What is up with Defining Moments!?

[SloeyEZ]

This is the last time I'm going to debate the DM on here. Let me just give you a real-life example of why the DM you just experienced is not "dumb"...

Take last night's game or any rivalry game. You are up by xx points which could be 3 or 23 it doesn't matter, because a DM in the game, as ridiculous as it may seem, is possible in real-life because you could have the fans screaming to go for it (it's their hated team, they want you to kick them while they're down), the crowd noise rises, the energy is multiplying, the players start feeding off of the energy and start urging you to let them have just one more chance to score on these blankity blank blanks to assert that you are the better team, then the coaches start urging you and now everyone is caught up in the emotion and the electricity of the moment and Jerry Jones is patrolling the sidelines firing everyone up so you know he wants you to show the world how good this team is....DM - do you go with the excitement , the "heat of the moment" and try to run up the score, or do you ignore everyone and punt.... and yes you said that there were only 4 seconds left, but in the excitement of the moment, maybe everyone doesn't realize whether you have a TO left

Now matter how strange things may seem in a game or film...eventually you will always see it in real life...

[Mike3207]

I just wanted to vent on defining moments a bit. I had my approval at 98 before the Saints game. I lost the game 28-24 with one defining moment-it drops to 65. It goes to 70 during the Packers game(a season goal to beat them)- it drops to 42 after I lose 31-20 to them!

It doesn't matter I had won 12 previous games- I lose 56 in approval by losing two straight. You almost have to buy Charm and Charisma to avoid things like this.

[Wheeler Dealer]

I had a defining moment actually put a game in jeopardy today. I had the ball at midfield with a 7 point lead, about 35 seconds left on the game clock and 30 seconds left on my play clock. It was 4th and inches.

I usually go for it on 4th and inches but this is a virtual lock if I do it right.

My plan was to let the clock run down to 6 seconds, call timeout and punt. Maybe my opponent gets to try two Hail Marys if the first is incomplete, but the first pass completed should finish off the clock. Barring an 80 yard TD, this game is safe.

Now I get a defining moment and I can't run the clock down before I punt. I was hoping the center wouldn't snap the ball until the play clock was near zero but no, the play started immediately, there was a touchback at about 30 seconds. Then came a couple of completed passes followed by timeouts. Then my opponent had time for three shots at the end zone from about my 45 yard line!

I probably would have been safer to go for the first down.

[Skarecrow]

The defining moment that shows up seconds before the 2 minute warning always angers me, no matter what you do, you lose as you can't complete the play before the warning goes off.

Also, usually you know the result of the Defining moment right after you choose and execute the play, but at least twice I am pretty sure that I didn't get a result of any type, success or failure, until 2 or 3 plays after I chose. It's like they waited to determine the success or failure of the DM play until a completely different play.

[cutter73]

The defining moment system has some issues.

I once had a defining moment come up that blew my mind. I was losing by 1 point. I drove the ball down inside the ten yard line, running the ball to milk the clock. It was 4th and goal to go with something like 2-3 seconds left to play. If I kick the FG I win the game, yet I get a defining moment come up asking me whether I want to go for it. I say no, kick the field goal, win the game, and lose approval for kicking the game winning field goal.

That said, it ain't as bad as it seems sometimes. If you win the game, the approval boost you get for winning the game pretty much balances out that kind of thing.

[djwalker84]

Personal hate is the DM at 4th and short, insider the 10 yard line. You get kick the field goal or go for the TD. Having a super OL, I go for the QB sneak. Hey I make it, first down and goal on something like the 1 yard line, but ..... wait I fail the DM because I did not get into the End Zone that play. Hmmmm

[Mike N]

I just try to chalk it up to the fact that no matter what you do somebody will have a problem with it. Otherwise some of that would make me nuts.

[lavadub12]

I can't believe no ones said anything about onside kicks. Choose regular kick loose approval, choose onside and don't recover loose approval. Choose onside and recover STILL loose approval! Also the inevitable I'm up by 2, 1:35 left in the 4th, its 4th and 28 on my own 7 yard line. Do I punt or go for it? Any coach that would go for it should be fired on the spot