On Tomlin's clock and player management

[hawaiiansteeler]

On clock management and player management

by Ray Fittipaldo

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was criticized for his clock management late in the 16-10 loss to the Bengals on Sunday. Tomlin is not a master at clock management, but in this case, the cries of mismanaging the game appear to be a little off base in my opinion.

Here is how the mini controversy started: After Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception that was returned to the Steelers 26-yard line the Bengals had a 13-10 lead and took over with 2:44 on the clock. They ran Jeremy Hill for 1-yard. Instead of calling a timeout after the play was over (probably at about 2:38), Tomlin let the clock run down to the two-minute warning. Tomlin then called consecutive timeouts after two more Hill runs, and the Bengals kicked a field goal with 1:51 remaining, leaving Tomlin with one timeout for the final drive.

When questioned on the decision after the game Tomlin said he’d rather have a timeout in his pocket for the final drive than the extra time.

Let’s play the what-if game for a moment. Let’s say Tomlin called a timeout with 2:38 left. Assuming the Bengals call two more runs and the Steelers used two more timeouts they’d have approximately 2:20 or 2:25 for the final drive if the Bengals kicked off for a touchback. And no timeouts other than the two-minute warning.

That might appear to be an egregious error, but it’s tough to assume the Bengals’ play-calling would remain the same in that situation. If the Steelers had forced their hand, Marvin Lewis might have allowed Andy Dalton to pass on second or third down. And if Dalton converts for a first down the game is over.

Considering the Steelers had just given up a 9-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green on the previous drive and struggled to cover him for most of the day it’s probably a 50-50 gamble that the Bengals would have converted and ended the game right there.

By letting the time run off, Tomlin forced Lewis to kick the field goal and gave his offense the ball on the 20-yard line with 1:51 left. Those are difficult odds, but not insurmountable, and they’re certainly better than watching the Bengals kneel on the ball to run out the clock.

It’s fair to criticize Tomlin’s clock management in some instances. As I previously mentioned, he’s not one of the best in the business when it comes to that aspect of the game. But in this case it’s nitpicking in a game that was blown in many other areas, most notably the three interceptions the quarterback threw and the 10 penalties that cost his team points and field position throughout the game.

to read rest of article:

http://sportsblogs.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers-steelers-blog/2015/11/01/On-clock-management-and-player-management.html

[tube517]

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/Mjk1WDUwMA==/z/SVAAAMXQrhdTVmKr/$_35.JPG?set_id=2

[ALLD]

Hand-off to Archer up the middle.

[TeeTee]

http://www.aecinfo.com/introducing-cool-shades-ruskin-s-new-parametric-sun-control-revit-add-in-43220/news-files/cool-shades.jpg

[ETL]

This is the stupidest article ever. Here I quote:


"That might appear to be an egregious error, but it’s tough to assume the Bengals’ play-calling would remain the same in that situation. If the Steelers had forced their hand, Marvin Lewis might have allowed Andy Dalton to pass on second or third down. And if Dalton converts for a first down the game is over."


So let's play with fear. "what if we make Andy Dalton pass?" Ooh no, the mighty invincible Andy Dalton is going to pass. We might as well pack it in because we all know that when Andy Dalton passes - it's an automatic touchdown or first down. What a crock of shit.

We should have made him pass. We could have sacked him or there could be an incompletion and the clock would have stopped without using a time out. That's playing without fear. Tomlins messed up yesterday and this ass-kisser writer is trying to give Tomlins cover. Who the hell is this amateur writer? Tell him that his vagina is leaking and its smelling as if he has a yeast infection.

[ETL]

Colts with 4:48 left and down by 10 just took their first time out to prevent Panthers from bleeding the clock. That is smart. More time equals more options. Tomlin can learn something here.

- - - Updated - - -

One thing I know is that even if Tomlin said to the other coaches "oh shit, I fucked up. I should have called a time out" he will never say that to the press. He will keep that inside because revealing that he made a mistake would be a sign of weakness. I don't care if he reveals whether he messed up or not. I just want him to learn from his mistake

[ETL]

Colts just called a time out with 2:22 left to prevent Panthers from bleeding the clock. Are you watching Mr Tomlin?

[ETL]

Oh no. Because of the time outs - the colts just made Cam Newton pass. Does Pagano not realize that Cam has already thrown 2 TD passes already?!?!

And the Colts almost intercepted. And the clock stopped. Fittipaldi - you're a bonehead

[teegre]

...and, the Colts lost.


I can see both sides.

25 extra seconds would have been nice.

But, what got the Steelers significant yardage was the pass up the middle. Having one time out allows BB to call any/all passing plays; whereas, no timeouts limits the offense to merely throwing sideline passes.

[Steelman]

Clock Management is offended about being mentioned in the same sentence as Michael P. Tomlin. They are filing an immediate defamation suit.

[steelreserve]

I think poor clock management may well have cost us the game.

First of all, assuming that the Bengals' plays or playcalling would have gone any differently if we'd called timeout before the two-minute warning instead of after is just wild guessing and/or the writer giving himself a handjob. There's no rational reason to think it would've gone any direction in particular. So that can be dismissed out of hand.

Second, if we used all our timeouts, it wouldn't necessarily stop us from throwing the underneath stuff. We threw 4 or 5 underneath passes on the final drive and called timeout on only one of them. That sequence would've gone about the same. Not to mention we had the two-minute warning as an early timeout.

Anyway, ignoring the two-minute warning, figure it takes 8-10 seconds to get up to the line and spike the ball after a completion. We lost 38 seconds to poor clock management. So if we have to spike the ball once instead of calling the timeout we don't have, that gives us a net gain of 30 seconds, so we're in the Cincinnati red zone with 34 seconds left instead of 4 seconds. We'd get at least three, probably four chances to win the game instead of one.

In other words, Tomlin letting almost 40 seconds run off the clock was JUST AS BAD as running a play with no timeouts, then huddling up and taking the full play clock to run the next one.

SUMMATION: Tomlin SUCKED ASS at clock management and that's the reason why we only had a half-assed prayer of a chance at the end of the game. And the writer is full of shit.

[hawaiiansteeler]

Dunlap: No Excuse For Tomlin’s Time Management

November 2, 2015
By Colin Dunlap

https://cbspittsburgh.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/mike_tomlin_dl_158031006.jpg?w=640&h=360&crop=1

How in the world does this keep happening?

How does Mike Tomlin continue to — at the end of the half and end of games — get it so wrong?

It’s time for Mike Tomlin to get his time straight; time for the Steelers head coach to understand, exactly, what time it is.

Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals marked the umpteenth time (at least) that Tomlin’s clock management skills in crunch time have come into question as he, from this view at least, positively mangled the end-game situation.

It would be one thing if this were an outlier, a one-off where Tomlin got caught off-guard and made an error. But head-scratchers as they pertain to his ability to administer the clock late in games and at the end of the first half have become epidemic.

Make zero mistake, Ben Roethlisberger’s less-than-stellar showing in his first game back from injury was the prime reason the Steelers couldn’t give the Bengals their first loss. That said, when the Steelers still had a chance to tie — and perhaps go ahead — their head coach didn’t put the offense in optimal position to operate.

Instead he botched a late-game clock situation. In truth, Tomlin doing so is something that now borders on being expected rather than a surprise.

You know the summation of the situation by now: Trailing 13-10 without the ball, a little more than 2:00 left and armed with all three of his timeouts, Tomlin refused to use any before the warning hit.


Instead, Tomlin watched a valuable 38 seconds run off the clock before the 2-minute warning hit when expected thinking (for every other coach) would have been to burn a timeout prior to the warning.

No one knows if the Bengals’ playcalls would have been any different had Tomlin called timeout sooner — or if their field goal might have turned into a touchdown — but if all things would have held, the Steelers’ offense would have been given more time to operate.

“To me, having the timeout was more significant than the 38 seconds,” Tomlin said. “[The Bengals] are a great situational football team, specifically in the 2-minute. We wanted the ability to work the middle of the field.”

Sorry, Mike. I’m not buying what you are selling here.

Time was of the essence, not an ability to work the middle of the field.

On top of that, there’s a widely held adage in football that lends itself to calling a timeout before the 2-minute warning. The adage is simple: It’s much easier to control the clock when your team has the football than it is when you are playing defense.

Tomlin, quite simply, should have tried to get his team the football as soon as possible — and by extension with the most time left — in that situation.

By my non-scientific estimation, the Steelers’ offense would have had at least two more plays had Tomlin called a timeout on the high side of the 2-minute warning.

Would you like Roethlisberger’s chances at finding Antonio Brown or Martavis Bryant from about the 20? I don’t know if I like the chances, but I will tell you this: I like the chances at three cracks to get there rather than just one.

This clock debacle comes on the heels of a Chargers game just a few weeks ago when no one on Tomlin’s staff recognized an 18-second erroneous runoff that could have cost the Steelers mightily. Lucky for Tomlin, Le’Veon Bell scored a touchdown on the final play of that game to give the Steelers a 24-20 victory and that clock calamity resulted in a league apology and the suspension of an official.

It could have, however, been much worse. And it was news to Tomlin that his team got jobbed out of time. How no one on his staff caught such a glaring error, I will never know.

Perhaps Mike Tomlin should find himself a “Clock Coach.”

to read rest of article:

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/11/02/dunlap-no-excuse-for-tomlins-time-management/

[ETL]

...and, the Colts lost.


I can see both sides.

25 extra seconds would have been nice.

But, what got the Steelers significant yardage was the pass up the middle. Having one time out allows BB to call any/all passing plays; whereas, no timeouts limits the offense to merely throwing sideline passes.

I don't think whether the colts lost or not matters. Smart clock management gave them a chance to win.

I think you can still use the middle of the field with no time outs if you have enough time. You can pass and then run up and clock it. Teams that do this well only burn about 7-10 seconds. It's as good as a time out in a lot of situations.

[The Bark]

I'm happy to see he's getting the just criticism he deserves. Man up, Mike. Man up.

[ALLD]

The NFL is digital and Tomlin is using an hourglass.

[Shoes]

The NFL is digital and Tomlin is using an hourglass.


:chuckle:

[hawaiiansteeler]

http://www.aecinfo.com/introducing-cool-shades-ruskin-s-new-parametric-sun-control-revit-add-in-43220/news-files/cool-shades.jpg

http://prod.static.steelers.clubs.nfl.com//assets/images/imported/PIT/photos/2015-Photos/Recurring_CP/Tomlin_PresentedByEarthlink2.jpg

[hawaiiansteeler]

Now on to your Ask Ed questions:

--- YOU: I was in senior corporate management for over 30 years. When I had a manager who was good (Tomlin is) but had a glaring deficiency, I got someone to cover that area for him. Tomlin is possibly the worst time manger in the NFL. Why doesn't "senior management/ ownership" help him?

ED: Maybe they do not think, as many seem to do, that he needs the help.

--- YOU: I read both Ray’s and your blog discussing whether or not the Steeler’s decision not to take their timeouts before the 2-minute affected the Bengal’s play calling. Ray indicated the Bengal’s could have decided the throw the ball, pick a first down and ice the game. I’d like to counter with the Bengal’s could have decided the throw the ball, leading to an incompletion resulting in a clock stoppage and saving both time and a timeout. Alternatively, the Bengal’s could have decided the throw ball, leading to an interception or even a sack which pushed them out of field goal range. I don’t publically state that “I don’t live in my fears”, but the Steelers do. The Steeler’s biggest enemy was the time, or lack thereof, on the clock. The Steelers goal should have been to preserve as much time as they could before worrying about what the Bengal’s may or may not call.

ED: This will be the final time we talk about last Sunday’s use of the time outs and the clock. I will grant you that Mike Tomlin could have saved time and maybe he should have saved time. He gave his reasons for not doing so. Here they are:

“I thought having the ability to stop the clock was more important once we had the ball. Oftentimes, it dictates the coverage that defenses play. They have to defend the middle of the field when you have the ability to stop the clock. If we don’t have the ability to stop the clock, they would get in their cover-two structure and rush their four men, really protecting the sidelines.

“That scenario was going to get increasingly more difficult if they got in that structure. I thought by possessing a timeout, it would give us an opportunity to at least have the ability to challenge the interior of the field and maybe dictate some of the coverage they play, give us a better chance to navigate down the field.

“We were comfortable with that. That’s the plan we went with. If I had it to do over, I would do it again.’’

You may not like his explanation, but it seems to be a reasonable plan why he saved his final timeout. He did use his other two when the Bengals had the ball on that previous possession.

to read rest of article:

http://sportsblogs.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers-steelers-blog/2015/11/03/Steelers-Not-Done-Without-Bell/stories/201511030001

[steelreserve]

“I thought having the ability to stop the clock was more important once we had the ball. Oftentimes, it dictates the coverage that defenses play. They have to defend the middle of the field when you have the ability to stop the clock. If we don’t have the ability to stop the clock, they would get in their cover-two structure and rush their four men, really protecting the sidelines.

“That scenario was going to get increasingly more difficult if they got in that structure. I thought by possessing a timeout, it would give us an opportunity to at least have the ability to challenge the interior of the field and maybe dictate some of the coverage they play, give us a better chance to navigate down the field.


I'm trying to follow: If we had no timeouts, they would protect the sidelines and let us have the underneath stuff. But if we had a timeout, it lets us try the underneath stuff. Well, which one is it, Mike?

Considering that we threw down the middle four or five times regardless and only called timeout on one of them, you'd think that 1) We had enough time to go over the middle anyway, and 2) Having them guarding the sidelines would make that easier for us, or at least the same.

Basically, a bullshit explanation that shows he doesn't even know his own bullshit. Just admit you fucked up.