WestCoastJoe wrote: ↑Sun Nov 19, 2017 8:56 pm
TheLionKing wrote: ↑Sun Nov 19, 2017 7:29 pm
B.C.FAN wrote: ↑Sun Nov 19, 2017 5:22 pm
Maas said after the game that he doesn’t regret his decision. At least he can spend the next 6 months thinking about it.
Said he had confidence in his defence to force a 2 and out. If so, why did he gambled on 3rd down on at least occasions earlier. No confidence in his defence at that point. Poor coaching decision, plain and simple.
"Confidence in his defence to force 2 and out," says Maas. That is nonsense from Maas. He was down close to a score. If they miss, CGY is stuck deep in their own zone. He needed a TD. That was their shot at it. The FG did nothing. They still needed a TD. To give up the shot for nothing was stupid. He had a brain fart. He panicked.
So his "logic" says that the defence can stop CGY, and then EDM gets a shot at a TD. Well, they already had the shot, and Maas gave it away.
No surprise he won't admit that he messed up. His team knows. He should tell his team that he made a mistake, taking away their chance for victory. He seems to have a very thin coat on his self confidence. (Reminds me of a certain American politician we see too much of on the news.)
I have always heard that the pro (and college) coaches have a decision chart. What to do in situations. The decision he made would not be on his decision chart. LOL If they anticipated that situation the chart would say go for it, as it is your best chance for the needed TD. D'oh ...
With the decision chart you avoid panic in the heat of the moment. Here is what you do in this situation. One would think an assistant would tell Maas of his mistaken thinking, but one gets the impression the communication on the staff is faulty, as with his screaming at his assistant earlier this year.
Just IMO ...
Its always interesting to read what players usually say after a major coaching screwup. Mike Reilly dodged the question of Maas call to kick the field goal by saying "I put faith in our coaching staff to make the right decisions. I would never question that".
Vidal Hazelton said after the game "Me personally I'd have liked to go for it. But I believe in our coaching staff. And whatever call they make, we're going to run with it".
In other words, players usually see their role as 'executing' whatever call the coach makes to the best of their ability.
Before questioning Maas call, the reality is that Buono would never have gambled on third and 10 in the first place earlier in the drive. Earlier in the game, when Maas gambled three times, including one that was a third and almost two, in Edmonton's own end.
But pressure can do weird things to a coach. Mass panicked on the call, fear took over, and his thinking got distorted.
However, what bothers me more (I was pulling for Edmonton and especially Mike Reilly) is Maas response to the call. Rather than saying that in hindsight, he would have gambled, he comes up with some b.s. that he had faith in his team.
If Maas had faith in his team, and especially his offence, he would have gambled inside the red zone. It was the only call to make. Asking his defence, which had not stopped the run all day, to hold Calgary to a two and out, and drive the length of the field with less than a minute left to win the game was not playing the odds at all.
If he truly had faith in his team, he would have gambled on third and less than five. Had Edmonton scored the touchdown and the convert, they still would have had a chance to stop Calgary's offence and take a last shot at a win. Or they could have scored a touchdown in the red zone and then Maas could have put faith in his defense and offence to win the game in overtime.
There is no calculation, strategy or analysis of the situation that could possibly justify Maas call to go for the field goal. Maas took the football out of the hands of Reilly, who will probably win the MOP, and was on the verge of bringing the Eskimos back with an impressive drive.
You also don't put this situation on your defense. Benevedes runs a vanilla defense with a four man rush and vanilla zone. If they did not have such a great defensive line they would be easily dissected by opposing teams. Calgary has had more trouble with their passing game this season as Bo Levi has not had a great season. Benevedes showed no ability to adapt to stop the Calgary running attack all game so why think they could at that point in the game.
I think we learned something about Jason Maas. He took a chance early in the game with a third down gamble in his own end of the field. But when the chips were down near the end of the game, fear ruled his thinking and fear distorted this thinking. But then again, fear nearly always rules Buono's thinking. But what we also learned about Jason Maas is that he is also full of b.s. and is not someone who takes responsibility just like Buono.
A coach I admire for taking responsibility is the Bombers Mike O'Shea. He took responsibility for his special teams call in the West Semi-Final.
For Maas to weasel out by saying he had faith in his players is despicable. You go for the third down call, that deep in Calgary territory, to attempt to tie the game, especially with the time that was left on the clock. Then you go for victory. There was no other call to make and no way to justify any other call.
Congrats to the Stamps for another berth to the Grey Cup game. Also congrats to the Toronto Argos and Mark Trestman. You took on an incredible challenge and rebuilt a team in one season, dealt with every type of obstacle in doing so, and are playing in the Big Dance. Wish you were coaching our Lions. This season, our coach took a very talented team and turned it into a disaster.
Congrats to Chris Jones too. In only your second season, you have completely rebuilt a team that needed to be rebuilt and you were only one play away (a successful third down and long gamble by Toronto late in the game) from a Grey Cup berth.
While I would have loved an Edmonton Saskatchewan Grey Cup I look forward to the game and the chance that Toronto can upset Calgary in the Big Dance.