Playoff Experience

I see a lot of people here using this as a notion of why we might win. IMHO it is very overrated. There are always players that have some experience in this regard on every team because of free agency. Plus how much experience did we have when we won the Super Bowl? Yes we made the playoffs the year before (the Super Bowl) but do you feel we lost that year because a lack of experience? We were very young team then as well.

I feel once the game is going its just football. Not to say there are not players who don't choke under pressure. But I don't think a whole team would be victim to this.

I think it is vital in just about every major US sport. I do not really have any stats/data to back it up but I do know that a team's psyche and confidence are crucial to how well a team plays and overcomes adversity. The stakes are higher in the playoffs and emotions can take the best of players. Catastrophic thinking can run through a team like cancer, destroying moral.

As a side note I can notice a green football fan because they tend to overreact to every bad play their team does, instead of calmly realizing that there is still plenty of game left to overcome any downfalls.

I know it's hard to bet against mad bum and the giants in the playoffs for baseball. I think we didn't need to much playoff exp with that Def.

In a blow out, no, in a tight game it's everything, being able to focus taking one play at a time, being able to get in the younger inexperienced oppositions head, that and knowing with confidence as stated above that nothing is over. If were behind knowing we can win, if were ahead knowing we go till 0:00 on the clock and not relax.

I say being tested and tried under fire is the definition of "Playoff Experience." Much like I would follow Maddog Mattis anyplace, anytime..... ever... I would follow a seasoned QB or SB winner anywhere. You cannot fake experience.

Totally agree. Its the same thing in every major sport: the majority of fans just watches the sport, but lack understanding what's happening and why it's happening (not saying that I do, I'm quite new to football). Hence, mainstream media creates narratives that are simple to understand: experience, willpower, suffering, breaking under pressure, etc. At the same time they blind out complicated things like coaching, schemes, tactical aspects, etc.

Not saying these things are not important, but they're oversimplifications of the actual sport and overrated.

I believe it's more overstated more than overrated. I think the dude who said something about keeping nerves in a tight game had it right

The only playoff experience that matters is getting to the next playoff experience.

I don't think its a end all be all but its definitely a factor and a positive for your team. Why do you think for the most part its the same exact teams in the playoffs year after year. Patriots, Packers, Steelers, Seahawks. The new teams to the playoffs are usually one and done wild card teams. Again a terrible team that is experienced will not beat a great unexperienced team but when things are relatively equal the experience does matter.

Hate to bring it up but don't you think the patriots experience of not panicking and not just letting us score on the goal line so they could get the ball back paid dividends for them? They knew what to do in such a situation as an experienced team.

Ethanga62890":1v04g9od said:

I believe it's more overstated more than overrated. I think the dude who said something about keeping nerves in a tight game had it right

Click to expand...

I think this is a good quote. Lets remember they have a Super Bowl winning head coach there. This is a bit overstated for a factor in the game IMHO.

If you're going to suggest that there are certain teams or players who always "choke" in the playoffs, I would suspect that it works the other way around. Lack of experience makes you susceptible to loss, just as much as substantial experience gives you an edge.

JAGHAWK":m30kkov9 said:

If you're going to suggest that there are certain teams or players who always "choke" in the playoffs, I would suspect that it works the other way around. Lack of experience makes you susceptible to loss, just as much as substantial experience gives you an edge.

Click to expand...

I said it is players (or even coaches) who may individually (Cam Newton Super Bowl) choke but generally it is not a whole team. I am not saying it has NO bearing just not as much as people think it does judging by how much people us it here as a reason we may win.

Year of The Hawk":16x7dasg said:

JAGHAWK":16x7dasg said:

If you're going to suggest that there are certain teams or players who always "choke" in the playoffs, I would suspect that it works the other way around. Lack of experience makes you susceptible to loss, just as much as substantial experience gives you an edge.

Click to expand...

I said it is players (or even coaches) who may individually (Cam Newton Super Bowl) choke but generally it is not a whole team. I am not saying it has NO bearing just not as much as people think it does judging by how much people us it here as a reason we may win.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I hear ya. Was just giving my two cents. I do agree with something that someone else said in here though. If it's a tight game, experience may be the difference. The pressure can only help you or hurt you.

Having already experienced play-off success gives birth to a certain mindset. If the game is close in the 4th quarter we'll have plenty examples of Russ magic and the defense being clutch when it matters most. The Falcons on the other hand don't have this, which could impact their ability to play like they normally would. For that reason the Hawks are a lot more likely to make a comeback than the Falcons after the 2014 NFCCG turnaround and even to a lesser degree the 24 unanswered points against Carolina last year while being behind by 31.

I'm not sure it'll be a factor but it's not something we should ignore either going into this match-up.

I can't believe I am about to write this but here goes (and feel free to make fun of me) but "the separation is in the preparation" when it comes to playoff games. I feel that any advantage gained by playoff experience is all done leading up to the game and has to do with how players and coaches handle the added pressure. It seems like the leaders on the team and PC do a great job of preparing for all games like it's a "championship game". With that said, the Hawks have an issue with scoring points in the first half of road playoff games so what does that say about the preparation?

I also believe that players at the pro level of any sport have playoff experience whether it's in college, club teams, high school, etc. so they know how to individually handle the added pressure. Some pros handle pressure better than others.

The deciding factor as to who will win and who will lose will be the team who starts and finishes the game with more energy and motivation. Those two things will overcome any experience... SB XLVIII

Dough Baldwin touched on this matter a little bit in his PC the other day. Pretty interesting hearing his thoughts on it, it can be seen on .com if interested.

:2thumbs:

I think it means a lot more for a team like Dallas starting two rookies at very key positions, than it would an Atlanta. They have playoff experience, it's just been on the losing side for the most part.

End of the day though.. the Falcons are stocked with veteran talent. The experience angle doesn't mean much. We had more experience than Carolina last year too and that didn't stop them from getting up 31 points.

Hasselbeck":17am6ia6 said:

I think it means a lot more for a team like Dallas starting two rookies at very key positions, than it would an Atlanta. They have playoff experience, it's just been on the losing side for the most part.

End of the day though.. the Falcons are stocked with veteran talent. The experience angle doesn't mean much. We had more experience than Carolina last year too and that didn't stop them from getting up 31 points.

Click to expand...

I think it will also help this time around that we are not playing on a crappy field. Also Carolina's D-line last year was legit. Outside of Vic Beasley the Falcons are soft up front.

The experience allows you the knowledge of what to stress about so a team can focus on the important things. Lessons are learned. Maybe a team in the previous year left their game plan to early. I see Dallas falling victim to this on Sunday. I also believe our experience as fans contributes to us screaming at the TV when we go into a soft prevent defense to protect a late game lead.

I'm sure some of us old fogies, if your an NBA fan, remember the late 80's champions. The Lakers held off Detroit's team probably longer than they should have due to LA's experience. Same Detroit to the Bulls.

It's absolutely an advantage to this team to have been there before, although it's obviously not everything.

We were Atlanta at one point. Frequently getting into the playoffs, but not quite getting the job done. They certainly look ready to take the next step. I hope we're ready for them.