Punting Is For Suckers

• GoChiefs

  

  Interesting.
  
  [video=youtube;AGDaOJAYHfo][/video]
• Gblock

  I rarely punt in maddnen but I can't imagine doing it in real life seems like u would get fired pretty quickly
• GoChiefs

  

  124-22 at the time of the video, 3 State Championships, and they are 11-0 so far this season. Can't fire a guy with those numbers.
• hasbeen

  

  it makes sense. if you have are a good team/offense.
• Gblock

  GoChiefs;1536676 wrote:124-22 at the time of the video, 3 State Championships, and they are 11-0 so far this season. Can't fire a guy with those numbers.

  Yea I see he is doing well I was just saying in general u better win very quickly with this style
• WebFire

  Coach Mauk at Kenton does this, or used to anyhow. Had a lot of success with it. Also onside kicks a lot.
• Al Bundy

  Many high schools don't have great punters, so they don't gain many net yards on a punt anyway.
• thavoice

  In high school, when you are just that much better than your opponants, then yeah punting is overrated. We have had some great, great teams but our coach was always traditional and would punt most times, but I have no doubt if he had gone for it more often the only thing that would have changed is the scoring would have gone up.
  
  Kenton goes for it alot of 4th down. In their own territory, early in games, and against good teams. Sometimes it backfires, sometimes it works. They are just that much better than most of their opponants and if they did punt.......it would just maybe keep their scoring down a little bit. Sometimes I question it. In your own territory, 4th and 9 at your own 30, against a good team, down by seven, in second qtr. You get it? Still have 50 plus yards to go. Dont get it? Give a great team fantastic postion. In this case, they did nto get it, other team scores a TD on th enext play and goes up 14.
  
  But then it worked last friday. Tie game....own territory....4th and short...go for it and the kid runs like 65 yds for TD, and they dont look back.
  
  
  But I digress.
  
  IF you are playing opponants that have ability, then never punting would come back to kill you.
• WebFire

  thavoice;1537943 wrote:In high school, when you are just that much better than your opponants, then yeah punting is overrated. We have had some great, great teams but our coach was always traditional and would punt most times, but I have no doubt if he had gone for it more often the only thing that would have changed is the scoring would have gone up.
  
  Kenton goes for it alot of 4th down. In their own territory, early in games, and against good teams. Sometimes it backfires, sometimes it works. They are just that much better than most of their opponants and if they did punt.......it would just maybe keep their scoring down a little bit. Sometimes I question it. In your own territory, 4th and 9 at your own 30, against a good team, down by seven, in second qtr. You get it? Still have 50 plus yards to go. Dont get it? Give a great team fantastic postion. In this case, they did nto get it, other team scores a TD on th enext play and goes up 14.
  
  But then it worked last friday. Tie game....own territory....4th and short...go for it and the kid runs like 65 yds for TD, and they dont look back.
  
  
  But I digress.
  
  IF you are playing opponants that have ability, then never punting would come back to kill you.

  The percentages actually say to go for it. I'll have to see if that is posted somewhere.
• thavoice

  WebFire;1537950 wrote:The percentages actually say to go for it. I'll have to see if that is posted somewhere.

  I have seen the percentage I think last year when this was getting talked about. To be honest, that really is only going to benefit the teams that usually are heads and shoulders above their opponants.
  
  That always doesnt tell the whole story. There are so many variables.
  
  Especially in HS where many times teams simply are just that much better than their opponants an average percentage can be manipulated by the games you are against teams that you just man handle.
  
  You play two horrible teams. Go for it lets say 20 times on 4th down. Get it lets say 15 times.
  What about when/IF you are matched up against a team that is comparable to yours and you get it only 2 of 10? A few times deep in your own territory and it gives them a short field, and they score? Over those 3 games yeah it may look great.....17-30 times and many extra scores, but overall it may cost you the game when it didnt work that well.
  
  Our HS team has been extremely good, and I bet if our coach did that it would work alot of times, and I imagine the percentages would look pretty damned good. But those few games where the opponant is very strong.....you could very easilyl hose yourself!
  
  
  You wont see this in the NFL, or even in the competitive CFB because the teams are more evenly matched.
  
  Fact of th ematter is this...this team who does this is extremely good, and would be winning without doint it. Just like someone mentioned kenton (but they do punt some times). They would still be 12-0 without going for it alot and going for 2 every time. We have played kenton enough, and beaten them more than they have beaten us in the last 15 or so years, and I can tell you it hurt them a number of times and put them into a bad spot because of going for it.
  
  Now...if you are midfield and greater.......I think the risk in HS is very minimal if you are a good team and go for it on 4th down. Our coach usually decided to punt and pin them back, and most times ended up with the bll back with better position, but if had chosed to go for it the scores woulda been more lopsided overall
• Zombaypirate

  thavoice;1537943 wrote:In high school, when you are just that much better than your opponants, then yeah punting is overrated. We have had some great, great teams but our coach was always traditional and would punt most times, but I have no doubt if he had gone for it more often the only thing that would have changed is the scoring would have gone up.
  
  Kenton goes for it alot of 4th down. In their own territory, early in games, and against good teams. Sometimes it backfires, sometimes it works. They are just that much better than most of their opponants and if they did punt.......it would just maybe keep their scoring down a little bit. Sometimes I question it. In your own territory, 4th and 9 at your own 30, against a good team, down by seven, in second qtr. You get it? Still have 50 plus yards to go. Dont get it? Give a great team fantastic postion. In this case, they did nto get it, other team scores a TD on th enext play and goes up 14.
  
  But then it worked last friday. Tie game....own territory....4th and short...go for it and the kid runs like 65 yds for TD, and they dont look back.
  
  
  But I digress.
  
  IF you are playing opponants that have ability, then never punting would come back to kill you.

  With a Harvard Prof. this is all math. When you watch the video it is NOT all about not punting, it also includes the factor of onside kicking every time. This coach is going by the math and the results are working pretty well.
• barbarian

  Everybody is right here, but I agree more with ThaVoice. The percentages say go for it because the data is skewed by the fact that it is being collected over the coarse of a season of mismatches. Same reason why calpreps can predict high school winners at a 80% rate by simply applying a calculation.... 60-70% of the games played every week across America are gross mismatches.
  
  I have no problem going for it anywhere on the field if your team is the superior team. Not making it will not really matter. But as you go further in the playoffs and the competition gets tougher and you still apply this philosophy all the time you could wind up crapping out. Punting is an acceptable strategy. Kenton's Mauk knows this... he punts and knows when to.
  
  I can't argue with this guy's success, but I think the main reason why he is so successful has more to do with the offseason program he has created, the competition he has created at every position, and the superior athletes he is developing moreso than going for it on 4th down every time.
• WebFire

  barbarian;1538313 wrote:Everybody is right here, but I agree more with ThaVoice. The percentages say go for it because the data is skewed by the fact that it is being collected over the coarse of a season of mismatches. Same reason why calpreps can predict high school winners at a 80% rate by simply applying a calculation.... 60-70% of the games played every week across America are gross mismatches.
  
  I have no problem going for it anywhere on the field if your team is the superior team. Not making it will not really matter. But as you go further in the playoffs and the competition gets tougher and you still apply this philosophy all the time you could wind up crapping out. Punting is an acceptable strategy. Kenton's Mauk knows this... he punts and knows when to.
  
  I can't argue with this guy's success, but I think the main reason why he is so successful has more to do with the offseason program he has created, the competition he has created at every position, and the superior athletes he is developing moreso than going for it on 4th down every time.

  Spot on.
• thavoice

  barbarian;1538313 wrote:Everybody is right here, but I agree more with ThaVoice. The percentages say go for it because the data is skewed by the fact that it is being collected over the coarse of a season of mismatches. Same reason why calpreps can predict high school winners at a 80% rate by simply applying a calculation.... 60-70% of the games played every week across America are gross mismatches.
  
  I have no problem going for it anywhere on the field if your team is the superior team. Not making it will not really matter. But as you go further in the playoffs and the competition gets tougher and you still apply this philosophy all the time you could wind up crapping out. Punting is an acceptable strategy. Kenton's Mauk knows this... he punts and knows when to.
  
  I can't argue with this guy's success, but I think the main reason why he is so successful has more to do with the offseason program he has created, the competition he has created at every position, and the superior athletes he is developing moreso than going for it on 4th down every time.

  Agreed. over the long haul his strategy puts immense pressure on his opponants. The threat of onside kicks, and going for 2 puts additional pressure on the opposing team.