I’ve already laid out my diatribe on how NFL coaches should go for it on 4th down anytime their team is passed their own 35 yard line and it’s 4th & 5 or less. And frankly, any time you are within 5 yards of the end zone you should go for it. Payton did towards the end of the 1st half, and the Saints didn’t pick it up. However, even by not picking it up, the results showed why a team should go for it when that close to the goalline.
If the Saints kick the field goal, in all likelihood the Colts get between the 20 and 30 yard line on the kickoff and with roughly 1:30 left and 3 timeouts, the Colts would’ve been in perfect position to at least kick a field goal themselves, if not score another touchdown. But after the Saints were stuffed on the 1 yard line, the Colts came out and actually ended up running two of their 3 downs, did not pick up the 1st, and because they were backed up so much they had to punt, which the Saints took and kicked the field goal they would’ve gotten anyways, except this time there was no time for the Colts to mount an answering drive.
Sean Payton deserves this just for trying the onside kick
The call that really was ballsy and impressive was the onside kick. It worked – barely. But even if it hadn’t worked, I love the call.
The Saints had held the ball for pretty much all of the 2nd Quarter and they had slowed down the Colts offense by not letting the Colts offense touch the ball. That set up the perfect situation to run an onside kick because if the Colts recover, then they’re set up for a quick drive, which even if they score, gives the Saints offense the ball right back. While obviously a score there buts the Saints down by more, it keeps their defense fresh for later in the game, and against the Colts you have to think longterm strategy.
However, the beauty of the call was the increased payoff due to the Saints maintaining possession for most of the 2nd Quarter. By recovering, they are insuring that the Colts offense has run a total of 6 plays in the span of an hour. This would begin to tire out the Colts defense while keeping Peyton, and I think this is huge, from seeing any of the Saints defense blitz packages and formations until much later in the game. The less exposure Peyton has to your defense, the better the odds the defense might find something that baffles him, if only briefly.
Basically, Payton saw the percentages and odds were with him for an onside kick, as the risks were fairly minimal and the reward was HUGE.
Now, lets hope that other NFL coaches start seizing moments like this and start to make aggressive, smart decisions. It’d make the NFL a much better product.
Tags: Coaches should always go for it on 4th Down, Onside Kick decision was genius, Sean Payton's ballsy playcalling, Super Bowl 44
