Timeouts Considered Harmful

 

Mike Shanahan never calls a timeout to ice the kicker because Jason Elam let him in on a little secret among the kicking fraternity: most of them like the extra time to check out the conditions.

“There goes that theory,” L.A. Daily News

The article goes on to quote several other kickers who say the timeout gives them a chance to get out on the field, go through their whole routine, fix up the field if they need to, and generally improves their chances of making the kick.

Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell says that coaches fear being second-guessed if they don’t try to ice the kicker: “So I think a lot of coaches do that just for that reason, to clear their conscience on using all the timeouts.”

This confirms a theory of mine, that a lot of things coaches — in any sport — do during a game are just for the sake of being seen to have done something, are not only not helpful, but probably harmful.

  3 comments for “Timeouts Considered Harmful

  1. scody
    27 Sep 2006 at 6:43 pm

    I think Shanahan’s record speaks for itself…
    At least… he’s consistently above average 🙂

    Don’t bag on the man!

  2. PE
    PE
    28 Sep 2006 at 12:19 am

    What I was trying to say is that Shanahan has the right idea. Coaches call timeouts to bother kickers and it turns out the kickers like it.

  3. scody
    28 Sep 2006 at 4:56 pm

    Gotcha…. 🙂

    Go Broncos!

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