re: Strategies that football coaches should do but never do

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1. When down 15(there are other scenarios) in the 4th quarter, teams virtually always kick the extra point on the 1st TD so they can "guarantee" they're down 1 possession. Then they play the remainder of the 4th quarter like they're actually down 1 possession when there's a greater than 50% chance that they're down 2 possessions. Then, wouldn't you know it, they score/miss the 2 point conversion and are left down by 2 points with less than 1 minute left because the entire 4th quarter strategy was built around being down 1 possession. Whereas, if you go for 2 on the 1st TD, you know if you're down 1 or 2 possessions and can play the rest of your quarter accordingly. It's pretty simple stuff IMO, obtain the information as soon as possible.

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Agree with you on this. Drives me crazy. The only rational argument I could see is "momentum" or something like that (i.e., you're more likely to convert the 2-point after the second TD than the first) but if anything, I think you're more likely to get it after the first because the D will be really buckling down on the attempt that actually would tie it.

I think it basically always applies when down by 15 (i.e., down 9 after the TD before the XP). You mention there are other scenarios, but you do have to be careful. ND was playing Clemson a couple of years ago and the score was 21-9 after a ND TD early in the fourth quarter. ND decided to go for two after that touchdown (probably so ND would gain the knowledge if it needed two more TDs or could settle for a FG before scoring another TD). ND didn't get the two. Clemson then went down and kicked a FG to make it 24-9. ND scored twice more. The first time they kicked the XP to make it 24-16 (when they SHOULD HAVE gone for two, as we're talking about now). ND then scored with less than 10 seconds left to make it 24-22 but missed the two to lose. If ND would have kicked the XP instead of going for that first two (when it was 21-9) the game would have went to OT.