Agree with boofhead ,
Where I'm at our company too has adopted a use auto brake for all landings policy, unfortunately I have yet to find a runway turnoff that corresponds with the braking that takes place, LOW is too low and MED is too much too soon for normal dry and wet runways. I am always forced to manually intervene.
D.L
Directly from the Boeing NG Flight Crew Training Manual:
Boeing recommends that whenever runway limited, using higher than normal approach speeds, landing on slippery runways or landing in a crosswind, the autobrake system be used
This would seem to allow use of Autobrake OFF when landing on a good day with a long runway, but in the case of this accident the Captain seems to have made a good decision with respect to autobrake useage, despite the apparent management policy for manual braking. At least two of the conditions relevant to Boeing recommending autobrake were present.
The following paragraph from the NG systems manual is also interesting and possibly relevant to this accident and has been mentioned in part before:
The thrust reverser can be deployed when either radio altimeter senses less than 10 feet altitude, or when the air/ground safety sensor is in the ground mode. Movement of the reverse thrust levers is mechanically restricted until the forward thrust levers are in the idle position.
Although it is possible to deploy the reversers any time below 10' RA, it would not have been immediately possible if the thrust levers weren't completely closed before attempting reverser deployment.