4:07 PM ET
Stephen HolderESPN
INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts interim manager Jeff Saturday, successful a reversal from his postgame comments connected Monday night, said Tuesday that helium had regrets astir the team's handling of a late-game script successful a 24-17 nonaccomplishment to the Steelers.
Saturday declined to telephone a timeout earlier a cardinal third-down play, opting to instrumentality with a predetermined playcall the squad had dialed up. The Colts were hoping to drawback the Steelers successful a suboptimal unit grouping that would person fixed themselves an advantage.
Ultimately, the Colts struggled to get lined up quickly, allowing the timepiece to rotation and giving the Steelers a accidental to regroup. Pittsburgh stuffed moving backmost Jonathan Taylor for nary summation connected the third-and-3 play from the 26-yard enactment with 30 seconds left.
"I privation I had that 3rd down backmost and, successful each honesty, privation I'd utilized the timeout," Saturday said. "Just looking astatine it connected movie ... from a clip perspective, I felt good. But you could archer we were successful disarray. I conscionable didn't person a large feel."
Part of that disarray, Saturday said, was the world that the third-down playcall required the wide receivers to enactment up successful antithetic spots than the erstwhile play. By the clip that got sorted out, the play timepiece was ticking down.
The full concern enactment Saturday and caller playcaller Parks Frazier nether a microscope arsenic some men were successful their 3rd games successful their caller roles. Former manager Frank Reich, who was fired past month, was antecedently the Colts' playcaller.
"It's a learning experience," Saturday said.
The Colts had each 3 of their timeouts remaining earlier the third-down play. With the Colts trailing by seven, the shot was snapped with 34 seconds remaining. That means 25 seconds elapsed betwixt the erstwhile drawback and the clip the Colts got astir to snapping the shot connected 3rd down. That wasn't what the squad had successful mind. The intent, Saturday said, was to play with a quicker tempo successful that concern to instrumentality vantage of the defence possibly being caught off-guard.
"That's connected maine [not] understanding, what unit is successful the game, what formations we were in, and guys getting backmost to their earthy positions of wherever they're gonna enactment up.
"I was like, 'Man, let's spell get this archetypal down truly quick. Keep them connected their heels without substitution.' ... I thought we had the advantage, but unfortunately, we should person deed the timeout, springiness america our champion play, champion opportunity."
"I privation I had that 3rd down backmost and, successful each honesty, privation I'd utilized the timeout. Just looking astatine it connected movie ... from a clip perspective, I felt good. But you could archer we were successful disarray. I conscionable didn't person a large feel."
Among the Colts' concerns was the Steelers perchance changing to a heavier-personnel grouping for the short-yardage situation. On the erstwhile play, a second-and-17, the Steelers were successful a pass-defense posture, dropping six men into coverage.
But the agelong hold betwixt snaps allowed the Steelers to regroup and, it seems, get a bully work connected the Colts' intentions. Pittsburgh extracurricular linebacker Alex Highsmith said helium could consciousness from the Colts' enactment that the play was apt to beryllium a run. As soon arsenic the shot was snapped, Highsmith darted inside, ne'er attempting to unreserved astir the edge. The unexpected wrong determination caught rookie choky extremity Jelani Woods by surprise, allowing Highsmith to easy marque the tackle connected Taylor.
The Colts attempted a walk to Parris Campbell connected the ensuing 4th down that was incomplete, and the Steelers took possession and ran retired the clock.
Other factors extracurricular the nonaccomplishment to telephone a timeout besides affected the situation. Quarterback Matt Ryan's determination to springiness himself up connected the second-down play didn't help. Ryan resourcefully escaped the pouch and scrambled for 14 yards. But helium dived abbreviated of the first-down marker alternatively than instrumentality connected 2 defenders successful beforehand of him. Had the Colts achieved a archetypal down connected the play, they astir surely would person called a timeout and would person proceeded differently.
The Colts players themselves besides could person utilized much of a consciousness of urgency connected the last possession. A deficiency of absorption mightiness person contributed to the "disarray" that Saturday observed portion watching the film.
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