Joe
You seem to have settled on the "It's only a big game if he loses" defense to the accusation that someone can't win big games. I think that's just semantics.
Do you think there are specific things that a player or coach needs to do to win a playoff game? Do you think they are different from the things that they need to do to win a regular season game?
Hi fred,No, I don't really think a playoff game requires anything more different than any other "big game".
In other words, I don't think Manning had to do anything more Sunday to win than he did on Monday Night Football against Pittsburgh.
I don't think Tom Brady does things differently in the playoffs than he does in any other big regular season game. Sure, he probably ups the intensity in the AFC Championship game over what he'd do for Cleveland, but that's just natural.
But I don't think Brady against Indy in the regular season requires anything significantly different than Brady agaisnt Denver Saturday. Playing a great team is playing a great team in my opinion. Doesn't really matter whether it's December or January.
J
I think this is where we disagree. I think there are specific tasks that take on a much greater performance when this game is one and done. In a regular season game, you play the game in a way that will win more games on average. In a postseason game, you play the game in a way that will maximize your chances of winning this game.
In a regular season game, you don't overuse your best player because you need to save him for next week. In a postseason game, you throw 15 passes to Steve Smith or Deion Branch until they show they can't stop him, then do the same thing next week and pray he doesn't get hurt. You don't forget all about Marvin Harrison.
In a regular season game, maybe you punt on 4th and 2 because you don't want your team to get embarrassed by a blowout. You don't do that in the playoffs.
In a regular season game, you can get away with audibling at the line because teams haven't had the luxury of spending the last four weeks preparing for this specific game. In a postseason game, teams have studied your audibles and are prepared to counter them.
In a regular season game, gambling on a throw to the endzone before you move your team into comfortable field goal range might be OK, because if you lose, it's only one game, but if you win, it sends a statement. In a playoff game, that was a costly mistake.
There are countless decisions in a football game, and if you want to maximize your chances of winning one game, you have to adjust. I don't think Manning or Dungy do a very good job at making those adjustments, and I think that has a lot to do with why they "can't win the big game".