If you were the coach of Carolina or New England and you got to 14-0...

[Thanatos 2,847]

What would you do? Let's assume HFA is locked up. Do you rest starters? Do you go for it all?

 

We know what New England will do, I think. Belichek has done it before. He will keep playing. The only potential reason he might rest starters this time around is because of the rash of injuries New England has suffered recently.

 

Rivera I have no idea honestly. If I had to guess, I'd say he rests starters. Multiple reasons for that line of thought: Carolina has yet to win a Super Bowl, so the first one is more important than 19-0. Despite his Riverboat moniker he still plays cautiously a lot. I think this would be one of those times.

 

But this isn't about those two individuals.

 

What would you do if you were put in that situation? Do you go for the 19-0 perfect season? Or do you rest starters and just play for the Super Bowl?

 

Personally, I feel like you have to go for it. It's almost certainly your only shot at it. And if you concede a game when you're 14-0, I feel like the players would feel betrayed.

 

What say you, TGP?

Edited November 27, 2015 by Thanatos19

[JetsFan4Life 542]

Go for it. I feel like if you let off the gas pedal at 14-0 you're putting yourself at a disadvantage. You're pretty much not playing a game "for real" for about a month and I feel like that could only hurt yourself mentally.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Absolutely go for it. The team has yet to taste loss and you do not know how they'd handle it. You always play to win. It's disrespectful to the game to not go for the win.

 

Also, as a person who believes that people should get whey they paid for, I don't think "resting starters" should even be allowed. The fans make the NFL. If they buy tickets, and in many cases they may have bought tickets in advance, they should get to watch guys like Newton and Brady.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Go for it. I feel like if you let off the gas pedal at 14-0 you're putting yourself at a disadvantage. You're pretty much not playing a game "for real" for about a month and I feel like that could only hurt yourself mentally.

 

This.

 

I think part of the reason Peyton Manning has so many one-and-done's on his resume is there were multiple years the Colts had the AFC South locked up by week 15 or 16, and Tony Dungy always rested his starters.

 

I also don't think it's a coincidence we've seen so many teams go on great runs in January without the luxury of the bye week, including wild card teams who have to scrape their way into the playoffs in week 17.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Essentially, there is no such thing as an acceptable loss. Don't create that possibility by trotting out Derek Anderson.

[Thanatos 2,847]

So Bware, you would say if you're 14-1 with HFA locked up going against Tampa, you'd also still play for the win with all your starters?

[Vin+ 3,121]

I'd still rest, even given the general lack of success for those that do. And by resting I mean only for the last game, nothing earlier.

 

I think 19-0 is pretty overrated. No one cares what the record of the team was at the end of the day, only whether or not you won the Super Bowl. Maybe it's because we're 40+ after the fact, but does anyone really care about the '72 Dolphins?

Edited November 27, 2015 by Vin

[JetsFan4Life 542]

I'd still rest, even given the general lack of success for those that do.

 

I think 19-0 is pretty overrated. No one cares what the record of the team was at the end of the day, only whether or not you won the Super Bowl. Maybe it's because we're 40+ after the fact, but does anyone really care about the '72 Dolphins?

 

[Sarge+ 3,436]

I'd still rest, even given the general lack of success for those that do.

 

I think 19-0 is pretty overrated. No one cares what the record of the team was at the end of the day, only whether or not you won the Super Bowl. Maybe it's because we're 40+ after the fact, but does anyone really care about the '72 Dolphins?

 

Everyone cares about the perfect season. That's why 18-1 was such a big deal.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

I think they should just try to win every game on their schedule. I'd be a little more cautious to a point.

[BwareDWare94 723]

So Bware, you would say if you're 14-1 with HFA locked up going against Tampa, you'd also still play for the win with all your starters?

 

I'd play them all until the win was in hand.

 

Missed game time is missed game time. They already have a week off so they need all the in-game reps they can get.

 

Aside from that, your OL is doing a much better job of protecting Cam this year. Not like there's a huge risk involved. He avoids shots to his legs pretty well. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[Thanatos 2,847]

Kinda talking more in general. If you had a team that was 14-1 with HFA locked, you'd play to win?

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Kinda talking more in general. If you had a team that was 14-1 with HFA locked, you'd play to win?

Yes.

[Cherry 1,302]

If you're 14-1 with home field locked you should sit star players. Start the rest.

[BC 331]

If you're Carolina, you have a slightly weaker NFC than most years and a running QB. Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart are good and carry the offense, but they take a lot of hits. You probably never have a SB chance like you do right now. Would you risk sabotaging that fpr an undefeated regular season? Getting Cam Newton or Jonathan Stewart injured in the final week would be one of the dumbest, and priciest injuries of all time were that to happen.

 

If New England was still healthy I might have said for them to go 19-0, but now it's no way. Their only chance is that they get healthier and also don't get more banged up than they already are right now.

Edited November 28, 2015 by BC

[AL_Royalty 489]

Gotta play em. Colts say hello.

[Turry 755]

Go big or go home and go for 19-0. Possibly first and the only team to go 19-0 ? Ya everybody will remember that vin.

[Sparty 110]

Go big or go home and go for 19-0. Possibly first and the only team to go 19-0 ? Ya everybody will remember that vin.

I highly doubt it would be the only team....

[Turry 755]

I highly doubt it would be the only team....

 

In the history of football how many undefeated teams has there been? Any team who ever does 19-0 is going to have that record for a long long long time.

[Thanatos 2,847]

I highly doubt it would be the only team....

 

What? No other team has gone 19-0 in NFL history. Only one other club went 17-0. With the parity the league has now, no one ever going 19-0 is a real possibility.

[oochymp 2,393]

[BigBen07 285]

Guess we can rename the thread now that N.E. lost.

[Bay 2,003]

Hen with the subtle jeb

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

Coach Ron Rivera said he will continue to play his starters even if the Panthers clinch home-field advantage before the final week of the season.

"Hypothetically speaking, yes – to a point," Rivera answered. "The reason I would is because I was on a team that had done the same thing, and we didn't, and it cost us in my opinion because I thought we were rusty." It is unlikely Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewart and Greg Olsen would play a full complement of snaps in a meaningless Week 17, but it does look like they should see the majority of their workload the rest of the season. All three should remain high-end options throughout the fantasy playoffs.

Source: Black and Blue Review

[Thanatos 2,847]

Thank God.