As the Jets return to Pittsburgh, their fans can’t forget the stinging memory of the last playoff game they played at Heinz Field -- the 2004 divisional matchup, when Doug Brien missed two game-winning field goals, delivering one of the most heartbreaking losses in Jets history.
Six years later, a lot of things have changed about the organization, but the presence of an unreliable kicker remains. Nick Folk is a “Folk Hero” one second, “Folk the Choke” the next. He won the game in Indianapolis, but missed a 30-yarder in Foxborough. In a stadium haunted by field-goal kickers past, a quasi-reliable kicker isn’t enough. When this game goes down to the wire, I want it in Mark Sanchez’s hands, not at Nick Folk’s feet.
Note to the Jets: Don’t play for the field goal -- they’re never safe. If it’s 4th and goal with seconds left in the fourth quarter and you’re down by three, go for it. As Herm Edwards would say, “Play to win the game.” (“Hellooo!”) Don’t break hearts the same old way. Don’t count on Nick Folk, not with the memory of Doug Brien lingering between those uprights. Don’t be the Same Old Jets.
