Marrone admits his error in clock management in the Jets game

[BillsFever21]

Myself and a couple others had brought this up in one of the other threads. I was in disbelief that he screwed up the clock management once again which lead to a Jets FG going into halftime. Marrone is conceding that he messed up with the clock management. He better learn from this since this isn't even the first time this season.

After we had 2nd and 18 with the way our offense was playing just about any person would've played clock management at that point. It doesn't take "experience" to know when it's a good time to PREVENT the other team from scoring points. Without that FG our lone TD would've given us the lead instead of tying it up. Who knows how the rest of the game would've played out. Up to this point Marrone doesn't understand the clock management theory and has been a total failure in this area.


Marrone acknowledged he should have had his offense slow down after taking a sack late in the first half of Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets.

The Bills got the ball on their own 25 with 1:41 left in the half. EJ Manuel was sacked for an 8-yard loss on first down. Manuel completed a 9-yard pass on second down, but then threw incomplete on third.

The Jets took possession after a punt on their own 34-yard line with 43 seconds left. The Jets had enough time to drive for a 47-yard field goal.

Marrone explained his thought process and admitted he made a judgment error.

“Looking back, here’s exactly what was going through my mind,” he said. “We were going to get the ball in the second half. I tend to be aggressive before that. What happened was we took the sack for minus-9. We come back and make it up on second down. We get 9 or 10 yards.

“Now we’re down to a manageable third down. We actually wanted to take a shot vertically down the field, and we wound up throwing an intermediate route incomplete.”
Marrone said he should have run on second and third down to make the Jets use their timeouts or to run clock.

“When we took the sack and we were at second and 18 or 19 – and I told this to the team – we all make mistakes. In hindsight, we go back, we take the sack, the percentages of making second and 18 to a first down. … Run the football, either to use the timeouts or the clock runs down, and go.

“So you’re exactly right. I’m not going to sit up here and defend that it was the right decision.”

[Skooby]

Their clock management won us our only game as well, so it's a take & give.

[BillsFever21]

Their clock management won us our only game as well, so it's a take & give.

How did it win us our game? I'm pretty sure I've seen other teams score a TD to win the game with under two minutes left on the clock.

This is about knowing when to slow it down when the game dictates it. Even if you stay in the no huddle it doesn't mean you need to snap the ball with 30 seconds left on the play clock. There are times in many games where you want to burn time off the clock while going on a 4-5 minute scoring drive late in the game. Or even running time off the clock so the other team can't score when the game dictates it.

[Skooby]

How did it win us our game? I'm pretty sure I've seen other teams score a TD to win the game with under two minutes left on the clock.

This is about knowing when to slow it down when the game dictates it. Even if you stay in the no huddle it doesn't mean you need to snap the ball with 30 seconds left on the play clock. There are times in many games where you want to burn time off the clock while going on a 4-5 minute scoring drive late in the game. Or even running time off the clock so the other team can't score when the game dictates it.EJ's winning drive was a mastery of clock management.

[BillsFever21]

A mastery of clock management? It was a good drive but far from mastery. At that point you know you need to score. It must be the only time it's happened in the NFL or something. There is a big difference.

There's a difference from 2 minute drive to try and win the game and using clock management during a game to kill the clock to preserve a victory/lead or not giving the other team a chance of scoring. Marrone has failed in this area consistently this season.

The Patriots drive against us after we mismanaged the clock with 5+ minutes to go and couldn't move the ball was a mastery of clock management. They got the ball back with around 5 minutes to go and we never saw it again. That's the type of drive that we needed and instead we gave them the ball back and they did it to us. A long drive for a score seals that game against the Patriots. Not a one minute drive and punt it back to the Patriots.

[Homegrown]

never fails to amaze how Bills HC's, who've been "in the game" all their lives, who spent hours in game prep, who have a dozen assistants on staff, continually screw up on the most fundamental things

[Meathead]

yeah that situation was a screw up

still dont think he did anything wrong against the cheaters. there was too much time there to go into slowdown

and technically it was great clock mgmt on the winning carolina drive, but really thats not marrone thats manuel and the offense making sure they could get oob. i guess you could say marrone coached them to do that, but its not really the same as proactive clock mgmt from the sidelines to try to prevent a score

[YardRat]

The man's not perfect? I'm shocked.

[BillsFever21]

yeah that situation was a screw up

still dont think he did anything wrong against the cheaters. there was too much time there to go into slowdown

and technically it was great clock mgmt on the winning carolina drive, but really thats not marrone thats manuel and the offense making sure they could get oob. i guess you could say marrone coached them to do that, but its not really the same as proactive clock mgmt from the sidelines to try to prevent a score

There was too much time left in the Patriots game just to run the ball and make them use their timeouts, etc. There wasn't too much time on the clock to slow things down, make sure everyone is organized and to try and put together a sustaining drive for a score. If that happens then the Bills almost definitely could seal the game away even with a FG. A touchdown wins it.

The Patriots got the ball back within a minute later and put together a long drive the ate up the rest of the clock to win the game. That was the type of drive that we needed that would've sealed the game. Not coming out rushing in between plays in hurry up mode. There wasn't any need to rush things. First thing you want to do is get some first downs and try to get a decent drive for a score that takes some time off the clock. The mismanagement in the circumstances of the game was horrible there.

[BillsFever21]

The man's not perfect? I'm shocked.

You don't need to be perfect to realize that situation. You just need to be aware and competent of the situation of the game at the point in time. Once they got sacked on first down it's time to make sure the Jets can't score again before halftime. Especially with the way our offense was already playing up to that point.

They run the ball twice after that and make the Jets use both of their timeouts and that FG doesn't happen before halftime. That kind of clock management was the reverse of Chan Gailey that drove everyone nuts. Gailey didn't know how to manage the clock when the time wasn't on our side and would take his good old time trying to score when we needed the ball again or use his timeouts incorrectly.

[Mace]

Well, I'm ok with it. Marrone, a rookie head coach appears to admit having learned something and takes a responsibility for lack of understanding. For now this is a good thing.

I remember Gailey going out of his way not to admit he screwed up with Wannstedt or how he used Spiller, and I remember Jauron going on and on attempting to not learn anything but being unable to keep from confusing himself by trying to speak a paragraph of nothing at a time. Mularkey was so convinced he was cutting edge he wouldn't say he was learning though he'd infer he was evidently not cutting edge enough sometimes but he was on the way there so shut up, Greg Williams knew everything already it was just someone elses fault, and Wade Phillips, well I don't know but it calmed me when he said anything, still does no matter who he is coaching for. I always feel better when Wade Phillips says anything even if it has nothing to do with much.

I hope they hire Wade Phillips again for something, even if it's just hanging around and talking. Er, anyway, Marrone. He feels he dorked up and said so, a good thing. I don't have a clue if it would have changed a crap but he's not pretending.

[Beebe's Kid]

The man's not perfect? I'm shocked.
Come on, Yard. You're better than that, or I thought you were. The man's not perfect? You could pull that **** with every loss. Nobody is saying he needs to be perfect, but aware of the very few things that he has within his power would be nice.

[RedEyE]

Honestly, I understand the guys perspective at the end of the half, but they really need to be more conservative with the clock in those situations. If teams like the Jets cand Geno Smith can rack up a field goal in that alloted time, imagine what Brady, Rogers, or Manning could do? This is not Big East college football.

[Skooby]

Honestly, I understand the guys perspective at the end of the half, but they really need to be more conservative with the clock in those situations. If teams like the Jets cand Geno Smith can rack up a field goal in that alloted time, imagine what Brady, Rogers, or Manning could do? This is not Big East college football.

You could have 2 scores in that time period because first downs stop the clock in college, so this makes it even worse.

[better days]

There was too much time left in the Patriots game just to run the ball and make them use their timeouts, etc. There wasn't too much time on the clock to slow things down, make sure everyone is organized and to try and put together a sustaining drive for a score. If that happens then the Bills almost definitely could seal the game away even with a FG. A touchdown wins it.

The Patriots got the ball back within a minute later and put together a long drive the ate up the rest of the clock to win the game. That was the type of drive that we needed that would've sealed the game. Not coming out rushing in between plays in hurry up mode. There wasn't any need to rush things. First thing you want to do is get some first downs and try to get a decent drive for a score that takes some time off the clock. The mismanagement in the circumstances of the game was horrible there.

I agree with you on this. The Bills hurried themselves out of a first down. I think they should have called a timeout & came up with a better plan than what they ran.

[Turf]

You can be aggressive in your play calling and run the clock at the same time.

[better days]

You can be aggressive in your play calling and run the clock at the same time.

You can, but to have success you have to call a play that is LIKELY to work. Not call a play that has maybe a 20% chance of working.

[feldspar]

Are these idiots going to run the no-huddle NO MATTER WHAT?

[Turf]

Are these idiots going to run the no-huddle NO MATTER WHAT?

That's what they're doing now, one of my biggest concerns with the intelligence of this staff.

[stuckincincy]

Are these idiots going to run the no-huddle NO MATTER WHAT?

Don't say such. I did that during pre season and was told that it was the exciting new way we would put the rest of the league in awe.

Get with the program! :duel:

[ServoBillieves]

This team could easily be 3-0: something that a few other teams can't say. Buffalo is not getting blown out, they are not drastically getting stomped on, it's a few mental and coaching mistakes that have kept them from a tie at the top of the division.

That being said, it's pretty pathetic they haven't acclimated so far. Cincy, I'm really happy for your menial victory, but no one cares. Really, if this team slows the clock down and, rather than going full Belicheat on other teams, takes an aggressive stand with minimal time for the other teams to attack (aka... HEY, idea! Let's run Spiller since he's such a weapon and therefore have time continue to run while we have the ball and can still score!) then it's a different outlook on the season.

Draft standing and draft picks won't pick this team up the following season. Or the one after. Or... yeah. Let's just try to find ways to get it taken care of NOW especially when it's this simple of a band aid.

[BillsImpossible]

Marrone manned up, admitted his mistake and owned it.

He got too aggressive. He got greedy and got burned....sounds like a recent date of mine.

Even the best screw up.

Slow and easy, Dougy, slow and easy baby!

[The Popcorn]

never fails to amaze how Bills HC's, who've been "in the game" all their lives, who spent hours in game prep, who have a dozen assistants on staff, continually screw up on the most fundamental things


Rookie players have screwed up fundamental things. Rookie coaches do the same. How many other Bills HC's have admitted their errors? If anything, fans should take this as a positive sign that you have somebody who will man up for his mistakes.

[The Popcorn]

This team could easily be 3-0: something that a few other teams can't say. Buffalo is not getting blown out, they are not drastically getting stomped on, it's a few mental and coaching mistakes that have kept them from a tie at the top of the division.

That being said, it's pretty pathetic they haven't acclimated so far. Cincy, I'm really happy for your menial victory, but no one cares. Really, if this team slows the clock down and, rather than going full Belicheat on other teams, takes an aggressive stand with minimal time for the other teams to attack (aka... HEY, idea! Let's run Spiller since he's such a weapon and therefore have time continue to run while we have the ball and can still score!) then it's a different outlook on the season.

Draft standing and draft picks won't pick this team up the following season. Or the one after. Or... yeah. Let's just try to find ways to get it taken care of NOW especially when it's this simple of a band aid.


Piggybacking your "not getting stomped" comment, they're doing this with a secondary that is not so good.

[jmb1099]

Not arguing the importance of clock management, but just thinking that if the players on the field executed consistently, this is a non discussion. Consistency will come with reps and time. Sadly that isn't going to happen this year. It's not that it can't, but the age of the team, rookie head coach, rookie Qb, the odds are against it.