OT: Eagles gained 71 points from going for it on 4th down
Analysis of all 29 of Doug Pederson's 4th down 'go for it' calls in 2017
Brian and many others on this site have harped again and again about the utility of aggressively going for it on 4th down. The Philadelphia Eagles under Doug Pederson did exactly that en route to a Super Bowl championship last year. A writer for the Philly Voice reviewed all 29 calls to go for it on 4th down and found that it led to an additional 74 points while costing only 3 points from failed attempts.
It's interesting to consider how other teams with worse offenses and/or defenses would fair from equally aggressive coaching decisions.
February 22nd, 2018 at 7:52 PM ^
smiles upon thee
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:04 PM ^
The Eagles had a fantastic gameplan for the Superbowl, they threw everything but the kitchen sink at New England. Being aggressive in football is usually beneficial, not sure why we've attempted to be so conservative as a program for literally decades.
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:07 PM ^
10 touchdowns, 9 extra points, and a 2 point conversion?
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:10 PM ^
I’m all for being aggressive on fourth down but I imagine this is heavily aided by having the league’s best defense. Good for Pederson knowing his team and figuring his defense would paper over most mistakes but mileage may vary depending on the team.
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:12 PM ^
yeah, pretty sure those stats are skewed by being a good team. doubt they work out the same for the Lions or Browns.
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:17 PM ^
Or Michigan 2017
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:26 PM ^
Watch your mouth
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:38 PM ^
Watch his whore mouth
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:48 PM ^
Brian?
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:21 PM ^
They also had the best offensive line as well as two of the best short yardage backs in the sport (Ajayi and Blount). Pederson could call plays more aggressively than anyone in the sport because he had the best offensive personnel.
February 22nd, 2018 at 9:13 PM ^
Both good points. The Eagles were stacked. Great job by that front office.
February 23rd, 2018 at 1:43 PM ^
The problems with going for it on 4th down begin when you don't make it.
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:22 PM ^
...by illegal formation penalties.
February 22nd, 2018 at 8:25 PM ^
Any further info on how aggressive such as field position and distance from first down?
This is interesting though.
February 22nd, 2018 at 9:18 PM ^
goes through every call. Didn’t provide any averages though.
February 22nd, 2018 at 9:39 PM ^
If you are planning on going for it on fourth down doesn't that open the playbook on third down? E.g. third and six would make the entire playbook available instead of only passing plays and the occasional draw play.
February 22nd, 2018 at 9:44 PM ^
Doug Pederson is the greatest situational play caller that I have seen in some time. only Sean McVay comes close in modern nfl.
February 22nd, 2018 at 10:02 PM ^
But NFL coaches are too risk-.averse. That's why the Greatest Show on Turf and Mad Mike Martz were such a breath of fresh air. That's why Pete Carroll seems to be the only guy who actually enjoys his job. Sadly, I think the NFL has dented Harbaugh's soul.
February 23rd, 2018 at 1:50 AM ^
Then it becomes life, which makes the decision-making process far more risk averse. Coaches treat 4th downs like they do their contracts - they don't want to lose the jobs so they don't put the conversions on the line all that often.
February 22nd, 2018 at 10:13 PM ^
The punting lobby is firmly against this idea
February 22nd, 2018 at 10:27 PM ^
Did Kirk Ferentz comment?
February 22nd, 2018 at 10:32 PM ^
When playing madden I almost always go for it on 4th down. I basically inovated this strategy in the mid 90s as a 12 year old.
February 23rd, 2018 at 11:29 AM ^
Can you (or your 12 yr. old self) become the new Analyst?
February 23rd, 2018 at 1:01 PM ^
What took you so long?