Quote Originally Posted by Beau Petard View Post
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First, I have to disagree with your comment about setting up punts v. scoring points. When you're inside your own 10 yard line, I tend to believe that the idea is to get the ball out into an area of the field where the offense has less risk and more flexibility, not that you're thinking, "This could go all the way."

But an honest question (and I assume we're all referring to the same play) - if it's 3rd and "only" 6 at your own 7 yard line, and you call a pass play and "you HAVE TO BLOCK GUYS", and "You ESPECIALLY have to block the blindside rusher", and the Ravens' blocking on that play's offense looked like a Chinese fire drill (and my sincere apolgies to anyone who may be offended by that term), and to that point Rice had rushed for 8, 2 and 17 yards while Veach had rushed for 6, why would you not call a Rice carry behind Veach blocking to your strongest side, hoping to get a 1st down or at least give the punter some additional room?

Forgot to add - if it's 3rd and 6, why call a passplay with what seemed to be a slow developing route?
Wrong on all counts. I was actually able to find some data on historical team play-calling tendencies at their own goal line: see http://www.advancednflstats.com/2012...goal-line.html

From that article, teams run the ball on 3rd down inside their own 3 only 35% of the time! I don't know about what they do at their own 7, but at their own 3 they pass the ball 65% of the time (and, by the way, passing is a better option than running on all 3 downs.) The percentage of runs is sure to be lower at the 7 rather than the 3. So the point that "teams prefer to punt rather than try for the 1st down" is objectively wrong.

Second of all, the pass play was not a terribly bad call. 3 man bunch right, with Pitta on the line, Jones outside, and Boldin behind. Boldin is running a short hook to the outside, Pitta and Jones are also running short sideline routes. Pitta and Jones both had enough yardage for the 1st, Boldin had some space to take a short pass for YAC. Overall, a good play for the down and distance.

The Ravens kept Rice in to block, so they had 6 blockers facing 7 men on the line. 6 rushers come, so it should be straight man blocking the whole way. However, instead of Rice blocking left on Barwin, he cuts all the way across the field to help out with Brooks Reed on the right. If he would have stayed left the play would have worked.