Denver Broncos coach John Fox has thought plenty about his team's devastating loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC divisional playoffs. And he still would ask one of the NFL's all-time greatest quarterbacks to take a knee at the end of regulation rather than go for a last-second win.
Top 100 Players of 2013
Make sure you vote for the Top 100 players of 2013. Voting ends May 31. Get your vote in. More ...
"I've debated it with my staff, my wife, myself. I would do the same thing 10 times out of 10," Fox recently told The Denver Post. "Too many bad things could happen. Remember, we had a pick-six earlier in the game."
The Broncos also had two timeouts and 31 seconds left, but Fox said he preferred taking his chances in overtime. Denver's offense, which stagnated in the extra session, played things very conservatively throughout the end of the fourth quarter. And that's what Fox would change.
"You're talking about the wrong play," Fox told The Post's Woody Paige. "I would change what we did on third-and-7 the series before. ... That's the one that gnaws at me. We get the first down there, and Baltimore can't stop the clock again, and the game's over."
We think Fox made a big mistake in both situations. But at least he recognizes that playing not to lose can be a detriment. The Broncos had third-and-7 with just two minutes left and the Ravens out of timeouts. Instead of calling a play that potentially could have ended the game, the Broncos called a run up the middle to kill some clock.
Fox was asked what he would call now.
"I don't know, but something that would pick up a first down," Fox said.
Paige's response: "And, you go on to the Super Bowl and become world champions instead of the Ravens, and live happily ever after."
Fox had no response. His ever-conservative coaching approach often has been a detriment to his team in late-game situations. Perhaps last season's loss will help Fox change his ways.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
