Vic Ketchmab calls a spade a spade with fans who live in fantasy

[vince]

One could just as easily say that you are thinking like a results merchant. Just because the end result was good doesn't mean that the chain of decisions that led up to it was the percentage play. In this particular case things worked out, but what would we be thinking if Dallas had marched down the field and scored a TD or if the game had gone to OT?

Thank you. Results are real - and what matters. Saying, "Had the results been different, I'd have been right. Therefore, I am right." is not based in reality.

The results McCarthy has achieved successfully finishing games at the world's highest level of this sport - more effective than every other play-caller in the last six years - are also real.

Yet people continue to insist that, "If he wasn't so effective, he'd be ineffective. Therefore, he sucks in those situations." or, "Man. He was ALMOST ineffective if I cherry-pick the two plays that didn't "work" (according to my definition) and divine some non-real greater success in those plays (or non-real subsequent failure "averted") with an alternative strategy. Therefore, he sucks - despite the fact that he's actually proven to be the league's most effective at driving the desired results in those situations."

Regarding your hypothetical failure scenario, hoosier, isn't it ironic that none of the Stubby Crew recognizes (I won't say "understands" because in most cases I know better) that - in reality - that's EXACTLY the scenario that McCarthy helped avoid with his approach in that situation?

It could have happened (but didn't thanks to the significant impact McCarthy's play selection actually had on offsetting those possibilities), therefore McCarthy doesn't know how to deal with that situation/can't "think on the fly" I believe he was characterized/etc., etc.

Or, "It happened in Seattle and I'll choose to ignore the other 110 similar situations which had a different result, therefore he's incompetent."

Surely people can see the futility in that kind of logic, no?

McCarthy's consistent success thinking on the fly, at times against "percentages" is, in reality, a significant strength and a foundation of this team's confidence, togetherness, momentum, achievement, etc. The actual results of this game - combined with his entire history of elite success - demonstrate that. That's reality and those are the results he takes to the bank - despite the second-guessing fantasy crew.