Joe Judge discussed how analytics played into his decision to punt from the Falcons’ 39-yard line this past Sunday.
We talk about offensive inconsistency and poor two-minute defense when discussing the Giants‘ Week 3 loss to Atlanta.
But one of the more head-scratching moments from that game was Joe Judge‘s decision to punt the ball away on a 4th-and-3 from the Falcons’ 39-yard line. It happened late in the third quarter when the Giants were down 7-6 — they eventually lost 17-14 following a game-winning kick.
Despite what people believe, Judge claims he wasn’t afraid to go for it. But when speaking on this move, the second-year head coach didn’t exactly provide a popular opinion on the role of analytics in the decision-making.
Asked Joe Judge about his conservative punting from the 39. He says "I'm not afraid to go for it on 4th down." Considers it case-by-case. "I don't live in a world of fear." #Giants
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) September 29, 2021
“Analytics is just a tool…You can look at a stat sheet all you want,” he said, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “I promise you if [Microsoft] Excel was gonna win football games, Bill Gates would be killing it right now. But you’ve got to take those numbers…as a tool and go ahead and factor in how your team’s playing at the time and how the opponent is as well…and also the flow of the game.”
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There are NFL teams heavy on analytics — right now, the 0-3 Giants should probably take a page out of some of those organizations’ playbooks and factor the tool into their judgment just a tad bit more.
Judge also referenced a crosswind, which affected his decision on whether he would send Graham Gano out to kick what would’ve been a go-ahead 56-yard field goal. It’s important to note Gano has made 37 consecutive field goals dating back to last season.
The Giants finished that drive with zero points when taking a chance could’ve resulted in either three or six (with the extra point or two-point conversion pending). This would’ve been a crucial point swing given Big Blue lost by just a field goal in the end.
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