You Be the Coach: The 'Right Call' in 10 Recent Controversial Sports Situations
Is Los Angeles Rams coach Jeff Fisher doing the right thing by sitting No. 1 NFL draft pick Jared Goff? Did Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts make the right call when he pulled pitcher Rich Hill from a perfect game?
Sports fans are always playing the role of coaches—on Twitter, at social gatherings or just at home on the couch. And, disclaimer: Coaches really deserve better than that. Their jobs are not easy—not as easy as say, pointing and judging from the safety of one's own living room.
That said, one of the best parts of sports is discussion. So, why not have a little virtual chit-chat about a few recent coaching calls in sports?
The coaches featured in each of these 10 situations had or have different paths to choose, and there were pros and cons to what they ultimately decided. Each play in a single game comes with any number of nuanced variables attached to it. Each athlete is different and develops differently. But when it comes down to it, the coach still has to make a call.
Was what these coaches did the "right call?" Read on to find out. (And if you disagree, well then, that's the fun of sports, isn't it?)
Brian Kelly Calls Timeout, Punts Late Against MSU
1 of 10
Situation: Notre Dame trailed Michigan State 36-7 in the third quarter of their September matchup in South Bend, Indiana. And yet, the Irish mounted a furious comeback, scoring 21 straight points to pull within eight. Facing a 4th-and-7 at his own 32 with 3:30 to go, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly called a timeout, and then he opted to punt. MSU notched two first downs, and the Irish never got the ball back.
Pros: It's not necessarily sound to risk giving the opponent the ball on your own 32-yard line. Kelly put faith in his defense, hoped to stop MSU and get the ball back. After the game, he said, "We make a stop there, it looks like a pretty good decision," per Angelo Di Carlo of WNDU.com. Fair enough.
Cons: Ignoring the momentum. David Mayo of MLive.com wrote, "It wasn't the optimal position to go for it but the Irish were clicking until the previous play, a game-altering sack by Raequan Williams."
Also, Notre Dame's defense hasn't exactly been stellar on the year. The Irish allowed 517 total yards in the Week 1 loss to Texas and 501 against the Spartans. Quarterback DeShone Kizer, on the other hand, is an exciting playmaker with nine passing touchdowns and four rushing in three games.
The Right Call: Go for it at home, with the momentum.
(P.S. Even if punting was the right call, why was at timeout necessary beforehand?)
Luke Walton Says Brandon Ingram Won't Start for Lakers
2 of 10
Situation: Of No. 2 NBA draft pick Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton said, "We're not going to throw him into the starting lineup right away," per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Pros: Walton also said, per Medina, "You develop the young core by rewarding them when they play well. … But when you're going through the season, you're not doing anyone any favors just by playing young guys so they can play if they're not out there playing the right way."
Besides that, Ingram may need time to develop physically. Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com reported on Ingram's quest to gain weight in the offseason and revealed his attempts to have six "feedings" per day.
Cons: According to Andrew Lynch of Fox Sports, Lakers fans weren't too happy about former coach Byron Scott's use of another young player in 2015-16. "Last year, Scott drew quite a bit of ire for his refusal to start No. 2 pick DeAngelo Russell. And to the potential consternation of some, Walton is apparently following in Scott's footsteps with Ingram."
Good thing Walton's job is to win games and not appease fans.
The Right Call: Walton takes his time.
Jack Del Rio Goes for 2 Against the Saints
3 of 10
Situation: The Oakland Raiders trailed the New Orleans Saints 34-27 in the fourth quarter of their Week 1 matchup. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr connected with wide receiver Seth Roberts for a 10-yard touchdown with 47 seconds to play. An extra point might have eventually resulted in overtime, but head coach Jack Del Rio opted to go for two instead. It worked, but was it a smart call?
Pros: The Raiders had some momentum at the time of the call, having stormed back from a 24-10 third-quarter deficit. Also, given the performance of Saints QB Drew Brees (424 yards and four TDs on the day), perhaps Del Rio didn't want to take his chances in overtime.
Cons: According to Will Brinson of CBS Sports, this was the first time since 2008 a team successfully converted a two-point conversion to go ahead in the last minute of regulation. ESPN's Sharon Katz & Brian Burke also pointed out, "Based on ESPN's win probability model, the Raiders would have had a 51 percent chance to win if they kicked the extra point and a 44 percent chance to win if they attempted the two-point conversion."
(Del Rio masterfully tweeted later, "Good thing ESPN isn't coaching the Raiders.")
Sure, hindsight is 20/20, and if this hadn't gone the way it did, folks would have likely criticized Del Rio. Still, boldness should be celebrated from time to time.
The Right Call: Just what Del Rio did.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Gus Malzahn's Refusal to Pick a QB for Good
4 of 10
Situation: In August, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn announced redshirt sophomore Sean White would be the starting quarterback in the opener against Clemson. In said opener, three Auburn QBs—White, junior college transfer John Franklin III and senior Jeremy Johnson—all saw playing time. In that and the two games since, Malzahn has refused to say, indisputably, that White is and will be the starter for the year.
White and Franklin played in a loss against Texas A&M, after which Mahlzan simply said, "We will talk about things next week," per Matthew Stevens of the Montgomery Advertiser.
Pros: Flexibility, for one. For instance, Franklin is a greater running threat than White and racked up 47 rushing yards on nine carries against A&M. After that loss, Malzahn said, per Stevens, "… it's not that we just felt like, 'hey Sean, you're not doing a good job', it was more of 'let's get John in there and see if we can get a spark.'"
Cons: Still, one has to wonder how such inconsistency affects the confidence of each player. In addition, game flow must be considered. The Associated Press noted (via USA Today) after the Clemson game, "The offense struggled to get into a rhythm or build up a consistently fast tempo with the revolving door of quarterbacks."
The Right Call: Pick a guy and stick with him.
Dave Roberts Yanks Rich Hill Amid Perfect Game
5 of 10
Situation: In early September, Dodgers pitcher Hill had a perfect game going through seven innings. Before the eighth, manager Roberts opted to pull him in what Michael Duarte of NBC Los Angeles predicted "will likely go down as the most criticized decision by a manager in baseball history."
Pros: The Dodgers are poised for a playoff run, and Hill recently experienced a blister on his throwing hand. Roberts was likely concerned about a recurrence that would have affected the team's future. According to the Associated Press (via the Orange County Register), Roberts said, "For me to put any one player's individual success as amazing and great it would have been ahead of the team to potentially compromise our goal, I think I would lose credibility."
Cons: Hill lost a shot at a perfect game, of which there have been just 23 in baseball history. Duarte pointed out that since 1913, no pitcher has been pulled from a perfect game after the seventh inning or later.
Still, Roberts' job is to help the team win, not to ensure individual achievements for his players. This might be unpopular, but…
The Right Call: Just what Roberts did.
Keeping Josh Norman on the Left Side
6 of 10
Situation: Washington made All-Pro Josh Norman the highest paid cornerback in the NFL when it signed him to a five-year, $75 million contract in April. And yet, come Week 1, Norman steered pretty clear of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, also an All-Pro. Norman also did not start the Week 2 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys shadowing standout Dez Bryant.
Now, if you ask New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz (per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post) these were probably not coaching decisions Assuming they were, is relegating Norman to one side of the field the right call?
Pros: It's hard to believe, but it is possible Washington's coaching staff knows something sports media members (gasp!) don't. After Week 1, Washington coach Jay Gruden explained, "It's a little bit too early to say, 'OK, let's match him up on the best receiver because [cornerback Bashaud] Breeland gave up a couple of catches to Antonio Brown for (heaven's) sake,'" per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com.
Cons: Brown caught for 126 yards and two touchdowns in the Steelers' win over Washington. Refusing to put Norman primarily on him or Bryant not only is a bummer for fans but also reads a bit like spending a fortune on a new sports car only to keep it stashed in the garage.
The Right Call: Put your best guy on their best guy (which Washington eventually did the second half vs. Dallas).
Pep Guardiola Gives Yaya Toure an Ultimatum
7 of 10
Situation: Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was left off Pep Guardiola's Champions League squad (due mostly to UEFA rules regarding locally trained players). As a result, Toure's agent, Dimitri Seluk, told Sunday Mirror (h/t ESPNFC), "But if City don't win the Champions League then I hope that Pep has got the balls to say that he was wrong to humiliate a great player like Yaya."
In response, Guardiola made it clear Toure will not play for City again until he apologizes for his agent's comments.
Pros: On one hand, this shows a no-nonsense attitude on the part of Guardiola. He said, per Ed Aarons of the Guardian, "I cannot imagine in my period when I was a football player, my manager going to the media and speaking against Johan Cruyff, about this and about that."
Meanwhile, Toure is 33 years old and, as Leander Schaerlaeckens of Vice Sports pointed out, "already much diminished as a midfielder and unlikely to play a major part in Guardiola's revamped team."
Cons: On the other hand, is this really the kind of attention Guardiola wants as he settles in with a new club amid high expectations? Is it fair to punish Toure for his agent's actions?
The Right Call: A private conversation with Toure, perhaps.
John Tortorella Benches Dustin Byfuglien vs. Team Europe
8 of 10
Situation: Columbus Blue Jackets boss John Tortorella is coaching Team USA in September's World Cup of Hockey. He opted to sit defenseman Dustin Byfuglien for the opening game against Team Europe, and the Americans went on to lose by a surprising 3-0 margin.
Pros: Team USA was favored to beat Team Europe handily, according to ESPN's Scott Burnside, a result which—had it not materialized—would have made Tortorella's roster decisions less vulnerable to criticism. Also, per Larry Brooks of the Post, captain Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks said, "We've got a lot of good players here, so whatever decisions are made and whoever is in the lineup has to get the job done," which is a good point.
Cons: According to Brooks, Byfuglien—who plays for the Winnipeg Jets—is the NHL's top scoring American defenseman and "a power-play weapon with a huge shot from the right side."
And ESPN's John Buccigross wrote, "Coaches know their players better than we do, but Byfuglien is such a special, versatile force, I can't ever imagine not playing him. If Bill Belichick were a hockey coach, he would love using versatile players such as Byfuglien."
The Right Call: Play the guy (which Tortorella reversed for Team USA's subsequent matchup against Canada).
Dabo Swinney Doesn't Kick Field Goal Against Auburn
9 of 10
Situation: Clemson defeated Auburn to kick off its college football season, but it was dicey there for a minute. Up 19-13 and facing a 4th-and-4 deep in Auburn territory with less than a minute to go, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney opted to go for it, even though a field goal would have put his team up by a nearly insurmountable two scores. (Auburn had no timeouts.)
Clemson ran the ball on fourth down, didn't make it and gave Auburn the ball back with over 30 seconds left. As Jeff Shearer of AuburnTigers.com tweeted, Auburn got off a pretty decent Hail Mary attempt on the last play of the game, too.
Pros: A first down wins the game right then and there, while a made field goal only almost assuredly wins the game right then and there. In addition, Alex Kirshner of SB Nation wrote, "Clemson has the best quarterback in the country, Deshaun Watson. A 4-yard completion would've ended the game." (Only, the Tigers didn't throw the ball on fourth—they ran it for an insufficient 2-yard gain.)
Cons: If Clemson went for it on fourth and didn't make it, it would have to turn the ball over to Auburn with a sliver of time left (which, incidentally, is exactly what happened). Swinney also later said, per ESPN's David Hale, he was worried about a possible blocked kick return on a field goal attempt.
The Right Call: Um, kick the field goal.
Jeff Fisher Sitting Jared Goff
10 of 10
Situation: The Los Angeles Rams traded a bunch of picks to the Tennessee Titans to move up and select quarterback Jared Goff first at the NFL draft. Goff was inactive in Week 1 vs. the San Francisco 49ers and backed up starter Case Keenum in Week 2 vs. the Seattle Seahawks. Is sitting a rookie you gave up the farm to get a great idea (particularly with what Carson Wentz is doing in Philadelphia)?
Pros: Goff struggled in the preseason, and Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com wrote, "In case you were still unsure, the Los Angeles Rams' final preseason game confirmed it: Jared Goff is not ready." Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times revealed Keenum will start in Week 3 and reported head coach Jeff Fisher's comments: "If you're talking about Jared, I don't want to be a broken record here but we're going to play him when he's ready."
Cons: The Rams gave up a whole lot to take Goff at No. 1 in the draft. And while they are 1-1, they suffered a 28-0 demolition at the hands of the 49ers in Week 1. To boot, Keenum's numbers are nothing to celebrate (53 percent passing with a 57.8 passer rating in the first two games).
Still, if Goff is not ready, he's not ready.
The Right Call: Just what Fisher is doing.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
