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INDIANAPOLIS — Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday, in a reversal from his postgame feedback on Monday evening, stated Tuesday that he had regrets concerning the staff’s dealing with of a late-game state of affairs in a 24-17 loss to the Steelers.
Saturday declined to name a timeout earlier than a key third-down play, opting to stay with a predetermined play name the staff had dialed up. The Colts had been hoping to catch the Steelers in a suboptimal personnel grouping that will have given themselves a bonus.
However what finally occurred is the Colts struggled to get lined up rapidly, permitting the clock to roll and giving the Steelers an opportunity to regroup. Pittsburgh stuffed operating again Jonathan Taylor for no achieve on the third-and-3 play from the 26-yard line with 30 seconds left.
“I want I had that third down again and, in all honesty, want I might used the timeout,” Saturday stated. “Simply it on movie … from a time perspective, I felt good. However you may inform we had been in disarray. I simply did not have a terrific really feel.”
A part of that disarray, Saturday stated, was the truth that the third-down play name required the extensive receivers to line up in several spots than the earlier play. By the point that received sorted out, the play clock was ticking down.
The complete state of affairs put Saturday and new play caller Parks Frazier underneath a microscope as each males had been of their third video games of their new roles. Former coach Frank Reich, who was fired final month, was beforehand the Colts’ play caller.
“It is a studying expertise,” Saturday stated.
The Colts had all three of their timeouts remaining earlier than the third-down play. With the Colts trailing by 7, the ball was snapped with 34 seconds remaining. Which means 25 seconds elapsed between the earlier snap and the time the Colts received round to snapping the ball on third down. That wasn’t what the staff had in thoughts. The intent, Saturday stated, was to play with a faster tempo in that state of affairs to reap the benefits of the protection, maybe being caught off guard.
“That is on me [not] understanding, what personnel is within the sport, what formations we had been in, and guys getting again to their pure positions of the place they’re gonna line up.
“I used to be like, ‘Man, let’s go get this primary down actually fast. Maintain them on their heels with out substitution.’ … I believed we had the benefit, however sadly, we should always have hit the timeout, give us our greatest play, greatest alternative.”
“I want I had that third down again and, in all honesty, want I might used the timeout. Simply it on movie … from a time perspective, I felt good. However you may inform we had been in disarray. I simply did not have a terrific really feel.”
Jeff Saturday
Among the many Colts’ issues was the Steelers doubtlessly altering to a heavier-personnel grouping for the short-yardage state of affairs. On the earlier play, a second-and-17, the Steelers had been in a pass-defense posture, dropping six males into protection.
However the lengthy delay between snaps allowed the Steelers to regroup and, it appears, get a great learn on the Colts’ intentions. Pittsburgh exterior linebacker Alex Highsmith stated he may sense from the Colts’ formation that the play was more likely to be a run. As quickly because the ball was snapped, Highsmith darted inside, by no means making an attempt to hurry across the edge. The surprising inside transfer caught rookie tight finish Jelani Woods without warning, permitting Highsmith to simply make the sort out on Taylor.
The Colts tried a cross to Parris Campbell on the following fourth down that was incomplete, and the Steelers took possession and ran out the clock.
There have been different elements exterior the failure to name a timeout that impacted the state of affairs. Quarterback Matt Ryan’s choice to present himself up on the second-down play did not assist. Ryan resourcefully escaped the pocket and scrambled for 14 yards. However he dived wanting the first-down marker relatively than tackle two defenders in entrance of him. Had the Colts achieved a primary down on the play, they nearly actually would have known as a timeout and would have proceeded otherwise.
The Colts gamers themselves additionally may have used extra of a way of urgency on the ultimate possession. An absence of focus may need contributed to the “disarray” that Saturday noticed whereas watching the movie.
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