Dumb Decisions: The STUPIDEST Clock Management Ever | Steve Mariucci | 49ers @ Buccaneers (2002)
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- In the 2002 NFC Divisional between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers, the 49ers trailed 28-6 with the ball near midfield, two timeouts, and roughly one minute left in the half. For some reason, Steve Mariucci decided to go into halftime and let the clock run out. This is a look at Mariucci's dumb decision that essentially ended any hopes of San Francisco mounting a comeback
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IN DEFENSE OF DOUG MARRONE: • In Defense Of... Doug ...
PLAYLIST OF EVERY EPISODE OF DUMB DECISIONS: • Dumb Decisions
I often wondered how Steve Mariucci ended up in Detroit after some successful seasons in San Fran. Now I know why.
Mooch was in consideration for the packers job after 2005, in my opinion I think Aaron Rodgers still develops properly and the jackets still a SB in 2010s.
@Sam Out of that coaching tree, I consider Mariucci ahead of Dick Jauron, but taking a knee here was a bad move by him (I do think he would've been fired regardless, since 49ers management/ownership was hell-bent on tearing down the quick rebuild they made).
@Sam I think Dick Jauron was a solid overall coach, but too "safe", way too cautious, and I feel it led to mediocrity. A real bend-but-don't-break guy, even as a defensive coordinator, but in that capacity that attitude can be better served (especially with average personnel). A team won't lose badly with Jauron running any aspect of their team, but he isn't a difference-maker either (a king of 7-9 seasons; enough to be respectable, not good enough to break through).
Isn't Tom Coughlin more from the Bill Parcells coaching tree?
@Sam Steve Young and Jerry Rice, along with Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens, made him
Lions offered more money. That simple.
3:36 I was never a big TO fan, but I don't blame him for openly showing his disgust with the playcalling.
Even if you're down 22 at the half, you've still got 2 timeouts, 50 seconds, near midfield and get the ball to start the 2nd half. If I was Steve Mariucci, I would have been trying to get a score of any kind to get some sort of positive momentum entering the 2nd half.
TO was right. In that situation you have to at least try. You won't lose your team if you make even a questionable choice that shows faith in them. As I've mentioned before about Switzer not punting on those plays in '95, his players defended him and said they should have gotten the yard. The Cowboys didn't lose another game the rest of the way. In this situation, the best player on the team wanted to fight back and his coach folded.
I'm not at all surprised about TO being pissed. Not just because of the decision to sit on the ball, but also because he's had it out for Mooch ever since he called him out in the locker room for scoring and standing on the star in Dallas.
As coaching decisions go, that one by Mariucci was worse than if you did nothing but spike the ball into the ground on every single play.
You did a great job of capturing why that decision was so horrible. It wasn't just the idea of going into halftime down 22. It was the whole combination of waiting a few seconds to take the timeout down 21-6 with the Buccaneers knocking on the door, calling a running play for Garrison Hearst where he doesn't try to go out of bounds to preserve one of the two remaining timeouts and letting the clock run out to go into halftime. It was indeed Steve Mariucci waving the white flag and saying "we're not gonna win this."
Even if the Bucs get a sack/fumble or a distant replay of Rocket Screen (don't remind me of THAT one!), at least the attempt to put something on the board would have told his team, "I still think we can do this" and would have perhaps given his team more of a shot to at least be competitive. Down 28-13 or 28-14 with a two-point conversion going into half might not have swung momentum enough, but it would have at least shown Mariucci was willing to do what it took to win. Even a missed field goal attempt would have told his team their coach wasn't quitting on them.
I always liked Garcia as a QB
Somewhat similar: the 2012 AFC Divisonal round between the Broncos and Ravens - the famous "Mile High Miracle" game: the Ravens tied the game with less than a minute on the clock, with that memorable Flacco-rainbow to Jacoby Jones. That's what everybody remembers. What few remembers is what came immediately afterwards: the Broncos had 31 seconds and 2 timeouts to make it into field goal territory from their own 20 - and they knelt. As it was a tie at that point, a FG (by all probability a last-second one) would have won them the game - and still. They had a formidable O led by Peyton Manning - and still... they already had 35 points at that point, which showed that, no matter how truly great that Ravens D was, they could move the ball on them - and still. they knelt.
... and lost the game in OT.
Not a big Dan Dierdorf fan, but he said it: "Am I the only one scratching my head here?" as Peyton knelt on the ball.
Don't forget that of course it was at altitude so it would've been more makeable.
Mooch basically got fired right here.
How much you wanna bet TO let them hear about this in the locker room the entire time during half time
To say TO was pissed is an understatement
At 4:43 you say that Mariucci was fired by Jed York. In actuality, it was Jed's father John York who fired Mooch, as Jed York didn't become 49ers team president until the 2008 season.
Man seeing this makes me cringe. Mooch's conservative attitudes at times was a stranglehold on the team.
It's crazy to think this was the 49ers last playoff game until Jim Harbaugh came around. And this was before I became a huge football fan. And a huge Niners fan.
I would say this play was more gutless than dumb....but still pretty dumb.
I think Mooch knew he was on the outs so he thought "screw it"
Sam Wyche should have been hired by SF way back in '97. He could draft, he could coach and he made it all work in a tightwad club in Cincy. Look at his draft picks in Tampa. Mariucci sucked. He was way too conservative, look at the Bears game in 2001 for example, and his conservative attitude caused a lot of heart stopping last second games in 2002 including a loss to SD.
I am currently watching the Arizona Cardinals (DOWN 21 POINTS IN THE WILDCARD GAME) run out the remaining 40 seconds left in the first half with 3 timeouts. I INSTANTLY thought of this video. Talk about a dumb decision.
The worst part isn't even surrendering. The worst part is calling a timeout to get the ball back with more time, and THEN surrendering anyway.
You’re right
"But before we go any further, I just wa..."
**smashes fast forward button**
I’m a long time 49er fan and I remember this game. Wasn’t surprised when Mariucci was fired.
The 9ers may have been hell-bent on firing him anyway but Mariucci gave John York a perfect reason for firing him. You don't lay down the way they did when you're behind 22 points at the half and that's what they did. On a side note, supposedly TO came to talk to Mariucci as he was cleaning out his desk after being fired to wish him well.
I had a friend who's father worked Maintenence at Raymond James that day... there was a rumor internally that this was the moment Mariucci got word of his potentally getting walking papers at that point and stopped giving af. Makes sense when you look at it.
As a 49ers fan I never understood this. I was calling for Mooches head at halftime.
I have NEVER understood how teams w/WRs like Moss or Owens didn’t take more deep shots & have plays ready for crucial moments. A TD or even FG is worth the risk of an arm punt. Mariucci paid the ultimate price for this game.
He was a disciple of the West Coast offense which essentially is throw short passes in space and allow the receivers to run a long way
Even if you ultimately don't get any points, at least you can say you went down swinging. At least try to get it to midfield so you can throw up a hail mary.
@@mikepastor.k6233 there are components of the WCO that throws the ball deep. He was just an idiot.
@@ibrahimkhalif83exactly. Holmgren ran the same offense and Favre constantly went deep, so did Shanahan in Denver and they went deep, regularly. Montans stretched the field with Rice and Taylor,too
Nah, pretty sure Denver vs. Baltimore in 2012 Playoffs was worse. You have Peyton Manning, time on the clock and a timeout. And you decide to just run out the clock for Overtime? Absolutely gutless coaching.
This was young TO too
I remember this game like yesterday. It was so boring. The Bucs just destroyed everyone in the playoffs. The AFC side was much more compelling
I think one of the worst examples of clock management was by Abe Gibron, the coach of the Bears for a few years in the early 70s. The Bears were a lousy team in those days. In one rare game in which they were leading very late and had the ball, Gibron called a timeout. Because he did this, there was just enough time for the opposing team to score the winning touchdown (all hail the Prevent Defense!). Oh, and why did Gibron call that timeout? To tell his offensive team not to call timeout in order to run out the clock.
Yup. It really happened.
Steve Mariucci looked defeated. He knew his team was not coming back from 20+ point deficits 2 weeks in a row. He knew this was his last game coaching the 49ers.
Then he should have resigned right at that point and handed over the reigns to someone who gave a damn about the outcome of the game. Hell, if I were a coach or player, I would have outright mutinied against him right then and there.
As a Purdue fan, it was cool to hear Mike Alstott and Vinny Sutherland name-checked quickly one after the other.
Thanks!
Presenting the moment Steve Marucci was driven out of San Francisco.
Have you done Marty Moringwig (spelling) going on defense first in overtime against the Chicago Bears around this time? That deserves a look if not.
Haven't done it yet, but it's definitely on the list. Here's the playlist of every one I've done: ua-cam.com/play/PLiNoyKuX-mVio-xrKyRVqrOFxrc0Y2huu.html
@@OfficialJaguarGator9 I was just about to look at that, thank you. :)
That's one of the reasons he was fired. He lost the locker room.
I'd love to hear whether you think John Fox running the clock out with 50 seconds in a tie game in the 2012 AFC divisional game vs BAL was dumb or not
Probably going to do a future episode on that at some point. Spoiler alert: it was dumb
That was not just stupid, it was epic brainless behavior.
One of many mistakes in that game. I was there.
@@area.man. I think that when coaches are that overly conservative, they are trying to make the game about themselves. It sounds kind of weird, but they feel the best outcome is one which puts them in control, regardless of whether the alternate choice increases the chances of winning the game.
Great title for this playlist
Doug Marrone being cowardly? I'm shocked I tells ya.
At times like these, I'm reminded of Richard Dreyfuss in Let it Ride: "whaddaya like? You like the odds on lightning?!?!"
Great movie. Unknown but great.
The dumbest job of bad clock management to me was at the end of the half of this year's superbowl. I don't think that the Kittle call messed things up. Yes it was unfortunate, but the way they started that drive, Shanahan missed an opportunity (lol i was happy though cuz i was going for the Cheifs haha)
And this is why Steve isn't coaching in the NFL anymore
I mean, he's also 65 and this was nearly 20 years ago, so...
He did only get one more job with a shitty Detroit team, if that's what you meant.
This helped Mooch get fired 😂😂😂
2:06 just for the record, they DID get away with it, not "may have". The Giants got hosed. I remember it was admitted afterwards that defensive interference should've been called.
It's a joke. Relax. Using an understatement like "may have" is a common comedic device.
I think Mooch was resigned to the fact that he was getting fired with basically anything short of a Super Bowl appearance and probably even a win. And while that can create a nothing to lose scenario -- which would encourage aggressive play -- Mooch went the other way. First of all, he's not that kind of coach. Secondly, I think the constant pissing contest he was in with TO (which had lasted basically the entirety of the 2001 and 2002 seasons) just sucked the life out of him. Here, I think he was just tapped out. It sounds crazy given the epic comeback against NY the week before. But in reality, I think he was done.
Some offenses moved the ball on the Bucs' D a little bit in those 2-minute situations, but there's a reason why they didn't capitalize. Remember that this is the 2002 Bucs' D we're talking about here. The Niners weren't gonna come out of that grave they dug themselves anyway. The Niners had put all their energy into their comeback against the Giants and faced a rested Bucs team. The Niners had no shot to begin with.
You just made a great case for why the decision by Mariucci was even dumber than would be evident at first glance.
LOLLLLLL! Great use of Count and Oscar
Jed York (nepotist): "Mariucci youre fired."
Jed York (nepotist): "We have hired Dennis Erickson."
Me: "I hate nepotism."
1:00, I’m not sure I agree with this. Think about it, if it’s either a 9 or 7 point game, the other team knows exactly what they have to do, if they’re down 7, they’ll use every second that is available to them and place zero priority on scoring early. Down 9, they’ll put 100% of the priority on scoring quickly. Compare that to being down 8, (I’m not implying that an 8 point lead is better than a 9 point lead.) they’ll either do some weird hybrid play calling which isn’t going to be perfect or they can go all in on one option and then have a 50% chance of either losing the game or tying it and giving you the ball back with time to win the game. What I do have a problem with, is teams kicking the extra point to go down 8 for these exact reasons.
I fault Jeff Garcia for not taking over
Sportswriter TJ Simers referred to him as Moronucci and it kinda stuck for me. So this all makes sense.
The Buccaneers were that confident the 49ers gave up at the moment, they only needed to score 3 points in the 2nd half, heck they could've not scored at all in that second half and still won very handedly.
But c'mon, it was Mariucci. And, it was Mariucci. And finally, it was Mariucci.
Who needs Tom Brady? Let's draft Giovanni Carmazzi instead.
@@shanehowell8169 😂😂😂
With this brilliant coaching, I can’t imagine why he was fired
I thought the 49ers front office were idiots for not retaining the head coach that took the team to the NFC Divisional Playoffs. This and his tenure in Detroit proved that Jed York was right....this time anyway.
The 49ers didn't get back to the playoffs for 9 years after firing Mariucci.
The Oilers had the dreaded 28-3 lead at the half.
No, Gators philosophy is to spike the ball to the ground on every play.
Woof. Embarrassing Mooch. That's a impressive example on how to get your team to quit on you forever. Just gutless, weak. Jed York made some questionable decisions in his time with the 49ers. Yeah firing Mooch after this? Good one. Too bad Detroit wasn't playing attention.
2:49 did Warren Sapp run all the way from the sideline to celebrate with the offense or was he actually playing offense on that play? I’m assuming some kind of jumbo package in which he may get the occasional 2 yard touchdown reception.
This was gutless. I wish York called him and fired Steve at half for that
Is 8:01 referring to something that actually happened?
Nope. Just an analogy
How many times did a team win when down by 19 points at the half instead of 22?
Damn Yoopers!
Wasn't Mariucci supposedly to have come up through the ranks through the West Coast offense? Wasn't he part of that coaching tree Bill Walsh started and included Mike Holmgren and John Gruden? Didn't Mooch coach a good share of terrific quarterbacks? I wouldn't compare Jeff Garcia with Steve Young, Brett Favre, or any of the other great QBs that came up through this system, but he was serviceable with weapons at his disposal.
Not having faith in your offense is bad enough.
Not having faith in the system you'd been coaching for most of your career--a system that had defined 49er football for two decades--is even worse. And he deserved to be fired for it.
Maybe if he drafted the goat instead of the goat farmer...
How bout the dolphins vs bills playoff. ??? That was the worst CLOCK MANAGEMENT I HAVE EVER SEEN. THEY RAN THE PLAY CLOCK TO O EVEN -2 EVERY SINGLE PLAY!!!! SACKING A QB CANT BE ANY EASIER ??? THEY TOOK 50 SEC EVERY PLAY AND RAN PLAYS WITH O TIME SND THE REFS LET IT GO... GUESS THEY WANTED TO KEEP IT CLOSE. COACHES DID HORRIBLE JOB!!!!
Try to deepen your voice a little bit, Mickey Mouse.
When Joe Buck and Cris Collinsworth make sense, you know it was a dumb decision
Mariucci's bad coaching desicions. it's Time Management.
Me as a 49er fan:No wonder why he ended up as the Lions Head coach. He was trying to start a mutiny against himself.