The Cleveland Browns were so close to stealing one on the road last week. The New Orleans Saints were beatable. Shedeur Sanders was balling, and the offense got into a rhythm.
Then it all went down in flames in a single play.
Todd Monken honored his aggressive mindset by doing what bold teams do when they're on the road. He attempted a two-point conversion in overtime to either secure his sixth win of the season or return home empty-handed. Unfortunately, it was the latter.
While it was nice to see Monken put that type of trust in the offense and double down on that decision when asked about it, being aggressive just for the sake of it isn't good coaching. You also have to be smart.
Browns had too much to lose for Todd Monken to gamble everything in overtime
Monken and the Browns fell to third place after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They're now 5-4, just above the 4-5 Baltimore Ravens, who might be out of the playoff picture soon after Lamar Jackson's season-threatening injury.
And with the Cincinnati Bengals winning earlier on Sunday to move to 6-2, the Browns clearly couldn't afford another setback. A tie isn't a win, obviously, but it might be the difference between finishing in third and first place in the AFC North.
The Browns are 2-1 in the division. They've done well against Joe Burrow, whom they'll face twice later this season, and they should beat the Jackson-less Ravens. So that decision to go for it might come back to haunt this team further down the road.
Monken's decision was far from a surprise. He's been bold and aggressive multiple times this season, and he's also trying to build a winning culture on a team full of young players just learning the ropes.
This is not to say that he should be more conservative or to bash him for a failed two-point conversion. It happens, and the conversation would've been entirely different if that pass had been completed. It's not about that.
We've seen good teams and good coaches hurt themselves with their overly aggressive approach. Dan Campbell and Kyle Shanahan have wasted golden opportunities because of that, and Monken should learn from his colleagues' mistakes.
It's about considering the bigger picture and the full context, not just what's going on in the game. Sometimes, a team can win much more by staying put and settling than by trying to send a message.
Monken has coached a ton of football and has been around forever, but he's still earning his stripes and learning on the fly.
He'll be fine.
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