Another Clock Management Rant

Except this time, for a change of pace, I'm going to rail on the announcers. I have NFL Sunday Ticket now (it was free for new direct tv customers this year) and it has completely changed the way Danielle and I watch football. She wasn't around this morning so I watched the 10am Steeler's game by my lonesome, which normally would have been pretty boring and irritating; not so with Sunday Ticket. I was keeping track of 3 or 4 games using my TV, laptop, and iPad, all the while also watching the red zone channel that basically shows everything interesting that ever happens. But none of that is the point. Neither is the fact that the Steelers eviscerated the Titans, playing a man whose nickname is "fat" and who was out of football 6 days ago at LEFT TACKLE for the ENTIRE GAME, a quarterback who was walked with a notable limp on and off the field, and missing 2/3rds of their starting defensive line, a former defensive poy, a pro bowl guard, their starting running back, third down back and like 3 other guys I've probably forgotten to mention. Yes that sure was sweet, but it's not the point. Here's the point....

I switched to watching Raiders Texas because the game was (1) still on, (2) still in question, (3) an afc matchup, and (4) had serious fantasy football implications for my team. The situation was as follows; Oakland had the ball up 5 points with less than 3 minutes to go. They had to snap the ball with about 2:50 on the clock, specifically, to run their 2nd down play. They threw a deep incomplete pass, which stopped the clock, and the announcers immediately railed on them for such a bad decision. In fact, they talked about the fact that Houston wouldn't have gotten the ball back until just inside the 2 minute warning had they not done something so stupid until...Houston got the ball back just inside the 2 minute warning. You see, when you snap the ball at 2:50, if you run it into the pile you're going to have to snap it again...just before the 2 minute warning. But if you throw a deep incomplete pass that takes about just 6-7 seconds, then run the ball into the pile again with the clock reading 2:43, it turns out you can punt the ball....right at the 2 minute warning. Throwing the deep ball didn't cost them anything time wise, and gave them a chance to win the game outright, and the announcers couldn't wrap their heads around it.

So as much as it pains me to say this, well done Raiders. You actually managed the clock correctly there.