re: Debate about taking a timeout on the front end of the 2-minute warning

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Yeah if you are about to get the ball. Not if you are about to give it to the other team.

It worked out but if San Fran drives and kicks a FG it looks really really dumb.

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This decision wasn't made in a vacuum, though. Payton had witnessed his defense start to clamp down on San Fran's rather one-dimensional offense and sensed that the defensive momentum coupled with the insane crowd noise was to his advantage. He took a calculated risk; almost akin to doubling down when you're showing a 10 and the dealer is showing a 5. Colin Kaepernick is a fricking 5

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I think it could have bit him in the arse, but I think he just had that much confidence in his defense. I liked those calls (even though I disagreed with a lot of the play calling in the game) because he was playing to win, not to tie.

Isn't that what we all love about Payton? Most of the time

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I couldn't have said it any better. Payton's playcalling has been maddening at times this year and I was very angry with him much of yesterday. With that said, his time management at the end of the game helped win the day.

Here's the Play-By-Play:

LINK

1st and 10 at SF 20 (Shotgun) C.Kaepernick sacked at SF 11 for -9 yards (J.Galette).

Timeout #2 by NO at 02:01.

2nd and 19 at SF 11 (Shotgun) C.Kaepernick pass incomplete short right.

3rd and 19 at SF 11 (Shotgun) C.Kaepernick scrambles left end pushed ob at SF 27 for 16 yards (C.Carr).

4th and 3 at SF 27 A.Lee punts 48 yards to NO 25, Center-K.McDermott, fair catch by D.Sproles. PENALTY on SF-K.Osgood, Fair Catch Interference, 15 yards, enforced at NO 25.

DRIVE TOTALS: SF 20, NO 20, 3 plays, 7 yards, 0:18 elapsed

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This decision wasn't made in a vacuum, though. Payton had witnessed his defense start to clamp down on San Fran's rather one-dimensional offense and sensed that the defensive momentum coupled with the insane crowd noise was to his advantage. He took a calculated risk; almost akin to doubling down when you're showing a 10 and the dealer is showing a 5. Colin Kaepernick is a fricking 5

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I understand that but they are one busted play or something from losing. Im sorry but I dont think you should ever call a timeout to give the opposing team more time. Save that timeout and use it on defense when you know you have done a good job at stoping them and or have another timeout when your offense takes the field


Im a Saints fan and a fan of SP but even though it worked out I dont think it was the right thing to do.

The genius of the timeout wasn't about the seconds saved/lost. It was forcing the ball in Kaps hands and making him beat you throwing. Everybody knew they were throwing including the pass rushers who almost won the game on that second down. Payton trusted his defense at the end and Harbaugh didn't.

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You don't call a time out that close to the 2 minute warning when you are on defense. Simply because you don't need to and it has the potential to be a waste. If you let it tick down to the 2 minute warning and they throw a pass the next play then you didn't need to take a time out. If they run, then you have maybe lost a few seconds. Yeah, those seconds can be big, but wasting a time out is much worse. It also opens up the playbook for the other team. They don't have to worry about stopping the clock on an incomplete pass because it is going to stop anyway.

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It was 2nd and 19 from their own 11. The Saints called the timeout with 2:01 left and got the ball back at 1:41 with 1 timeout left.

Had they not called the timeout, the Saints would have gotten the ball back with about 1:41 and no timeouts left.

What's better: 1:41 with 1 TOL or 1:41 with 0 TOL?

Payton was brilliant in his time management. You always want to have 1 timeout left before the 2 minute warning. Remember when Haslett burned all his timeouts before the 2 minute warning one time and he had non left to challenge a call that would have been reversed.

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Two timeouts taken were genius IMO.

At 2:11 - take the TO, kick the FG (maybe 5-6 seconds go off the clock).

Morestead kicks off through the endzone just about every time in the dome. Touchback, no time went off the clock.

After 1st down play (sack), call the TO with 2:01 remaining. This almost encourages a pass play. It was 2nd and 19. San Francisco had not been very productive passing and has limited success on longer passes.

2nd down was incomplete. Two minute warning.

The bonehead play was Kaep running out of bounds on the 3rd down play.

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Completely agree. This was the perfect scenario I played out in my head once he took the TO at 2:11.