What is clutch?

By Dan Rodgers

The definition of 'clutch,' according to the unreliable source that is Wikipedia.com, is "superior play in high pressure situations."

First, I should probably tell you what this post is going to be about:

I played Abe in Madden 2011 last night, and I missed a field goal (I know, pathetic). Shortly after the miss I hear my friend say something along the lines of, "Man that was clutch."

I asked him what was clutch that had happened. He said my missing the field goal was clutch by him, and as you might have guessed that confused me. I asked him what about me doing something wrong made him clutch? I said, "It was clutch of your defense to stop my offense, but your defense played no part in me missing the field goal."

He wouldn't back down and insisted that even though he hadn't blocked the field goal or done anything to force the miss, it was clutch on his part.

I insisted that 'clutch' is when a player makes a great play in a tough situation, be it on offense, defense or special teams. So missing the field goal was "unclutch" but in no way was it a clutch play on his part.

I continued to mock him and tell him how wrong he was, and he ignored me and of course went on to win the game. (We are fairly evenly matched so we typically split the games we play.)

I was hoping the lack of audience I have would in some way comment on this and let me know what they think about this. What do you think clutch is all about?

Rodgers That