The call that swung the momentum toward the 49ers favor

[Duckus]

I agree with the OP.  That was not the time to be "aggressive".  Down by 4, close game, field position is huge and the Skins hadn't wont that battle all year.  Punt the F'ing ball and pin them back in their own territory.   The defense was playing pretty well at that point so let them continue that.  I thought the decision did give the 49ers momentum with the short field.

 

That said the 49ers are just a much better team all the way around.  So, I'm sure the Skins still would lost even if they had punted there.

 

Its not an "aggressive" call, it is actually basic strategy.

 

4-2 from the 40 - you should be going for it a high percentage of the time. With our historically bad special teams this is even more true.

 

The two options:

 

1) Go for it and gain 2 yards to continue a drive potentially resulting in points.

 

2) Punt with the worst punter in the NFL and give SF the ball somewhere between the 10-20 yard line. With our special teams, I would say the 20 is more likely. That is a net of 20 yards.

Taking option 1 gives up a chance for 7 points to gain 20 yards. 

 

It is not an aggressive call going for it on 4th there. My #1 goal is that we one day have a future coach that understands that and calls games accordingly. On 3rd down plays between the 40 and FG range, you should see it as 2 down situation and make calls accordingly. 

[Run_n_gun10]

This is called pulling a Milton Berle.  Seriously.  That's what they call it. 

 

 

I thought the momentum changer was the challenge we lost but the failed 4th down conversion was bad too. 

 

Yea whoever told shanahan to challenge that catch definitely needs to visit an eye doctor asap

[Audible_Red40]

I too am on board with I LOVED the decision to go for it and was calling for them to go for it at the time.  But the playcall itself was a headscratcher to put it mildly.

[sempre_victrix]

I have no problem with the decision.  

 

But the play call cost me my third remote of the season.  (I have decided to buy stock in some company that makes remotes, because I'll keep them in business all by myself with the 'Skins are playing.)

 

I've learned to put the remote out of reach during the game.  I'd hate to screw up and fire it through my TV.

[Rufus T Firefly]

Starting field positon for the 49ers three touchdown drives.

 

1. Sf 39 yard line after rg3's horrible interception
2. Sf 40 yard line after the failed 4th down
3. Wsh 39 yard line after a good punt return(i think, dont remember how they started there)

Yea we might have not been able to hold them down the whole game, but why would we help them. 

First off, nothing there means they couldn't have scored if we punted it to their 15.

 

Secondly, you realize we needed points to win too, right? Did you have confidence we were going to march into SF's territory a bunch more times based on how our O was playing?

[TexasSkinsFan]

Last nights script was easy for me to predict

 

The Redskins would lose, be in the game potentially until the 4th quarter but would lose the game by multiple scores.

 

The only chance the Redskins had in this game was to

 

1. Run Alfred Morris, the NFL's #3 leading rusher and only RB in the NFL's top 10 with a 5.0 or above carry average, at least 25 times to control the time of possession and game clock. The execution was Morris rushed 14 times, Helu rushed it 7 and Griffin rushed it 7 times. We ran Helu on that 4th down try and we lost the time of possession battle. Not using Morris is something we have continued to do every game this season

 

2. The loss of Hankerson had to be addressed. Team should have used Santana Moss in the short passing game, used Garcon as the intermediate routes, and Robinson in the long game. Instead we used Moss as a punt returner, Garcon used as the short yardage WR, and Robinson was used in the long game 3 times but Griffin overthrew and under threw him.

 

3. Replace Jordan Reed with Fred Davis and use him. Fred Davis was not targeted once in the passing game

 

The game call that lost this game and handed it to the 49ers started with our first possession.

 

Play one - Incomplete short pass to Garcon

Play two - Griffin rush

Play three - Incomplete pass to Logan Paulson

 

We lost the momentum right there and never got it back. It took the fans out of the game, it made life too easy for the 49ers immediately, and showed that this coaching staff was incapable of game planning to win. The 4th down go for it play was the right call, the wrong player was used to execute it

[ldysknzfn1]

You know that would have been the one time Rocca blasted the punt 50+ yards for a touchback so we would have had a net gain of 25 yards of field position anyway. 

 

I liked going for it but the Helu/Robinson play call mess was a disaster. 

This is exactly what I was thinking...that one time that Rocca would've needed to kick like he normally does (short) he would've kicked it into the stands probably!

I liked going for it also..the playcall was just ridiculous...

[Run_n_gun10]

First off, nothing there means they couldn't have scored if we punted it to their 15.

 

Secondly, you realize we needed points to win too, right? Did you have confidence we were going to march into SF's territory a bunch more times based on how our O was playing?

 

Well considering the fact they hadnt scored in the game when pinned deep in their own territory, it would have made a lot tougher had they got the ball at the 15. We were only down four points with almost 30 mins left in the game, there was no need to be desperate at that moment. If they had made that decision mid-way through the fourth, than i would have had no problem with it

[PorkSkins]

The call that swung the momentum- the first niner TD! We never caught up afterwards.

[NewCliche21]

Quick note:  From what I remember, that's not Kyle on fourth down; that's Mike.

 

I'm apathetic in the coaching department, so I'm not pushing an agenda with that.  Just pointing it out.

[Run_n_gun10]

Last nights script was easy for me to predict

 

The Redskins would lose, be in the game potentially until the 4th quarter but would lose the game by multiple scores.

 

The only chance the Redskins had in this game was to

 

1. Run Alfred Morris, the NFL's #3 leading rusher and only RB in the NFL's top 10 with a 5.0 or above carry average, at least 25 times to control the time of possession and game clock. The execution was Morris rushed 14 times, Helu rushed it 7 and Griffin rushed it 7 times. We ran Helu on that 4th down try and we lost the time of possession battle. Not using Morris is something we have continued to do every game this season

 

2. The loss of Hankerson had to be addressed. Team should have used Santana Moss in the short passing game, used Garcon as the intermediate routes, and Robinson in the long game. Instead we used Moss as a punt returner, Garcon used as the short yardage WR, and Robinson was used in the long game 3 times but Griffin overthrew and under threw him.

 

3. Replace Jordan Reed with Fred Davis and use him. Fred Davis was not targeted once in the passing game

 

The game call that lost this game and handed it to the 49ers started with our first possession.

 

Play one - Incomplete short pass to Garcon

Play two - Griffin rush

Play three - Incomplete pass to Logan Paulson

 

We lost the momentum right there and never got it back. It took the fans out of the game, it made life too easy for the 49ers immediately, and showed that this coaching staff was incapable of game planning to win. The 4th down go for it play was the right call, the wrong player was used to execute it

 

Yea it seems that Kyle Shanahan always forgets that he has an amazing back that would be able to take some pressure of rg3 and help mask our o-lines inability to pass block. The loss of hankerson just shows how embarrassing our wr/te depth is outside of garcon and reed. It would nice to see davis/reed on the field at the same time to cause matchup problems even though they cant pass block, but than again its not like we're even protecting rg3 to begin with so why not

[91fanwagon]

As I also said earlier I think the opening series was terrible choice of plays, given our strengths and the weather. Not to add on, but I'm still irritated by that loss, and particulary irritated by Aldrick Robinson, lol.  First of all you only really run one route, so if your going deep dont stop mid route, which occured on that one pass where it looked like Robert really overthrew you, but the fact was you quit on the route.  Second I know the pass wasnt perfect, Robert coulda led you to open space, but you still got both hands on the ball, thats a catch you need to make.  This guy (aldrick) still swears he caught that td in endzone in that earlier game, i think the eagles (im blocking out much of the season so far, so i cant be sure lol) but hey we all saw the ball hit the ground .. incomplete pass accept it, and get better.  Telling yourself you made that catch aint helpin you bro, and it speaks to a lack of accountabilty that is starting to plague the team.  Josh Morgan knew he dropped that pass, and hey maybe it was worth a risk, but with all this replay idk, it ended up costing us a timeout, just come back own up to dropping it and play harder next play.  I hate to overhaul everything we have, especially on offense, defense is another story, a new DC would be fine.  But these coaches need to step it up.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

There is nothing I enjoy more than the "I knew what we were going to call every time" post. Reading it makes me think of Christmas.

[Run_n_gun10]

As I also said earlier I think the opening series was terrible choice of plays, given our strengths and the weather. Not to add on, but I'm still irritated by that loss, and particulary irritated by Aldrick Robinson, lol.  First of all you only really run one route, so if your going deep dont stop mid route, which occured on that one pass where it looked like Robert really overthrew you, but the fact was you quit on the route.  Second I know the pass wasnt perfect, Robert coulda led you to open space, but you still got both hands on the ball, thats a catch you need to make.  This guy (aldrick) still swears he caught that td in endzone in that earlier game, i think the eagles (im blocking out much of the season so far, so i cant be sure lol) but hey we all saw the ball hit the ground .. incomplete pass accept it, and get better.  Telling yourself you made that catch aint helpin you bro, and it speaks to a lack of accountabilty that is starting to plague the team.  Josh Morgan knew he dropped that pass, and hey maybe it was worth a risk, but with all this replay idk, it ended up costing us a timeout, just come back own up to dropping it and play harder next play.  I hate to overhaul everything we have, especially on offense, defense is another story, a new DC would be fine.  But these coaches need to step it up.

 

yea i don't know what aldrick was doing on that route, rg3's passed looked horrible because he either gave up on that play or it looked like he was trying a double move, which i don't understand why you would doing something like that so far down the field. He has done absolutely nothing the past couple of seasons and is just taking a roster spot for another wr we could try out. Yea i didnt understand the first series either, set the tone with the running game, but i guess they had something else in mind. I cant recall exactly what happened on that play but i dont think morgan pleaded with shanahan to challenge it, i think it came for upstairs.

[Brokenstriker]

I thought this was going to about the officials and I was gonna get cranky.

 

I liked the decision to go for it there.

 

The play call on the other hand? Pathetic.

RIGHT!

Morris gets 2 yards after the tackler "gets" him ... Royster was last seasons stay at home pass protection RB ... kinda think he can block at little at least ... so why Helu and Robinson?

[s0crates]

Good call, bad play call, bad execution.

That was the turning point. I think we make that and the game is completely different

[HAILSKINSNYC]

Here's what swung the momentum toward the 49ers......4 times Redskins receivers had a chance to make plays....and 4 times they failed....Aldrick Robinson twice, Morgan and Paulsen

[NoCalMike]

I don't mind the decision to go for it. Didn't like the play call, but even so the play works if the O-line can block what-so-ever. Helu actually looked initially like he had the space to get the 2 yards, but the defender closed in fast, blowing up a one of our lineman OF COURSE.

 

I thought this thread was going to reference the drive at the end of the first half, where Robert completes a pass to Garcon who is clearly over the 1st down marker, and is pulled backwards by the defender and he is not given the first down and they don't even stop the game to measure or review the spot or anything. 

 

If we are given that 1st down (as it should have been) Robert can spike the ball and get 2 shots at the endzone before the field goal is attempted. 

 

Instead we have to run the kick onto the field and kick a FG as time expires.

[Voice_of_Reason]

I've learned to put the remote out of reach during the game. I'd hate to screw up and fire it through my TV.

I have a foam brick that I can throw at the TV.

Remote goes on the ground.

[Dirt]

I'm guessing it's Helu/Robinson because it's something our coaches figured the opponent would never expect or something.  That is, indeed, getting too cute.  

 

It's nonsense that they wouldn't trust Robert in that situation, they just got too cute.  It was stupid.

 

And it had nothing to do with the outcome of the game IMO.

[AzSkinsFan63]

Going for it was fine..the actual play call on 4th and 1.5..pretty bad.

 

That was the game changer..

 

But even if the Skins got a first down there.....I'm quite certain I'd be talking about a different play probably in the next series...LOL