Analysis
10/12/22
4 min read
'Down-Down' Situational Coaching Sorely Needed in Today's NFL
I've been known to do a little bit of yelling when I watch NFL games on TV.
It's not usually because of a rooting interest I have in a particular team, player or coach — though I do have many of those ties around the league. Most of the time, it's when something goes against my core coaching beliefs. That will always infuriate me no matter who's playing.
I've had that happen a couple of times this season when I saw a failure to utilize a situational play every team should be practicing at least once a week prior to a game.
It's called "down-down," and once I recognized how vital it was to our ability to close out a game or kick a winning field goal, I made it a part of our weekly situational preparation.
I can tell not everybody is working on it as much as I believe is necessary. In fact, I'll bet you half the teams in the NFL don't know what "Down-Down" is.
It's when a player, with the ball in his hands, makes a conscious decision to down himself. "Down-down" is a play called in the huddle. It's not specific, in terms of a run or a pass, but the words "down-down" instruct the running back or wide receiver to hit the turf once he has the first down.
If you're behind in a game, you're doing it to stop the clock quicker with a spike when you don't have any timeouts, and you're trying to set up a field-goal attempt. If you're ahead and you're driving, you're trying to pick up the first down, but you're intentionally stopping short of the end zone to avoid giving the ball back to your opponent and keep the clock running.
I've already seen two games this season where "down-down" should have been utilized and wasn't. I was screaming at my television both times.
Let me share a little history. The first time I saw the necessity for "down-down" was many years ago, while I was still coaching. I was watching a game between the Rams and 49ers. San Francisco had a two-point lead. The Rams were around midfield with no timeouts. They completed an inside pattern to their flanker for about 12-14 yards, putting them in field-goal position.
But the receiver continued to run with the ball. By the time he got tackled, the Rams didn't have enough time to spike it and stop the clock. If the receiver had just given himself up, the Rams would have had 12 or 13 seconds to go to the line, clock the ball and kick the winning field goal.
From that point on, "down-down" became something the running backs and receivers on my teams practiced every Friday before a Sunday game. It was a staple among the five, six or 10 situational things I had us work on each week.
The first time this season where I saw an obvious circumstance for "Down-Down" was in Week 2 when the Cleveland Browns played the New York Jets.
With a little more than two minutes left, the Browns led, 24-17, and had a first down at the Jets' 12. The Jets had no timeouts, so it was the textbook situation for a "down-down" play.
Sure enough, the Browns ran the ball. The only problem was RB Nick Chubb didn't stop after picking up the first down. He went into the end zone. The Browns kicked off, the Jets scored a long touchdown pass, recovered the onside kick and scored again to win, 31-30.
The second time this season "down-down" should have come into play and didn't was Miami vs. Buffalo in Week 3. There were 18 seconds left and the Bills, trying to get in field-goal range, were at their 47 with no timeouts.
QB Josh Allen completed a 12-yard pass over the middle to Isaiah McKenzie. Instead of downing himself around the Miami 40 and giving Allen enough time to clock the ball, McKenzie tried to scramble to the sidelines as time ran out.
I was yelling, "Down! Down!" at Chubb. I yelled the same thing at McKenzie the following week. Of course, I'm in Saratoga, N.Y., so they couldn't hear me.
But everybody's got to know what you're doing. With "down-down" there are no options. As I would tell my players, "This is a situation we are practicing for a reason, and we have to execute it perfectly because we're in a timeframe where we're not getting a second chance — especially if we're behind."
As told to Vic Carucci
WATCH MORE: Importance of Situational Football
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