[CTcard]

Or, better still, the back could have caught the very catchable, normally "safe" short pass and run for a few yards. He had a chance to get a first down, not a given, but possible. That could have taken even more time off the clock. Unfortunately, the back was looking to run before completing the catch and dropped it. Would have been nice if he had realized that keeping the clock moving was just as/more important than the yards, but he didn't. Mostly a mental error by the receiver. In any case, it wasn't full turtle mode at that point. It is very reasonable to expect that pass to be caught.

"The back" was Cameron Scarlett.

Of course you expect him to catch the ball, but the point of running is that you are hedging against mistakes; on a run play there is no chance the clock doesn't keep running after the play ends.

Sometimes the certainty of the clock is the most important thing, sometimes it isn't.

[CTcard]

Or, better still, the back could have caught the very catchable, normally "safe" short pass and run for a few yards. He had a chance to get a first down, not a given, but possible. That could have taken even more time off the clock. Unfortunately, the back was looking to run before completing the catch and dropped it. Would have been nice if he had realized that keeping the clock moving was just as/more important than the yards, but he didn't. Mostly a mental error by the receiver. In any case, it wasn't full turtle mode at that point. It is very reasonable to expect that pass to be caught.

"The back" was Cameron Scarlett.

Of course you expect him to catch the ball, but the point of running is that you are hedging against mistakes; on a run play there is no chance the clock doesn't keep running after the play ends.

Sometimes the certainty of the clock is the most important thing, sometimes it isn't.