While I understand the logic, it felt like we gave up at that point.

I hated that decision as well. Not nearly as much as I hated that awful trick play attempt with Grant in the first half on 4th and 3 though. That was a horrible call. Should have punted it then instead and played defense with them being pinned back inside the 20.

The Fake punt call i understand and well even though we did not make it, Im guessing they saw the deer in headlights eyes of Gabbert and knew he would not get a first down. They were right we sack and got the strip fumble. But that play changed the momentum, in came mary and not sure the defense was ready for that and he drove them down the 20 yards or so for the FG. An unfortunate circumstance made the Fake punt seem dumb then it should have been. The not going for it on 4 and 3 at the end of the game is unexcusable, 31 or the 32 head coaches would have gone for it with no thought about punting. I would have taken the L with the thought we tried everything to win the game. Punting was throwing in the towel and no other coach in the NFL would do that.

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I hated that decision as well. Not nearly as much as I hated that awful trick play attempt with Grant in the first half on 4th and 3 though. That was a horrible call. Should have punted it then instead and played defense with them being pinned back inside the 20.

The Fake punt call i understand and well even though we did not make it, Im guessing they saw the deer in headlights eyes of Gabbert and knew he would not get a first down. They were right we sack and got the strip fumble. But that play changed the momentum, in came mary and not sure the defense was ready for that and he drove them down the 20 yards or so for the FG. An unfortunate circumstance made the Fake punt seem dumb then it should have been. The not going for it on 4 and 3 at the end of the game is unexcusable, 31 or the 32 head coaches would have gone for it with no thought about punting. I would have taken the L with the thought we tried everything to win the game. Punting was throwing in the towel and no other coach in the NFL would do that.

Yeah, I'm kinda with you although I think I know what Marrone was thinking there.  He was thinking "my defense is one of the best in the league, they'll get a 3 and out".  The thing is this game had a troubling resemblance to some of the early games last year where the defense was getting left on the field to long and wearing out. Whatever it is the tacks are doing other teams are going to start replicating it soon unless the staff can figure it out.

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I'm condescending. That means I talk down to you.

I hated that decision as well. Not nearly as much as I hated that awful trick play attempt with Grant in the first half on 4th and 3 though. That was a horrible call. Should have punted it then instead and played defense with them being pinned back inside the 20.

The Fake punt call i understand and well even though we did not make it, Im guessing they saw the deer in headlights eyes of Gabbert and knew he would not get a first down. They were right we sack and got the strip fumble. But that play changed the momentum, in came mary and not sure the defense was ready for that and he drove them down the 20 yards or so for the FG. An unfortunate circumstance made the Fake punt seem dumb then it should have been. The not going for it on 4 and 3 at the end of the game is unexcusable, 31 or the 32 head coaches would have gone for it with no thought about punting. I would have taken the L with the thought we tried everything to win the game. Punting was throwing in the towel and no other coach in the NFL would do that.

The Fake punt call i understand and well even though we did not make it, Im guessing they saw the deer in headlights eyes of Gabbert and knew he would not get a first down. They were right we sack and got the strip fumble. But that play changed the momentum, in came mary and not sure the defense was ready for that and he drove them down the 20 yards or so for the FG. An unfortunate circumstance made the Fake punt seem dumb then it should have been. The not going for it on 4 and 3 at the end of the game is unexcusable, 31 or the 32 head coaches would have gone for it with no thought about punting. I would have taken the L with the thought we tried everything to win the game. Punting was throwing in the towel and no other coach in the NFL would do that.

Yeah, I'm kinda with you although I think I know what Marrone was thinking there.  He was thinking "my defense is one of the best in the league, they'll get a 3 and out".  The thing is this game had a troubling resemblance to some of the early games last year where the defense was getting left on the field to long and wearing out. Whatever it is the tacks are doing other teams are going to start replicating it soon unless the staff can figure it out.

They just out muscle us. I really think that's what it boils down to. Casey likes to run his mouth and keep the defense fired up. They were beating blocks throughout the day for the most part. They were sealing off the edges when we tried anything bootleg or play action wise. They just have our number. 

They also know how to run it. And they don't even bother trying to shy away from it or hide the fact that they're going to run it. They literally lined up yesterday with a banged up QB knowing full well he would be limited with his throwing hand due to nerve issues and they STILL ran it down our throats when they needed to.

Derrick Henry seems to run a little bit harder against us. Mariota seems to turn into Super Mario in the ground game against us. They just have our number. I wish I could explain it. But whatever it is. I think it boils down to those two main things:

1. Physicality favors them more than it favors us in these games.

&

2. They've just always had our number. In the 47 match ups we've had now head-to-head. They've won 27 of them. We've won the other 20.

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"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."