Coaches would take more gambles if they didn't face intense scrutiny

My hat's off to Dick Vermeil and Jon Gruden for going for the win rather than the tie in recent games. Both coaches gambled and won, knowing that if their backs had been stuffed at the goal line, they would have been skewered. That's why you almost never see coaches do what they did.

The conventional wisdom is to kick the extra point or field goal and tie the game, then go to overtime. But whenever coaches buck conventional wisdom, they face intense scrutiny from reporters and fans. Few coaches have any appetite for that. So they take their chances in overtime, and if it doesn't work out, well, at least their strategy doesn't get criticized.

Players don't see it that way. They'd go for the win every time. It's just one play, and players always think they can execute one play. I've never heard a player blast a coach for going for it in any situation. Remember the 1995 Cowboys-Eagles game when Barry Switzer went for the first down on fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 29? We came up short, and the Eagles took over and won the game on a field goal moments later. Switzer got blistered in the press, but there wasn't a player in our locker room who disagreed with his decision. Not one.

Now that I'm off the field, I can view these decisions more objectively. My rule of thumb is if you have the superior team, don't risk the game on one play. The better team should prevail over the course of several plays, so overtime is the way to go. But if you have the lesser team, you don't want overtime. You might not be able to win 20 plays, but anybody can win one play, so you might as well roll the dice.

Of course, situations are different. I questioned Gruden's call at the time because even if Mike Alstott had scored, there still would have been almost a minute left. He was risking the game on one play, but the Redskins had two chances to win--by stopping the 2-point attempt or by driving for a winning field goal in the final minute. Fortunately for the Bucs, Washington failed on both counts.

Vermeil, on the other hand, went for the win on the last play of regulation. It was risky, but at least when Larry Johnson scored, the game was over.

One thing was certain for both coaches: It would've been ugly had they come up short.

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