Rich Gannon Rails Against Analytics and Romeo Crennel
The Tennessee Titans beat the Houston Texans in overtime on Sunday, 42-36. The Texans entered the fourth quarter trailing by six. Then then scored and kicked an extra point to go up one. When they scored another touchdown to go up seven with 1:50 remaining, they went for two in attempt to put the game away. This seemed to break Rich Gannon on the CBS broadcast and sent him into an anti-analytics rant.
Strongest comment: CBS Rich Gannon, on Romeo Crennel going for 2, “Force other team to not only have to score a TD but also convert a 2pt play just to play for the tie. All these analytics & stuff. Here is what I got when to go up by 7 you kick the XP & make it an 8pt game.”
— RudyMartzke2020 (@FakeRudyMartzke) October 18, 2020
Rich Gannon spent 5 minutes going off about how the Texans were wrong to go for 2. They lost, gave up 13 straight points, and never got the ball back after their 2-point conversion that would have put them up 9. pic.twitter.com/4nlftwk1ZY
— Austin Burlage (@Power_T_Tape) October 18, 2020
Rich Gannon going in on the nerds lol
— JustPaul Nay Sing H. (@JPaulogy93) October 18, 2020
I implore all of my colleagues in the sports media not to follow the lead of Rich Gannon’s little dumb tantrum ripping Romeo Crennel for that decision, which was sound in logic and game theory.
— Mike Finger (@mikefinger) October 18, 2020
Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. And kicking could’ve ended the same way.
I also thought Rich Gannon’s analysis was a total and complete embarrassment down the stretch. I don’t think Romeo is going for 2 because of “analytics.” He did because he doesn’t trust the defense. How the fuck do Greg Gumbel and Jay Feely not even mention that as a factor?
— Mike Meltser (@MikeMeltser) October 18, 2020
Of course, the Texans didn't make the two-pointer and Titans tied the game less than two minutes later and won in overtime. Had the Texans converted the two-pointer, they likely would have won. Instead, they lost without ever touching the ball again, proving going for two was the right call, even if it didn't work.
If anyone has video, please send it along as we're hoping it can be shown at the next MIT Sloan Analytics Conference.
UPDATE: Here's video of Gannon ripping the Texans:
Here is a rough cut of Rich Gannon berating the #Texans for their decision to go for two. pic.twitter.com/3R4MA0vKCC
— Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) October 18, 2020