Couldn't agree with you more. I was shocked he settled for three at that point---the Stillers were driving very well, and I was sure they were going into the end zone. What a chicken!!!
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Another poster:cowher did the smart thing. with that much time left, you can count on at least 2 more possessions. if you're down by 10, your opopenent needs a TD to salt the game away that early.
My reply --- The Steelers could COUNT ON ONLY 2 possessions at that point against a team as good as the Patriots, NOT "at least 2 possessions". That means the Steelers would have to score every time they got the ball (how often does that happen?), and at the same time pray that they could stop the great Patriots' offense.
No, the Steelers should have gone for it right then and there. Cowher (and his staff) did the wrong, cowardly, safe-coach thing. It was too safe, chicken-sh*t coaching, and it ensured the loss. Cowher did the same gutless thing most conservative pro coaches do, and he was wrong once again.
It is no surprise that Cowher came up under Marty Schottenheimer years ago -- Schottenheimer, the epitome of that lame type of game day conservative coaching! Look at Schottenheimer's playoff (big game record). Even worse then Cowher's. (By the way, the Steelers were behind by 11 even after the field goal, not "10" as you wrote above.)
I like Bill Cowher as a coach and as a man, I've met him a few times and don't want him to leave Pittsburgh, he's a pretty decent coach, he just does this kind of thing way too often. And it's a slight to all the players who worked so hard.
Bill Cowher did the wrong thing, not the right thing, as you proclaim. I really feel that if you did the numbers on that particular game situation and that particular game, the intelligent (mathematical) and emotional thing to do was to try to jam it in there.
Remember the guy's words from the Post Gazette in post # 1819: "Yes, we all know that Bill doesn't throw or run, but really, to call for a field goal from the 2, when trailing the defending world champions by 14 at the start of the fourth quarter, with the team having its best momentum of the game, was absurd."
Even if the Steelers failed, leaving the Patriots at the 1 or 2, both the crowd and the defense would have still been going crazy, not to mention that the Steelers might actually have scored. Instead, Cowher brilliantly managed to simultaneously take the crowd and the defense out of the game."
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Here's another:
Indeed, Cowher stuck a pin in the Steeler's playoff balloon. Bummer.
But the Patriots are great. Even more reason to go for the TD, knowing how damn great the Patriots are! It really honks me off as days go by the more I think about it, how much Cowher took from the players with that lame decision!
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LOL! Very similar here. When they opted for that lame field goal I looked at my overweight, somewhat lazy male cat and said, "chances of us winning this game now is about as good as you catching that mouse down under the kitchen sink. Slim to none!
Well, there's always next year. I keep trying to be philosophic about this, but it drives me a little crazy when a coach doesn't let the players WIN or LOSE the game THEMSELVES.
I feel for the players, and you know what they all must be thinking as the days go by............ what if we had tried to jam it in there on the 2 yard line. I guarantee you that they would have a much more settled off season, fewer regrets, if they would have had the chance to go for it. It's a shame for the players.