01-10-2016, 12:36 PM
If this situation were put before me as a hypothetical, I think there'd be a strong case for running the ball and trying to get a first down to ice the game, no question. The reason it was the wrong call has to do with knowing this team, and it's players, strengths and weaknesses, and the circumstances of the night. First, the circumstances: we're dealing with a wet, sloppy game, where both teams have been coughing up the ball like crazy. Even guarding the ball well, a fumble is likely. Second, you know Jeremy Hill isn't the most sure-handed guy out there. Third, and most important, your defense's strength is bend-don't-break. Great for the game as a whole. Horrible when you have to stop a team from getting into field goal range. Stopping a TD is what this defense is made to do. Stopping a FG? Not so much. All of that combined leads you to conclude that you shouldn't be running the ball with Hill. It's about making the correct call for your game and your team, not the textbook call all the time.
