Gambling on 4th down article

[Runner Runner]

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The fact is that almost all coaches play too safe on fourth and one. Maybe they worry about their job and it is the fault of dumb owners. In any case there is no excuse for a coach to be unaware of these techniques any more than a poker player has an excuse for not knowing card combinations. They might win without that knowledge, but they don't deserve to.


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This is bang on, but let's not forget the role of the media and the general public in this. Most people are generally way too risk averse. How many times do you see a coach after losing a game get bombarded with questions about why he went for it in a certain spot compared to the amount of questions he gets for why he didn't go for it. The general public's lack of knowledge about a good gamble is the root cause of these coaching mistakes.