A lot has been made of Lovie Smith’s decision to punt in OT. I don’t need to lay it out for you because you already know what happened.
In my opinion, the decision was the right one and showed a feel of the game, which is something previous Texans coaches such as Bill O’Brien and David Culley lacked.
See: O’Brien wetting his pants in Kansas City in the 2019 Divisional Round and Culley on any given Sunday.
The Texans offense wasn’t moving the ball, the defense wasn’t stopping Indianapolis and escaping with a tie was a better option than a loss. Furthermore, even converting on fourth-and-three didn’t guarantee a win.
A win is the best result on Sunday, but the Texans gave away their best chance at a win when they blew a 17-point lead. You play to win the game (I feel like I have heard that 1,000 times this week), but you also play for the best possible result and a tie is better than a loss. Hell, we’ve seen this before and we saw it between these same two teams.
In week four of the 2018 season, Colts head coach Frank Reich went for it in overtime on fourth-and-four in his own territory with 27 seconds remaining. The decision was very similar to the one Smith was faced with.
It was dumb when Reich did it in 2018 and it would have been even dumber if Smith did it in the season-opener. I said it then and I believe the same thing now.
The comparison to the decision Reich made in 2018 is the most proportional coaching decision to compare to Smith’s decision. It makes MUCH more sense than two other week one coaching decisions that I’ve heard the decision to punt compared to.
The comparison to the decisions made by Giants head coach Brian Daboll and Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett are laughable.
Daboll went for a two-point conversion with over one minute left in the game and all three timeouts and gave the ball to Saquon Barkley, who was one of the best players in the NFL in week one. They also just needed two yards to immediately take the lead.
Hackett put on one of the most moronic displays of late-game decision-making you will ever see. He also was losing the game and has a franchise quarterback.
How foolish was Hackett’s decision?
Per ESPN Stats and Info: After Brandon McManus' late miss last night, NFL kickers since 1960 attempting a field goal of 64+ yards have made it 4.8% of the time (2 of 42). For reference, last season, teams going for it on exactly 4th-and-5 converted it 49% of the time (22 of 45).
Not agreeing with Smith’s decision to go for it is one thing. Comparing it to the two previously mentioned decisions is like comparing apples to No. 2 pencils.
I’m also hearing a notion that the Texans are going to suck so it doesn’t matter what kind of decisions the head coach makes. What in the heck is that?!
This isn’t some small college school trying to upset Goliath. It’s the freaking NFL where teams that aren’t expected to compete surprise every year. That notion and mindset is as Mickey Mouse as it gets, especially in week one. I’ve already given that theory too much attention.
I discussed all of these talking points with John McClain during his 11 a.m. Tuesday visit and The General was on the complete opposite side of things.
Disagreement is in the air. Must be football season. All is right in the world. Love you all.
Now as Smith said in his Monday presser, “Onto Denver.”