Full-Time Clock-Management Coach? (1 Viewer)

[Bernman2]

I've been a subscriber for years, and a lurker in the forums as well, but this is my first topic started. Being a bleed-green Eagles fan from a very young age growing up in Philly, this topic hits home with me, and I've never heard it seriously discussed by anyone else. My brother and I both had this idea independently, so I must think there are others out there who feel the same.

How much sense would it make to hire a full-time coach or assistant whose only job was clock management? This would probably depend on what team we are talking about, but for the Eagles, Andy Reid is probably the worst clock-management coach there is. It could be argued (and has been, in the Philly Threads over the years) that anywhere from 2 to 4 games per year additional could have been won had it not been for back clock management by the Eagles. Even in the Superbowl against the Pats, what the hell was that last two minutes of the game? (could be blamed on McNabb, and has, but could it have been different with someone minding only the clock?)

I'm just throwing this out there to start some dialogue and see if it's a totally looney idea or has this even been considered for real at the professional level?

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I've been screaming this for years (I've actually mentioned it in probably a dozen different threads here). NFL coaches make some of the most ridiculous, grade-school level mistakes with game management because they just have too much stuff going on. There are thousands of people out there that are football savvy enough to do a better job of this stuff than distracted coaches do.

Of course, the problem is, it's not how things were done 80 years ago so the good ole' boys in the NFL will never think to bother.

 

[Chase Stuart]

The Jets hired **** Curl to do just that under Herm Edwards.

 

[Bernman2]

The Jets hired **** Curl to do just that under Herm Edwards.

Wow - I didn't know that. But I guess we'll never hear how it worked out/when he came into play helping with decisions.I know teams do the 2-minute drill in practice, but wonder if any ever stop and go through different scenarios and just see how different players make decisions in those scenarios? Probably not many.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Reid's a truly great coach but there is something odd about his end-game decisions. When losing I've seen him punt when the game was winnable and other times his offenses have gone in full huddle, slow motion play calling when a fast paced no-huddle would give the best shot... and then they run out of time and lose. I think you have a head coaching problem, not an organizational one.

 

[GregR]

The only negatives would be first, the owner having to pay the additional salary. Second, I'm pretty sure I read something a year or two ago that there is a limit to how many team staff can be on the sideline. So you would have to pull someone off the sideline to put a new coach out there.

I think it would be a good thing to have someone whose duty was to think through all the possibilities and then be aware and advise the coach. Wouldn't even have to be a new position, could have one of your existing staff do it... shift some responsibilities as needed.

 

[Stinkin Ref]

if the issue is too many people on the sideline.....I would think you would want to have this guy in the booth anyway....

and hell I do that #### from my sofa every weekend.....I wouldn't charge em that much.....

 

[sports_fan]

This seems like something the special teams coach should/could be responsible for.

 

[Bernman2]

if the issue is too many people on the sideline.....I would think you would want to have this guy in the booth anyway....and hell I do that #### from my sofa every weekend.....I wouldn't charge em that much.....

Yeah... don't we all! The problem I see with a guy in the booth is that he isn't right there to get in Reid's (or other head coaches') ear when it is required... several times during the last few minutes of the half/game. If it's one of those situations where the score is close and it's coming down to the last 4 or 5 minutes in the game, I'd expect whoever this is (maybe special teams coach, etc, as mentioned) to be right behind Reid at this point in time. I'd think that trying something like this and getting it perfected would have the 'Moneyball' effect. Once other coaches saw it happening and being successful, they would HAVE to follow suit or be left behind. Those left behind teams would be the ones who would always lose the close games.

 

[jasvic]

School up the 3rd QB to be that guy. He should be a relatively intelligent game manager, and it's not like he's doing anything else on Sundays.

 

[Bernman2]

School up the 3rd QB to be that guy. He should be a relatively intelligent game manager, and it's not like he's doing anything else on Sundays.

Good point! For that matter, why not the backup QB? Although he is usually pretty involved in the game and sending in plays, etc, so might not make the most sense.

 

[Stinkin Ref]

if the issue is too many people on the sideline.....I would think you would want to have this guy in the booth anyway....and hell I do that #### from my sofa every weekend.....I wouldn't charge em that much.....

Yeah... don't we all! The problem I see with a guy in the booth is that he isn't right there to get in Reid's (or other head coaches') ear when it is required... several times during the last few minutes of the half/game. If it's one of those situations where the score is close and it's coming down to the last 4 or 5 minutes in the game, I'd expect whoever this is (maybe special teams coach, etc, as mentioned) to be right behind Reid at this point in time. I'd think that trying something like this and getting it perfected would have the 'Moneyball' effect. Once other coaches saw it happening and being successful, they would HAVE to follow suit or be left behind. Those left behind teams would be the ones who would always lose the close games.

with so much going on on the sidelines at that time (players, crowd noise, etc)and being at ground level, having to look around for the clock, etc....it's gonna sound crazy but sitting somewhere else (like on your sofa, with the clock and everything all on one screen) and just commincating "time out, timeout" or "ground it ground it" into the headset to the coach would seem to be the way to go....getting in his ear might be easier through the headset then actually on the sideline....and while your in his ear your talking about "if we complete this in bounds, we kill it" etc....most of the time it seems they need the help with whetther or not to use that timeout around the two minute warning or not...i sometimes think that somebody that isn't so intimately involved in the game is actually in a better position to assess the situation when it comes time....I really think that us sitting at home on our sofas actually offers a clearer view of looking at things instead of being right there all caught up in the craziness...

 

[Stinkin Ref]

School up the 3rd QB to be that guy. He should be a relatively intelligent game manager, and it's not like he's doing anything else on Sundays.

im not so sure this is the case......some guys just go out and do what they are told and make plays......not sure I want to leave crucial decisions like this to Vince Young or something...

 

[jasvic]

School up the 3rd QB to be that guy. He should be a relatively intelligent game manager, and it's not like he's doing anything else on Sundays.

im not so sure this is the case......some guys just go out and do what they are told and make plays......not sure I want to leave crucial decisions like this to Vince Young or something...

If VY is one of your QBs, then clock management is the least of your problems.

 

[Skeletore Eh]

haha. i saw the title to this thread and thought it had to be started by an Eagles fan. and sure enough. I'd love to see a clock guy parked right next to Andy every Sunday

 

[goldfinger]

The Jets hired **** Curl to do just that under Herm Edwards.

If I recall, Herm took a lot of heat for that. "Is he so clueless that he has to hire a coach just to tell him when to call timeout", or something like that. Dr Z used to suggest it in his columns all the time.

 

[Amused to Death]

haha. i saw the title to this thread and thought it had to be started by an Eagles fan. and sure enough. I'd love to see a clock guy parked right next to Andy every Sunday

Saw the tread title and my first thought was how much the Eagles could one.

 

[The Duff Man]

It isn't just sideline coaching. It seems like QBs are taught to always use timeouts to save delay of game penalties. Numerous times I see a QB use a timeout when it is 3rd and 10 in the 3rd quarter, then still fail to convert

Then they end up needing TOs at the end and have none.

 

[sspunisher]

Let's throw a Replay Coach in there while we're at it. Some times rely way too much on what they see on the sidelines.