Wooden Injury

[divepix]

You're up 21-13, about a minute and a half in the game on your opponents 45. They have no timeouts. It's 4th and 2. Do you:

A. Punt. maing them go 80-90 yard in a minute and also make a 2 pt. conversion to tie?

B. Go for the 1st down. If you make it, you win. If you don't, you shorten the field by 1/2 for the opponent to tie the game?

 

As I watched the CPA/DCA game and DCA decided to choose plan B, I said to my wife:"Going for it is a bad choice. He may make it, but it is still a bad choice." It was a bad call, even though they made it. It was too risky under the circumstances. The odds are in the favor of punting and making CPA go the length of the field in a minute with no timeouts, than make a 2-point conversion.

 

Sometimes you get away with bad calls and they appear to be good calls because they work. In this case they made the first down, but it cost them their All-State running back for the Ezell game and maybe longer. After the play not knowing Wooden was hurt, I repeated: "they made it, but it was still the wrong call". It was the wrong call - they could have won without going for it and saved Wooden's knee.

 

This post is with all respect to DCA's team and coaches. They do a great job. I hope they go all the way. They did, however, make a bad football decision.

[wildcatpride]

i see where you are coming from but i have to disagree with you. dca obvioulsy felt pretty good about getting the 2 yards and probably thaught that their odds of holding onto the lead was much better if they whent for it. cpa hangs up 40 or more in about every game so everyone knows that yall can score and score fast. so the best thing to do is to try to keep the ball out of the lions hands. from what i have heard, dca is much bigger up front so they probably thaught they could get a 2 yard push and keep possession. so i think that the only reason it could be seen as a bad call is because wooden got hurt. otherwise, it's a good call. just my opinion.

[OnlineLC]

Hindsight is always twenty twenty, however remember one key component, Wooden was also their punter and he had been doing a great job all evening.

 

CPA would have had two choices, a) Go after the kicker for a block or Set up a return. With Option a) you always have a danger that your kicker could get hurt. If I was the DCA coach and given the intensity of the game at that point, I would have made the same call to run it as it would have appeared the safer play injury wise. It did not turn out that way, but I would never have expected him to get injured on a short run.

[UGA]

That would be a tough call. If you went for it and got it you win. If you punt You most likely win. But if the punt is blocked, or he has a bad one and it goes 4 yards. I would have gone for it to. But then again i am going on what people write. I was not there, and i didn't see how each team was moving the ball, or playing defense.

[Jgettis18ezell]

DCA is winning the game 21-13, CPA needs touchdown and 2 point conversion.

Odds are they do not get both. Bad DECISION may have cost DCA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP because they will definitely win it hands down next year.

YOU'RE IN MY PRAYERS #25 SEE YOU ON SATURDAYS PEACE.

Edited November 21, 2003 by Jgettis18ezell

[unbiasedspectator]

Wooden isn't definately out, although it is very, very, unlikely. He WILL dress out and warm up. He MAY play if they are in dire need. That is what I heard.

[divepix]

Hindsight is always twenty twenty, however remember one key component, Wooden was also their punter and he had been doing a great job all evening.

 

CPA would have had two choices, a) Go after the kicker for a block or Set up a return. With Option a) you always have a danger that your kicker could get hurt. If I was the DCA coach and given the intensity of the game at that point, I would have made the same call to run it as it would have appeared the safer play injury wise. It did not turn out that way, but I would never have expected him to get injured on a short run.

First time this year we disagree, Online. You don't really believe the chances of a back punting and getting hurt are as great as the entire CPA defense knowing Wooden was going to get the ball and fighting to stop him from getting the first down, do you?

But injury wasn't the point. The point was you should back CPA up with 1 minute to go rather than risk giving them the ball near midfield.

So I repeat, bad call even though he made the first down; and even worse since he got hurt.

Not hindsight, I believed it was a bad call before they went for it and I still do.