Late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, the Jets did something that really troubled me. After LaDainian Tomlinson's catch run, and drawn penalty to put the ball on the 28 with 40 seconds left, Gang Green had a chance to win the game. Detroit was on its heels. The Jets had just put up a touchdown and were driving again. There was a chance to win the game. Did Gang Green continue attacking? No, Shonn Greene got a handoff to set up a field goal. The coaching staff played for overtime.
I couldn't get the Doug Brien game out of my head, when Herman Edwards and Paul Hackett chose to settle for a field goal try rather than risk advancing the ball. Had they advanced the ball, they could have scored a touchdown or at least set up a chip shot.
The same principle works here. What if Folk had missed the kick? What if the Lions had won the toss in overtime and run the kick back? The Jets had their foot on Detroit's throat and stopped attacking 28 yards from the victory with plenty of time left. Getting conservative and no longer attacking out of fear of a mistake is playing not to lose. It costs teams games.
For all of the brevado coming from the coaching staff, I am a bit troubled by their refusal to play for the win.