JASON MAAS-TIN PLAY CALL

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
#1

Got to love the way a coach calls a play to ruin the season for the players. As a coach you have to put your players in a position of winning the game, Maas didnt. He took a page out of Kent Austin's Game Management manual. Austin would make that call.

Field goal over trying to convert on third down considering the time and field position

At that point you go for it on third down. If you dont get it, you still have Calgary deeper in their end and you have better field position if/when they punt.

By going for the field goal, you still are down 4 and need a TD, although you will have to go a longer distance to get that touchdown with similar or less time.

Maybe Maas can throw a tirade toward himself in the mirror for what he did to his players with that decision.

This call made Austin calls look impressive.

#2

Stupid play call. It should cost him his job.

#3

It's the CFL. One minute left is a long time. All they had to do was stop the Stamps from getting a 1st down and leave it to the O to score again. They had the wind.

The Esks are 22-14 under Mass and they have been to a Divisional Final in both of his seasons as HC. There is no way he deserves to loose his job. Give you head a shake.

#4

Spread was +5. Maas had money on his team.

#5

That's the only comment I've heard or read, including Maas's own explanation, that could explain the reasoning behind his decision and have it make any sense at all.

#6

Hey at least we don't own the 'worst play calling in the CFL" this year, we get to share the award with Edmonton!!!! All I can say is WOW, what a bonehead call!!!!

#7

I almost could have understood Maas’ rationale if he had followed the field goal with an onside kick attempt, with the rationale that the only way for them to win was to not let Calgary’s offense possess the ball again (assuming that a converted touchdown for Edmonton to tie the game following a successful 3rd down gamble would have been answered by at least a single point on a game-ending drive by Calgary in the final minute, resulting in a one point Calgary victory). But obviously that wasn’t even it. He said in a post-game interview that he thought there was enough time to stop Calgary and score a go-ahead TD.

#8

His rationale is straight forward... If they stop them there's 1:10 or so left when Calgary punts. Into the wind, etc.

Doesn't make it right. It's terrible. But not impossible to understand what he was thinking. Just an example of coaches overthinking.

#9

Had they managed to actually stop them two- or three-and-out, they would have had time. And they'd done that since midway through the third.

But still a dumb call, IMO. They still had to score a TD on this drive or the next. Might as well go for it right away.

#10

Finally someone who gets it. The real takeaway from the western final is that Austin sucks. I’m surprised TSN missed it.

#11

First you assume that Austin would make the same call that Maas did, which you can't really say with any certainty. But then you say that this particular call in comparison makes Austin's calls look impressive. ???

So which is it? Would Kent Austin be stupid enough to make this call or not?

#12

Jones would have had a quick vote among players. The kids deserve to be asked.

#13

Sorry, one bad call in the playoffs you still made it to doesn't compare to leaving 22 points off the board for refusing to do a QB Sneak on the 1 yard line on 5 separate occasions times, or running a pass heavy offense when you have a known receiver shortage and O.Line issues during a 6-12 season.

#14

Only fools would bet on the outcome of a CFL game where pass interference calls late in a game often dictate the result.

#15

As one of the TV commentators reasoned, his offense was making third downs in that same series, they were in the red zone. There was less than 2 minutes left. You don't know if you will get this close to the end zone again, and you're moving the ball.

Why not??

His decisionmade absolutely no sense to me at all.

As Suitor stated, sometimesyou just overthink it.

Instead of grabbing for the present,Maas hoped on the future.

And it never came.

#16

Maas was counting on his D, which features a lot of playmakers, to get him the ball back with enough time to score a TD, I guess. He looks like a genius if it works, but a fool if it doesn't.

I would have gone for the TD instead of the field goal. If you get the TD, you can still rely on your D to win the game by stopping the Stamps from scoring again.

#17

And to be honest this is what makes the call terrible.

If he goes and doesn't get it - a stop and he gets the ball back (likely inside mid field) with a minute or so left.

If he gets it and scores the TD he kicks off tied (like he did after the FG) he needs the same stop he needed after the FG, but this time a FG or single wins the game.

Now that I think about it further, it just might actually be Pete Carroll bad.

#18

Yeah, the trouble with big gamble moves is when they don't work out. If the D had then stuffed Mitchell or Messam and forced a loss, or if the returner had fielded the ball cleanly and gained some yards on the return, and the Eskies scored, Maas would be today's genius. Unfortunately its "ifs and ands" and in the end, a failed call. But then, Whyte left 5 points on the field due to the wind, and that's November football in the foothills.

#19

Ah my young padawan, now you have come to truly understand the dark side of the force.
Pete Carroll bad indeed. Been watching this came for almost 6 decades now (didn't start until I was 6). Worst pro call I can remember considering the context and importance of the game. Even Carroll's call was a straight up gamble. This was a mix of time management, gambling, and a sort of hoping that things would turn out nice.

#20

Sorry, not true. Calgary punted with 24 seconds left to the EDM 28. If the returner had fielded it cleanly and gone straight upfield, let's say for 10 yards, then EDM has at most 17 seconds to travel 70+ yards for a TD with no timeouts left. That's miracle territory, and counting on a miracle does not make you a genius.