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Michael Wilbon's Rant About How The Bucs Were Stupid To Go For 2 And Analytics Is One Of The Dumbest Things Said In TV History

There was a time when PTI was a vital part of the day. Whether you were in college, right out of college, you plopped on the couch and for 30 minutes listened to two guys argue about sports. But now? Now it's just old man yelling at clouds, which is a saying I truly hate, but it's the only thing that applies here. That and this gif

Giphy Images.

The only thing that might be argued more than going for 2 while down 14 is the fumble out of the end zone rule. The fact is it's smart to go for 2 when you're down 14 and attempting to win. You need 15 points to win, pretty simple here. The problem was the Bucs play call. A fade is incredibly stupid, even with Mike Evans. You're at the 2 yard line, come up with something, anything better than that. Then again, Todd Bowles and Dan Campbell are friends, so maybe he did that on purpose too? 

Yeah, there's an argument that analytics are becoming too much, especially in baseball and to a degree with basketball. But this is simple game theory. You need 15, you gotta get 2. Basically you guarantee yourself two chances to win or send the game in OT, but the Bucs never got that chance. That's also part of the game. It's not like going for 2 'mattered' in the long run and this is just an anti-analytics rant because that's what people want to do when something fails. 

Also hilarious he refuses to acknowledge Dan Campbell going for it on 4th down and scoring. So much for 'just take the points' when you can get 6 vs 3. But because it worked it was 'smart' I assume? Also, let's say the Bucs don't want to deal with OT on the road and everything that comes along with NFL overtime rules. Would you rather go for two once or twice? The only reason people are losing their mind about this is because they didn't convert the 2-point conversion thanks to a dumbass play call, which isn't analytics. It's poor coaching. 

All that said, the Bucs deciding to kick and XP and missing it easily would have been the funniest outcome instead of this. Not like XP's are a lock. But this right here from Wilbon is the only lazy and stupid thing. Outcomes don't mean it's the wrong decision.