Robert Mathis: Still paying dividends

[luv_pony_express]

And I don't just mean in terms of being a coach.  He's still paying dividends for what he did as a player...two seasons after retiring.

 

A lot of people are scratching their heads today after several questionable late play-calling decisions by Adam Gase and the Dolphins' coaching staff -- first and foremost his decision to run Kenyan Drake on 3rd and 10 from their own 6 yard line with 3:34 remaining and the score tied rather than putting the ball in Tannehill's hands.  The play went for 4 yards resulting in a punt on 4th down, giving the Colts the chance they needed to mount a game-winning drive.

 

Gase was asked about this play call, and what it says about his trust in Tannehill, and here's what he had to say:

 

"I have a high trust in.....it wouldn't have mattered who was back there.  That's a s***ty situation to be in.  It's 3rd and long.  You're backed up - it's a bad situation.  I've been in that end zone before and I watched a Hall of Fame quarterback get sacked for a safety.  In this building."

 

The date: October 20, 2013

The visiting team: the Denver Broncos

The visitors' Offensive Coordinator:  Adam Gase

The HOF Quarterback:  Peyton Manning, returning to Indy for the first time as an opposing player

The man who made the strip sack resulting in a safety:  Robert Mathis

 

We don't have Robert Mathis on our roster anymore.  We don't have anybody like Robert Mathis on our roster.  But things he did on the field 5 years ago created such a strong impression on Adam Gase that the mere association are still enough to impact his play-calling.

[John Waylon]

It was a questionable decision by Gase, but if THAT was his true reasoning for it he read waaaaay too much into it. 

[Btown_Colt]

Yea, that is a pretty bad excuse for a bad play call. Surely folks aren't actually buying that.

[csmopar]

that is flat out hilarious.  In that case, Lawerence Taylor would still be haunting offenses...

[Flash7]

Regardless of the reason for the horrible play call, I'm glad Gase made that call. It worked in our favor.

[Valpo2004]

It comes down to this.  Colt's offense is it's strength and it's defense is it's weakness.  In that situation I think I would rather throw to try to get the first down then run and almost certainly punt.  

 

Another issue is that you are so far back that even your punt is going to put the opposing offense only 20 to 30 yards from FG range with 2 full minutes and 2 timeouts.  

 

It was situationally a bad play call.  

[NewEra]

During the game I said that was a horrible play. But at that point in time our defense was pinning its ears back and coming. 

[richard pallo]

He brought it up as an excuse but the real reason was he didn't trust Tannehill. 

[CamMo]

Even the pass plays Tannehill did have, they were little screens and dump offs. His shoulder is not okay, so I kinda get it. But maybe they SHOULD have played Osweiler. 

[lollygagger8]

The nightmare that Gase is eluding to: 

 

 

Man that was amazing when it happened. 

[aaron11]

had to take a risk there or they lose anyway.  dumb play call and it wasnt the only one 

[John Waylon]

7 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

He brought it up as an excuse but the real reason was he didn't trust Tannehill. 

 

In this case I don’t believe that. Tannehill, like every other QB we have played this season, had a good day against us yesterday. He was 17/25 for 204 yards and two TDs. 

 

The obvious expectation was a pass, and he tried to catch us off guard with a run. Which, statistically speaking, wasn’t a bad idea either. They were averaging 4 and a half yards per carry. The defense selling out against the pass, or a broken/missed tackle could have easily produced a first down. 

 

The time was also a factor. On the road against Andrew Luck with as red hot as he’d been at that point Gase was likely intending to drive into FG range and leave as little time on the clock as possible. 

 

It it wasn’t the right call, but the case for it is there regardless. 

[luv_pony_express]

2 hours ago, Btown_Colt said:

Yea, that is a pretty bad excuse for a bad play call. Surely folks aren't actually buying that.

 

Maybe.  I don't think anybody (including Gase) would say that this haunting memory was the only thing that factored into his play call.  I'm sure he was thinking that his defense had held Luck & Co. in check pretty well, etc. etc.

 

But the fact that it was forefront in his mind enough to be thrown out there at a press conference says something.

[luv_pony_express]

1 hour ago, richard pallo said:

He brought it up as an excuse but the real reason was he didn't trust Tannehill. 

 

That could be.  You could tell during Tannehill's PC that he wasn't exactly thrilled with the playcall himself.  He wouldn't go so far as to question it.  But it wasn't hard to read between the lines.  He was saying things like "I'm a competitor, of course I want the ball.  My job is to execute the plays that are called."

 

So I'm guessing that Tannehill feels like it was a slight at him.

 

My point isn't that Adam Gase wasn't over there contemplating the playcall and, upon remembering Mathis' sack, decided to run it.

 

My point is that the sack is still in his mind.  And I love that.

[Four2itus]

Scoreboard!