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[QUOTE="RandygoCuse, post: 1883294, member: 1231"]
Analytics consistently say the same thing - it almost always makes sense to go for it on fourth.  A large amount of the time (especially in short yardage situations), you will get the first down.  But even if you don't, punting wouldn't give you the advantage many think it would.  It may seem strange, but the safest thing to do is give your team the chance to advance.  Coaches are reluctant to act on this as being wrong while going for it looks reckless, while being wrong and punting appears to be the smart move.

Now if both teams regularly went for it on fourth, I don't know how this would influence the data.  On one hand, it would seem to be even more important to do everything possible to avoid the opposing team getting possession. On the other hand, if you know the other team probably won't punt in a fourth down situation, it may smart to pin them back as far as possible to give yourself the chance to get stops.  Food for thought.
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