Short Sweet Rant #6

Re: 4

If you don't want to be scored on that bad, man up and stop the other team from scoring.

(I dislike Favre and the Cowboys so the whole situation was nothing but laughs for me.)

Alright, i'll bite.

I've argued this many times, but there is a huge difference in playing like normal, and going for a touchdown on 4th down two drives in a row. Drive 1, there was 6 minutes left in the game and it was 4th and 1 on the 33. This is not a Red Zone play, and they easily could have used their #1 Running Back in the League and gotten a single yard.

Drive 2 there was just over 2 minutes left, on the 37, 4th and 6. In both drives they were up by 24 points. The game was over, no question.

4th down is for 'Oh Crap, we're way screwed, we need to risk turning it over here to keep this drive alive' not 'well, we're up 24 points and i'm Brett Favre and don't know when to quit so i'm going to tell Childress, 2 drives in a row, that i'm going to go for it, to pad my stats and stick it to the Cowboys.'

It has nothing to do with 'being scored on that bad' and everything to do with going for it on 4th down, twice in a row. That's just classless.

(If you view the other blowouts this year, all of them, you'll find 0 of them include the team that is up, going for it on 4th down. Period. They run the ball to run the clock. Which is smarter anyway, it rests your team and lets the game end, instead of your over zealous and prideful stat-whore of a Quarterback demanding another touchdown when he should really be sitting on the bench preparing for the 2 biggest games of the year for them, instead of a game they are winning by 24 with only 6 / 2.5 minutes left.)

I do still hope they win. I just hope that the fans can see a big difference in 'whining about a loss' and 'seeing the classlessness of going for it on 4th down twice when up by 24.' It really makes a big difference. (Though no one can excuse Brooking's behavior, no question at all.)

Butthurt cowboy fans make me laugh. You got rocked. Deal with it.

People who don't read before commenting make me laugh too. Nowhere did I dispute that they were rocked, and smeared all over the field. Clearly the Vikings were a far superior team this time around, no question at all.

Though I suppose you were also in the camp that felt Favre was completely in the right to tell Childress 'No' to him telling him to get off the field. When he absolutely wasn't. Because Favre (as stated earlier) doesn't know when to quit. Hence my gripe with the classless finish to the game being based on Favre not knowing when to quit.

But that's cool. Obviously me saying all ofthat equates to me being a 'butthurt cowboys fan'. Not a person who grew up watching and rooting for the Vikings. Yeah. Way to go champ.

Not knowing when to quit was the Cowboys going for it on fourth when they were obviously outmatched and the game was out of reach. Quitting when you're ahead as the vastly superior team isn't classy, it's stupid. There's no mercy rule in football.

Quitting is not the same thing as following 'normal' football scenario rules and going for a Field Goal or punting it on 4th down.

The Cowboys went for it on 4th Down because there was nearly 7 minutes left in the game, which with a TON of luck, could have been a hell of a comeback, but in the end obviously wasn't the case.

I never said they should have quit. I said that going for it on 4th down, two drives in a row, was a classless move. I can quote myself if you'd like.

So the Cowboys should've played like there was a possibility for a hell of a comeback, but the Vikings should've played like they had the game 100% locked?

It's the playoffs. Go big for 60 minutes or don't bother at all. If football's too mean for you, curling's coming up in Vancouver.

When your Quarterback is 40 years old, and is worn out (as quoted in post-game interview), from a blowout after 2 weeks off .... yes. You do play like you have the game 100% locked. Especially if you face the Saints next week and (potentially) the SuperBowl the week after.

Instead of padding your stats on 4th down, two drives in a row.

Facts that are important: 1) the first 4th the went for it on 4th and 1, which is closer to being arguable. The second 4th they went for it on 4th and 6, and this was AFTER the Cowboys' failed 4 downs, and only 3 minutes left. At that point, there was no possibility for a comeback, period.

There is a simple question to be asked to figure out if this was too much or not: Would the Vikings have gone for it if it was the 1st Quarter? Alternative question: Would the Vikings have gone for it if they were only up by 1 Touchdown?

If either answer is 'no', then that equals Abnormal Play. Which is exactly what I am talking about.

I'm Australian and what is this?

No and no, because a sure 3 points on the board is a lot more important in the first quarter or if you're leading a close game, not because it's somehow more "classy". If the Cowboys are right to go for it on fourth, why shouldn't the Vikings be? Should they just hand the ball to the Cowboys and say "Golly gee, guys, we didn't mean to kick your butts so bad, here have the ball for a while"?

Note: I neither watched the game nor care about either team. The only NFL I ever watch is the Super Bowl, and pretty much only because of the commercials.

If the 4th down is something that is done regularly, then why didn't the Vikings go for it ... well, at all yesterday?

Oh wait, maybe it was Favre's Hubris showing up again! Maybe if Favre wasn't so concerned with stats (as previously stated), he might have made the smart Game Winning call and ran with it, instead of making an absolutely stupid call and throwing over the chest ... something he was repeatedly criticized for all career ...

Oh well. Not like I totally called that last week or anything. Sucks though, I really wanted them to win. At least it was a good game.

Regarding the remaining posts, i'm done arguing. If you feel it was reasonable, that's fine. I completely disagree. The end.