Quote:
Originally Posted by Slackker
It's the NFL. Yes, there is a time limit.. but we've seen some miracle comebacks before.
When do you stop being competitive, and start being 'classy'? When you're up 35-3 in the third?
1993 - Don't tell me you don't remember Frank Reich! Bills were down 35-3 going into the third quarter against the Oilers. Wound up winning 41-38.
Okay, so not 35-3 with half a game left. How about up 24 with just over a quarter left to play?
2003 - The Giants like to collapse. NFC playoffs against the 49ers they were up 38-14 nearing the end of the third quarter. Boom. Gone. San Francisco wins 39-38, with a lot of drama at the end of that game.
Still too close I guess. What about winning 35-7 after halftime?
1980 - San Francisco comes back against New Orleans, scoring 31 straight points and winning 38-35 in overtime.
Hmm, not then either. Up 23 with ten minutes left?
2000 - Jets were down 30-7 in the 4th against the Dolphins, won 40-37 in OT.
Okay, no. I guess we have to go later in the game. Up 21 with 4 minutes left? That's gotta be too late for a team to come back!
2003 - The Colts were down 35-14 against Tampa with 4 minutes left, and won 38-35 in OT.
Damn, I guess not.
So what's the verdict?
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These examples you give do not apply. The Oilers did not let up because they were ahead 35-3. They did not let up at all. That is not why they lost.
The Giants game was a classic mistake. They thought they had the game won, rested some players, and it bit them in the arse.
All of these examples have a lot of time on the clock. When teams get a big lead, they tend to be more conservative so as not to give their opponent easy scores. Not because they are trying to not show them up. All of your examples (except the Oilers game) is a result of that. And that game is a perfect example of why teams let up.
The verdict is when you tack on points when the game is over. Like, up by 28 points, 58 seconds left in the game, and you add points when taking a knee would end it. That's all. When you add points to a game already won when you can just take a knee to end the game.
No team takes a knee with 4 minutes left in a game no matter how much their up by. And I feel sorry for any team that stops trying to score before halftime because of a big lead. You are just asking for trouble and it is an insult to your opponent.