Go For It!

Some of the most exciting moments in football happen when a team is facing a 4th down and they decide to go for it. Ask any Pats fan about the 4th and 2 play against the Colts in 2009, or any Packers fan about 4th and 26 against the Eagles in 2004 and you will be met with an audible groan. One of the fundamentals of football are the downs. So let's start with a quick definition about what they are and why we care.

Downs are essentially "chances." A team has 4 chances to move the ball 10 yards. Once a team moves the ball 10 or more yards, then they get 4 new chances to go 10 more yards. To keep track of where we are, announcers generally refer to the number of yards to go before a team will have moved the ball 10 yards. With me so far? Ok, let's try an example.

Okay, you always start with the 1st down and you always have 10 yards to go. So, the first play of any series is always 1st down and 10 yards to go -- for short: 1st and 10. So let's say, the quarterback does a quick pass to the running back and he runs 4 yards. Now, time for a little bit of math.* We had 10 yards to go, and we only went 4. So we've still got 6 yards until we've moved 10. So therefore there are 6 yards to go and we've only got 3 downs (chances) to get there. So for our second chance we have 6 yards to go. Or....you got it...2nd and 6. Now, let's say on the next play, the quarterback throws a pass to the wide receiver who is about 5 yards away. The wide receiver catches it, but is immediately tackled. Now what? Well, back to math. We had 6 yards to go, but only went 5. So 1 yard to go and 2 chances to get there. It's our 3rd shot to move 10 total yards. So it's now what? (All together now) 3rd and 1.

Now, let's get fancy. On the 3rd down, a wide receiver gets away from a receiver and hauls ass down the field about 15 yards. QB hurls the ball to the wide receiver, who catches it and runs another 10 yards before being tackled by a cornerback. Now what? We've got another chance to go, and we're 24 yards past where we needed to be. Is it 4th and -24? Of course not, that'd be silly. We made it the 10 yards, so we start over with 4 new downs to go another 10 yards. So, it's 1st and 10.

Ok, let's say the defense is really good, and has just been containing the wide receivers and stuffing the running backs. So, let's say it's 4th and 1**. If you try and fail to go that 1 yard (the whole thing people...close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades), then the other team takes over exactly where you are. That's no good. So you can either kick it away -- pinning them as close to their own end zone as possible. OR, you can try to go that 1 yard. And this is where so many cringe-worthy or awesomesauce moments are born. Take this, for example:



In this video, we see the Packers stop the Steelers at 4th and 2...in the final meaningful play of the Super Bowl. With this stop, the Packers fans are celebrating and Steelers fans are crying.

Tomorrow, I head out for a re-match of the Fail Mary. Sure, it's a pre-season game, but it's going to be awesome! Next time you'll see me, I'll be the one with the heels on the gridiron. Love it!

******************UPDATE*******************

Someone pointed out that field position is an important part of the decision of whether to go for it or not. This is true. Certainly when a team is in the red zone, the odds of going for it on 4th down go up. At that point, they are just sooooo close to the end zone that a team might think it's worth the risk. The farther away from the goal line, the lower those odds will get. Another factor? The time in the game. When it's the 1st quarter, the team may kick it away and rely on the defense to get the ball back. 4th quarter and last few minutes of the game? Well, that's how you end up with videos such as the one above. It's either go for it, or feel like you didn't give it your all and try to win the game. Lastly, the skill of the players is a big part of the decision. If you've got one of the top running backs in the league (Adrian Peterson -- Vikings; Brandon Jacobs -- Giants; Ray Rice -- Ravens; and so on) you're more liable to rely on him to get you those last few feet.

There are stats floating around the internet that say teams should go for it more often than they do. The pressure certainly makes the game more exciting. Wonder if we'll be seeing a lot of teams trying to turn that 4th down into a 1st down? We'll see!



*I know, I know. I was also told there'd be no math. But you can handle this, I promise.

**Yes, exactly. We've gone 9 yards in the first 3 chances.