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When Seconds Count
They say the game comes down to inches, it also breaks down to seconds.

During the off-season a franchise's front office staff will spend hours upon hours into researching every detail before making a personnel decision. How does the player perform in the West Coast offense when playing against opposing 4-3 defenses? Will this kid respond when given the ball in crucial 3rd down scenarios? Has this kid performed well in high-pressure games before? How does his 4th quarter output compare to his 1st quarter output?

One thing about research ... there isn't one thing. Research is a black hole. You could spend a lifetime in it. You could spend just a few seconds in it. It all comes down to results. Does your research produce results?

In professional football, a regulation game lasts 60 minutes. An additional 15 minutes for every overtime. Sixty minutes is 3,600 seconds. And the outcome of the game could hinge on any one of those seconds.

A good head coach will prepare his team for every second that they're on the field of play. Every second.

The New England Patriots could have used 10 extra seconds in the 2079 Super Bowl. Just enough time to give Kurt Holohan the shot at placing his name in the records books. But the game clock didn't play out that way. The clock benefited a kicker who was 3rd worst in the league in field goal kicking.

So with all those seconds in a game, what are we really talking about here?

Some seconds are more crucial than others, right?

Let's take a look ...

SCENARIO SECONDS
The amount of time it takes for an average USAFL play to run

5.00

The average amount of time it takes a QB to perform a 2 step drop

2.70

The average amount of time it takes a QB to perform a 5 step drop

3.30

The average amount of time it takes a QB to perform a 7 step drop

3.70

The total time a Punter has to get the ball off

1.78

The average hang-time for a punt

4.85-5.40

The total time a Kicker has to get a FG try off

0.75

The average hang-time for a kickoff

3.75


Thanks to ESPN The Magazine for this data