I like it when a coach shows some guts. You rarely see it anymore.

Since I'm out in the Mountain West, we did NOT get to see Jets-Patriots. Instead we got the far better Denver-San Diego game. Didn't think it WOULD be better, but it definitely was.

Anyway, the reason that he gets kudos from me... the Denver offense makes it 38-37 with a touchdown. Most coaches would just be conservative, go for one, and take it to overtime. Instead, Mike S. has the offense go for two, and they make it and go on to win 39-38.

Kudos To Mike for this one (and I'm not even a Broncos fan!)

My jaw literally fell open watching that, i just couldn't believe that it wasn't going to go to OT.... it's only gutsy when it works, otherwise he would have been seen as stupid or irresponsible at best.

I hate conservative punts. I hate punts in general. And I hate "going for the tie".

I think more teams would do better if their coaches showed some audacity.

I like the Broncos as a franchise a lot, but the Chargers got cheated tonight. Cheated badly.

Ed shouldn't have blown the whistle either way. Jay Cutler was at about the 8 yard line when he "threw" the ball, and the ball landed at the 10. Which makes it a lateral, and thus obviously a fumble.

The Hoch is one of the best Zebras in the game.

For Norv to trash talk him after Hoch admitted he messed up is sad.

But not shocking, given Norv Turner's history. Attaboy, Jay!

A couple years ago, the Chiefs were in the same situation (don't remember who they were playing, might have even been the Broncos), and went for two. They got it, and everyone was marveling then, too.

The fact of the matter is, when you go for two in that situation, you're taking your life into your own hands, rather than leaving things to a coin toss. And in the case today, they couldn't afford a coin toss. Neither defense was stopping anything.

So, while I will agree that it was the gutsy call to make, I'd have to also say that it gave them their best chance of winning the game as well. Most coaches, I think, wouldn't have calculated that like Shanahan did.


Well, actually, after seeing Romeo Crennel's superb clock management skills tonight, I'm pretty sure there's at least one coach out there that wouldn't have figured it out.

Norv is just a small person. I'm sure he's a great offensive coordinator, but I would never give him a head coaching position. He says the dumbest things to the media, and, let's face it, the tactical blunders of last year are still stinging him. If he's going to give an excuse to the press, it better be something along the lines of his defense giving up 39 points, not how a ref screwed him.

Frankly, I still miss Marty.


As far as the fumble is concerned - They need to sit down and figure something out about potential fumbles, that can't become fumbles, thanks to the play being whistled dead. You can't just let every potential fumble play out, because the game will be an hour longer, not to mention you can't make the coaches continually challenge every potential fumble. And if nobody gets on the ball, then you can't really review it (I'm ignoring the fact that you can't challenge it to begin with), because you can't give the ball to anyone.

It's a pickle. That stuff happens real fast, and the ref has to make a quick decision.


I get much more angry at refs for stuff like, "Well, we called it this way, so we're reviewing it. And in the review, we really can't make a call either way, so we're going to overturn the call."

That stuff they have complete control over, and keep getting taken behind the woodshed for. They should know better.

You play to win the game!!

I agree that the Chargers got cheated that last call, but the Broncos got cheated prior to that, when the ball was "stripped" IMO.

Ed admitted he goofed on the call - just gotta get over it and move on.

Oh yeah - and Shanahan is ballsey. He's also got a decent team that I predict the Steelers will be playing in the not-so-distant future of the playoffs...

Look at it this way. Norv Turner is the head coach, so he probably would have done something to screw it up.

But yeah, it was a day of bad calls for the Chargers all around.

I love it when the coach goes for the win. But as Thawmus pointed out, Shanahan definitely plotted this out as his best chance for a win versus OT. I read a quote that during the first offensive huddle of the drive, Cutler said we are going for two if we make a touchdown, so Shanahan had already made the decision not to go to OT as soon as they got the ball back(or before that, who knows?).
Even when coaches get raked when they go for two and don't make it, I almost always respect the decision to go for the win over the tie. When you know your D is out of gas, or just way off for the whole game, don't let it be a factor. Put it on the shoulders of your Offense. Especially if your an Offensive-minded guy like Shanahan. If your team is identified by your Defense, like say the Titans, you probably opt for the tie, and OT. It's all situational.

Right call, and it won the game. Kudos to Jay Cutler too(fumble not withstanding)!

Gotta agree about the Titans. Fisher is a pretty smart guy, besides. I remember when Indy had their unstoppable offense going, the Titans just did onside kicks the whole game. It was seriously funny to watch, and the strategy nearly paid off for them.