Saw a clip of Pete after the game (ESPN)

[DomeHawk]

I don't want to come off as anti-Pete because I am not. His coaching success here is unmatched. BUT, I freaking hate that win-it-in-4th qtr stuff. When you have a defense like we do right now you gotta be thinking SCORE -- every single minute of the game.

 

[olyfan63]

I don't want to come off as anti-Pete because I am not. His coaching success here is unmatched. BUT, I freaking hate that win-it-in-4th qtr stuff. When you have a defense like we do right now you gotta be thinking SCORE -- every single minute of the game.

I say they were thinking SCORE, well, every minute of the 2nd half, anyway, lol. Mostly thinking the TD-that-almost-was to David Moore, that wound up as a punt.

No answer on the slow adjustments in the first half, continuing to try chit that Minny was destroying.

 

[Scorpion05]

Yes, Pete, it is possible, in the first 3 quarters, to bury a team so deep that they have no chance of getting out of the hole.

See XLVIII ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This would be true if blowouts were common in the NFL. They aren’t.

Most wins are by 10-20 points and that can be erased in the 4th. Truth is, most teams don’t know how to close. That Russ and Pete are virtually undefeated if leading in the first half is more a testament to their 4th quarter greatness.

And I’ll also say, I can’t think of a team that has had more signature, game winning stops in recent years (and game winning drives) than ours. No one outside of Belichick and offensive genius Andy Reid comes close to our winning percentage. We’re comfortable in close games and that speaks to our success

 

[bigskydoc]

This would be true if blowouts were common in the NFL. They aren’t.

Most wins are by 10-20 points and that can be erased in the 4th. Truth is, most teams don’t know how to close. That Russ and Pete are virtually undefeated if leading in the first half is more a testament to their 4th quarter greatness.

By my back of the envelope math, in the Carroll/ Wilson era, the Hawks are 58-0 when leading by 4 or more at the half, and 42-47 when not leading by 4 or more. That would suggest that it is, in fact, possible to win in the first half, especially for this team. When we win the first half, we simply don't lose. When we don't win the first half, we are below .500. Of course you have to close out the game. If we are that good with a 4 point lead, imagine how much more impossible the task would be for opposing teams when we are leading by 21 at the half.

Those 58 wins come with 12 blowouts of 58-0, 50-17, 42-13, 43-8, 45-17, 33-10, 41-20, 34-7, 23-0, 36-16, 30-13, and 40-7. Common? No. You are correct, it is not common, especially with this team.

2 blowout losses came when we were not leading by 4, 46-16, 42-7