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 detailed why the 49ers took the ball after winning the coin toss in overtime.
āWe wanted the ball third. If both teams matched and scored, we wanted to be the ones who had the chance to go win.ā pic.twitter.com/MyuRRpGvTA
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.
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Mazz's Tiers: Ranking Super Bowl host cities
Tier 1
MIAMI, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 02: The Kansas City Chiefs celebrate after defeating the the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers with a score of 31-20. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
New Orleans, Louisiana – Caesars Superdome
Miami, Florida – Hard Rock Stadium
Tier 2
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 03: Visitors pose in front of a Super Bowl LVIII logo and an oversized replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the Las Vegas Strip in front of Caesars Palace on February 03, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game will be played on February 11, 2024, between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Las Vegas, Nevada – Allegiant Stadium
San Diego, California – Qualcomm Stadium (former venue)
Indianapolis, Indiana – Lucas Oil Stadium
Tampa, Florida- Raymond James Stadium
Tier 3
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – JANUARY 28: In an aerial view of State Farm Stadium on January 28, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. State Farm Stadium will host the NFL Super Bowl LVII on February 12. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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
Tier 4
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 28: The Minnesota Vikings offense runs a play against the San Diego Chargers defense during the fourth quarter of the game on August 28, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Chargers 23-10. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Jacksonville, Florida – Alltel Stadium
Minneapolis, Minnesota – U.S. Bank Stadium
Dallas, Texas – AT&T Stadium
Houston, Texas – NRG Stadium
