Have noticed lots of going for it on 4th down. Cincy was 0 of 2 in a losing effort, NO was 3 of 4 in a winning effort. In the first half of the Atl/NY game each team has gone for it once, Atl 0 of 1, NY 1 of 1. Seems that when it comes playoff time, these coaches are deciding putting ultimate pressure on the defense is the way to go. Or, is this normal in the NFL? I don't watch NFL a whole lot, at least I don't normally sit down and watch a game like I do a college game unless it's the Panthers, but it seems this is an inordinate amount of going for it on 4th. Or is it?
Here are some stats for you during the 2011 NFL regular season:
Saints attempted 10 4th down conversions, made 3.
Bucs attempted 21 4th down conversions, made 8.
Chargers attempted 11 4th down conversions, made 4.
Rams attempted 23 4th down conversions, made 8.
Bengals attempted 10 4th down conversions, made 4.
Falcons attempted 13 4th down conversions, made 4.
Ravens attempted 7 4th down conversions, made 4.
As a comparison, here are some NCAAF 2011 4th down stats:
Auburn attempted 12 4th down conversions, made 6.
Alabama attempted 11 4th down conversions, made 7.
Houston attempted 26 4th down conversions, made 14.
USCe attempted 31 4th down conversions, made 22.
LSU attempted 5 4th down conversions, made 2.
Vandy attempted 20 4th down conversions, made 15.
Stanford attempted 12 4th down conversions, made 8.
You see a few college teams which have attempted more 4th downs than any NFL team (there are five NCAAF Div I-A teams with 30+ attempts during regular season, which is greater than the NFL's highest of 23), but in general, the numbers have roughly the same range. It's not uncommon for either a college team or an NFL team to average one or more 4th down attempts per game.
Now four attempts? That's a little on the high end for the NFL. With a 16 game regular season, the 23 attempts by the Rams averages out to 1.4 attempts per game. On the other hand, Duke's 36 attempts in 12 games is a little closer, averaging to 3 attempts per game.
College football has more of a range due to varying styles of play amongst a larger number of teams, whereas the NFL seems to have a more consistent type of play calling throughout the regular season amongst a smaller number of teams. While it's common for a handful of NCAAF teams to make four 4th down conversion attempts in one game, it's not as common in the NFL...unless you're New Orleans and are in the playoffs, apparently. But the one or two attempts per game is relatively common at either level.
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