The FG was kicked on third down due to the poor field conditions and also due to the fact that the long snapper and holder are BOTH new to the team, within the past few weeks.

The idea being that if the snap was botched, the ball could be covered and another attempt would be made on 4th down. That is also the reason why there was still time left on the clock, eneough time to try the FG again.

So I dont believe it was clock mismanagement. I believe it was a smart play on a tough day to be kicking FGs.

quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to take a knee on fourth down, then

I believe you meant third down. Just mentioning the typo so you can correct it.

Because of the bizarro coaching idea that kicking on third down gives the team margin for error. If the snap is fumbled or muffed, the kicking team can fall on it and try the kick again on fourth down.

On the Thursday night Jets/Pats game, Collinsworth would not shut up about this. He said things like "I'd definitely kick it here. That way you have another down in case something goes wrong." Blah, Blah, Blah. He's become a terrible announcer and you likely have him and his ilk to blame for coaches continuing this idiocy. Coaches, as you've noted, play it safe more often than not and part of that is doing things that keep announcers and commentators from criticizing you during and after the game.

Far more likely than a bad snap or muffed hold is a false start penalty, which would result in a 10-second runoff that would end the game if you didn't leave over 10 seconds on the clock. This was, in fact, a fantastically savvy coaching move by Tomlin, especially considering how the Steelers had been penalized in that game, combined with the nerves and jumpiness of a potentially game-winning play.

I agree with your analysis that the "what if something goes wrong with the snap or the hold" chestnut is as stale as it is statistically irrelevant. But the 10 second runoff is a very real concern, and the real reason coaches kick with more than 10 seconds left in these situations.

Have you ever seen a messed-up field-goal attempt on third down, followed by a successful one on fourth?

No, I have not; but I have seen a game lost at the end by a bothced FG try. Ask Tony Romo if he would have liked another down to try to get the ball down in the playoff game a few years ago. I imagine he would say yes.

about the 10 second runoff for a false start.

Even though I've never seen the eventuality we are constantly told about, where the third-down snap is botched but recovered for a fourth-down attempt, I have seen plenty of muffed snaps recovered by the holder. Most famous is the Tony Romo poor hold in the playoff game against Seattle two years ago. With time and a spare down, he could have taken a knee with the ball and kicked again, rather than trying the desperation dash for the endzone. This also happened in a MNF Philly game against Dallas, with the same result.

If there hadn't been that goofy ref's call on the last play, would we be talking about this decision, or even this game?

And, why are we talking about it at all? The FG kick was good, the Steelers held the Chargers, and won the game. The Steeler's strategy worked.

Interesting how often controvery swirls around the kicking game in football. It's almost as if they should get rid of the kicking game completely!

Oops...did I say the wrong thing?

This got me thinking...what if the field goal attempt is blocked on third down and recovered by the kicking team? Would the kicking team retain possession with fourth down?

I read the rule, but there is some confusing language about situations in which the clock was stopped and the offense had come set, so I don't know if a runoff was possible in last night's game. But if it was possible, then it's a great call by Tomlin.

And thinking about it more, kicking on 3rd down could have more of a psychological impact than anything. By relieving some pressure on the long snapper and holder because they know they have another shot at it, kicking on 3rd down could have had an effect that we'll never know about - how many bad snaps and holds were saved by not letting it all ride on 4th down? There's no way to measure that, but percentage of successful third-down game-winning kicks made compared to fourth-down game-winning kicks made would be an interesting stat. A statistically significant difference in favor of 3rd downers would possibly buttress the "less pressure" argument, and when you have a new long snapper, it seems an even better move.

"What Mike Tomlin should have done was call for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to take a knee on fourth down, then call timeout with one second left."

What's funny about your article is that you had time to think about the decision you are critiquing and you botched the call as well.

See; they hand the ball to the other team if they take a knee on 4th down. Why do I have to keep explaining this?

You can use a timeout in lieu of the runoff.

I agree w/ King 100%. Also, the Chargers should have let the Steelers score sooner. That is another pet peeve of mine.

Why didn't the Chargers just let the Steelers score a touchdown once it was obvious that the Steelers had an easy field goal and were going to run down the clock before kicking it?

The second dumbest play ever made by Leon Lett (and one that actually changed the outcome of the game) was on a Thanksgiving day game against Miami. A freak ice storm in Dallas left the field very slick, and Miami's attempt to win the game with a last second field goal was blocked. Game over, Dallas wins. Except...

Miami could not recover the kick as long as noone from Dallas touched the ball. However, Leon did not realize this, and skidded into the ball attempting to recover it. He failed, and a Miami player recovered the ball after Leon touched it. I think this was a "change of possession" call with the muff by Lett, so it wouldn't matter if it had been third or fourth down.

Miami then cleared enough ice away that the second attempt was good, and they won the game.

Typical Dolphins, though. They went to 9-2 with the win, then proceeded to lose their final five games and miss the playoffs.