Your on your own 20. First and ten with 31 seconds left in a tie game. You have 2 time outs left. Your QB is Peyton Manning. Would you just run the clock out? John Fox is a gutless head coach that deserves to lose that game. I don't how he could face his team after making that decision.
Fox's decision is being second guessed in CO to the nth degree. There's a lot of interesting discussion as to whether or not Manning's arm strength or the lack of contributed to his decision.
Manning also sucks in cold weather, what if he throws a pick right there, and Baltimore ends the game before OT, people would be bitching about not taking a knee.
I think that's a tough call and that its hard to criticize either way. Usually the more conservative call is the more professional call. The chances at a 50+ yard drive vs a turnover? I'd look at the stats and that would probably affect my decision. Hate to give the ball back to the opponent if you go 3 and out. I'd probably do some sort of safe/exploratory call on 1st down.
Why they deserve to lose the game is because they gave up a 70 yard TD with 31 seconds left, not because they failed to go for a FG with 31 seconds left in regulation.
Steelers did the same thing a couple of weeks ago, only with @47 seconds left, a couple of timeouts and the ball on their 30-35 yard line, ran time out to go into ovetime and then lost.
Funny the thread is tittled "31 seconds," b/c that is how much time Atl. had on their final drive. Exactly 31 seconds.
