Currently offensive timeouts get called as early as 1:20 or even 1:40 left in the half. There's no need to call timeouts that early. It only serves to:
A. waste a team's timeouts that they will need on defense or
B. give the other team's offense more time at the end of the half
EDIT: AirMcMVP brought up a good point a few posts down: http://goallineblitz.com/game/forum_thread.pl?thread_id=5091456
One issue is when the previous play ends before the timeout threshold, and then the clock ticks down to the timeout threshold. You don't want to run one play at 1:28, run the clock all the way down to 0:45, then call a timeout.
Sticking to this particular suggestion, here is what I suggest in terms of when to call the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd timeout on offense...
IF Offense Timeouts Left = 3, and a play ends with less than 55 seconds left, immediately call a timeout. (Assuming reasonable field position/down/distance/score.)
IF Offense Timeouts Left = 2, and a play ends with less than 35 seconds left, immediately call a timeout. (Assuming reasonable field position/down/distance/score.)
IF Offense Timeouts Left = 1, and a play ends with less than 25 seconds left, immediately call a timeout. (Assuming reasonable field position/down/distance/score.)
Don't ever run the clock down and then call a timeout except in the last-second field goal case.
An additional suggestion may be needed for hurry-up offense... such as in AirMcMVP's example below, the offense had 1st down at midfield in a tie game with under two minutes left, that's a case where they should be in hurry-up offense rather than taking 48 seconds between plays (regardless of timeouts).
So should see sequences more like this:
• Run play ends at 60 seconds, run play starts at 40 seconds and ends at 36 seconds, timeout #1 called at 36 seconds, run play starts at 36 seconds and ends at 32 seconds, timeout #2 called at 32 seconds, run play starts at 32 seconds and ends at 28 seconds, run play starts at 8 seconds and ends at 4 seconds, timeout #3 called at 4 seconds.
• Run play ends at 55 seconds, timeout #1 called at 55 seconds, run play ends at 51 seconds, run play starts at 31 seconds, timeout #2 called at 27 seconds, run play starts at 7 seconds, timeout #3 called at 3 seconds.
• Complete pass at 120 seconds, complete pass at 97 seconds, complete pass at 74 seconds, Incomplete pass at 55 seconds, incomplete pass at 51 seconds, complete pass at 47 seconds, timeout #1 called at 47 seconds. Incomplete pass at 43 seconds, incomplete pass at 39 seconds, complete pass at 33 seconds, timeout #2 called at 33 seconds...
A. waste a team's timeouts that they will need on defense or
B. give the other team's offense more time at the end of the half
EDIT: AirMcMVP brought up a good point a few posts down: http://goallineblitz.com/game/forum_thread.pl?thread_id=5091456
One issue is when the previous play ends before the timeout threshold, and then the clock ticks down to the timeout threshold. You don't want to run one play at 1:28, run the clock all the way down to 0:45, then call a timeout.
Sticking to this particular suggestion, here is what I suggest in terms of when to call the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd timeout on offense...
IF Offense Timeouts Left = 3, and a play ends with less than 55 seconds left, immediately call a timeout. (Assuming reasonable field position/down/distance/score.)
IF Offense Timeouts Left = 2, and a play ends with less than 35 seconds left, immediately call a timeout. (Assuming reasonable field position/down/distance/score.)
IF Offense Timeouts Left = 1, and a play ends with less than 25 seconds left, immediately call a timeout. (Assuming reasonable field position/down/distance/score.)
Don't ever run the clock down and then call a timeout except in the last-second field goal case.
An additional suggestion may be needed for hurry-up offense... such as in AirMcMVP's example below, the offense had 1st down at midfield in a tie game with under two minutes left, that's a case where they should be in hurry-up offense rather than taking 48 seconds between plays (regardless of timeouts).
So should see sequences more like this:
• Run play ends at 60 seconds, run play starts at 40 seconds and ends at 36 seconds, timeout #1 called at 36 seconds, run play starts at 36 seconds and ends at 32 seconds, timeout #2 called at 32 seconds, run play starts at 32 seconds and ends at 28 seconds, run play starts at 8 seconds and ends at 4 seconds, timeout #3 called at 4 seconds.
• Run play ends at 55 seconds, timeout #1 called at 55 seconds, run play ends at 51 seconds, run play starts at 31 seconds, timeout #2 called at 27 seconds, run play starts at 7 seconds, timeout #3 called at 3 seconds.
• Complete pass at 120 seconds, complete pass at 97 seconds, complete pass at 74 seconds, Incomplete pass at 55 seconds, incomplete pass at 51 seconds, complete pass at 47 seconds, timeout #1 called at 47 seconds. Incomplete pass at 43 seconds, incomplete pass at 39 seconds, complete pass at 33 seconds, timeout #2 called at 33 seconds...
Edited by TrevJo on Aug 20, 2013 01:15:29
Edited by TrevJo on Jul 9, 2013 12:08:27
Edited by TrevJo on Jul 9, 2013 12:07:24
Edited by TrevJo on Jul 9, 2013 12:04:36
Edited by TrevJo on Jul 9, 2013 12:03:55
the honest answer is that this game, by design, doesn't allow us to really "call time outs" when they SHOULD be called. To do that you would have to be actually IN that game at gametime. 
Just sayin, ya know?
