Felger: Kyle Shanahan deferring to the nerds in overtime is “gross”

The San Francisco 49ers won the overtime coin toss in Super Bowl LVIII and chose to take the ball first. However, that decision backfired as it led to the Kansas City Chiefs knowing what they needed to do to win the game. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan discussed postgame about how they went to analytics to make the decision. On Monday's Felger and Mazz, Felger gave his thoughts on analytics once again.

Felger's thoughts on the 49ers use of analytics...

Felger: Now you want to rip Shanahan, I'm with you on this. This is just another guy that turns it over to the to the math nerds. As Thomas Dimitroff told us at the Super Bowl last week, what do he call them? The propeller heads? The propeller heads upstairs who've run the numbers and said, "well, if you go first, odds are you're going to get an extra possession", which has ruined basketball. It hasn't ruined it, but you know, it's made those end of clock situations in basketball completely annoying. It's all just about attempts as much as it is three point rate, right. I think it's sort of the same sort of rationale. Extra possession.

Mazz: Yes, definitely. There's no question it is. And I'll tell you, instinctively I said take the ball. But you know what? It's wrong. And I'll tell you, I think it also manifests itself in another way. When they got to the end of that drive and they got to fourth down, they had to kick. They had to kick. If they go for it and don't get it, now Mahomes only needs a field goal and it's over.

Felger: No, no. You have more control going second. And again, it gives you an extra down going up and down the field. Now when you get into field goal range and your fourth and 7 from the 20, you're probably not going to go for it. You're going to go for the tie there. But you have more flexibility, more options, more control of what you're doing and how you're calling plays. You want to go second. I think, I not that I watch it, but I have been led to believe in the college football format most teams that win the toss go second for that reason. So this speaks to Shanahan's lack of game acuity, because he just goes by the numbers in the three ring binder and he just deferred to the freaking propeller heads. He admitted it. "None of us have a ton of experience with it". True, this is the first time it ever happened. "But we went through all the analytics and talked to those guys and we just decided we wanted the ball third". And that's just all that that is. It's some freaking nerd from the Sloan Analytics Conference determining two is better than one. Or you get the extra possession if you get it first and they all just deferred to it. That is gross.

Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!

It's time for the lastest Mazz's Tiers! With the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday, Mazz ranks the Super Bowl host locations through the years!

Some notes on Super Bowl host cities....

The Caesars Superdome (previously knows as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and Louisiana Superdome) in New Orleans, Louisiana has hosted the most Super Bowls with a total of 7. The last Super Bowl they hosted was Super Bowl XLVII when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers. They will be the hosts for next seasons Super Bowl, which will be Super Bowl LIX. 

Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida was the first stadium to host a Super Bowl where the team who plays in the stadium also played in the Super Bowl. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. The following season the Los Angeles Rams also played in their home stadium as Super Bowl LVI was contested in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI.

Super Bowl LVIII will be the first Super Bowl held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Oakland Raiders moved to Las Vegas prior to the 2020 NFL season and have played at Allegiant Stadium, where Super Bowl LVIII will take place.

The Miami, Florida area has hosted the most Super Bowls with a total of 11. Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Miami Dolphins, has hosted 6, while the Orange Bowl hosted 5 before it was demolished in 2008.

The New England Patriots have appeared in the most Super Bowls with a total of 11 appearances. The most common location for a Super Bowl that the Patriots have played in is New Orleans, Louisiana. The first 3 appearances in the Super Bowl by the Patriots were at the Superdome. The Patriots went 1-2 in the 3 games that they played in New Orleans.

New Orleans, Louisiana - Caesars Superdome

Miami, Florida - Hard Rock Stadium

Las Vegas, Nevada - Allegiant Stadium

San Diego, California - Qualcomm Stadium (former venue)

Indianapolis, Indiana - Lucas Oil Stadium

Tampa, Florida- Raymond James Stadium

Detroit, Michigan - Ford Field

San Francisco, California - Levi's Stadium

Glendale, Arizona (Phoenix and Tempe area as well) - State Farm Stadium

East Rutherford, New Jersey - MetLife Stadium

Atlanta, Georgia - Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Jacksonville, Florida - Alltel Stadium

Minneapolis, Minnesota - U.S. Bank Stadium

Dallas, Texas - AT&T Stadium

Houston, Texas - NRG Stadium