We saw how well he finished off Chad and the Dolphins with the season on the line last year. Threw a TD right into the Miami D-lineman's hands.
Point is a "gunslinger" will lose more games on his own than a guy who knows what he's doing like Chad. He had the lead and called a running play, that didn't lose the game for his team. Their D being unable to stop Indy and the WRs unable to hold onto a game-winning TD lost the game for them.
I have a lot of problems with your post. 1) You don't need a gunslinger to stick with the pass play in that situation and take the easy 7 yard hitch that was being given to you by the defense all day. 2) While a gunslinger may lose more games on his own (I agree), they will also win more games for you. I'd rather have a guy taking a shot and failing than a guy scared to take a shot. You need to take shots to win the big games. 3) The fins didn't have the lead. It was a tie game and a first down would have all but wrapped it up. Chad didn't lose the game for them, I agree. He was just too timid to try and win it for them. QB's are difference makers in this league, especially in close games with closely matched opponents. If you are fortunate enough to have a QB that is willing and able to win the game for you you're going to win a lot more games.
But the Phins lost anyway. And they lost without even taking a shot; as WSW stated, Pennington checked to the run. If yer gonna lose, don't you at least wanna go down swinging with a chance that you might win? In order for that to happen you don't need to be a gunslinger, but you need to take a chance.
Miami's strength is their running game, the answer to everything isn't throwing the ball all around the field, especially when your WRs suck and can't catch. In that case it didn't work, that doesn't mean Chad lost the game for them, was scared, or didn't take a shot. The running game might have been their best shot. Better than trying to be a hero when you've got nothing like Favre and gift-wrapping games for your opponent.
a Giant. He would and he's probably throw an INT to finish his team off. It was 3-3 when he left, how do you know what happens if he stays in the game?
Rule #1--pin everything on Chad. Defensive breakdowns, run plays that don't work, all Chad's fault. Henne's next five losses will be because Chad didn't prepare him correctly, just like Clemens' disasters were all Chad's fault.
3rd and 6 is a passing down no matter how you want to spin it. Ted Ginn had 11 receptions for over 100 yards that game - pretty good for a guy who can't catch. There passing game was working fine.
Are you OK today Junc? I've answered this question a couple of times for you already. Ginn could have caught that pass. Pennington put it where he had a chance. It wasn't a high percentage pass though, especially with Ginn. On 3rd and 6 he would have had an opportunity to make a much more high percentage pass like he'd been completing all game and essentially end the game with the ball in his hands. Instead he gave Manning another shot which forced him to attempt the lower percentage pass while in desperation mode. This isn't a difficult concept. You're a smart guy. I don't know why you're ignoring it.
He put the ball where it needed to be, it should have been caught but it wasn't. It's foolish to blame that game on him when the D was atrocious and obviosuly the game plan was to hold the ball as long as possible. One area Chad has never been good at is a 2 min drill, he has always taken too long and that has nothing to do w/ his arm. Just getting to the line and getting another play called he always takes forever BUT even w/ those mistakes he put the ball where it needed to be and it was dropped.
In my opinion, the Chargers would have won that game. But for yer sake, let's just say the Dolphins win if Chad doesn't get hurt and stays in the game. So they go to 1-2, with Bills, Jets, Saints, Jets, Patriots as their next 5 games. Starting off 1-2 with those ensuing games isn't good-- oh wait, I forgot, that's acceptable in Junc Land.
I'm sorry, but 3rd and 6 at a crucial moment in the game is not a running down, especially when yer primary target for the game had 11 catches for over 100 yards. Wouldn't that make you confident to go to him? Or would that make you think you have a better chance of avoiding him, and instead, pick up 6 yards by checking to a run?
what's acceptable to me is playoff apps and div titles. I know we have so many of them that the fans want to throw away those years w/ Chad but I appreciate those years and I appreciate all Chad did for us.
My guess is he had confidence in him when he threw that would be TD but Ginn didn't reward that confidence.
So they can't run for six yards with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams in their backfield? It wasn't 3rd and 16, it was 3rd and 6. You didn't like the play call and it didn't work, fine. If it were any other QB, and it is done all the time in a lot longer than 3rd and 6, you wouldn't even remember it let alone blame the whole game on it. But since it was Chad it is automatically why they lost the game. Never mind that the D couldn't hold Indy down despite Chad keeping Manning off the field for over 40 minutes, never mind that a TD pass was dropped, Chad choosing to run on 3rd and 6 was the decisive play in the game. Gotcha.
Yes, it was a decisive play in the game. He had an opportunity to finish them and he audibled from pass to run with a stacked box. It was a stupid, wuss decision and I'm not surprised he made it. 3rd and 6 is a passing situation, especially with a stacked box when the original play call is pass. If you think that was a good decision then I don't know what to tell you. I guess you like pussy QB's. I've already said he didn't lose the game, my point is that he didn't win it when he had it firmly in his grasp.
And why did he even have to throw that 30 yard 'would-be TD' (that I guess ANYONE else would have caught 10 times out of 10) in the first place? Because he avoided going to Ginn for 6 yards and instead handed it off.
