Hold em or Fold em?

by UTexan on Dec 10, 2009 11:03 PM CST

Those of you that play poker are familiar with "the bluff". For those of you unfamiliar with a bluff it is when a player represents having something they don't have... which in most cases a good hand.

Is this what our Cowboys have become? A bunch of no account bluffing poker players? A poker player that is playing poorly will generally also start to play very erratically and will begin to make choices that they would not otherwise make. Like going all in with 72 offsuit or making Tony Romo hold kicks again.

The guy is our franchise QB and like him or not he is who we have to depend on for now. If this guy goes out there squatting down around all of these flying bodies and gets hurt then we have to depend of freaking John freaking Kitna! So this seems like an act of desperation and that we already have all of our cards on the table with all of our chips in the pot.

Such a pure tilt type move.

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Romo held before (ask any Cowboy hater out there, it's their favorite bedtime story).

To me it just points to a lack of available alternatives, nothing more.

by Benthere on Dec 10, 2009 11:36 PM CST reply actions

Added Risk?

How often does the holder get injured? I’m sure it’s happened some time, but I’ve never seen it.

I’m more worried about having to split his preparation time during the week. Some of that time he’s brushing up on holding for kicks is time he won’t have for his QB duties.

I am, however, impressed as heck that he’s offered to do it. After Seattle, I can’t imagine he’s actually eager to get back there again, and it’s not like he isn’t doing enough already to help the team.

by RickT on Dec 10, 2009 11:59 PM CST reply actions

Added Risk its just our luck is all I am saying

Scenario: Folk misses a field goal short (No way the crowd murmurs)….The other team is returning said missed field goal.
Tony Romo the superstar hero he is attempts to stop the possible touchdown…..the returner fumbles….
Then when the pile of bodies is removed all that lays at the bottom is the football and Romo’s broken body…
Just a scenario and while it never happens….it could happen to us!

by UTexan on Dec 11, 2009 4:46 PM CST up reply actions

same thing can happen, when Romo is trying to tackle a

defensive player, who is returning a fumble by one of ours RB’s and Romo gets injured (lets say gets a knee in the back or rib cage) wink wink

by dcfanz on Dec 12, 2009 4:00 PM CST up reply actions

true

Yes while statistically this is true, we are adding to the amount of time on the field which also gives him more of a chance to get hurt.
I know that it is not probable that he will get hurt, I was only saying do we want to risk it?
Which apparently I am the only one that would rather not.

by UTexan on Dec 12, 2009 4:05 PM CST up reply actions

good point, but the problem the team faces is

that Romo is probably the best holder on the roster (hopefully) and this late in to the season there are no good holders on the street, so there are 3 outcomes available
a) keep the status quo and hope that Folk and McBriar improve, while risking missing important field goals
b) get somebodyelse to hold (besides Romo) apparently (throw your name here) they all sux and have Folk missing on a regular bases.
c) let Romo hold, which presumably results in more FG made and cross your fingers that the extra time Romo spends holding does not translate to more opportunities to get injured.
Also I am 100% sure Romo wont be the holder next season

by dcfanz on Dec 12, 2009 5:56 PM CST up reply actions

scenario D

We go back to the drop kick….LOL

by UTexan on Dec 12, 2009 5:58 PM CST up reply actions

As far as preparation

Romo said they would stay late and do whatever was necessary to get the time in. I don’t believe it is going to take anything away from his preparation time as the QB.

"Coaches who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their player and motivate." Vince Lombardi

by Boyz4Life on Dec 11, 2009 12:10 AM CST reply actions

dude, when is the last time you actually saw a holder get injured during a kick??

Seriously, take a chill pill, won’t happen.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Dec 11, 2009 7:38 AM CST reply actions

LOL

FG holder = most hazardous position in football

You can't stop Patrick Crayton, you can only hope to contain him.

by APerfectStar on Dec 11, 2009 3:25 PM CST up reply actions

I like the options it gives.

Even if Tony never runs a fake field goal play, the defense has to account for it. Might give the extra second to make that longer field goal.

by oldboysfan on Dec 11, 2009 4:52 PM CST reply actions

I think the more concerning scenario

Is Romo gets dinged up in a game playing QB and leaves the field. Someone else now has to hold. A much more likely circumstance than him getting hurt while holding in any way.

I absolutely admire the fact he volunteered to hold whne he thought the team needed help.

Always be more than you appear and never appear to be more than you are

by tdships on Dec 11, 2009 5:26 PM CST reply actions

You are right there as well..

I wasn’t trying to say any bad thing would happen but a good coach would already have thought of these things that peons like us are bringing up here.
The only football experience I have is 3 years of HS and about 10 years of Madden. So if you and I can think of this stuff these guys should be on it!
Right?

by UTexan on Dec 11, 2009 5:30 PM CST up reply actions

Fair point

But if Tony’s dinged up, we have bigger problems than who’s going to hold. If that happens, we go back to McBriar and we’re no worse off than if we hadn’t made the switch. On the other hand, if McBriar is the problem, or if the change helps Folk get his head straight….The upside seems a lot higher than the risk.

by RickT on Dec 11, 2009 6:02 PM CST up reply actions

Fair Point

So would we rather chance Romo get hurt and then we have no QB and no Holder? Great we could have Kitna who the Detroit Lions didnt even keep…

by UTexan on Dec 11, 2009 6:16 PM CST up reply actions

Getting Hurt

There’s no substantial risk of getting injured being the holder on a FG attempt. Sure, it can happen, but can anyone think of a time it actually did?

If Romo gets hurt as a QB, you go back to McBriar as the holder—it’s as if no change had been made in the first place. (And, as I said, Folk’s struggles become the least of our problems. I think Kitna’s better than you’re portraying here, but I don’t think he’s good enough to win enough of the remaining games on our schedule.)

So there’s virtually no increase in the probability of him getting hurt, only a greater consequence if it does happen…and it already means the end of the season if he goes down. As far as consequences go…we’re already all in.

by RickT on Dec 12, 2009 11:25 AM CST reply actions

Getting Hurt

Great rebut, perfect response. I do agree that Kitna is a decent enough QB but ke you said either way if Romo goes down we are screwed.
We definitely don’t have a Matt Kassel. Right?

by UTexan on Dec 12, 2009 1:50 PM CST up reply actions