St. Louis head coach Mike Martz has always been a foot-to-the-throat, pedal-to-the-metal kind of guy. He picked the wrong time to get conservative on his team.
Martz said he decided not to go for a touchdown in the final minute because he didn’t want to risk an interception in the end zone.
Instead, the Rams let the clock wind down and had Jeff Wilkins hit a tying 33-yard field goal.
The Rams had momentum after rallying from 11 points down. By forcing overtime, his team would have either had to hold off the Panther offense or drive from deep in their own territory.
Martz’s decision cost his team big-time, as Wilkins missed a 53-yard try during the Rams’ first possession in overtime.
But coaching had nothing to do with Panther wideout Steve Smith’s game-winning touchdown score on a skinny post pattern.
That was simply brilliant execution by Smith, quarterback Jake Delhomme and the Carolina offensive line.
SILVER BULLETS: Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb may never be the guy with the brilliant TD-interception ratio who throws for more than 4,000 yards, but he’s the guy who got the first down on 4th-and-26.
Also:
– Patriot defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel need not feel unappreciated if no team hires him as head coach. New England just gave him a raise to $1 million per season.
– Jeff Fisher needs to hand over the RB reins to Chris Brown next year. Brown gets to–and through–holes at least a half-step quicker than aging Eddie George.
