Head Coach Ranking

The 5 Worst Calls of 2018

By HCR Staff | Feb. 15, 2019

On Thursday, we presented Head Coach Ranking’s 5 best calls of 2018. As promised, we also compiled the worst calls of the year. Sadly, there were more bad calls to choose from and so it was a little tougher picking just five. It’s worth noting that four of the five calls here came from rookie head coaches. That said, the worst call came from one of the league’s longest-tenured coaches. Here are the 5 worst calls of 2018:

1. Steelers’ ill-timed fake
Ironically, a fake punt by the New Orleans Saints was our second-best call of the year. The Saints also benefitted from an opponent’s fake attempt that turned out to be the worst call of 2018.

In Week 16, the Pittsburgh Steelers roared back from a 24-14 deficit to take a 28-24 lead over the Saints with less than five minutes to play. They faced a fourth-and-5 at their own 42. The defense was playing well; punt the ball here and the Saints have a long field needing to score a touchdown. Instead, Pittsburgh ran a fake but was stopped short of the first down. New Orleans takes possession on Pittsburgh’s side of the field. Just as important, the Saints regain momentum. A few plays later, they score the game-winning touchdown.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin defended the call, saying he wanted to stay aggressive. But the situation absolutely called for the Steelers to punt the ball away. As a result of this call, the Steelers went from controlling their own destiny atop the AFC North to needing help to make the playoffs – help they did not get in Week 17. Especially given the offseason drama with Pro Bowl receiver Antonio Brown, it would have been fascinating to see what might have happened if the Steelers got to host a playoff game. This ill-timed fake punt attempt is the reason that never happened.

2. Colts’ OT gambit
The Week 4 matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans should have ended in a tie. There were only 27 seconds left in overtime when the Colts faced as fourth-and-4 from their own 43-yard line. Instead of punting it away and almost certainly settling for a tie, Colts head coach Frank Reich opted to go for it. After failing to convert, the Texans gained 24 yards on first down and kicked the game-winning field goal.

It was the Texans’ first win of the season after an 0-3 start, and they turned around their season and went on to win the AFC South. The Colts rebounded from this loss and earned a Wild Card berth – but this game might have been the difference between wild card and division title.

3. Titans go for two in England
Our best call of 2018 went to the Los Angeles Chargers when they opted to go for two at the end of their Week 15 game at the Chiefs. An extra point would have tied the game and forced overtime, but Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn decided he’d rather take a chance with the 2-point try than give the explosive Chiefs offense the ball in OT. Well, the Chargers were on the other side of that equation in their Week 5 game in London.

The Tennessee Titans scored with 31 seconds left to pull within 20-19. Rookie head coach Mike Vrabel went for the win with a 2-point try, but it failed.

The difference between the Chargers’ Week 15 call and this one? While the Chargers have a good offense, it’s not the quick-strike Chiefs attack. And Tennessee’s defense had contained them in this game. Simply put, the Titans should have played for overtime.

4. Cardinals’ onside kick
By Week 10, the Arizona Cardinals’ season was long over. Still, they deserve credit for coming out strong in this game, on the road against the playoff-bound Kansas City Chiefs. Midway through the first quarter, the Cardinals score to tie the game, 7-7. Fearing that his squad will need to steal possessions from the Chiefs, Arizona head coach Steve Wilks calls for an onside kick. The Chiefs recover, drive for a go-ahead field goal and never trail the rest of the way.

It’s one thing to be aggressive, but this was too early for such a call. If you kick the ball away and the defense can make a stop, it would have given the young Cardinals some momentum.

5. Vrabel’s odd personnel choice
The Tennessee Titans had a chance to make a statement in their Week 12 game on Monday night in Houston. And so Titans head coach Mike Vrabel
got aggressive late in the first half. Trailing 14-10, Tennesse faced a fourth-and-1 at the Texans’ 3. Instead of kicking the chip-shot field goal to make it a one-point game, Vrabel opts to go for it.

The decision to go for it isn’t in question. The play call, however, most certainly is. Quarterback Marcus Mariota handed the ball to tight end Luke Stocker, who had lined up at fullback on the play. It is Stocker’s first career carry, and he is stuffed for no gain. On the next play, Texans RB Lamar Miller breaks off a 97-yard TD run and the Texans never looked back.

Indianapolis Colts Show Off Their Balance in Wild Card Victory

By HCR Staff | Jan. 5, 2019

In a year where the NFL saw numerous high-scoring games throughout the first half of the season, playoff football is bringing back a much more balanced game. And if there is one word to describe the strength of the Indianapolis Colts, “balance” would be the word. It was on full display Saturday afternoon as the Colts overwhelmed the Houston Texans in their Wild Card matchup.

In short, this Colts team is well-rounded, and that is its strength. They can throw the ball when they want to throw it, and they can run it when they want to run it. On defense, they are very sound — you can see that prior to every snap. It’s a defense that is ready, and one in which there are very few communication breakdowns. The Colts can apply pressure, rally to the run, and do a good job in the secondary playing the ball.

Sprinkle in a punter that finished third in the NFL in net yards and the greatest clutch kicker in NFL history, and you have a team that is a strong Super Bowl contender.

There aren’t a lot of teams remaining in the tournament that exhibit this kind of balance. The New Orleans Saints have it, as do the Los Angeles Rams. The New England Patriots also have balance, but to a lesser extent due to a lack of explosiveness.

The key to the Colts’ 21-7 win over Houston was the first two Colts offensive drives. On the opening drive, which they took for a touchdown, the Colts converted on third-and-12 and third-and-7 against a good Texans defense playing behind a home crowd. After going ahead 7-0, the next Colts offensive possession converted a key third-and-5, on its way to a 14-0 lead. Therefore, in the first two Colts offensive drives, the Texans defense failed to get off the field on three third-and-long opportunities, and that set the tone for the rest of the game.

After the Texans rallied from an O-3 start to the season, this ending must be somewhat bittersweet. It is a promising team, but there are some glaring holes that will need to be addressed in the offseason. The defensive secondary group will need to be upgraded, as well as the offensive line and greater depth at receiver. Too often, we see quarterback Deshaun Watson simply have to rely on his own athletic ability to make plays and the offense too often is working off-schedule.

The AFC South is turning into one of the best divisions in football, and if the Jacksonville Jaguars reload with a better quarterback, AFC South divisional games will be fun to watch in 2019.

Indianapolis Colts 33, Tennessee Titans 17 – Dec. 30, 2018

At Tennessee
8:20 p.m. ET
53 degrees/rain

TEAM PLAY
CALLING		 PERSONNEL GAME
PLANNING		 IN-GAME
ADJ		 CLOCK
MGMT		 HCR
IND 8 8 10 9 8 8.6
TEN 7 7 6 6 8 6.8

Key Coaching Decision #1: (IND ball, leading 24-17 / fourth-and-goal, TEN 7 / 3:55 Q4)
• Facing fourth-and-goal at the Titans 7-yard line, the Colts took a two-score lead (27-17) and effectively put the game out of reach when kicker Adam Vinatieri hit a 25-yard field goal.

• It was a rainy game and there was no “gimme” field goals or extra points (Vinatieri would later miss an extra point). The Colts could have attempted to go up 14 here late in the game. However, the only prudent move would be to make it a two-score game.

Key Observations:
• The Colts finished the season with a 10-6 record. They were 1-5 after six games. The win gave the Colts entry into the playoffs. They face division rival, Houston on the road.

• The Colts dominated time of possession having possessed the ball for 40:13 while the Titans only had the ball for 19:47. The Colts ran 72 plays and had an even distribution of running and pass plays (36 of each).

• The Titans failed to make the playoffs after winning a playoff game in 2017.

• Tennessee was again without quarterback Marcus Mariota, who was ruled out with foot and neck injuries. They were also without defensive tackle Jurrell Casey and linebacker Brian Orakpo.

• This was a penalty-marred game. The two teams combined for 21 penalties for 171 yards.

Indianapolis Colts 28, New York Giants 27 – Dec. 23, 2018

At Indianapolis
1:00 p.m. ET
Dome

TEAM PLAY
CALLING		 PERSONNEL GAME
PLANNING		 IN-GAME
ADJ		 CLOCK
MGMT		 HCR
NYG 7 7 7 6 5 6.4
IND 7 7 7 <8/td>

8 7.4

Key Observations:
• The Giants were efficient on offense at times, especially early. They did well to spread out the field with screens and multiple jet sweeps on their first drive. They opened with a touchdown, so credit to their game planning and opening script.

• The Colts seemed a little off-kilter in the first half. They were charged with 12 men on the field in the first quarter and Andrew Luck threw a careless interception on an attempted throw-away pass in the second quarter. They came back much sharper on the second half, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions and ultimately executing a game-winning touchdown drive in the final minutes of the game. Credit to their in-game adjustments.

• The Giants had an opportunity to execute a final drive to take back the lead with 55 seconds remaining in the game. Unfortunately for them, they had already used two of their timeouts. The first play saw a tackle inbounds and the subsequent time scramble put them in a difficult third down that they could not convert. Poor game clock management cost the Giants an opportunity to win this game.

Key Observations From Week 16 in the NFL

By HCR Staff | Dec. 24, 2018

Here are 10 key observations from Week 16 in the NFL:

• Baltimore Ravens safety Eric Weddle says that nobody wants to face the Ravens in the playoffs, and we feel the same way. Not only are the Ravens playing with tremendous confidence, but they are a team that truly seems to believe it can physically dominate opponents. Going into Los Angeles and beating the Chargers on a short week, cross-country trip, while the Chargers had nine days to prepare, was very impressive.

• If the Indianapolis Colts get into the playoffs, this is another team that we would find very dangerous. Quarterback Andrew Luck is playing with an enthusiasm we have not seen in several years, and this is a young team that clearly enjoys playing together. We saw Pro Bowl tight end Eric Ebron leave with an injury, however, so that bears monitoring.

• Preseason previews predicted that the wide receiver position would be a weak unit of the Cleveland Browns. However, as things have turned out, the receiver group — Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, Breshad Perriman and Rashard Higgins — is proving to be the heart of the team. Add in emerging tight end David Njoku and quarterback Baker Mayfield has a promising set of weapons for the near future.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has taken his fair share of criticism, but over the last several weeks he actually has played very well. Even though the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Bucs on Sunday, Winston carried the Bucs throughout much of this game and the Cowboys had to fight very hard for this victory.

• As for the Cowboys, their offense has struggled for about three weeks now, and that will be a concern going into the playoffs. They just don’t look very crisp at the moment, and the offensive line appears to be wearing down.

• The Minnesota Vikings need a win next week against the Bears to get into the playoffs. While the game is at home, we still don’t like the Vikings’ chances. While they defeated the Lions Sunday, the Vikings really didn’t do very much offensively until converting a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half. The Vikings clearly have the defense to contend, but offensively, they are far from an elite unit.

• The coaching call of the day had to be the decision by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to try a fake punt with 4:06 left to go in New Orleans and nursing a four-point lead from his own 42-yard line. We have stated it here on many occasions: Tomlin, in our view, is an average in-game decision maker as a head coach. We feel this is one critical element that causes the Steelers to play below their potential. Sure enough, the fake punt was unsuccessful and the Saints took over on downs and drove for the game-winning touchdown.

• Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods doesn’t get much national acclaim, but we feel he is one of the best wide receivers in football. We consider him to be a complete receiver — one who will block, run, catch and do whatever is necessary to help his team win. He plays the position in a textbook fashion, and is a joy to watch.

• Another player who does not get much national acclaim but is among the best players at his position is Seattle Seahawks cornerback Shaquille Griffin. He has emerged as a leader on one of the NFL’s top secondaries, and also is one of the best tackling corners in the game.

• It’s very clear the New England Patriots are ailing. They just don’t know what type of offense they can run with consistent effectiveness. Even though they rushed for over 270 yards in Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots still struggled to score points. One of the main reasons is that the offensive line continues to commit a significant amount of penalties. The Patriots simply don’t have explosive enough offensive personnel to overcome first-and-20 time and again.