Mora Punished? (1 Viewer)

[wannabee]

Mora Faces Possible Punishment for Postgame Antics

Falcons Coach Reportedly Had Angry Reaction to Question on Radio Show

By GEORGE HENRY, AP Sports

ATLANTA (Dec. 25) - Falcons general manager Rich McKay said Sunday it's too early to tell if the team will discipline coach Jim Mora for his antics following the team's overtime loss at Tampa Bay.

"Let me get through the weekend," said McKay, who also is the Falcons president. "Right now I just don't know."

The 27-24 defeat on Saturday eliminated Atlanta from playoff contention. After the game, in his regularly scheduled postgame chat with radio flagship analyst Dave Archer, Mora was asked to explain why the Falcons punted from their 24 when facing fourth-and-2 with 1:08 remaining in overtime.

Even though Michael Koenen's punt went 53 yards, Mark Jones' 28-yard return put the Buccaneers in position to win the game on Matt Bryant's field goal five plays later.

According to several team and radio station employees, Mora abruptly removed his headset after hearing Archer's question and threw it to the ground.

Three team employees and two with the radio station, all of whom requested anonymity because they said they feared alienating the coach, said Mora was so angry that he also threw a microphone - which almost hit Nicole Watson, a sideline reporter with the radio station, in the head.

Watson had given Mora the microphone and headset so he could conduct his usual postgame interview with Archer, who was in the broadcast booth above the field.

Mora did not immediately return a call placed to his cell phone Sunday afternoon.

The Falcons have lost five of seven since a Week 9 victory at Miami left them 6-2 and tied for the NFC lead.

Atlanta, which advanced to the conference title game last season and beat defending NFC champion Philadelphia in the Sept. 12 season opener, blew a 24-17 lead against the Bucs when Carnell Williams ran for a touchdown on fourth-and-1 at the Falcons 6 with 25 seconds left in regulation.

12/25/05 18:30 EST

 

[Limp Ditka]

I'd be irate too if I was asked a stupid f'n question like that.

 

[GotFingNoDukes]

He took his headset off and threw the mic!?!?Oh the humanity!

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

Playoffs!Oh diddly poo....

 

[wannabee]

hey, I just post articles I think some might like reading. Most of these articles are not on the blogger. Just football talk fodder.

 

[JAA]

Coach is upset team lost ... this is a bad thing?

 

[Vrana]

Seems like a good question to me.Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora.

 

[Da Guru]

Mora is a tool!

 

[JAA]

What was archers question?

 

[Double_J]

Seems like a good question to me.

Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora.

You don't know much about football do you? No way in hell do you go for it on 4th and 2 there. If he doesn't get it, Tampa is automatically in position to kick the game winner. It's not like he was at the 50, it was his own 24!!!!!!! He made the right call. He's not the one that covers kicks and gave up a big return. If he would've gotten stuffed on 4th, they'd be calling for his job.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

Seems like a good question to me.

Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora.

It was a good question - he just didn't have a good answer.

 

[Vrana]

Seems like a good question to me.

Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora.

You don't know much about football do you? No way in hell do you go for it on 4th and 2 there. If he doesn't get it, Tampa is automatically in position to kick the game winner. It's not like he was at the 50, it was his own 24!!!!!!! He made the right call. He's not the one that covers kicks and gave up a big return. If he would've gotten stuffed on 4th, they'd be calling for his job.

I'm not saying I disagree with the call, just that is a question that deserves an answer from the head coach.

 

[MSULions]

Seems like a good question to me.

Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora.

It was a good question - he just didn't have a good answer.

no. it was a stupid ####### question. there was a minute left. you are on your own 24. you punt the friggen ball.

 

[MSULions]

Seems like a good question to me.

Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora.

You don't know much about football do you? No way in hell do you go for it on 4th and 2 there. If he doesn't get it, Tampa is automatically in position to kick the game winner. It's not like he was at the 50, it was his own 24!!!!!!! He made the right call. He's not the one that covers kicks and gave up a big return. If he would've gotten stuffed on 4th, they'd be calling for his job.

I'm not saying I disagree with the call, just that is a question that deserves an answer from the head coach.

no. it doesn't

 

[GregR_2]

Seems like a good question to me.

Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora.

You don't know much about football do you? No way in hell do you go for it on 4th and 2 there. If he doesn't get it, Tampa is automatically in position to kick the game winner. It's not like he was at the 50, it was his own 24!!!!!!! He made the right call. He's not the one that covers kicks and gave up a big return. If he would've gotten stuffed on 4th, they'd be calling for his job.

I'm not saying I disagree with the call, just that is a question that deserves an answer from the head coach.

In the same way that "why didn't you punt on 3rd down" deserves an answer.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

Seems like a good question to me.

Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora. 

It was a good question - he just didn't have a good answer.

no. it was a stupid ####### question. there was a minute left. you are on your own 24. you punt the friggen ball.

That only addresses his decision - not the question. He'd gone for a 4th down conversion earlier - so naturally not doing so again, with playoff hopes on the line, is going to raise the question. Not only was it a good question, it was really the only question left at the end of the day.

 

[mac daddy]

As a professor, I can tell you that there are no stupid questions.Just stupid people that ask questions.

 

[Traders2001]

It is a legit question deserving a answer.It s OT , you need a win ( not a tie ) to keep your playoffs hope alive .There is 1:07 lest in your season if you dont win , so obviously you have to go for it no doubt .He knew he would not get the ball back aniways , so if he wants to win there is no other alternative than to go for it . And he did not so it s a decision stupid enough that if i was the GM i would fire him on the spot.

 

[Traders2001]

Seems like a good question to me.

Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora. 

You don't know much about football do you? No way in hell do you go for it on 4th and 2 there. If he doesn't get it, Tampa is automatically in position to kick the game winner. It's not like he was at the 50, it was his own 24!!!!!!! He made the right call. He's not the one that covers kicks and gave up a big return. If he would've gotten stuffed on 4th, they'd be calling for his job.

Yes but you need to win so what , you have to go for it , you wont get the ball back. Who cares if you lose with that decision you had to win.It is a legit question deserving a answer.

It s OT , you need a win ( not a tie ) to keep your playoffs hope alive .

There is 1:07 lest in your season if you dont win , so obviously you have to go for it no doubt .

He knew he would not get the ball back aniways , so if he wants to win there is no other alternative than to go for it . And he did not so it s a decision stupid enough that if i was the GM i would fire him on the spot.

 

[3C's]

[Rosenhose]Next Question[/Rosenhose]

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

What was archers question?

When all is said and done, who will have a better career QB rating - David Archer or Mike Vick?

 

[gzilla]

Seems like a good question to me.

Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora. 

It was a good question - he just didn't have a good answer.

no. it was a stupid ####### question. there was a minute left. you are on your own 24. you punt the friggen ball.

Does anyone know if a tie would have kept them in contention for the playoffs? If not, punting the ball basically ended their shots, whether Tampa scored or not.

 

[gzilla]

Seems like a good question to me.

Bucs fans everywhere salute Mora. 

You don't know much about football do you? No way in hell do you go for it on 4th and 2 there. If he doesn't get it, Tampa is automatically in position to kick the game winner. It's not like he was at the 50, it was his own 24!!!!!!! He made the right call. He's not the one that covers kicks and gave up a big return. If he would've gotten stuffed on 4th, they'd be calling for his job.

I'm not saying I disagree with the call, just that is a question that deserves an answer from the head coach.

no. it doesn't

I just read Traders post. Assuming he is right, the Falcons had to win this game. If that's the case, this is a very good question, and one that needed to be asked. It also explains why Mora exploded...he knew he was wrong.Just to be clear, you think a punt on 4th and 2 with 1:07 left in OT in a game that you have to WIN to still be in contention for the playoffs is the better decision. Hmmm.

I guess you think that their best chance of winning was to punt, hold TB, use their remaining timeouts (at max 2), force the punt, get the ball back, and try to score again with whatever remaining time was on the clock. Personally, I would have just tried to pick up the 2 yards.

 

[Bri]

I regularly watch the videos at Falcons.com. Obviously this isn't one of em' but at a radio show. He gets annoyed easily at questions but he also jokes around too. Like last week or the week before, he started his press conference with "does anyone have any questions?" pause for half a second "OK well thanks for coming" and starts to walk off. Maybe ya gotta see it to realize the humor in that. Of course they got Qs that's why they're there.Anyhow NFL policy is he's gotta sit down with reporters after each game. Many newspapers tell their reporter to ask tough questions. Precious few tell them to not be persistent pain in the necks. Parcells often gets heated at reporters and embarasses them saying something like "two weeks ago I told ya .... last week I told ya .... what do you think I'm gonna say this week?" BB has his own way too. Maybe young Mora's gotta learn some shtick to give back to the reporters like that. As a fan, I wish we could grade reporters because the more annoying they are to coaches the less they talk. That hurts us as we crave that news.

 

[rocket1012]

Like father,like son....

 

[iSnitch]

If they hadn't given up a massive punt return would it still have been a bad call?

 

[Statorama]

Knowing that a tie does them no good makes this a whole different scenario, but the punt was still a good one. If you miss the 4th and 2, your season is over. The Bucs run the clock down to 1 second and kick a field goal. Whether they hit it or miss it, your season is over (loss or tie). If you punt the ball, you know that the Bucs are going to pass the ball and you will possibly have some time on the clock when you get the ball back. When the Bucs got a good return, the Falcons were dead.In hindsight, of course you go for it. But I can see the logic in trusting your defense against a rookie QB in overtime.

 

[iSnitch]

Knowing that a tie does them no good makes this a whole different scenario, but the punt was still a good one. If you miss the 4th and 2, your season is over. The Bucs run the clock down to 1 second and kick a field goal. Whether they hit it or miss it, your season is over (loss or tie). If you punt the ball, you know that the Bucs are going to pass the ball and you will possibly have some time on the clock when you get the ball back. When the Bucs got a good return, the Falcons were dead.

In hindsight, of course you go for it. But I can see the logic in trusting your defense against a rookie QB in overtime.

Rookie qb?

 

[Statorama]

Knowing that a tie does them no good makes this a whole different scenario, but the punt was still a good one.  If you miss the 4th and 2, your season is over.  The Bucs run the clock down to 1 second and kick a field goal.  Whether they hit it or miss it, your season is over (loss or tie).  If you punt the ball, you know that the Bucs are going to pass the ball and you will possibly have some time on the clock when you get the ball back.  When the Bucs got a good return, the Falcons were dead.

In hindsight, of course you go for it.  But I can see the logic in trusting your defense against a rookie QB in overtime.

Rookie qb?

Geez...ok, first year starter QB.

 

[GregR_2]

Let's clear up the misinformation in here.

The Falcons did not have to beat Tampa Bay to make the playoffs

If the Falcons lost (as they did), they could have still made the playoffs with Dallas and the Redskins both losing out their final two games, and the Vikings losing once. Dallas and the Skins both won, so they are out.

However, if the Falcons had tied, even with Dallas and the Skins winning this week the Falcons could have still made the playoffs. They would have needed to win next week and have both Dallas and the Skins lose.

 

[DerekZoolander]

Even if they needed to win, punting 'should have' effectively put the same pressure on TB that was on Atl. Cover the punt, pin them back, and Tampa is in a situation where Atl knows they're passing. if Atl had any time outs, an inc. pass or 2 plus a timeout means tampa is punting right back to Atlanta with minimal time off the clock.

 

[TommyGilmore]

The 27-24 defeat on Saturday eliminated Atlanta from playoff contention. After the game, in his regularly scheduled postgame chat with radio flagship analyst Dave Archer, Mora was asked to explain why the Falcons punted from their 24 when facing fourth-and-2 with 1:08 remaining in overtime.

Punting would have been the right call if they were playing for the tie. But 9-6-1 probably wouldn't have earned them a playoff spot. So, what we have here is another situation where "playing not to lose" ended up being the wrong move.

 

[juveduke]

So, what we have here is another situation where "playing not to lose" ended up being the wrong move.

Unfortunately, that's the only move the Falcons coaches know how to implement.

 

[JaxBill]

I can see it now:Mora, Jr gets fiNed.Archer gets fiRed.

 

[Tiger Fan]

It is a legit question deserving a answer.

It s OT , you need a win ( not a tie ) to keep your playoffs hope alive .

There is 1:07 lest in your season if you dont win , so obviously you have to go for it no doubt .

He knew he would not get the ball back aniways , so if he wants to win there is no other alternative than to go for it . And he did not so it s a decision stupid enough that if i was the GM i would fire him on the spot.

This is why it was a good question

 

[Tiger Fan]

Let's clear up the misinformation in here.

The Falcons did not have to beat Tampa Bay to make the playoffs

If the Falcons lost (as they did), they could have still made the playoffs with Dallas and the Redskins both losing out their final two games, and the Vikings losing once.  Dallas and the Skins both won, so they are out.

However, if the Falcons had tied, even with Dallas and the Skins winning this week the Falcons could have still made the playoffs.  They would have needed to win next week and have both Dallas and the Skins lose.

much easier to just win 2 games, then tie and hope for 2 things out of your control to happen.

 

[redman]

Reason # 487 why someone named "Mora" is not part of the local hostage negotiation team.

 

[supa mann]

Sheesh, maybe it wasn't the right call, but can anyone actually blame the guy for throwing a fit? Did anyone expect him to sit stone faced like the guy on the ESPN commercial for the World Series of Poker tryouts? "Jim, you've just lost any chance of making the playoffs and might be just a little bit pissed off right now. Would you mind if I poured a pound of salt in the open gash, which is still bleeding profusely and insult your decisions making process publicly?"

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

Sheesh, maybe it wasn't the right call, but can anyone actually blame the guy for throwing a fit?

Actually yes. Is it really too much to expect a professional to deal with a loss, keep his composure and answer a simple question?

 

[Fresh Prince]

Let's clear up the misinformation in here.

The Falcons did not have to beat Tampa Bay to make the playoffs

If the Falcons lost (as they did), they could have still made the playoffs with Dallas and the Redskins both losing out their final two games, and the Vikings losing once.   Dallas and the Skins both won, so they are out.

However, if the Falcons had tied, even with Dallas and the Skins winning this week the Falcons could have still made the playoffs.   They would have needed to win next week and have both Dallas and the Skins lose.

much easier to just win 2 games, then tie and hope for 2 things out of your control to happen.

Yes, they could have gotten in the playoffs with a tie but out of two bad situations (4th and 2 at own 24 and some help vs. needing a TON of help), I send out the most dangerous running QB out there for the 4th and 2. Even if you can still make it in, you hav to realize your odds drop badly and that 4th and 2 should be more doable. If you can't get 2 yards in that situation to keep your playoff hopes alive, then you can't complain about not going to the playoffs.