important stat for the team that won is the score. The Colts were able to win because of their ability to offensively carry their team. But the defense came so close to giving that one away, and that's because of TOP. The Dolphins controlled the clock, therefore they dictated the pace of the game, and for most of the game were winning. The D was on the field for so long that it was amazing to see them give such an effort because that's not something they can rely on the entire season, especially in the playoffs. Low TOP means that at least one side of the ball is faltering in some way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perky72 Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Yeah, it's one of those stats that are generally the RESULT of winning, not the cause (a lagging indicator, not leading). Kind of like when they trot out such and such team is 100-0 when their RB gets 100+ yards - like all they have to do is get the guy a 100 yards and they'll magically win, glossing the fact that that guy gets 100+ yards because the team is playing well, getting a lead, and able to keep running. Teams that play from behind generally don't get 100+ yard rushers. Yep. Too many people view this as the reverse. A team that can eat up TOP due to the run can do so because they have a good running attack. The TOP is a side effect, and imo an incidental statistic. Any team game-planning to win TOP as a primary goal is pretty dumb imo. As in, if they're down 21 points at the half, are they going to keep running so their TOP is better? TOP means nothing by itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirClintonPortis Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Huh? I thought it mattered because the defense is always gassed due to JC's supposed ineptitude to sustain drives? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 TOP is overrated... when your teams defense completely fails. TOP is a very important stat if your defense knows how to play football. Not only does it keep your defense fresh but it gives them less chances to score points. Miami's defense played horribly last night. Talk about humiliating, the Colts had a "big play" seemingly every other attempt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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