Polian talks 4th and 2

Psvirsky sends  us this link about Polian at the Sloan conference

Polian emphasized the point with a detailed breakdown of the much-discussed fourth-and-2 that Bill Belichick attempted against Indianapolis last season. Polian broke down all the different aspects of that play — the Colts’ hot offense, the Patriots’ banged-up defense, the tendency of the Patriots to run quarterback sneaks in short-yardage situations rather than throwing the type of pass that was called — and backed up the decision.

Here’s the funny thing: Polian agreed with the decision not because he believed the statistical data that supported it, he said, but because it made sense in that specific moment with those specific players on the field.

“Was it the right call? In my opinion, it was 100 percent the right decision,” Polian said. “All of the statistical analysis that’s done over the course of the season means nothing. The situation on the field at the time dictates the decision.”

Statisticians still can find common ground with Polian: All the data in the world only works if it’s put in the hands of coaches and players who are able to apply it correctly in a given situation. A trade or a free-agent signing can only work if a player is motivated to keep putting in the same work he has before the trade or free-agent signing. The will to get better and the will to work and the will to win still have value, intangible as they are.