Flawed thinking by NFL coaches? (1 Viewer)

[clinton_c]

I see numerous teams that call a timeout right before the 2 minute warning (example tonight...calling a TO with 2:05 left)

I see this as a flaw in the way a coach is using his timeouts...here's why:

The offensive team knows that the clock will stop at the 2 minute warning, so you are giving them a free chance to throw the ball. Its even more of an oppurtunity when its 3rd down, knowing that even if their pass play dosen't somehow take the 5 seconds...the 2:00 warning timeout will be wasted with the change of possesion.

Now the correct way it should be done:

Save your timeout and let it click down to the 2:00....you lost 5 seconds, but now you have 1 TO left, and if they risk throwing the ball now...the clock stops without your team calling a timeout. This will most likely result in the offense not taking a risk of incompletion...and they will run the ball.

So overall:

you limit what the offense can do by not taking a TO right before the two minute warning....yet I see plenty of coaches do it.

 

[Footballg]

I completely agree. Also, by just letting it run down you've only lost 5 seconds, whereas the TO can save you more than that after the 2 min mark.

 

[Stingdiddy]

I completely agree. Also, by just letting it run down you've only lost 5 seconds, whereas the TO can save you more than that after the 2 min mark.

No true.Let's say there's 2:07 left and the coach takes a time out. Now they have no more timeouts. The other team runs another play and we're at 2:00.Let's say there's 2:07 left and the coach does not take a time out. The clock then runs down to 2:00. Another play is run, then the coach takes his timeout. Depending on how long the play takes to run, there will be around 1:55 on the clock.

 

[BusterTBronco]

Unless, of course, the offense throws an incomplete pass and uses only 4 seconds off the clock.

It's not more of an advantage on 3rd down. Either way (assuming they make the 3rd down stop) the defense is getting the ball back with slightly under two minutes on the clock and the same number of timeouts.

 

[DinkinFlicka]

The few seconds that you give up under 2 minutes makes up for the fact that you are dictating strategy that involves making the offense more predictable as well as possibly saving a timeout. Down and distance does matter to some degree in this situation as well as matchups and how the game has gone so far. There will be situations where it's an obvious passing or running situation, but if it's debatable you would like to make the offense as one dimensional as possible and you can use the clock to help you do this. This concept should be obvious to every NFL coach, but we see fundamentally bad decisions more than expected from people who are paid millions to make these decisions.

 

[Perfect Tommy]

It is just amazing how bad some coaching decisions are. Just amazing. The OP is correct, this is a standard error that many coaches make.

 

[Steeler07]

It is just amazing how bad some coaching decisions are. Just amazing. The OP is correct, this is a standard error that many coaches make.

Yeah so now most coaches are clueless.The OP is assuming the offense will not risk an incompletion after the 2 minute warning, but before it they will because the clock will stop anyway? That's a terrible assumption, so the defense is doing the correct thing by saving AT LEAST 5 seconds.

 

[Ghost Rider]

The OP is assuming the offense will not risk an incompletion after the 2 minute warning, but before it they will because the clock will stop anyway? That's a terrible assumption, so the defense is doing the correct thing by saving AT LEAST 5 seconds.

You should more often than not take the timeout before the two minute warning in the presented scenario.

 

[BusterTBronco]

The OP is assuming the offense will not risk an incompletion after the 2 minute warning, but before it they will because the clock will stop anyway? That's a terrible assumption, so the defense is doing the correct thing by saving AT LEAST 5 seconds.

You should more often than not take the timeout before the two minute warning in the presented scenario.

Yep. It kills the most downs with the least amount of time running off the clock.Also, most offenses will not be inclined to throw the football in this situation due to the risk of sack or interception.

 

[The Jerk]

The OP is assuming the offense will not risk an incompletion after the 2 minute warning, but before it they will because the clock will stop anyway? That's a terrible assumption, so the defense is doing the correct thing by saving AT LEAST 5 seconds.

You should more often than not take the timeout before the two minute warning in the presented scenario.

Yep. It kills the most downs with the least amount of time running off the clock.Also, most offenses will not be inclined to throw the football in this situation due to the risk of sack or interception.

Actually, the most annoying and complete wasting of timeouts happens when the offense runs a play that ends with 2:42-2:43 or so left in a half. In particular, this is a waste if the team is calling its final timeout. I have seen the final timeout called many times in this precise situation. The offense will run the ball, then let the clock wind down to 2:00. Without using a timeout, the offense would need to make a snap with 2:03 or more on the clock.Let's say the play that ended with 2:43 left was a first down play. So the defense calls its final timeout. Second down is a run, followed by the winding down to 2:00. Then the third down play is run, and the snap for the fourth down punt happens with 1:15 left.Compare this to what happens if the defense does not call timeout after the first down play. The second down play will occur before the two minute warning. Then the defense can call timeout after the third down play with 1:50+ on the clock.