Eagles not going for 4th down and 15
 

That was truly stupid. If they go for it, and they stop the Saints, at most the Saints get a FG, but by going for it, they at least give themselves a chance to convert. That was one of the stupidest calls I've seen all season. Coach Reid will have some splainin to do, but I don't think he'll be able to convince anyone.

It's great to see Duece get some credit. All we hear about whenever we hear about the Saints are Brees, Bush, and some Colston, but very rarely about Duece. He has been a huge unsung contributor throughout the year.

RE: Eagles not going for 4th down and 15
 

Bush made some good crucial plays, but Duece won this game.

I was really drunk but I do remember watching and seeing them in punt formation. i then looked around and said, "the Saints won!" It was real no brainer!

Agreed. Especially in a playoff game, you don't want to give the ball back to other team with so little time on the clock. Field position is irrelevant.

Reid said in his postgame interview that he thought his defense could get the ball back for him. He had 2 timeouts at the time.

What was insane (see definition below) was thinking the defense could limit the Saints to a 3 and out. Both Bush and Deuce had been toting the rock.

Bottom line going for it on 4th and 15 was their only shot and they had absolutely nothing to lose at that point. You best believe that Payton in the same situation would have found a play on his card that would have worked.

insanity: doing the same thing over and over thinking you'll get a difference result.

SFIAH

I don't think it was stupid. I think that he saw something on the 4th and 10 he didn't like. Even though the Eagles completed the pass, half the Saints defense was standing around because they heard the whistle. Plus 4th and 10 is [b]very[b] different from 4th and 15. Had the Eagles gone for it and fail, the game wou;d've been over right then and there. Kicking the ball gave the Eagles a reprieve :) and a chance for Reggie to fumble in a crucial situation :) , although, I don't know if Drew threw that a little harder than he should've.

TR,

I think you mistaken on your timeline. The 4th and 15 was the Eagle possession AFTER Reggie fumbled the ball. They had already been presented with their golden moment and were denied by the Saints defense.

The point is that one first down by the Saints and the game is over. Period. The point is that the Eagles defense had been pretty much helpless against the Saints rushing onslaught. I think it was suicidal to think that after being totally dominated in the run game all night long, that the Eagles would be able to stop the Saints from rushing for a first down.

SFIAH

You are right, I stand corrected.

Regardless, the Eagles were going to lose :)

I agree with T-R, I don't think it was stupid at all. If they had gone for it and didn't get it, the game would essentially have been over. 4th and 15 is a very improbable conversion to make, it doesn't always happen like it did when the Eagles played the Packers a few years ago. But anyways, if he had gone for it and didn't get it, think about what kind of message that would have sent to his defense. Something like: "I don't trust you guys to do your jobs." That's a pretty serious slap in the face to those defensive guys, especially since there are a lot of Pro Bowlers on that roster. He made a calculated gamble, which was the smart decision, and it just didn't pay off. It's what I would have done had I been in that position with two timeouts.

I agree, i dont think it was that stupid, a tough call, but not stupid. One, not many plays are designed for more than 15 yds. Mostly u have your short slant, or 10 yd pick ups, and your big 30 yards gainers.....plus i think the Saints went to man, so there was no pocket in the zone for the WR to sit in. Two, Reggie is now for trying to do too much or run before he gets the ball. I was dead scared when Reggie went back there for the punt. Chances were better for Bush to fumble it than get the 1st down, pluz they would be inside our 20 already......

Y'all still don't get it. If they go for it, and don't make it, then the Saints get the ball on downs. Now if the Saints don't make a 1st down, then at most the Saints would've had to try a 47 yard or longer field goal. So what if the Saints make the field goal. If they don't make a first down, then the Eagles would've gotten the ball back with time to go for the TD. Their is also a chance that the Saints don't risk a field goal.

Now if the Saints get a 1st down no matter where they were on the field, the game was over.

By punting, at best for the Eagles the Saints don't make a 1st down, but they wind the clock down to about 1 min, with no timeouts, and probably punt it deep into Eagle territory.

The smart play is to give yourself a chance for the first down, no matter if it was only a 1 in 20 chance. Giving the Saints a chance for a field goal was not very significant, and when you weigh the way the Saints had been racking up yardage in the 4th, it was definitely not the high percentage play.

Going for a 4th and 15, in your own territory is suicidal. Unless there's like 30 seconds on the clock, then I can understand it. The Eagles defense IS the team. Reed made the correct call for his team, at the time.

Hindsight is always 20/20. He's the coach, his call. Dum or not, it was made, and they paid for it. Now, let's talk about bear soup......

I would've gone for it. I was very surpised, no SHOCKED, when Andy opted to punt. They'd just made a 4th and 10, they'd just shown they could move the ball. But to punt with Deuce waiting in the wings... I just didn't understand that.

Be what it may... I am a very happy camper.

The worst coaching decision of the year hands down. The 3 and out of the Saints after a Philly punt or a 3 and out after a turn over on downs would of resulted in roughly the same field position to get the ball back. Maybe its because Andy Reid is actually not human and is an amazingly stupid walrus that got completely out coached and out played?

I think it was the right call to punt. 15 yards in one play is very difficult to get. If he gambles and doesn't convert, the best he can hope for is a 3 and out by the Saints, and getting the ball back on the 20 yardline. With the punt, you hope to stop them 3 and out, force a punt and have the ball around your own 35-40 yardline. 15-20 yards is a big deal, especially when there is around a minute left and you have no timeouts.

Apparently Andy Reid forgot about the drive that burned 8:26 off the clock to secure the Saints victory in their last meeting.

As soon as they set up for the punt, I said to everyone in the room "Saints win!"
Reid should have known that the LAST thing he wanted to do at that point was let us touch the football again. His ONLY reasonable chance to win was to extend that possesion.

I'm on the "It was stupid" side. Whether or not he saw something he didn't like on the 4th and 10, he saw what we did and had another play to adjust. I guess that tells the story right there. Andy Reid didn't adjust his playcalling.

Also this is the same man that went for it on 4th and 26 and converted a couple of years back. You'll go for that but not 4th and 15? Mind boggling.

4th and 15 with under 2 minutes left in the game.

I have Garica who can run out away from trouble and have Stallworth, Brown and Westbrook, I'm on the road and down by 3 points.

If I would have been the coach for the Eagles that night I go for it on 4th down, chances are a lot higher that I get it compared to giving the ball back to the Saints the way Deuce was running the ball, the Saints had three downs to get 10 yards, pretty good chance that the Saints would have converted, in fact we did convert, so IMO Andy made the wrong decision by punting the ball away, easy to say what I think now that the game is over and have no pressure on me.