On clock management and player management

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.

Dri’d up

There is a conversation I have with myself every week. It goes something like this:

Me: “Why is Dri Archer still on the team?”

Me: “I don’t know.”

If ever there was a time for Dri Archer to throw caution to the wind and bring a kick out of the end zone it was with 1:51 remaining after the Steelers fell behind by six points.

Instead, Archer fielded the kick a yard deep in the end zone and knelt on it. With the offense struggling and Ben Roethlisberger reeling after two fourth-quarter interceptions the Steelers needed a boost from the special teams, not a conservative kneel.

I flashed back to the decision Tomlin made two years ago in a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field. The Ravens tied the score with 1:58 remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, Emmanuel Sanders was given the green light to bring the ball out of the end zone under any circumstance.

Sanders fielded the kickoff seven yards and deep and returned it to the Steelers’ 37-yard line to help set up the winning Shaun Suisham field goal as time expired.

“Nothing was going to stop me from bringing that ball out unless he kicked it out,” Sanders told me after the game. “I had it in my mind that I was going to return it. I had a good feeling about it.”

Never mind that it was Sanders’ first kickoff return attempt that season. Tomlin inserted Sanders for Felix Jones with the express thought of him providing a big play that could turn the tide of the game.

“He's got a skill set,” Tomlin said after that game. “When called upon, he's capable of delivering. Obviously, he's a starting receiver for us and it's not something we want to do all the time. But at the appropriate time we'll dial his number, and I thought he delivered.”

I’m guessing Tomlin has little or no confidence in Archer’s skill set. The Steelers invested a third-round draft choice in Archer for this very situation. Archer, however, has been disappointing in his role.

Archer’s 17-yard average on returns against the Bengals, including a 15-yard return to the 10 early in the game might have been flashing in Tomlin’s head.

I just keep coming back to the obvious: if Archer is on the team for his supposed ability to return kickoffs, isn’t that the scenario you want as a coach?

If not, maybe it’s time to get a new kick returner.

Markus Wheaton, anyone?