tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15377771.post6995830834557701912..comments2024-03-13T03:27:50.582-04:00Comments on Smart Football: Responses to responses about David and Goliath StrategiesChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07204245083374821812noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15377771.post-54740266465820993722009-07-29T15:03:29.932-04:002009-07-29T15:03:29.932-04:00Two good examples of "David" strategies ...Two good examples of "David" strategies are Hal Mumme's go-for-it on 4th down and Jeff Fisher's onside kicks after every score vs. Indy a few years ago.<br /><br />In both situations, the coach concludes that his defense is very unlikely to stop the opponent. Thus, field position has very little value. Trading worthless yards of field position for a valuable chance to retain possession is a smart "David" strategy.<br /><br />stanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15377771.post-19408611077071301272009-07-28T19:05:05.533-04:002009-07-28T19:05:05.533-04:00Matt,
Thanks for the comments. I do want to be cl...Matt,<br /><br />Thanks for the comments. I do want to be clear that I really enjoyed your pieces, they just got me thinking. The original works I did were an example of me working through many of these issues myself; this was another opportunity. <br /><br />(Also, I'm not an academic, but I read a thing about high-level philosophy departments I agreed with: There, it is not uncommon for a speaker to give a long presentation, and then as soon as he is done someone else begins, "All that is interest, but doesn't all of that rest on an assumption that is demonstrably false because of X, Y, Z, etc?" And then from there the discussion merely begins. I'm a believer in that model for ideas.)<br /><br />Anyway, I look forward to Part III. Keep up the great work.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07204245083374821812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15377771.post-65330296415705837442009-07-28T13:48:28.372-04:002009-07-28T13:48:28.372-04:00PS-
Obviously no one would run the proposed offen...PS-<br /><br />Obviously no one would run the proposed offenses I suggested, I just wanted to cite an example where "no risk" did not mean "best."<br /><br />I also wanted to make my math calculations as easy as possible.MattDNolehttp://www.tomahawknation.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15377771.post-8396070118445366622009-07-28T13:41:29.572-04:002009-07-28T13:41:29.572-04:00And this is why you are the pro and I am still get...And this is why you are the pro and I am still getting there. It was my original intent to respond to both yours and Gladwell's piece together, and neglected to differentiate between your definitions of true "David" and "Goliath" strategies.<br /><br />I think overall we are just dealing with a difference in terminology. When I was trying to develop a working definition of a "David strategy," it ended up being a lot like the old court case on adult materials. "I don't know how to define it, but I know it when I see it."<br /><br />You are correct, most of the approaches in the article actually relate to Gladwell's definition.<br /><br />I think the point I am eventually trying to make is that a lot of these times, these approaches are created to give smaller schools a competitive advantage and when they are co-opted by bigger schools they morph into a Goliath approach.<br /><br />It could just be that smaller schools are more likely to try something new and discover a dominant strategy.<br /><br />I appreciate the feedback though, and I've definitely got some more things to think about before Part 3 (basically just looking at how a gain in margin of victory can offset the increased variance and reduce the probability of losing).MattDNolehttp://www.tomahawknation.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15377771.post-24130638452810981292009-07-28T12:41:08.518-04:002009-07-28T12:41:08.518-04:00Chris, speaking of Gladwell, he mentioned this boo...Chris, speaking of Gladwell, he mentioned <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Military-Misfortunes-Anatomy-Failure-War/dp/0679732969" rel="nofollow">this book</a> in jis latest <i>New Yorker</i> article. Football isn't really war, but I wonder if any lessons can be gleaned from it.Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07465013255057574351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15377771.post-54810409573413103232009-07-28T12:16:58.571-04:002009-07-28T12:16:58.571-04:00I think Les Miles benefits from the trickeration a...I think Les Miles benefits from the trickeration aspect of what you mention. He benefits because he has a strong team, but he also does the unexpected. He might use fake punts that end with a pass. He has used an on-side kick in the third quarter just for the hell of it. But he has the players to pull it off.<br /><br />The element of surprise is powerful.<br /><br />Utah vs Alabama. Surprise.<br /><br />Just doing the unexpected can result in big gains. But a one trick pony will lose his head. You must have strong players to make the sneaky stuff work more than once.War Eagle AC-47https://www.blogger.com/profile/16209779615792197607noreply@blogger.com