Nick Saban (1 Viewer)

[jchapman70]

I haven't been on here today much, but wow how the crap do you coach a football team and throw a flag like Boy George :X ????

If this was talked about already (I'm sure it has been) my bad.

Secondly Fantasy Football speaking....When drafting a Defense do you ever take into consideration who is punting on that team? I was thinking about this last night....if you had a bad punter that could really screw you on your team defense.

 

[Dolfan]

 

[Arnold. S]

haha it was pretty funny when Darren woodson said nick saban 'pumped faked' the flag toss

 

[ConstruxBoy]

I think it was pretty obvious that he didn't really want to challenge the play for some reason. Maybe he misunderstood the rule or something. But he was just swinging it there and then threw it about 5 feet at the last minute. That was the body language of someone who didn't really want to do what they were doing.

 

[jchapman70]

I think it was pretty obvious that he didn't really want to challenge the play for some reason. Maybe he misunderstood the rule or something. But he was just swinging it there and then threw it about 5 feet at the last minute. That was the body language of someone who didn't really want to do what they were doing.

I wondered if his guys on the field were screaming at him to throw the flag and he was waiting until he heard from his boys upstiars.....in the meantime he was tweeening his towel and it looked really bad. As a head coach I don't think you can ever look THAT indicisive!

 

[lebowski]

sophomor slump for a coach?

 

[ConstruxBoy]

I think it was pretty obvious that he didn't really want to challenge the play for some reason. Maybe he misunderstood the rule or something. But he was just swinging it there and then threw it about 5 feet at the last minute. That was the body language of someone who didn't really want to do what they were doing.

I wondered if his guys on the field were screaming at him to throw the flag and he was waiting until he heard from his boys upstiars.....in the meantime he was tweeening his towel and it looked really bad. As a head coach I don't think you can ever look THAT indicisive!

Yep. And here was my point last night: You HAVE to challenge that play. You don't need to wait to see the replay. Your team is losing momentum quickly, you're on the road in the 4th quarter, the crowd is going to explode and your guys chases him down and tackles him, you see the refs hesitate, and then then raise their arms to signal TD. He should have thrown that flag as soon as he saw the refs hesitate. Forget hearing from the players or from upstairs what happened. Turning off some of that momentum was more important than losing the TO or the challenge even if they screwed up the review. Rookie move by Saban, IMO.

 

[Marino13]

I think it was pretty obvious that he didn't really want to challenge the play for some reason. Maybe he misunderstood the rule or something. But he was just swinging it there and then threw it about 5 feet at the last minute. That was the body language of someone who didn't really want to do what they were doing.

I wondered if his guys on the field were screaming at him to throw the flag and he was waiting until he heard from his boys upstiars.....in the meantime he was tweeening his towel and it looked really bad. As a head coach I don't think you can ever look THAT indicisive!

Yep. And here was my point last night: You HAVE to challenge that play. You don't need to wait to see the replay. Your team is losing momentum quickly, you're on the road in the 4th quarter, the crowd is going to explode and your guys chases him down and tackles him, you see the refs hesitate, and then then raise their arms to signal TD. He should have thrown that flag as soon as he saw the refs hesitate. Forget hearing from the players or from upstairs what happened. Turning off some of that momentum was more important than losing the TO or the challenge even if they screwed up the review. Rookie move by Saban, IMO.

Yeah, then when they lose the T.O, and at the end of the game, they need to stop the clock, but don't have any more timeouts.... then he's an idiot for challenging that play. Then he's called a rookie again by you... he can't win.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

I think it was pretty obvious that he didn't really want to challenge the play for some reason. Maybe he misunderstood the rule or something. But he was just swinging it there and then threw it about 5 feet at the last minute. That was the body language of someone who didn't really want to do what they were doing.

I wondered if his guys on the field were screaming at him to throw the flag and he was waiting until he heard from his boys upstiars.....in the meantime he was tweeening his towel and it looked really bad. As a head coach I don't think you can ever look THAT indicisive!

Yep. And here was my point last night: You HAVE to challenge that play. You don't need to wait to see the replay. Your team is losing momentum quickly, you're on the road in the 4th quarter, the crowd is going to explode and your guys chases him down and tackles him, you see the refs hesitate, and then then raise their arms to signal TD. He should have thrown that flag as soon as he saw the refs hesitate. Forget hearing from the players or from upstairs what happened. Turning off some of that momentum was more important than losing the TO or the challenge even if they screwed up the review. Rookie move by Saban, IMO.

Yeah, then when they lose the T.O, and at the end of the game, they need to stop the clock, but don't have any more timeouts.... then he's an idiot for challenging that play. Then he's called a rookie again by you... he can't win.

I don't think so. I honestly think that any Dolphins fan who would have been mad at Saban for losing the challenge given the circumstances doesn't understand football very well. You HAVE to challenge that. Besides the fact that there's no way that NBC can show the replay about 4 times and no one in the organization can see it. I mean, even if you haven't heard from the guys upstairs that it should be challenged, you have to throw the flag before the last second.

 

[agent 86]

I think it was pretty obvious that he didn't really want to challenge the play for some reason. Maybe he misunderstood the rule or something. But he was just swinging it there and then threw it about 5 feet at the last minute. That was the body language of someone who didn't really want to do what they were doing.

I wondered if his guys on the field were screaming at him to throw the flag and he was waiting until he heard from his boys upstiars.....in the meantime he was tweeening his towel and it looked really bad. As a head coach I don't think you can ever look THAT indicisive!

Yep. And here was my point last night: You HAVE to challenge that play. You don't need to wait to see the replay. Your team is losing momentum quickly, you're on the road in the 4th quarter, the crowd is going to explode and your guys chases him down and tackles him, you see the refs hesitate, and then then raise their arms to signal TD. He should have thrown that flag as soon as he saw the refs hesitate. Forget hearing from the players or from upstairs what happened. Turning off some of that momentum was more important than losing the TO or the challenge even if they screwed up the review. Rookie move by Saban, IMO.

Yeah, then when they lose the T.O, and at the end of the game, they need to stop the clock, but don't have any more timeouts.... then he's an idiot for challenging that play. Then he's called a rookie again by you... he can't win.

I think you have to challenge. It was an 87 yd play, the lead changed, they fumbled the last time they were down there, Michaels was screaming to millions of viewers that the play had to be challenged. I have no idea why he waited. I think it's as bad a play as I've seen a HC make in a while. The head coach is responsible for rationing time-outs, deciding when to go for two, and challenges. He blew it IMO.

 

[intrinsic]

In the replays from the field perspective looking back at the coach and the closest official, its clear NO ONE is looking at him, yet he throws the flag 5 feet and points at it like the powers that be will just stop time and spotlight his poorly thrown, last second challenge.

 

[ninerfan]

Saban had plenty of time to throw the flag. Reed took his time lining up the extra point. Shouldn't have double pumped before releasing the flag. Oh yeah, my grandma throws better than Uncle Nicko...

 

[jchapman70]

I think it was pretty obvious that he didn't really want to challenge the play for some reason. Maybe he misunderstood the rule or something. But he was just swinging it there and then threw it about 5 feet at the last minute. That was the body language of someone who didn't really want to do what they were doing.

I wondered if his guys on the field were screaming at him to throw the flag and he was waiting until he heard from his boys upstiars.....in the meantime he was tweeening his towel and it looked really bad. As a head coach I don't think you can ever look THAT indicisive!

Yep. And here was my point last night: You HAVE to challenge that play. You don't need to wait to see the replay. Your team is losing momentum quickly, you're on the road in the 4th quarter, the crowd is going to explode and your guys chases him down and tackles him, you see the refs hesitate, and then then raise their arms to signal TD. He should have thrown that flag as soon as he saw the refs hesitate. Forget hearing from the players or from upstairs what happened. Turning off some of that momentum was more important than losing the TO or the challenge even if they screwed up the review. Rookie move by Saban, IMO.

Yeah, then when they lose the T.O, and at the end of the game, they need to stop the clock, but don't have any more timeouts.... then he's an idiot for challenging that play. Then he's called a rookie again by you... he can't win.

Well stated Construx.No way he is losing that challenge. It was a rookie move!

 

[JBTV]

I think you have to be REALLY sure the play's going to get overturned the challenge there. The best case is that you win your challenge, and Pittsburgh gets the ball at the 1-2 yard line, and maybe you have a shot at stopping them again...but they're still most likely getting 7. Worst case is that it's inconclusive, they still get the TD, you've lost your challenge, AND YOU'RE CHARGED WITH A TIMEOUT THAT YOU NOW DESPERATELY NEED. I think that's mainly what was going through his mind deciding whether or not to challenge. Is the benefit of this getting overturned enough to potentially lose a timeout for?

 

[ConstruxBoy]

I think you have to be REALLY sure the play's going to get overturned the challenge there. The best case is that you lose your challenge, and Pittsburgh gets the ball at the 1-2 yard line, and maybe you have a shot at stopping them again...but they're still most likely getting 7. Worst case is that it's inconclusive, they still get the TD, you've lost your challenge, AND YOU'RE CHARGED WITH A TIMEOUT THAT YOU NOW DESPERATELY NEED. I think that's mainly what was going through his mind deciding whether or not to challenge. Is the benefit of this getting overturned enough to potentially lose a timeout for?

I see what you're saying. But maybe you stop them. And even if you don't you're on offense and it's easier to stop the clock on offense. If he hadn't thrown the flag at all, I think it would have been a mistake but it would have meant that he thought the same thing you did.

 

[West Nile Style]

And to top it off....my opponent had Heath Miller and I had Dolphins D. WTF

 

[ConstruxBoy]

And to top it off....my opponent had Heath Miller and I had Dolphins D. WTF

Nice.

 

[simsarge]

Hey it's a tough gig. If we could do it we wouldn't be lamenting his indecisiveness here, we'd be sitting in a room with a bunch of other NFL type coaches using the video as a prop to make sure my replay guys know that they have to get me the Deal or No Deal call down from their comfy booth ASAP.

The guy screwed up. He may never admit it, but it's obvious he did...especially in hindsight. For all we know the upstairs coaches may have been the indecisive ones and caused him to do the pump fake. He may have just not thrown them under the bus in the news conference afterwards.

 

[massraider]

I think you have to be REALLY sure the play's going to get overturned the challenge there. The best case is that you win your challenge, and Pittsburgh gets the ball at the 1-2 yard line, and maybe you have a shot at stopping them again...but they're still most likely getting 7. Worst case is that it's inconclusive, they still get the TD, you've lost your challenge, AND YOU'RE CHARGED WITH A TIMEOUT THAT YOU NOW DESPERATELY NEED. I think that's mainly what was going through his mind deciding whether or not to challenge. Is the benefit of this getting overturned enough to potentially lose a timeout for?

That's all true. But the knuckleheads in the booth for Miami should have been REALLY sure. I'm willing to bet that more than half the guys on this board that watched that game knew before the replay that Miller went out of bounds. It was about as obvious as you can get.

 

[simsarge]

I think you have to be REALLY sure the play's going to get overturned the challenge there. The best case is that you win your challenge, and Pittsburgh gets the ball at the 1-2 yard line, and maybe you have a shot at stopping them again...but they're still most likely getting 7. Worst case is that it's inconclusive, they still get the TD, you've lost your challenge, AND YOU'RE CHARGED WITH A TIMEOUT THAT YOU NOW DESPERATELY NEED. I think that's mainly what was going through his mind deciding whether or not to challenge. Is the benefit of this getting overturned enough to potentially lose a timeout for?

That's all true. But the knuckleheads in the booth for Miami should have been REALLY sure. I'm willing to bet that more than half the guys on this board that watched that game knew before the replay that Miller went out of bounds. It was about as obvious as you can get.

What kind of video do they have up in the booth? Do they have the half dozen or so angles that the TV audience has? Do the control the play back? Do they have the broadcast?

 

[shredhead]

I think you have to be REALLY sure the play's going to get overturned the challenge there. The best case is that you win your challenge, and Pittsburgh gets the ball at the 1-2 yard line, and maybe you have a shot at stopping them again...but they're still most likely getting 7. Worst case is that it's inconclusive, they still get the TD, you've lost your challenge, AND YOU'RE CHARGED WITH A TIMEOUT THAT YOU NOW DESPERATELY NEED. I think that's mainly what was going through his mind deciding whether or not to challenge. Is the benefit of this getting overturned enough to potentially lose a timeout for?

I've been pissed that he didn't challenge the play since it happened. (I have FWP and was hoping for a 1 yd TD after it got overturned). I never thought about it from this perspective though. Thanks for posting this as I am not as upset now.

 

[massraider]

I think you have to be REALLY sure the play's going to get overturned the challenge there. The best case is that you win your challenge, and Pittsburgh gets the ball at the 1-2 yard line, and maybe you have a shot at stopping them again...but they're still most likely getting 7. Worst case is that it's inconclusive, they still get the TD, you've lost your challenge, AND YOU'RE CHARGED WITH A TIMEOUT THAT YOU NOW DESPERATELY NEED. I think that's mainly what was going through his mind deciding whether or not to challenge. Is the benefit of this getting overturned enough to potentially lose a timeout for?

That's all true. But the knuckleheads in the booth for Miami should have been REALLY sure. I'm willing to bet that more than half the guys on this board that watched that game knew before the replay that Miller went out of bounds. It was about as obvious as you can get.

What kind of video do they have up in the booth? Do they have the half dozen or so angles that the TV audience has? Do the control the play back? Do they have the broadcast?

I always hear Al Michaels say, "They are seeing what you see...." So they at least get the broadcast. I'm gonna guess that someone in the booth messed up, because watching that broadcast, the moment the first replay hit the TV screen, everyone everywhere was shouting, "THROW THE FLAG!"

 

[simsarge]

I think you have to be REALLY sure the play's going to get overturned the challenge there. The best case is that you win your challenge, and Pittsburgh gets the ball at the 1-2 yard line, and maybe you have a shot at stopping them again...but they're still most likely getting 7. Worst case is that it's inconclusive, they still get the TD, you've lost your challenge, AND YOU'RE CHARGED WITH A TIMEOUT THAT YOU NOW DESPERATELY NEED. I think that's mainly what was going through his mind deciding whether or not to challenge. Is the benefit of this getting overturned enough to potentially lose a timeout for?

That's all true. But the knuckleheads in the booth for Miami should have been REALLY sure. I'm willing to bet that more than half the guys on this board that watched that game knew before the replay that Miller went out of bounds. It was about as obvious as you can get.

What kind of video do they have up in the booth? Do they have the half dozen or so angles that the TV audience has? Do the control the play back? Do they have the broadcast?

I always hear Al Michaels say, "They are seeing what you see...." So they at least get the broadcast. I'm gonna guess that someone in the booth messed up, because watching that broadcast, the moment the first replay hit the TV screen, everyone everywhere was shouting, "THROW THE FLAG!"

Betchya Cowher wasn't

 

[massraider]

I think you have to be REALLY sure the play's going to get overturned the challenge there. The best case is that you win your challenge, and Pittsburgh gets the ball at the 1-2 yard line, and maybe you have a shot at stopping them again...but they're still most likely getting 7. Worst case is that it's inconclusive, they still get the TD, you've lost your challenge, AND YOU'RE CHARGED WITH A TIMEOUT THAT YOU NOW DESPERATELY NEED. I think that's mainly what was going through his mind deciding whether or not to challenge. Is the benefit of this getting overturned enough to potentially lose a timeout for?

That's all true. But the knuckleheads in the booth for Miami should have been REALLY sure. I'm willing to bet that more than half the guys on this board that watched that game knew before the replay that Miller went out of bounds. It was about as obvious as you can get.

What kind of video do they have up in the booth? Do they have the half dozen or so angles that the TV audience has? Do the control the play back? Do they have the broadcast?

I always hear Al Michaels say, "They are seeing what you see...." So they at least get the broadcast. I'm gonna guess that someone in the booth messed up, because watching that broadcast, the moment the first replay hit the TV screen, everyone everywhere was shouting, "THROW THE FLAG!"

Betchya Cowher wasn't

Heh, OK that's true.I like Saban, and was rooting for the Fins last night for sure. But I really don't see this being anything other than a complete mess up. He's a NFL noob, so I don't think it's the end of the world, but it's a painful lesson to learn. He's gotta have guys he trusts in the booth, to tell him what to do. And then he's gotta act decisively. That underhand Skee-Ball routine was :X .

 

[Liquid Tension]

Look it was a very poor job by Saban and the Dolphin organization. How is it possible they don't have someone watching every play (tivo'd in high def)? He gave some excuse he had to wait for his guys to see it? Please setup a direct line to me and my 65" HD TV and I will get him an answer immediately. Why don't they have that setup? Ludicrous

We watched it a bunch of times well before the kick and there was ZERO doubt that Miller didn't get in. The only question was whether he was out at the 1 1/2 yard line or the 3/4 yard line.

 

[Got Urlacher?]

How in the world did Saban Blow it when the flag was on the ground BEFORE the ball was hiked? Plain and simple the refs blew it. Split screen last night proved it. Dont matter HOW he threw it, it was on the ground legally and in time.

 

[Pedro Cerrano Fan]

Plain and simple the refs blew it. Split screen last night proved it.

Incorrect.

 

[Got Urlacher?]

Plain and simple the refs blew it. Split screen last night proved it.

Incorrect.

please explain. i saw the flag hit the ground BEFORE the ball was hiked in the split screen they showed. Wasnt even close.

 

[Sputnikv8]

How in the world did Saban Blow it when the flag was on the ground BEFORE the ball was hiked? Plain and simple the refs blew it. Split screen last night proved it. Dont matter HOW he threw it, it was on the ground legally and in time.

I wonder if the refs did mess up a bit. Where do the refs normally stand before the PAT? I seem to remember one of the judges always being over by the coaching sideline, not 10 yards in on the field like that.I mean, do all coaches run out at the ref to throw the flag? He could have -- and didn't, but, I never really seem to see that happening.

 

[Klecko HOF]

How in the world did Saban Blow it when the flag was on the ground BEFORE the ball was hiked? Plain and simple the refs blew it. Split screen last night proved it. Dont matter HOW he threw it, it was on the ground legally and in time.

True, the refs did blow it, but Saban's half assed attempt at tossing the flag made things worse.Saban also has to get the ref's attention. That he took so long to throw the flag, while tossing it to a ref whose back was facing him, is inexcusable. Yell, stomp, cuss, do whatever it takes, but get his attention. Don't take your sweet ### time.

 

[Got Urlacher?]

How in the world did Saban Blow it when the flag was on the ground BEFORE the ball was hiked? Plain and simple the refs blew it. Split screen last night proved it. Dont matter HOW he threw it, it was on the ground legally and in time.

True, the refs did blow it, but Saban's half assed attempt at tossing the flag made things worse.Saban also has to get the ref's attention. That he took so long to throw the flag, while tossing it to a ref whose back was facing him, is inexcusable. Yell, stomp, cuss, do whatever it takes, but get his attention. Don't take your sweet ### time.

I seriously dont think Saban was suppoosed to do whatever to get the refs attention. The ref WAS out of place on the field. All Saban was supposed to do was throw the flag before the hike and he did that. It isnt even about the toss its about the ref not doing his job.

 

[Pedro Cerrano Fan]

Plain and simple the refs blew it. Split screen last night proved it.

Incorrect.

please explain. i saw the flag hit the ground BEFORE the ball was hiked in the split screen they showed. Wasnt even close.

The refs didn't blow it because it is Saban's responsibility to throw the flag so that it can be seen by a referee.

 

[Got Urlacher?]

Plain and simple the refs blew it. Split screen last night proved it.

Incorrect.

please explain. i saw the flag hit the ground BEFORE the ball was hiked in the split screen they showed. Wasnt even close.

The refs didn't blow it because it is Saban's responsibility to throw the flag so that it can be seen by a referee.

How many yards do you expect Saban to toss a flag, the ref was a good distance away from Saban and facing a different direction. Dont you think the ref maybe shoulda been on alert in case he attempted that? Throwing the flag means getting it on the field which he did.

 

[Traders2001]

Saban blew it , he waited and wiated and waited and finally when they snapped the ball he threw the flag.

He did nt look decisive in throwing it he could have easily screame at the official or try to call timeout nothing .

Saban got outcoached yesterday, he looked like he had smoke some goo stuff .

 

[Fla\/\/ed]

Plain and simple the refs blew it. Split screen last night proved it.

Incorrect.

please explain. i saw the flag hit the ground BEFORE the ball was hiked in the split screen they showed. Wasnt even close.

The refs didn't blow it because it is Saban's responsibility to throw the flag so that it can be seen by a referee.

How many yards do you expect Saban to toss a flag, the ref was a good distance away from Saban and facing a different direction. Dont you think the ref maybe shoulda been on alert in case he attempted that? Throwing the flag means getting it on the field which he did.

Saban should have thrown the flag earlier, not triple pumped and known the rules that we was allowed to run onto the field to get the attention of the referees. Saban and his staff messed up. Deal with it.

 

[Liquid Tension]

Dolphin fan here.

Saban should have done more to get the attention of the ref, especially because he waited so long to throw it in the first place. If he would have thrown it 15 seconds earlier than the gripe would make sense.

IMPORTANT PART OF MY POST ...However, isn't it baloney that we are spending so much time on INSTANT REPLAY! I am someone who pushed hard for it. As an ex baseball player, I have the competitive spirit (I would imagine like most of us fantasy nuts) that I want the play decided by the players not the refs. I was psyched when they instituted the instant replay.

If you ask me now, it has been an unquestionable disaster for the game of football. Yes, certain calls are overturned and that is a good thing. But what about all the terrible things that come with instant replay?

Our games are shorter because of instant replay. The games were taking too long so the NFL decided that the clock should keep running after the ball goes out of bounds. It also starts sometimes after some penalties. i don't remember the analysis done, but we get 2 - 3 less drives a game because of instant replay. (maybe those extra drives would give us a better idea of who the better team is?)
You can't over turn all plays. The main issues with calls tend to come on pass interference and holding calls. These have a much greater impact on the game and you can't overturn those. You can't even overturn plays when the whistle blows.
MOMENTUM. Football is a game of great momentum. You have a defense on their heels and you are trying to do anything to slow them down and figure out what is going wrong so all you have to do is throw a challenge flag at a time you can't. the ref comes over and tells you that you can't replay that "interference call." momentum slowed. The game itself comes to a crawl with all the delays and then the ref going back and forth between the coaches to let them know what is going on.
They don't always get it right, many times they don't. If the Pitt Colt game last year didn't show us this we just aren't paying attention. Imagine if the Bettis fumble was returned for a TD...what a crime that would have been for Pittsburgh.
I think the refs have done a worse job since instant replay. Not sure why, but maybe it is because they feel that if they do get it wrong it will be overturned. It just seems that there is so much more confusion and nobody even knows what constitutes a catch anymore. I mean it used to be very clear, but now you need to make a "football related move." I mean what a bunch of garbage when a guy takes 3 steps and then gets hit and fumbles it is incomplete. Ask yourself this question do you think you understand what truly constitutes a catch anymore? I have 4 TV's in one room, to watch football, read all the rules and I am not 100% anymore.Bottom line to me is that I don't think instant replay helps the better team win, I think that letting the players and refs decide the game with 1-2 more drives would be a much better way and far more fun too watch. Instant replay has hurt the game and again this is coming from someone who would have told you that it was stupid NOT to have instant replay. get rid of it and let them play the game and let us watch MORE plays.

 

[Got Urlacher?]

Dolphin fan here.Saban should have done more to get the attention of the ref, especially because he waited so long to throw it in the first place. If he would have thrown it 15 seconds earlier than the gripe would make sense.

Thats not the deal, The deal is to get the flag on the field before the ball is snapped regardless of getting attention to a ref. The ref should have been around the area expecting a possible attempt at a flag being thrown in that situation..Bottom line: Did the flag hit the ground before the ball was snapped? absolutley Was there a ref anywhere near Saban to see a flag? NO

 

[smokin018]

The more and more I think about it, the more I am convinced that Saban did not want to challenge that play, even though he was pretty sure he'd win the challenge.

I think Saban INTENTIONALLY waited and threw the flag so that the ref wouldn't see it before the kick.

He had to know as quickly as we did that Miller was down on the 1 or 2 yard line. I think he figured Batch wasn't about to fumble again inside the 5 yard line and figured that it would be better to have the add'l time on the clock for his offense to score. If that play is reviewed, PIT most likely still scores AND Miami has less time remaining in the game.

At that point in the game, there is 6:25 left and Saban is thinking he may need every second. But he can't NOT throw the flag, because then he has to explain it afterwards. So he half heartedly, at the last second, throws it where he knows no one will see it. He wasn't yelling at the ref, and he didn't argue at all after the ref explained to him after it was too late.

Saban is very savvy and I have seen him agressively throw the red flag last year for reviews while screaming at the official. That didn't happen last night.....he did NOT want that play reviewed, even though he'll never admit it

 

[Fla\/\/ed]

Dolphin fan here.Saban should have done more to get the attention of the ref, especially because he waited so long to throw it in the first place. If he would have thrown it 15 seconds earlier than the gripe would make sense.

Thats not the deal, The deal is to get the flag on the field before the ball is snapped regardless of getting attention to a ref. The ref should have been around the area expecting a possible attempt at a flag being thrown in that situation..

Are you serious? Why would they expect a flag to be thrown? They called the play like they saw it. Yes it was from a bad angle but can you please imagine what would happen if a ref was out of position for the extra point attempt and his reasoning was..."I was waiting for a challenge flag from the sideline" He'd be fired!

 

[massraider]

The more and more I think about it, the more I am convinced that Saban did not want to challenge that play, even though he was pretty sure he'd win the challenge.I think Saban INTENTIONALLY waited and threw the flag so that the ref wouldn't see it before the kick.He had to know as quickly as we did that Miller was down on the 1 or 2 yard line. I think he figured Batch wasn't about to fumble again inside the 5 yard line and figured that it would be better to have the add'l time on the clock for his offense to score. If that play is reviewed, PIT most likely still scores AND Miami has less time remaining in the game.At that point in the game, there is 6:25 left and Saban is thinking he may need every second. But he can't NOT throw the flag, because then he has to explain it afterwards. So he half heartedly, at the last second, throws it where he knows no one will see it. He wasn't yelling at the ref, and he didn't argue at all after the ref explained to him after it was too late.Saban is very savvy and I have seen him agressively throw the red flag last year for reviews while screaming at the official. That didn't happen last night.....he did NOT want that play reviewed, even though he'll never admit it

You have the chance to take 7 points off the board, you do it. You have a slam dunk case to take a TD off the scoreboard against a team that no longer has Jerome Bettis, and is starting a guy at QB that fumbled already? You do it. There's no strategy involved with this one. Make them score!

 

[Got Urlacher?]

Dolphin fan here.Saban should have done more to get the attention of the ref, especially because he waited so long to throw it in the first place. If he would have thrown it 15 seconds earlier than the gripe would make sense.

Thats not the deal, The deal is to get the flag on the field before the ball is snapped regardless of getting attention to a ref. The ref should have been around the area expecting a possible attempt at a flag being thrown in that situation..

Are you serious? Why would they expect a flag to be thrown? They called the play like they saw it. Yes it was from a bad angle but can you please imagine what would happen if a ref was out of position for the extra point attempt and his reasoning was..."I was waiting for a challenge flag from the sideline" He'd be fired!

How many refs do you think there are? lol Ive alwyas seen refs right there near the sideline, This ref was out in the middle of it.

 

[TitusIII]

The more and more I think about it, the more I am convinced that Saban did not want to challenge that play, even though he was pretty sure he'd win the challenge.I think Saban INTENTIONALLY waited and threw the flag so that the ref wouldn't see it before the kick.He had to know as quickly as we did that Miller was down on the 1 or 2 yard line. I think he figured Batch wasn't about to fumble again inside the 5 yard line and figured that it would be better to have the add'l time on the clock for his offense to score. If that play is reviewed, PIT most likely still scores AND Miami has less time remaining in the game.At that point in the game, there is 6:25 left and Saban is thinking he may need every second. But he can't NOT throw the flag, because then he has to explain it afterwards. So he half heartedly, at the last second, throws it where he knows no one will see it. He wasn't yelling at the ref, and he didn't argue at all after the ref explained to him after it was too late.Saban is very savvy and I have seen him agressively throw the red flag last year for reviews while screaming at the official. That didn't happen last night.....he did NOT want that play reviewed, even though he'll never admit it

bingo

 

[smokin018]

The more and more I think about it, the more I am convinced that Saban did not want to challenge that play, even though he was pretty sure he'd win the challenge.I think Saban INTENTIONALLY waited and threw the flag so that the ref wouldn't see it before the kick.He had to know as quickly as we did that Miller was down on the 1 or 2 yard line. I think he figured Batch wasn't about to fumble again inside the 5 yard line and figured that it would be better to have the add'l time on the clock for his offense to score. If that play is reviewed, PIT most likely still scores AND Miami has less time remaining in the game.At that point in the game, there is 6:25 left and Saban is thinking he may need every second. But he can't NOT throw the flag, because then he has to explain it afterwards. So he half heartedly, at the last second, throws it where he knows no one will see it. He wasn't yelling at the ref, and he didn't argue at all after the ref explained to him after it was too late.Saban is very savvy and I have seen him agressively throw the red flag last year for reviews while screaming at the official. That didn't happen last night.....he did NOT want that play reviewed, even though he'll never admit it

You have the chance to take 7 points off the board, you do it. You have a slam dunk case to take a TD off the scoreboard against a team that no longer has Jerome Bettis, and is starting a guy at QB that fumbled already? You do it. There's no strategy involved with this one. Make them score!

I agree with you 100%, but I think Saban was overthinking this thing and doing the math with the clock. The fact that Batch already fumbled once on the goal line, you know Cowher is not gonna put Batch in the position to make another error. Saban was already thinking about trying to get another 2 possessions on offense with with the remaining 6:25.......I have seen him challenge plays last year and scream at the official to get noticed. Plus, he really didn't argue with the ref too much after he was denied the challenge, did he?

 

[Fla\/\/ed]

Dolphin fan here.Saban should have done more to get the attention of the ref, especially because he waited so long to throw it in the first place. If he would have thrown it 15 seconds earlier than the gripe would make sense.

Thats not the deal, The deal is to get the flag on the field before the ball is snapped regardless of getting attention to a ref. The ref should have been around the area expecting a possible attempt at a flag being thrown in that situation..

Are you serious? Why would they expect a flag to be thrown? They called the play like they saw it. Yes it was from a bad angle but can you please imagine what would happen if a ref was out of position for the extra point attempt and his reasoning was..."I was waiting for a challenge flag from the sideline" He'd be fired!

How many refs do you think there are? lol Ive alwyas seen refs right there near the sideline, This ref was out in the middle of it.

It doesn't matter how many refs there are. Each one has a specific responsibility on every play and that doesn't include getting out of position to look for a challenge flag.Wow, you really need to wake up.

 

[renesauz]

The more and more I think about it, the more I am convinced that Saban did not want to challenge that play, even though he was pretty sure he'd win the challenge.I think Saban INTENTIONALLY waited and threw the flag so that the ref wouldn't see it before the kick.He had to know as quickly as we did that Miller was down on the 1 or 2 yard line. I think he figured Batch wasn't about to fumble again inside the 5 yard line and figured that it would be better to have the add'l time on the clock for his offense to score. If that play is reviewed, PIT most likely still scores AND Miami has less time remaining in the game.At that point in the game, there is 6:25 left and Saban is thinking he may need every second. But he can't NOT throw the flag, because then he has to explain it afterwards. So he half heartedly, at the last second, throws it where he knows no one will see it. He wasn't yelling at the ref, and he didn't argue at all after the ref explained to him after it was too late.Saban is very savvy and I have seen him agressively throw the red flag last year for reviews while screaming at the official. That didn't happen last night.....he did NOT want that play reviewed, even though he'll never admit it

bingo

I'll be honest...When I was watching the game live I was waffling on whether he should challenge or not right along with him. % wise, how often does an NFL team FAIL to score a TD when given a first and goal from the 1? Not often. STRICTLY BASED ON THE ODDS AND PERCENTAGES, I think it would be wrong to crucify him for not wanting to challenge that play. bingo

 

[Sigfawn]

I think it was pretty obvious that he didn't really want to challenge the play for some reason. Maybe he misunderstood the rule or something. But he was just swinging it there and then threw it about 5 feet at the last minute. That was the body language of someone who didn't really want to do what they were doing.

I wondered if his guys on the field were screaming at him to throw the flag and he was waiting until he heard from his boys upstiars.....in the meantime he was tweeening his towel and it looked really bad. As a head coach I don't think you can ever look THAT indicisive!

Yep. And here was my point last night: You HAVE to challenge that play. You don't need to wait to see the replay. Your team is losing momentum quickly, you're on the road in the 4th quarter, the crowd is going to explode and your guys chases him down and tackles him, you see the refs hesitate, and then then raise their arms to signal TD. He should have thrown that flag as soon as he saw the refs hesitate. Forget hearing from the players or from upstairs what happened. Turning off some of that momentum was more important than losing the TO or the challenge even if they screwed up the review. Rookie move by Saban, IMO.

In the 2nd half of a close game, you don't challenge any TD the other team scores. That's beyond stupid.So each time a team scores on you in the 2nd half, toss the flag regardless? That method is going to work. Obviously you need someone up stairs, and if he says yes, you throw the flag (or run onto the field). You don't throw away a timeout in a one score game with lots of time left. And even if he wins, it's 1st and goal on the 1. Yeah that's going to kill the momentum. And Saban isn't a rookie coach.I agree he didn't handle it well. But not because he's a rookie or he's suppose to instantly challege any TD thats scored on him in the 2nd half.

 

[hellz_fireflies]

I read on Miami Today web site, a reporter was told the flag got stuck on his wedding band...problem is he is divorce last 2 years.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

I think it was pretty obvious that he didn't really want to challenge the play for some reason. Maybe he misunderstood the rule or something. But he was just swinging it there and then threw it about 5 feet at the last minute. That was the body language of someone who didn't really want to do what they were doing.

I wondered if his guys on the field were screaming at him to throw the flag and he was waiting until he heard from his boys upstiars.....in the meantime he was tweeening his towel and it looked really bad. As a head coach I don't think you can ever look THAT indicisive!

Yep. And here was my point last night: You HAVE to challenge that play. You don't need to wait to see the replay. Your team is losing momentum quickly, you're on the road in the 4th quarter, the crowd is going to explode and your guys chases him down and tackles him, you see the refs hesitate, and then then raise their arms to signal TD. He should have thrown that flag as soon as he saw the refs hesitate. Forget hearing from the players or from upstairs what happened. Turning off some of that momentum was more important than losing the TO or the challenge even if they screwed up the review. Rookie move by Saban, IMO.

In the 2nd half of a close game, you don't challenge any TD the other team scores. That's beyond stupid.So each time a team scores on you in the 2nd half, toss the flag regardless? That method is going to work. Obviously you need someone up stairs, and if he says yes, you throw the flag (or run onto the field). You don't throw away a timeout in a one score game with lots of time left. And even if he wins, it's 1st and goal on the 1. Yeah that's going to kill the momentum. And Saban isn't a rookie coach.I agree he didn't handle it well. But not because he's a rookie or he's suppose to instantly challege any TD thats scored on him in the 2nd half.

I don't even know how to respond to this post. You're just putting words into my mouth. Keep trying though.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

I read on Miami Today web site, a reporter was told the flag got stuck on his wedding band...problem is he is divorce last 2 years.

Horse####. He didn't want to really challenge it and was smart enough that he didn't want to explain to all the reporters afterwards why he didn't challenge it. So he purposely waited until the last second and made a half-assed attempt at throwing the flag. Smart move if he didn't really want to challenge it. But I still think he should have challenged it.

 

[Got Urlacher?]

Dolphin fan here.Saban should have done more to get the attention of the ref, especially because he waited so long to throw it in the first place. If he would have thrown it 15 seconds earlier than the gripe would make sense.

Thats not the deal, The deal is to get the flag on the field before the ball is snapped regardless of getting attention to a ref. The ref should have been around the area expecting a possible attempt at a flag being thrown in that situation..

Are you serious? Why would they expect a flag to be thrown? They called the play like they saw it. Yes it was from a bad angle but can you please imagine what would happen if a ref was out of position for the extra point attempt and his reasoning was..."I was waiting for a challenge flag from the sideline" He'd be fired!

How many refs do you think there are? lol Ive alwyas seen refs right there near the sideline, This ref was out in the middle of it.

It doesn't matter how many refs there are. Each one has a specific responsibility on every play and that doesn't include getting out of position to look for a challenge flag.Wow, you really need to wake up.

So i suppose when all the refs are busy with their responsiblitys as you call it they dont care about a challenge flag because its not important. That would mean then that challenge flags are only allowed if a ref happens to be in the vacinity of it when it fell. Otherwise it just dont matter that one is thrown. Your a real dandy. You bore me to death