MovieChat Forums > All the Right Moves (1983) Discussion > Run out the clock

Run out the clock

posted 20 years ago by maixiu
25 replies | jump to latest

What on earth was the coach thinking by trying a running play in pouring rain, on his own one yard line, with the lead and only a few seconds to go? It just didn't make any sense. Anyone who knows the slightest thing about football would realize what a cardinal sin that play was. Later in the movie one of the barflies even asks, "Why didn't they just take a safety and punt the ball out?" It doesn't make sense when we see that the coach is then hired by Cal-Poly. So Steph gets blackballed for being a hot head, but the coach gets a promotion after screwing up the biggest game of the year?

[–] blizz71 20 years ago

I totally agree. They should have either taken a knee there on the 1/2 yard line, taken a knee for a safety or the QB could have ran around the endzone until either the clock ran out.

Also the strategy of having the Defensive Backs go for the ball in a passing situation instead of playing the man is also backward. If you have man on man coverage and you go for the ball and miss it and the receiver catches it you are screwed.

Even with these "flaws", I still love this movie and think it is great. Craig T. Nelson is a great actor. I had a class in college, Sports in Film, and we talked about this movie one day. My professor made the joke that Craig T. Nelson went from Ampipe High to Cal-Poly to Chattanoga to Minnesota St to Orlando in the pros. Not too bad. Is this movie on DVD? Also "Coach" needs to come out on DVD.

[–] willowtree602 20 years ago

It is available on DVD in Australia. It's a very standard edition with the trailer. I don't know if it is available anywhere else.

This dress exacerbates the genetic betrayal that is my legacy

[–] badboyyardie 20 years ago

why didn't I have rifleman fall on the ball...In your face Walnut Heights!!

"There's sometimes a buggy. How many drivers does a buggy have?"

[–] larryrf 20 years ago

I just bought it on DVD at WalMart in a two pack with Taps for $15.

[–] ijonesiii 18 years ago

You are absolutely correct about the coach's choice of a play, but if he had picked the right play, that would have left us with the remains of the movie, correct?

[–] jmac332083 19 years ago

How can you not take a knee? Its just hollywood extending the movie

Jimmy Mac

[–] jsgreenup 19 years ago

...because if they had done what a REAL football team would have done, you would have even less of a movie than there was....but that's Hollywood

[–] KDinCT 19 years ago

Don't forget the Miracle in the Meadowlands. The NY Giants once did the exact same thing and blew a game vs. the Eagles because they didn't take a knee. In the heat of the moment, coachs make mistakes too.

[–] TakeMyKnifePlease 19 years ago

Coaches do make mistakes, but running a 42 lead in the pouring rain on your own one yard line?! And lets not forget going for the ball and not the man in man coverage. It is also very clear to me that Nickerson's ridiculous 6-2 defense is probably the stupidest idea i have ever seen in a football game. For christ sake TWO middle line backers and a saftey is all that stands in your way for a game winning touchdown, why the *beep* would anybody run the ball against this insipid formation? And on top of it all Nickerson blames the entire loss on Stef, who got them the pick-to-a-TD that put them ahead in the first place. Nickerson is one of the worst coaches i have ever seen, Cal-Poly has some very poor judgement in football coaches

"Take my Knife, please"

[–] padreofcecil 19 years ago

Wow, wake up. It's a movie, and a pretty damn accurate one. Small town. High school football. 1983.

Did anybody even PLAY football, particularly in that era? There are very few football movies that get it RIGHT. This is one of those rare gems. It's ridiculous to "analyze" the coaching decisions. Again, did you even play football? Are you old enough to remember when we didn't have such full-blown coverage of football, and sports in general?

1983, remember? Internet? Um, non-issue. Brian(Chris Penn) sums up the mindset of the film and it's characters at his wedding, "...and all we wanted to do was play for the Steelers". The movie is completely authentic, and captures what it's like to be in that space in that time at that age.

To second-guess coaching decisions is completely ridiculous, and tells me one thing. D-O-R-K who never played the game in the first place...

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ceebeegee 14 years ago

Why are you so nasty? This is a movie message board. There are nitpickers and fans and discussion of every type. Second-guessing what the characters do, especially in a movie that is selling itself as realistic, is entirely appropriate and very common. Get a grip, you didn't make the movie, he (I'm assuming the OP is a he) isn't attacking you and you are taking what he said entirely too personally.

[–] Columbialion 18 years ago

Maybe the other team ran the ball 99% of the time. Then maybe a 6-2 defense might not be such a bad idea. And we really dont know what adjustments ampipe made out of that 6-2. Mabye that formation he had on the chalkboard was just the base defense they would play if walnut heights ran like a 2 TE wishbone or power I formation?

I agree though, nickerson was an awful coach with a loser attitude.

I was suprised that the team didnt stand up to nickerson though after what he did. They kind of left steph hanging there.

[–] Ed in MO 18 years ago

I think the situation was very realistic. The play was called in a high-school football game in a state of euphoria after everybody already thought that Ampipe had won the game, and nobody would have anticipated the fumble. That's real life folks! After the fact, everybody second-guessed Nickerson, which is also true-to-life.

However, I always thought the way the fumble was executed in the film looked pretty phoney. The actor playing the halfback didn't really even attempt to grab the ball. If I had been the director, I would have made him do it again.

The thing I love most about the film, though, is Stef's confrontation with Nickerson to get back on the team. I just love the way Craig Nelson gives his line readings. "You put garbage on me, my wife, and my little girl." "You've played your last game, son." What a great performance!

[–] feels16 18 years ago

I played football and that might be one of the most bonehead plays I've ever seen. Yes, it's only a movie but still..football logic says when you're up by 3 or more deep in your territory with little time left, you take a safety to ensure you A. Secure the snap B. Don't botch a handoff C. Put the pressure on your opponent to come down the field and beat you. The movie is on right now and you are right about Craig T. Nelson getting the promotion and Tom Cruise getting kicked off the team.

[–] andyd-1 17 years ago

mistakes are made in sport. Tyson's seconds had forgoten some standard equipment when he lost his heavyweight title.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] baran_erik 8 years ago

I guess you've never heard of Miracle in the Meadowlands I. Look it up.

[–] Ed in MO 8 years ago

About fifteen years ago, Kevin Steele, the coach for Baylor, had a game won against UNLV. His quarterback simply needed to kneel once and the clock runs out and the game is over. He decides to run up the score to give his team some pride. So while trying to score, the Baylor running back fumbles near the goal line and the UNLV defensive back runs the ball 99 yards down the sideline for a touchdown and wins the game. The lesson is: Coaches screw up....it happens.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/ten-years-ago-today-unlv-beat-baylor-100-yard-fumble-return-thomas

[–] andyd-1 17 years ago

hold on that was the idea of the storyline, the coach made a terrible decision and the supporters were furious. Maybe the 'mistake' was too big to believe, but then I was just reading about how mike tyson's seconds didn't bother bringing standard equipment with them for a world title bout. So I found it believable.

[–] jefgg 10 years ago

Did Coach Nickerson have any assistant coaches? I don't remember seeing any.

[–] andyd-1 10 years ago

That's the point of the film, the coach was getting the job independently of his tactical error, life isn't fair.

Much worse was the coach's behaviour after the game, he failed to show any sort of moral leadership to the players, blaming them and sulking.

[–] sage2112 8 years ago

Umm yeah they talked about that in the "movie". (using that term loosely)

[–] Yorke71 8 years ago

The short answer is that Coach Nickerson was trying to run up the score a little to make himself look better to the college recruits. Yeah, it was a bone-headed call, but not without precedent. As someone pointed out, the Giants blew a playoff game against the Eagles by running a meaningless last second play instead of taking a knee.

An even more appropriate example was the Steelers / Colts playoff-game a few years ago. The Steelers were up with less than a minute to go with the ball near the Colts end zone. They could have just run down the clock, but since it was Jerome Bettis' last season, they decided to give him a chance to get a touchdown to close out the game. He fumbles the ball at the goal line and the colts run it back almost for a touchdown. The only thing that saved the day was Rothlesberger tackling the guy.