Engine braking is useful if you have no brakes or weak ones. Other than in that situation there's likely little use for it. In the old days there were cars that had stronger engines than brakes - and it may be that today's Big Rigs still fall into this category based on those
"No Jake Brake" signs you see in rural areas.
Theoretically you could do a good job of matching the right gear and engine speed when downshifting in a modern car such that brake use is minimal and engine braking would fill the void. In a world of long slow off ramps or other gradual deceleration situations this could be great. In an unpredictable/fast deceleration world then the downshifting to engine brake becomes more difficult or harsh such that clutch wear starts to factor in more (or as mentioned before, over-revving and engine wear), not to mention the possibility of unbalancing the car by overloading the drive wheels' friction patch.
For me, bottom line is if I have to choose between a clutch job and a brake job, it is always going to be the brakes - so I minimize engine braking's use to long slow gradual hills etc.
BTW - nice color choice on that 2001!
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