Clock Management

From the Desk of Eagles Outsider Barry Bowe

I learned clock management by the time I was eight years old – and I’m not kidding when I say that. So it confounds me when professional NFL coaches like Andy Reid and Chip Kelly – who are being paid millions of dollars per year – don’t know how to manage the clock.

I mention clock-management for two reasons:

The debacle in last Saturday’s Chiefs-Patriots game.
The fact that the new head coach of the Eagles was an integral part of that miscarriage of clock management and play-calling.

Don’t get me wrong. I wish Doug Pederson the best. I wanted Mike Shula. But since his name never entered the conversation, I knew the Eagles wouldn’t hire him. So I have as much confidence in Peterson as any of the other candidates – with certain caveats thrown in. The first of which is a mental process called “imaging” – not to be confused with medical or computer imaging.

This “imaging” is a technique in which you use mental images to succeed by visualizing possible outcomes in advance. This endeavor comes into play in at least two areas of football:

Play calling.
Clock management.

I’ll address both by going back to last Saturday’s Chiefs game. Let’s set the stage:

Fourth quarter – 3:00 remaining.
Three timeouts left.
Chiefs’ ball – 1st-and-10 at the Pats twenty.
Chiefs are trailing 27-13 and need two scores to win.

Thus, time is of the utmost essence.

This is where imaging is like looking into a crystal ball:

I’m going to call such-and-such play.
If I lose yardage on this play, I’m going to call such-and-such play next.
If I’m stopped for no gain, I’m going to call such-and-such play next.
If I gain yardage, I’m going to call such-and-such play next.

This way, you know in advance what you’re going to do next – no matter what happens. This way you’re a step ahead – instead of being a step behind.

OK – so getting back to the action, Alex Smith completes a pass to Albert Wilson for 19 yards – which moves the ball to a 1st-and-goal at the one yard-line. The clock shows 2:33 – and those 33 seconds prior to the two-minute warning are sufficient time to run three plays. If you’re imaging, you already know what play you’re going to run – and you run it.

But that’s not the way Andy Reid’s mind works.

With the clock ticking off precious seconds, Andy’s nose was buried in that burdensome play-chart. It’s like Nero fiddling while Rome burns.

In fact, by the time Andy figures out what play he wants to run and then wastes time running players on and off the field, the clock runs down to the two-minute warning.

No plays during those precious 33 seconds.

That’s inexcusable – and it left the Chiefs with little chance to win.

For crying out loud, he should’ve at least had Alex Smith spike the ball to stop the clock. But no. He was a play behind instead of being a play ahead of the game.

Oh, yeah, the Chiefs scored five plays later to close the gap to 27-20 – but by then only 1:13 remained. The ensuing onside kick failed and the Chiefs lost.

It was vintage Andy Reid – and if you’re an Eagles fan, you remember similar situations quite well.

PUT YOURSELF IN DOUG’S SHOES

Now, if I were Doug Pederson – Chiefs’ offensive coordinator and assistant play-caller – I’d already have a play called. Or else I’m screaming at Andy to call a timeout or to have Alex Smith spike the ball. I’m trying to win the game – not worrying about ruffling feathers.

Hey, I wasn’t on the sideline, so I don’t know how the machinations played out. But if I were on those sidelines – pardon my French – I wouldn’t have pissed away those precious 33 seconds. I would’ve done everything in my power to score before the two-minute warning.

ALIBI

At yesterday’s welcoming press conference, Doug Pederson put forth an alibi – but I’m not buying it. He said the Chiefs didn’t want to put the ball in Tom Brady’s hands with that much time left. That’s preposterous. Your only thought at that time should’ve been to score as quickly as possible and get the ball back one way or another.

So now I’m wondering if Doug Pederson knows how to manage the clock.

And I’m also fearful because he said he’d be calling the plays.

Play-calling is not the domain of the head coach. The head coach hires an offensive coordinator and a defensive coordinator – and he delegates play-calling duties to them. The offensive coordinator calls the offensive plays and the defensive coordinator sets the defense.

Of course they work out the game-plans in union, but the head coach oversees what’s transpiring in the game. Instead of having his nose buried in the play-chart at crunch time, he’s yelling “Alex, spike the goddam football.”

So here are my three reservations regarding Doug Pederson:

Is his mind capable of imaging?
Will he be able to manage the clock?
Will he delegate his duties? Or will he become an egomaniac like predecessors Andy Reid and Chip Kelly who buried their noses in the play-chart and were always a play or two behind?

I’m hoping that “yes” is the answer to all three questions.

I was serious about learning clock management by the age of eight. My father was an athletic director. Instead of using a babysitter, he took me football and basketball games where I sat on the bench or stood on the sidelines. I watched and listened and absorbed. Plus, my dad and I watched a lot of games together on TV – and he knew his sports inside out.

Clock management is not a difficult concept. I passed it along to my son before he became a teenager. I’m sure that many of you who are reading this are more adept at clock management than Andy Reid and/or Chip Kelly. They just don’t get it and they never will. I hope that Doug Pederson gets it.

Mine was a fortunate growing-up period when it comes to sports.

In addition to being the official Eagles Outsider for BlameMyFather.com, Barry Bowe is also the author of: